this ebook was produced by norm wolcott. geoffrey de villehardouin [b.c.1160-d.c.1213]: memoirs or chronicle of the fourth crusade and the conquest of constantinople geoffrey de villehardouin [b.c.1160-d.c.1213]: memoirs or chronicle of the fourth crusade and the conquest of constantinople, trans. frank t. marzials, (london: j.m. dent, 1908) the first preaching of the crusade 1 be it known to you that eleven hundred and ninety-seven years after the incarnation of our lord jesus christ, in the time of innocent pope of rome, and philip king of france, and richard king of england, there was in france a holy man named fulk of neuilly which neuilly is between lagni-sur-marne and paris and he was a priest and held the cure of the village. and this said fulk began to speak of god throughout the isle-de-france, and the other countries round about; and you must know that by him the lord wrought many miracles. be it known to you further, that the fame of this holy man so spread, that it reached the pope of rome, innocent*; and the pope sent to france, and ordered the right worthy man to preach the cross (the crusade) by his authority. and afterwards the pope sent a cardinal of his, master peter of capua, who himself had taken the cross, to proclaim the indulgence of which i now tell you, viz., that all who should take the cross and serve in the host for one year, would be de[note: innocent iii, elected pope on the 8th january 1198, at the early age of thirty seven, innocent iii was one of the leading spirits of his time-in every sense a strong man and great pope. from the beginning of his pontificate he turned his thoughts and policy to the recovery of jerusalem. ] 2 livered from all the sins they had committed, and acknowledged in confession. and because this indulgence was so great, the hearts of men were much moved, and many took the cross for the greatness of the pardon. of those who took the cross the other year after that right worthy man fulk had so spoken of god, there was held a tourney in champagne, at a castle called ecri, and by god's grace it so happened that thibaut, count of champagne and brie, took the cross, and the count louis of blois and chartres likewise; and this was at the beginning of advent (28th november 1199). now you must know that this count thibaut was but a young man, and not more than twenty-two years of age, and the count louis not more than twenty-seven. these two counts were nephews and cousins-german to the king of france, and, on the other part, nephews to the king of england. with these two counts there took the cross two very high and puissant barons of france, simon of montfort*, and renaud of montmirail. great was the fame thereof throughout the land when these two high and puissant men took the cross. [note: simon de monfort the same one who later crushed the albigensians and the father of the "english" simon de montfort who defeated the royal army at lewes and was killed at evesham in 1265]. in the land of count thibaut of champagne took the cross garnier, bishop of troyes, count walter of brienne, geoffry of joinville*, who was seneschal of the land, robert his brother, walter of vignory, walter of montbéliard, eustace of conflans, guy of plessis his brother, henry of arzilliéres, oger of saint-chéron, villain of neuilly, geoffry of villhardouin, marshal of champagne, geoffry his nephew, william of nully, walter of fuligny, everard of montigny, manasses of l'isle, macaire of sainte-menehould, miles the brabant, guy of chappes, clerembaud his nephew, renaud of dampierre, john foisnous, and many other right worthy men whom this book does not here mention by name. [note: geoffry de joinville the father of the chronicler joinville.] with count louis took the cross gervais of châtel hervée his son john of virsin, oliver of rochefort, henry of mont3 reuil, payen of orléans, peter of bracietix, hugh his brother, william of sains, john of frialze, walter of gaudonville, hugh of cormeray, geoffry his brother, hervée of beauvoir, robert of frouville, peter his brother, orri of l'isle, robert of quartier, and many more whom this book does not here mention by name. in the isle-de-france took the cross nevelon, bishop of soissons, matthew of montmorency, guy the castellan of coucy, his nephew, robert of ronsoi, ferri of yerres, john his brother, walter of saint-denis, henry his brother, william of aunoi, robert mauvoisin, dreux of crcssonsacq, bernard of moreuil, enguerrand of boves, robert his brother, and many more right worthy men with regard to whose names this book is here silent. at the beginning of the following lent, on the day when folk are marked with ashes (23rd february 1200), the cross was taken at bruges by count baldwin of flanders and hainault, and by the countess mary his wife, who was sister to the count thibaut of champagne. afterwards took the cross, henry his brother, thierri his nephew, who was the son of count philip of flanders, william the advocate of béthune, conon his brother, john of nê1e castellan of bruges, renier of trit, reginald his son, matthew of wallincourt, james of avesnes, baldwin of beauvoir, hugh of beaumetz, gérard of mancicourt, odo of ham, william of gommegnies, dreux of beaurain, roger of marck, eustace of saubruic, francis of colemi, walter of bousies, reginald of mons, walter of tombes, bernard of somergen, and many more right worthy men in great number, with regard to whom this book does not speak further. afterwards took the cross, count hugh of st. paul. with him took the cross, peter of amiens his nephew, eustace of canteleu, nicholas of mailly, anscau of cayeaux, guy of houdain, walter of nê1e, peter his brother, and many other men who are unknown to us. directly afterwards took the cross geoffry of perche, stephen his brother, rotrou of montfort, ives of la jaille, aimery of villeroi, geoffry of beaumont, and many others whose names i do not know. 4 the crusaders send six envoys to venice afterwards the barons held a parliament at soissons, to settle when they should start, and whither they should wend. but they could come to no agreement, because it did not seem to them that enough people had taken the cross. so during all that year (1200) no two months passed without assemblings in parliament at compiègne. there met all the counts and barons who had taken the cross. many were the opinions given and considered; but in the end it was agreed that envoys should be sent, the best that could be found, with full powers, as if they were the lords in person, to settle such matters as needed settlement. of these envoys, thibaut, count of champagne and brie, sent two; baldwin, count of flanders and hainault, two; and louis, count of blois and chartres, two. the envoys of the count thibaut were geoffry of villehardouin, marshal of champagne, and miles the brabant; the envoys of count baldwin were conon of béthune' and alard maquereau, and the envoys of count louis were john of friaise, and walter of gaudonville. to these six envoys the business in hand was fully committed, all the barons delivering to them valid charters, with seals attached, to the effect that they would undertake to maintain and carry out whatever conventions and agreements the envoys might enter into, in all sea ports, and whithersoever else the envoys might fare. thus were the six envoys despatched, as you have been told; and they took counsel among themselves, and this was their conclusion: that in venice they might expect to find a greater number of vessels than in any other port. so they journeyed day by day, till they came thither in the first week of lent (february 1201). the envoys arrive in venice, and proffer their request the doge of venice, whose name was henry dandolo* and [note: that henry dandolo was a very old man is certain, but there is doubt as to his precise age, as also as to the cause of his blindness. according to one account he had been blinded, or all but blinded, by the greeks, and in a treacherous manner, when sent, at an earlier date, on an embassy to constaritinople-whence his bitter hostility to the greek empire. i agree, however, with sir rennell rodd that, if this had been so, villehardouin would scarcely have refrained from mentioning such an act of perfidy on the part of the wicked greeks. (see p. 41 of vol 1of sir rennell rodd's princes of achaia.) it is hardly to be imagined that he would keep the matter dark because, if he mentioned it, people would think dandolo acted throughout from motives of personal vengeance. this would be to regard villehardouin aa very astute controversial historian indeed.] 5 who was very wise and very valiant, did them great honour, both he and the other folk, and entertained them right willingly, marvelling, however, when the envoys had delivered their letters, what might be the matter of import that had brought them to that country. for the letters were letters of credence only, and declared no more than that the bearers were to be accredited as if they were the counts in person, and that the said counts would make good whatever the six envoys should undertake. so the doge replied: " signors, i have seen your letters; well do we know that of men uncrowned your lords are the greatest, and they advise us to put faith in what you tell us, and that they will maintain whatsoever you undertake. now, therefore, speak, and let us know what is your pleasure." and the envoys answered: " sire, we would that you should assemble your council; and before your council we will declare the wishes of our lords; and let this be tomorrow, if it so pleases you." and the doge replied asking for respite till the fourth day, when he would assemble his council, so that the envoys might state their requirements. the envoys waited then till the fourth day, as had been appointed them, and entered the palace, which was passing rich and beautiful; and found the doge and his council in a chamber. there they delivered their message after this manner: " sire, we come to thee on the part of the high barons of france, who have taken the sign of the cross to avenge the shame done to jesus christ, and to reconquer jerusalem, if so be that god -will suffer it. and because they know that no people have such great power to help them as you and your people, therefore we pray you by god that you take pity on the land overseas and the shame of christ, and use diligence that our lords 'have ships for transport and battle." " and after what manner should we use diligence? 6 said the doge. " after all manners that you may advise and propose," rejoined the envoys, " in so far as what you propose may be within our means." " certes," said the doge, " it is a great thing that your lords require of us, and well it seems that they have in view a high enterprise. we will give you our answer eight days from to-day. and marvel not if the term be long, for it is meet that so great a matter be fully pondered." conditions proposed by the doge when the term appointed by the doge was ended, the envoys returned to the palace. many were the words then spoken which i cannot now rehearse. but this was the conclusion of that parliament: " signors," said the doge, " we will tell you the conclusions at which we have arrived, if so be that we can induce our great council and the commons of the land to allow of them; and you, on your part, must consult and see if you can accept them and carry them through. " we will build transports* to carry four thousand five hundred horses, and nine thousand squires, and ships for four thousand five hundred knights, and twenty thousand sergeants of foot. and we will agree also to purvey food for these horses and people during nine months. this is what we undertake to do at the least, on condition that you pay us for each horse four marks, and for each man two marks. [note: the old french term is vuissiers, and denotes a kind of vessel, flat-bottomed, with large ports, specially constructed for the transport of horses. t. smith translates "palanders," but i don't know that " palander" conveys any very clear idea to the english reader.] "and the covenants we are now explaining to you, we undertake to keep, wheresoever we may be, for a year, reckoning from the day on which we sail from the port of venice in the service of god and of christendom. now the sum total of the expenses above named amounts to 85,000 marks. "and this will we do moreover. for the love of god, we will add to the fleet fifty armed galleys on condition that, so long as we act in company, of all conquests in land or money, whether at sea or on dry ground, we shall have the half, and you the other half. now consult together to see if you, on your parts, can accept and fulfil these covenants." 7 the envoys then departed, and said that they would consult together and give their answer on the morrow. they consulted, and talked together that night, and agreed to accept the terms offered. so the next day they appeared before the doge, and said: " sire, we are ready to ratify this covenant." the doge thereon said he would speak of the matter to his people, and, as he found them affected, so would he let the envoys know the issue. on the morning of the third day, the doge, who was very wise and valiant, assembled his great council, and the council was of forty men of the wisest that were in the land. and the doge, by his wisdom and wit, that were very clear and very good, brought them to agreement and approval. thus he wrought with them; and then with a hundred others, then two hundred, then a thousand, so that at last all consented and approved. then he assembled well ten thousand of the people in the church of st. mark, the most beautiful church that there is, and bade them hear a mass of the holy ghost, and pray to god for counsel on the request and messages that had been addressed to them. and the people did so right willingly. conclusion of the treaty, and return of the envoys when mass had been said, the doge desired the envoys to humbly ask the people to assent to the proposed covenant. the envoys came into the church. curiously were they looked upon by many who had not before had sight of them. geoffry of villehardouin, the marshal of champagne, by will and consent of the other envoys, acted as spokesman and said unto them: " lords, the barons of france, most high and puissant, have sent us to you; and they cry to you for mercy, that you take pity on jerusalem, which is in bondage to the turks, and that, for god's sake, you help to avenge the shame of christ jesus. and for this end they have elected to come to you, because they know full well that there is none other people having so great power on the seas, as you and your people. and they commanded us to fall at your feet, and not to rise till you consent to take pity on the holy land which is beyond the seas." 8 then the six envoys knelt at the feet of the people, weeping many tears. and the doge and all the others burst into tears of pity and compassion, and cried with one voice, and lifted up their hands, saying: " we consent, we consent i " then was there so great a noise and tumult that it seemed as if the earth itself were falling to pieces. and when this great tumult and passion of pity greater did never any man see-were appeased, the good doge of venice, who was very wise and valiant, went up into the reading-desk, and spoke to the people, and said to them: "signors, behold the honour that god has done you; for the best people in the world have set aside all other people, and chosen you to join them in so high an enterprise as the deliverance of our lord! all the good and beautiful words that the doge then spoke, i cannot repeat to you. but the end of the matter was, that the covenants were to be made on the following day; and made they were, and devised accordingly. when they were concluded, it was notified to the council that we should go to babylon (cairo), because the turks could better be destroyed in babylon than in any other land; but to the folk at large it was only told that we were bound to go overseass. we were then in lent (march 1201), and by st. john's day, in the following year-which would be twelve hundred and two years after the incarnation of jesus christ-the barons and pilgrims were to be in venice, and the ships ready against their coming. when the treaties were duly indited and sealed, they were brought to the doge in the grand palace, where had been assembled the great and the little council. and when the doge delivered the treaties to the envoys, he knelt greatly weeping, and swore on holy relics faithfully to observe the conditions thereof, and so did all his council, which numbered fifty-six persons. and the envoys, on their side, swore to observe the treaties, and in all good faith to maintain their oaths and the oaths of their lords; and be it known to you that for great pity many a tear was there shed. and forthwith were messengers sent to rome, to the pope innocent, that he might confirm this covenant-the which he did right willingly. then did the envoys borrow five thousand marks of silver, and gave them to the doge so that the building of the ships 9 might be begun. and taking leave to return to their own land, they journeyed day by day till they came to placentia in lombardy. there they parted. geoffry, the marshal of champagne and alard maquereau went straight to france, and the others went to genoa and pisa to learn what help might there be had for the land overseass when geoffry, the marshal of champagne., passed over mont cenis, he came in with walter of brienne, going into apulia, to conquer the land of his wife, whom he had married since he took the cross, and who was the daughter of king tancred. with him went walter of montbéliard, and eustace of conflans, robert of joinville, and a great part of the people of worth in champagne who had taken the cross. and when he told them the news how the envoys had fared, great was their joy, and much did they prize the arrangements made. and they said, " we are already on our way; and when you come, you will find us ready." but events fall out as god wills, and never had they power to join the host. this was much to our loss; for they were of great prowess and valiant. and thus they parted, and each went on his way. so rode geoffry the marshal, day by day, that he came to troyes in champagne, and found his lord the count thibaut sick and languishing, and right glad was the count of his coming. and when he had told the count how he had fared, the count was so rejoiced that he said he would mount horse, a thing he had not done of a long time. so he rose from his bed and rode forth. but alas, how great the pity! for never again did he bestride horse but that once. his sickness waxed and grew worse, so that at the last he made his will and testament, and divided the money which he would have taken with him on pilgrimage among his followers and companions, of whom he had many that were very good men and true-no one at that time had more. and he ordered that each one, on receiving his money, should swear on holy relics, to join the host at venice, according as he had promised. many there were who kept that oath badly, and so incurred great blame. the count ordered that another portion of his treasure should be retained, and taken to the host, and there expended as might seem best. thus died the count; and no man in this world made a better end. and there were present at that time a very 10 great assemblage of men of his lineage and of his vassals. but of the mourning and funeral pomp it is unmeet that i should here speak. never was more honour paid to any man. and right well that it was so, for never was man of his age more beloved by his own men, nor by other folk. buried he was beside his father in the church of our lord st. stephen at troyes. he left behind him the countess, ws wife, whose name was blanche, very fair, very good, the daughter of the king of navarre. she had borne him a little daughter, and was then about to bear a son. the crusaders look for another chief when the count was buried, matthew of montmorency, simon of montfort, geoffry of joinville who was seneschal, and geoffry the marshal, went to odo, duke of burgundy, and said to him, " sire, your cousin is dead. you see what evil has befallen the land overseass we pray you by god that you take the cross, and succour the land overseas in his stead. and we will cause you to have all his treasure, and will swear on holy relics, and make the others swear also, to serve you in all good faith, even as we should have served him." such was his pleasure that he refused. and be it known to you that he might have done much better. the envoys charged geoffry of joinville to make the self-same offer to the count of bar-le-duc, thibaut, who was cousin to the dead count, and he refused also. very great was the discomfort of the pilgrims, and of all who were about to go on god's service, at the death of count thibaut of champagne; and they held a parliament, at the beginning, of the month, at soissons, to determine what they should do. there were present count baldwin of flanders and hainault, the count louis of blois and chartres, the count geoffry of perche, the count hugh of saintpaul, and many other men of worth. geoffry the marshal spake to them and told them of the offer made to the duke of burgundy, and to the count of bar-le-duc, and how they had refused it. " my lords," said he, " listen, i will advise you of somewhat if you will 11 consent thereto. the marquis of montferrat* is very worthy and valiant, and one of the most highly prized of living men. if you asked him to come here, and take the sign of the cross and put himself in place of the count of champagne, and you gave him the lordship of the host, full soon would he accept thereof." [note: boniface, marquis of montferrat, was one of the most accomplished men of the time, and an approved soldier. his little court at montferrat was the resort of artist and troubadour. his family was a family of crusaders. the father, william of montferrat, had gone overseass and fought valiantly against the infidel. boniface's eldest brother, william of the long sword, married a daughter of the titular king of jerusalem, and their son became titular king in turn. another brother, conrad, starting for the holy land, stopped at constantinople, and did there such good service that the greek emperor gave his sister to him in marriage; but afterwards fearing the perfidy of his brother-in-law, conrad fled to syria, and there battled against saladin. yet another brother, renier, also served in the greek empire, married an emperor's daughter, and received for guerdon of his deeds the kingdom of salonika. boniface himself had fought valiantly against saladin, been made prisoner, and afterwards liberated on exchange. it was no mean and nameless knight that villehardouin was proposing as chief to the assembled crusaders, but a princely noble, the patron of poets, verrsed in state affairs, and possessing personal experience of eastern warfare. i extract these details from m. bouchet's notice]. many were the words spoken for and against; but in the end all agreed, both small and great. so were letters written, and envoys chosen, and the marquis was sent for. and he came, on the day appointed, through champagne and the isle-de-france, where he received much honour, and specially from the king of france, who was his cousin. boniface, marquis of montferrat, becomes chief of the crusade new crusaders death of geoffry count of perche so he came to a parliament assembled at soissons; and the main part of the counts and barons and of the other crusaders were there assembled. when they heard that the marquis was coming, they went out to meet him, and did him much honour. in the morning the parliament was held in an orchard belonging to the abbey of our lady of soissons. there they besought the marquis to do as they had desired of him, and prayed him, for the love of god, to take the cross, and accept the leadership of the host, and stand in the place of thibaut count of champagne, and accept of his money 12 and of his men. and they fell at his feet, with many tears; and he, on his part, fell at their feet, and said he would do it right willingly. thus did the marquis consent to their prayers, and receive the lordship of the host. whereupon the bishop of soissons, and master fulk, the holy man, and two white monks whom the marquis had brought with him from ws own land, led him into the church of notre dame, and attached the cross to his shoulder. thus ended this parliament, and the next day he took leave to return to his own land and settle his own affairs-telling them all to settle their own affairs likewise, for that he would meet them at venice. thence did the marquis go to attend the chapter at citeaux, which is held on holy cross day in september (14th september 1241). there he found a great number of abbots, barons and other people of burgundy; and master fulk went thither to preach the crusade. and at that place took the cross odo the champenois of champlitte, and william his brother, richard of dampierre, odo his brother, guy of pesmes, edmund his brother, guy of conflans, and many other good men of burgundy, whose names are not recorded. afterwards took the cross the bishop of autun, guignes count of forez, hugh of bergi (father and son), hugh of colemi. further on in provence took the cross peter bromont, and many others whose names are unknown to us. thus did the pilgrims make ready in all lands. alas! a great mischance befell them in the following lent (march 1202) before they had started, for the count geoffry of perche fell sick, and made his will in such fashion that he directed that stephen, his brother, should have his goods, and lead his men in the host. of this exchange the pilgrims would willingly have been quit, had god so ordered. thus did the count make an end and die; and much evil ensued, for he was a baron high and honoured, and a good knight. greatly was he mourned throughout all his lands. first starting of the pilgrims for venice, and of some who went not thither after easter and towards whitsuntide (june 1202) began the pilgrims to leave their own country. and you must know that at their departure many were the tears shed for 13 pity and sorrow, by their own people and by their friends. so they journeyed through burgundy, and by the mountains of mont-joux (? jura) by mont cenis, and through lombardy, and began to assemble at venice, where they were lodged on an island which is called st. nicholas in the port. at that time started from flanders a fleet that carried a great number of good men-at-arms. of this fleet were captains john of nêle, castellan of bruges, thierri, who was the son of count philip of flanders, and nicholas of mailly. and these promised count baldwin, and swore on holy relics, that they would go through the straits of morocco, and join themselves to him, and to the host of venice, at whatsoever place they might hear that the count was faring. and for this reason the count of flanders and henry his brother had confided to them certain ships loaded with cloth and food and other wares. very fair was this fleet, and rich, and great was the reliance that the count of flanders and the pilgrims placed upon it, because very many of their good sergeants were journeying therein. but ill did these keep the faith they had sworn to the count, they and others like them, because they and such others of the same sort became fearful of the great perils that the host of venice had undertaken. thus did the bishop of autun fail us, and guignes the count of forez, and peter bromont, and many people besides, who were greatly blamed therein; and of little worth were the exploits they performed there where they did go. and of the french failed us bernard of moreuil, hugh of chaumont, henry of araines, john of villers, walter of saint-denis, hugh his brother, and many others, who avoided the passage to venice because of the danger, and went instead to marseilles-whereof they received shame, and much were they blamed-and great were the mishaps that afterwards befell them. of the pilgrims who came to venice, and of those who went to apulia now let us for this present speak of them no further, but speak of the pilgrims, of whom a great part had already come to venice. count baldwin of flanders had already arrived there, and many others, and thither were tidings brought to 14 them that many of the pilgrims were travelling by other ways, and from other ports. this troubled them greatly, because they would thus be unable to fulfil the promise made to the venetians, and find the moneys that were due. so they took counsel together, and agreed to send good envoys to meet the pilgrims, and to meet count louis of blois and chartres, who had not yet arrived, and to put them in good heart, and beseech them to have pity of the holy land beyond the sea, and show them that no other passage, save that from venice, could be of profit. for this embassy they made choice of count hugh of saint-paul and geoffry the marshal of champagne, and these rode till they came to pavia in lombardy. there they found count louis with a great many knights and men of note and worth; and by encouragements and prayers prevailed on many to proceed to venice who would otherwise have fared from other ports, and by other ways. nevertheless from placentia many men of note proceeded by other ways to apulia. among them were villain of neuilly, who was one of the best knights in the world, henry of arzilliéres, renaud of dampierre, henry of longchamp, and giles of trasegnies, liegeman to count baldwin of flanders and hainault, who had given him, out of his own purse, five hundred livres to accompany him on this journey. with these went a great company of knights and sergeants, whose names are not recorded. thus was the host of those who went by venice greatly weakened; and much evil befell them therefrom, as you shall shortly hear. the pilgrims lack money wherewith to pay the venetians thus did count louis and the other barons wend their way to venice; and they were there received with feasting and joyfully, and took lodging in the island of st. nicholas with those who had come before. goodly was the host, and right worthy were the men. never did man see goodlier or worthier. and the venetians held a market, rich and abundant, of all things needful for horses and men. and the fleet they had got ready was so goodly and fine that never did christian man see one goodlier or finer; as well galleys 15 as transports, and sufficient for at least three times as many men as were in the host. ah ! the grievous harm and loss when those who should have come thither sailed instead from other ports! right well if they had kept their tryst, would christendom have been exalted, and the land of the turks abased! the venetians had fulfilled all their undertakings, and above measure, and they now summoned the barons and counts to fulfil theirs and make payment, since they were ready to start. the cost of each man's passage was now levied throughout the host; and there were people enough who said they could not pay for their passage, and the barons took from them such moneys as they had. so each man paid what he could. when the barons had thus claimed the cost of the passages, and when the payments had been collected, the moneys came to less than the sum due-yea, by more than one half. then the barons met together and said: "lords, the venetians have well fulfilled all their undertakings, and above measure. but we cannot fulfil ours in paying for our passages, seeing we are too few in number; and this is the fault of those who have journeyed by other ports. for god's sake therefore let each contribute all that he has, so that we may fulfil our covenant; for better is it that we should give all that we have, than lose what we have already paid, and prove false to our covenants; for if this host remains here, the rescue of the land overseas comes to naught." great was then the dissension among the main part of the barons and the other folk, and they said: " we have paid for our passages, and if they will take us, we shall go willingly; but if not, we shall inquire and look for other means of passage." and they spoke thus because they wished that the host should fall to pieces and each return to his own land. but the other party said, " much rather would we give all that we have and go penniless with the host, than that the host should fall to pieces and fail; for god will doubtless repay us when it so pleases him." then the count of flanders began to give all that he had and all that he could borrow, and so did count louis, and the marquis, and the count of saint-paul, and those who were of their party. then might you have seen many a fine vessel of gold and silver borne in payment to the palace of the doge. and when all had been brought together, there 16 was still wanting, of the sum required, 34,000 marks of silver. then those who had kept back their possessions and not brought them into the common stock, were right glad, for they thought now surely the host must fail and go to pieces. but god, who advises those who have been ill-advised, would not so suffer it. the crusaders obtain a respite by promising to help the venetians against zara then the doge spoke to his people, and said unto them: signors, these people cannot pay more; and in so far as they have paid at all, we have benefited by an agreement which they cannot now fulfil. but our right to keep this money would not everywhere be acknowledged; and if we so kept it we should be greatly blamed, both us and our land. let us therefore offer them terms. "the king of hungary has taken from us zara in sclavonia, which is one of the strongest places in the world; and never shall we recover it with all the power that we possess, save with the help of these people. let us therefore ask them to help us to reconquer it, and we will remit the payment of the debt of 34,000 marks of silver, until such time as it shall please god to allow us to gain the moneys by conquest, we and they together." thus was agreement made. much was it contested by those who wished that the host should be broken up. nevertheless the agreement was accepted and ratified. the doge and a number of venetians take the cross then, on a sunday, was assemblage held in the church of st. mark. it was a very high festival, and the people of the land were there, and the most part of the barons and pilgrims. before the beginning of high mass, the doge of venice, who bore the name of henry dandolo, went up into the reading-desk, and spoke to the people, and said to them:" signors, you are associated with the most worthy people in the world, and for the highest enterprise ever undertaken; and i am a man old and feeble, who should have need of rest, and i am sick in body; but i see that no one could command 17 and lead,you like myself, who am your lord. if you will consent that i take the sign of the cross to guard and direct you, and that my son remain in my place to guard the land, then shall i go to five or die with you and with the pilgrims." and when they had heard him, they cried with one voice: "we pray you by god that you consent, and do it, and that you come with us! " very great was then the pity and compassion on the part of the people of the land and of the pil-rims; and many were the tears shed, because that worthy 0and good man would have had so much reason to remain behind, for he was an old man, and albeit his eyes were unclouded, yet he saw naught, having lost his sight through a wound in the head. he was of a great heart. ah! how little like him were those who had gone to other ports to escape the danger. thus he came down from the reading-desk, and went before the altar, and knelt upon his knees greatly weeping. and they sewed the cross on to a great cotton hat, which he wore, in front, because he wished that all men should see it. and the venetians began to take the cross in great numbers, a great multitude, for up to that day very few had taken the cross. our pilgrims had much joy in the cross that the doge took, and were greatly moved, because of the wisdom and the valour that were in him. thus did the doge take the cross, as you have heard. then the venetians began to deliver the ships, the galleys, and the transports to the barons, for departure; but so much time had already been spent since the appointed term, that september drew near (1202). message of alexius, the son of isaac, the dethroned emperor of constantinople -death of fulk of neuilly arrival of the germans now give ear to one of the greatest marvels, and most wonderful adventures that you have ever heard tell of. at that time there was an emperor in constantinople, whose name was isaac, and he had a brothor, alexius by name, whom he had ransomed from captivity among the turks. this alexius took his brother the emperor, tore the eyes out of his head, and made himself emperor by the aforesaid 18 treachery. he kept isaac a long time in prison, together with a son whose name was alexius. this son escaped from prison, and fled in a ship to a city on the sea, which is called ancona. thence he departed to go to king philip of germany, who had his sister for wife; and he came to verona in lombardy, and lodged in the town, and found there a number of pilgrims and other people who were on their way to join the host. and those who had helped him to escape, and were with him, said: " sire, here is an army in venice, quite near to us, the best and most valiant people and knights that are in the world, and they are going overseass cry to them therefore for mercy, that they have pity on thee and on thy father, who have been so wrongfully dispossessed. and if they be willing to help thee, thou shalt be guided by them. perchance they will take pity on thy estate." and alexius said he would do this right willingly, and that the advice was good. thus he appointed envoys, and sent them to the marquis boniface of montferrat, who was chief of the host, and to the other barons. and when the barons saw them, they marvelled greatly, and said to the envoys: " we understand right well what you tell us. we will send an envoy with the prince to king philip, whither he is going. if the prince will help to recover the land overseass we will help him to recover his own land, for we know that it has been wrested from him and from his father wrongfully." so were envoys sent into germany, both to the heir of constantinople and to king philip of germany. before this happened, of which i have just told you, there came news to the host which greatly saddened the barons and the other folk, viz., that fulk, the good man, the holy man, who first preached the crusade, had made an end and was dead. and after this adventure, there came to the host a company of very good and worthy people from the empire of germany, of whose arrival they of the host were full fain. there came the bishop of halberstadt, count berthold of katzenelenbogen, gamier of borland, thierri of loos, henry of orme, thierri of diest, roger of suitre, alexander of villers, ulric of tone, and many other good folk, whose names are not recorded in this book. 19 the crusaders leave venice to besiege zara then were the ships and transports apportioned by the barons. ah, god i what fine war-horses were put therein. and when the ships were fulfilled with arms and provisions, and knights and sergeants, the shields were ranged round the bulwarks and castles of the ships, and the banners displayed, many and fair. and be it known to you that the vessels carried more than three hundred petraries and mangonels, and all such engines as are needed for the taking of cities, in great plenty. never did finer fleet sail from any0port. and this was in the octave of the feast of st. remigius (october) in the year of the incarnation of jesus christ twelve hundred and two. thus did they sail from the port of venice, as you have been told. on the eve of st. martin (10th november) they came before zara in sclavonia, and beheld the city enclosed by high walls and high towers; and vainly would you have sought for a fairer city, or one of greater strength, or richer. and when the pilgrims saw it, they marvelled greatly, and said one to another, " how could such a city be taken by force, save by the help of god himself? " the first ships that came before the city cast anchor, and waited for the others; and in the morning the day was very fine and very clear, and all the galleys came up with the transports, and the other ships which were behind; and they took the port by force, and broke the chain that defended it and was very strong and well-wrought; and they landed in such sort that the port was between them and the town. then might you have seen many a knight and many a sergeant swarming out of the ships, and taking from the transports many a good war-horse, and many a rich tent and many a pavilion. thus did the host encamp. and zara was besieged on st. martin's day (11th november 1202). at this time all the barons had not yet arrived. thus the marquis of montferrat had remained behind for some business that detained him. and stephen of perche had remained at venice sick, and matthew of montmorency. when they were healed of their sickness matthew of montmorency came to rejoin the host at zara; but stephen of perche dealt less worthily, for he abandoned the host, and 20 went to sojourn in apulia. with him went rotrou of montfort and ives of la jaille, and many others, who were much blamed therein; and they journeyed to syria in the following spring.* [note: literally, "in the passaae of march," i.e. among the pilgrims who periodically started for the (,,y land in march.] the inhabitants of zara offer to capitulate, and then draw back zara is taken on the day following the feast of st. martin, certain of the people of zara came forth, and spoke to the doge of venice, who was in his pavilion, and said to him that they would yield up the city and all their goods-their lives being spared-to his mercy. and the doge replied that he would not accept these conditions, nor any conditions, save by consent of the counts and barons, with whom he would go and confer. while he went to confer with the counts and barons, that party, of whom you have already heard, who wished to disperse the host, spoke to the envoys and said, " why should you surrender your city? the pilgrims will not attack you -have no care of them. if you can defend yourselves against the venetians, you will be safe enough." and they chose one of themselves, whose name was robert of boves, who went to the walls of the city, and spoke the same words. therefore the envoys returned to the city, and the negotiations were broken off. the doge of venice, when he came to the counts and barons, said to them: "signors, the people who are therein desire to yield the city to my mercy, on condition only that their lives are spared. but i will enter into no agreement with them-neither this nor any other-save with your consent." and the barons answered: " sire, we advise you to accept these conditions, and we even beg of you so to do." he said he would do so; and they all returned together to the pavilion of the doge to make the agreement, and found that the envoys had gone away by the advice of those who wished to disperse the host. then rose the abbot of vaux, of the order of the cistercians, and said to them: " lords, i forbid you, on the part of the pope of rome, to attack this city; for those within it 21 are christians, and you are pilgrims." when the doge heard this, he was very wroth, and much disturbed, and he said to the counts and barons: "signors, i had this city, by their own agreement, at my mercy, and your people have broken that agreement; you have covenanted to help me to conquer it, and i summon you to do so." whereon the counts and barons all spoke at once, together with those who were of their party, and said: " great is the outrage of those who have caused this agreement to be broken, and never a day has passed that they have not tried to break up the host. now are we shamed if we do not help to take the city." and they came to the doge, and said: " sire, we will help you to take the city in despite of those who would let and hinder us." thus was the decision taken. the next morning the host encamped before the gates of the city, and set up their petraries and manoonels, and other engines of war, which they had in plenty, and on the side of the sea they raised ladders from the ships. then they began to throw stones at the walls of the city and at the towers. so did the assault last for about five days. then were the sappers set to mine one of the towers, and began to sap the wall. when those within the city saw this, they proposed an agreement, such as they had before refused by the advice of those who wished to break up the host. the crusaders establish themselves in the cityaffray between the venetians and the franks thus did the city surrender to the mercy of the doge, on condition only that all lives should be spared. then came the doge to the counts and barons, and said to them: " signors, we have taken this city by the grace of god, and your own. it is now winter, and we cannot stir hence till eastertide; for we should find no market in any other place; and this city is very rich, and well furnished with all supplies. let us therefore divide it in the midst, and we will take one half, and you the other." as he had spoken, so was it done. the venetians took the part of the city towards the port, where were the ships, and the franks took the other part. there were quarters 22 assigned to each, according as was right and convenient. and the host raised the camp, and went to lodge in the city. on the third day after they were all lodged, there befell a great misadventure in the host, at about the hour of vespers; for there began a fray, exceeding fell and fierce, between the venetians and the franks, and they ran to arms from all sides. and the fray was so fierce that there were but few streets in which battle did not rage with swords and lances and cross-bows and darts; and many people were killed and wounded. but the venetians could not abide the combat, and they began to suffer great losses. then the men of mark, who did not want this evil to befall, came fully armed into the strife, and began to separate the combatants; and when they had separated them in one place, they began again in another. this lasted the better part of the night. nevertheless with great labour and endurance at last they were separated. and be it known to you that this was the greatest misfortune that ever befell a host, and little did it lack that the host was not lost utterly. but god would not suffer it. great was the loss on either side. there was slain a high lord of flanders, whose name was giles of landas: he was struck in the eye, and with that stroke he died in the fray; and many another of whom less was spoken. the doge of venice and the barons laboured much, during the whole of that week, to appease the fray, and they laboured so effectually that peace was made. god be thanked therefor. on what conditions alexius proposes to obtain the help of the crusaders for the conquest of constantinople a fortnight after came to zara the marquis boniface of montferrat, who had not yet joined, and matthew of montmorency, and peter of bracieux, and many another man of note. and after another fortnight came also the envoys from germany, sent by king philip and the heir of constantinople. then the barons, and the doge of venice assembled in a palace where the doge was lodged. and the envoys addressed them and said: " lords, king philip sends us to you, as does also the brother of the king's wife, the son of the emperor of constantinople. 23 "`lords,' says the king, ' i will send you the brother of my wife; and i commit him into the hands of god-may he keep him from death! and into your hands. and because you have fared forth for god, and for right, and for justice, therefore you are bound, in so far as you are able, to restore to their own inheritance those who have been unrighteously despoiled. and my wife's brother will make with you the best terms ever offered to any people, and give you the most puissant help for the recovery of the land overseass " ' and first, if god grant that you restore him to his inheritance, he will place the whole empire of roumania in obedience to rome, from which it has long been separated. further, he knows that you have spent of your substance, and that you are poor, and he will give you 200,000 marks of silver, and food for all those of the host, both small and great. and he, of his own person, will go with you into the land of babylon, or, if you hold that that will be better, send thither 10,000 men, at his own charges. and this service he will perform for one year. and all the days of his life he will maintain, at his own charges, five hundred knights in the land overseass to guard that land.' " " lords, we have full power," said the envoys, " to conclude this agreement, if you are willing to conclude it on your parts. and be it known to you, that so favourable an agreement has never before been offered to any one; and that he that would refuse it can have but small desire of glory and conquest." the barons and the doge said they would talk this over; and a parliament was called for the morrow. when all were assembled, the matter was laid before them. discord among the crusaders of those who accept the proposals of the young alexius then arose much debate. the abbot of vaux, of the order of the cistercians, spoke, and that party that wished for the dispersal of the host; and they said they would never consent: that it was not to fall on christians that they had left their homes, and that they would go to syria. and the other party replied: "fair lords, in syria you will be able to do nothing; and that you may right well perceive by considering how those have fared who abandoned us, and 24 sailed from other ports. and be it known to you that it is only by way of babylon, or of greece, that the land overseas can be recovered, if so be that it ever is recovered. and if we reject this covenant we shall be shamed to all time." there was discord in the host, as you hear. nor need you be surprised if there was discord among the laymen, for the white monks of the order of citeaux were also at issue among themselves in the host. the abbot of loos, who was a holy man and a man of note, and other abbots who held with him, prayed and besought the people, for pity's sake and the sake of god, to keep the host together, and agree to the proposed convention, in that " it afforded the best means by which the land overseas might be recovered; " while the abbot of vaux, on the other hand, and those who held with him, preached full oft, and declared that all this was naught, and that the host ought to go to the land of syria, and there do what they could. then came the marquis of montferrat, and baldwin count of flanders and hainault, and count louis, and count hugh of st. paul, and those who held with them, and they declared that they would enter into the proposed covenant, for that they should be shamed if they refused. so they went to the doge's hostel, and the envoys were summoned, and the covenant, in such terms as you have already heard, was confirmed by oath, and by charters with seals appended. and the book tells you that only twelve persons took the oaths on the side of the franks, for more (of sufficient note) could not be found. among the twelve were first the marquis of montferrat, the count baldwin of flanders, the count louis of blois and of chartres, and the count of st. paul, and eight others who held with them. thus was the agreement made, and the charters prepared, and a term fixed for the arrival of the heir of constantinople; and the term so fixed was the fifteenth day after the following easter. of those who separated themselves from the host to go to syria, and of the fleet of the count of flanders thus did the host sojourn at zara all that winter (1202-1203) in the face of the king of hungary. and be it known to you that the hearts of the people were not at peace, for 25 the one party used all efforts to break up the host, and the other to make it hold together. many of the lesser folk escaped in the vessels of the merchants. in one ship escaped well nigh five hundred, and they were all drowned, and so lost. another company escaped by land, and thought to pass through sclavonia; and the peasants of that land fell upon them, and killed many, so that the remainder came back flying to the host. thus did the host go greatly dwindling day by day. at that time a great lord of the host, who was from germany, garnier of borland by name, so wrought that he escaped in a merchant vessel, and abandoned the host, whereby he incurred great blame. not long afterwards, a great baron of france, renaud of monmirail by name, besought so earnestly, with the countenance of count louis, that he was sent to syria on an embassy in one of the vessels of the fleet; and he swore with his right hand on holy relics, he and all the knights who went with him, that within fifteen days after they had arrived in syria, and delivered their message, they would return to the host. on this condition he left the host, and with him hervée of chitel, his nephew, william the vidame of chartres, geoffry of beaumont, john of frouville, peter his brother, and many others. and the oaths that they swore were not kept; for they did not rejoin the host. then came to the host news that was heard right willingly, viz., that the fleet from flanders, of which mention has been made above, had arrived at marseilles. and john of nêle, castellan of bruges, who was captain of that host, and thierri, who was the son of count philip of flanders, and nicholas of mailly, advised the count of flanders, their lord, that they would winter at marseilles, and asked him to let them know what was his will, and said that whatever was his will, that they would do. and he told them, by the advice of the doge of venice and the other barons, that they should sail at the end of the following march, and come to meet him at the port of modon in roumania. alas! they acted very evilly, for never did they keep their word, but went to syria, where, as they well knew, they would achieve nothing. now be it known to you, lords, that if god had not loved the host, it could never have held together, seeing how many people wished evil to it! 26 the crusaders obtain the pope's absolution for the capture of zara then the barons spoke together and said that they would send to rome, to the pope, because he had taken the capture of zara in evil part. and they chose as envoys such as they knew were fitted for this office, two knights, and two clerks. of the two clerks one was nevelon, bishop of soissons, and the other master john of noyon, who was chancellor to count baldwin of flanders; and of the knights one was john of friaize, the other robert of boves. these swore on holy relics that they would perform their embassy loyally and in good faith, and that they would come back to the host. three kept their oath right well, and the fourth evilly, and this one was robert of boves. for he executed his office as badly as he could, and perjured himself, and went away to syria as others had done. but the remaining three executed their office right well, and delivered their message as the barons had directed, and said to the pope: " the barons cry mercy to you for the capture of zara, for they acted as people who could do no better, owing to the default of those who had gone to other ports, and because, had they not acted as they did, they could not have held the host together. and as to this they refer themselves to you, as to their good father, that you should tell them what are your commands, which they are ready to perform." and the pope said to the envoys that he knew full well that it was through the default of others that the host had been impelled to do this great mischief, and that he had them in great pity. and then he notified to the barons and pilgrims that he sent them his blessing, and absolved them as his sons, and commanded and besought them to hold the host together, inasmuch as he well knew that without that host god's service could not be done. and he gave full powers to nevelon, bishop of soissons, and master john of noyon, to bind and to unloose the pilgrims until the cardinal joined the host. 27 departure of the crusaders for corfu arrival of the young alexius capture of duras so much time had passed that it was now lent, and the host prepared their fleet to sail at easter. when the ships were laden on the day after easter (7th april 1203), the pilgrims encamped by the port, and the venetians destroyed the city, and the walls and the towers. then there befell an adventure which weighed heavily upon the host; for one of the great barons of the host, by name simon of montfort, had made private covenant with the king of hungary, who was at enmity with those of the host, and went to him, abandoning the host. with him went guy of montfort his brother, simon of nauphle and robert mauvoisin, and dreux of cressonsacq, and the abbot of vaux, who was a monk of the order of the cistercians, and many others. and not long after another great lord of the host, called enguerrand of boves, joined the king of hungary, together with hugh, enguerrand's brother, and such of the other people of their country as they could lead away. these left the host, as you have just heard; and this was a great misfortune to the host, and to such as left it a great disgrace. then the ships and transports began to depart; and it was settled that they should take port at corfu, an island of roumania, and that the first to arrive should wait for the last; and so it was done. before the doge, the marquis, and the galleys left zara, alexius, the son of the emperor isaac of constantinople, had arrived together. he was sent by the king philip of germany, and received with great joy and great honour; and the doge gave mm as many galleys and ships as he required. so they left the port of zara, and had a fair wind, and sailed onwards till they took port at duras. and those of the land, when they saw their lord, yielded up the city right willingly and sware fealty to mm. and. they departed thence and came to corfu, and found there the host encamped before the city; and those of the host had spread their tents and pavilions, and taken the horses out of the transports for ease and refreshment. when they heard that the son of the emperor of constantinople 28 had arrived in the port, then might you have seen many a good knight and many a good sergeant leading many a good war-horse and going to meet him. thus they received him with very great joy, and much high honour. and he had his tent pitched in the midst of the host; and quite near was pitched the tent of the marquis of montferrat, to whose ward he had been commended by king philip, who had his sister to wife. how the chiefs of the crusaders held back those who wanted to abandon the host the host sojourned thus for three weeks in that island, which was very rich and plenteous. and while they sojoumed, there happened a misadventure fell and grievous. for a great part of those who wished to break up the host, and had aforetime been hostile to it, spoke together and said that the adventure to be undertaken seemed very long and very perilous, and that they, for their part, would remain in the island, suffering the host to depart, and that-when the host had so departed-they would, through the people of corfu, send to count walter of brienne, who then held brandis, so that he might send ships to take them thither. i cannot tell you the names of all those who wrought in this matter, but i will name some among the most notable of the chiefs, viz., odo of champlitte, of champagne, james of avesnes, peter of amiens, guy the castellan of coucy, oger of saint-chéron, guy of chappes and clerembaud his nephew, william of aunoi, peter coiseau, guy of pesmes and edmund his brother, guy of conflans, richard of dampierre, odo his brother, and many more who had promised privily to be of their party, but who dared not for shame openly so to avow themselves; in such sort that the book testifies that more than half the host were in this mind. and when the marquis of montferrat heard thereof, and count baldwin of flanders, and count louis, and the count of st. paul, and the barons who held with them, they were greatly troubled, and said: " lords, we are in evil case. if these people depart from us, after so many who have departed from us aforetime, our host is doomed, and we shall make no conquests. let us then go to them, and fall at their feet, and cry to them for mercy, and for god's sake to have compas29 sion upon themselves and upon us, and not to dishonour themselves, and ravish from us the deliverance of the land overseass thus did the council decide; and they went, all together, to a valley where those of the other part were holding their parliament; and they took with them the son of the emperor of constantinople, and all the bishops and all the abbots of the host. and when they had come to the place they dismounted and went forward, and the barons fell at the feet of those of the other part, greatly weeping, and said they would not stir till those of the other part had promised not to depart from them. and when those of the other part saw this, they were filled with very great compassion; and they wept very bitterly at seeing their lords, and their kinsmen, and their friends, thus lying at their feet. so they said they would consult together, and drew somewhat apart, and there communed. and the sum of their communing was this: that they would remain with the host till michaelmas, on condition that the other part would swear, loyally, on holy relics, that from that day and thenceforward, at whatever hour they might be summoned to do so, they would in all good faith, and without guile, within fifteen days, furnish ships wherein the non-contents might betake themselves to syria. thus was covenant made and sworn to; and then was there great joy throughout all the host. and all gat themselves to the ships, and the horses were put into the transports. departure from corfu-capture of andros and abydos then did they sail from the port of corfu on the eve of pentecost (24th may), which was twelve hundred and three years after the incarnation of our lord jesus christ. and there were all the ships assembled, and all the transports, and all the galleys of the host, and many other ships of merchants that fared with them. and the day was fine and clear, and the wind soft and favourable, and they unfurled all their sails to the breeze. and geoffry, the marshal of champagne, who dictates this work, and has never lied therein by one word to his know30 ledge, and who was moreover present at all the councils held -he bears witness that never was yet seen so fair a sight. and well might it appear that such a fleet would conquer and gain lands, for, far as the eye could reach, there was no space without sails, and ships, and vessels, so that the hearts of men rejoiced greatly. thus they sailed over the sea till they came to malea, to straits that are by the sea. and there they met two ships with pilgrims, and knights and sergeants returning from syria, and they were of the parties that had gone to syria by marseilles. and when these saw our fleet so rich and well appointed, they conceived such shame that they dared not show themselves. and count baldwin of flanders sent a boat from ws ship to ask what people they were; and they said who they were. and a sergeant let himself down from his ship into the boat, and said to those in the ship, " i cry quits to you for any goods of mine that may remain in the ship, for i am going with these people, for well i deem that they will conquer lands. "much did we make of the sergeant, and gladly was he received in the host. for well may it be said, that even after following a thousand crooked ways a man may find his way right in the end. the host fared forward till it came to nigra (negropont). nigra is a very fair island, and there is on it a very good city called negropont. here the barons took council. then went forward the marquis boniface of montferrat, and count baldwin of flanders and hainault, with a great part of the transports and galleys, taking with them the son of the emperor isaac of constantinople; and they came to an island called andros, and there landed. the knights took their arms, and over-rode the country; and the people of the land came to crave mercy of the son of the emperor of constantinople, and gave so much of their goods that they made peace with wm. then they returned to the ships, and sailed over the sea; when a great mishap befell, for a great lord of the host, whose name was guy, castellan of coucy, died, and was cast into the sea. the other ships, which had not sailed thitherward, had entered the passage of abydos, and it is there that the straits of st. george (the dardanelles) open into the great 31 sea. and they sailed up the straits to a city called abydos, which lies on the straits of st. george, towards turkey, and is very fair, and well situate. there they took port and landed, and those of the city came to meet them, and surrendered the city, as men without stomach to defend themselves. and such guard was established that those of the city lost not one stiver current. they sojoumed there eight days to wait for the ships transports and galleys that had not yet come up. and while they thus sojourned, they took corn from the land, for it was the season of harvest, and great was their need thereof, for before they had but little. and within those eight days all the ships and barons had come up. god gave them fair weather. arrival at st. stephen deliberation as to plan of attack all started from the port of abydos together. then might you have seen the straits of st. george (as it were) in flower with ships and galleys sailing upwards, and the beauty thereof was a great marvel to behold. thus they sailed up the straits of st. george till they came, on st. john the baptist's eve, in june (23rd june 1203) to st. stephen, an abbey that lay three leagues from constantinople. there had those on board the ships and galleys and transports full sight of constantinople; and they took port and anchored their vessels. now you may know that those who had never before seen constantinople looked upon it very earnestly, for they never thought there could be in all the world so rich a city; and they marked the high walls and strong towers that enclosed it round about, and the rich palaces, and mighty churches of which there were so many that no one would have believed it who had not seen it with his eyes-and the height and the length of that city which above all others was sovereign. and be it known to you, that no man there was of such hardihood but his flesh trembled: and it was no wonder, for never was so great an enterprise undertaken by any people since the creation of the world. then landed the counts and barons and the doge of venice, and a parliament was held in the church of st. 32 stephen. there were many opinions set forth, this way and that. all the words then spoken shall not be recorded in this book; but in the end the doge rose on his feet and said: "signors, i know the state of this land better than you do, for i have been here erewhile. we have undertaken the greatest enterprise, and the most perilous, that ever people have undertaken. therefore it behoves us to go to work warily. be it known to you that if we go on dry ground, the land is great and large, and our people are poor and ill-provided. thus they will disperse to look for food; and the people of the land are in great multitude, and we cannot keep such good watch but that some of ours will be lost. nor are we in case to lose any, for our people are but few indeed for the work in hand. "now there are islands close by which you can see from here, and these are inhabited, and produce corn, and food, and other things. let us take port there, and gather the corn and provisions of the land. and when we have collected our supplies, let us go before the city, and do as our lord shall provide. for he that has supplies, wages war with more certainty than he that has none. "to this counsel the lords and barons agreed, and all went back to their ships and vessels. the crusaders land at chalcedon and scutari they rested thus that night. and in the morning, on the day of the feast of our lord st. john the baptist in june (24th june 1203), the banners and pennants were flown on the castles of the ships, and the coverings taken from the shields, and the bulwarks of the ships garnished. every one looked to his antis, such as he should use, for well each man knew that full soon he would have need of them. the sailors weighed the anchors, and spread the sails to the wind, and god gave them a good wind, such as was convenient to them. thus they passed before constantinople, and so near to the walls and towers that we shot at many of their vessels. there were so many people on the walls and towers that it seemed as if there could be no more people (in the world). then did god our lord set to naught the counsel of the day before, and keep us from sailing to the islands: that counsel 33 fell to naught as if none had ever heard thereof. for lo, our ships made for the mainland as straight as ever they could, and took port before a palace of the emperor alexius, at a place called chalcedon. this was in face of constantinople, on the other side of the straits,. towards turkey. the palace was one of the most beautiful and delectable that ever eyes could see, with every delight therein that the heart of man could desire, and convenient for the house of a prince. the counts and barons landed and lodged themselves in the palace; and in the city round about, the main part pitched their tents. then were the horses taken out of the transports, and the knights and sergeants got to land with all their arms, so that none remained in the ships save the mariners only. the country was fair, and rich) and well supplied with all good things, and the sheaves of corn (which had been reaped) were in the fields, so that all-and they stood in no small need-might take thereof. thev soioumed thus in that palace the following day; and on the third day god gave them a good wind, and the mariners raised their anchors, and spread their sails to the wind. they went thus up the straits, a good league above constantinople, to a palace that belonged to the emperor alexius, and was called scutari. there the ships anchored, and the transports, and all the galleys. the horsemen who had lodged in the palace of chalcedon went along the shore by land. the host of the french encamped thus on the straits of st. george, at scutari, and above it. and when the emperor alexius saw this, he caused his host to issue from constantinople, and encamp over against us on the other side of the straits, and there pitched his tents, so that we might not take land against him by force. the host of the french sojourned thus for nine days, and those obtained supplies who needed them, and that was every one in the host. the foragers defeat the greeks during this time, a company of good and trustworthy men issued (from the camp) to guard the host, for fear it should be attacked, and the foragers searched the country. in the said company were odo of champlitte, of champagne, and william his brother, and oger of saint-chéron, and 34 manasses of l'isle, and count girard, a count of lombardy, a retainer of the marquis of montferrat; and they had with them at least eighty knights who were good men and true. and they espied, at the foot of a mountain, some three leagues distant from the host, certain tents belonging to the grand duke of the emperor of constantinople, who had with him at least five hundred greek knights. when our people saw them, they formed their men into four battalions, and decided to attack. and when the greeks saw this, they formed their battalions, and arrayed themselves in rank before their tents, and waited. and our people went forward and fell upon them right vigorously. by the help of god our lord, this fight lasted but a little while, and the greeks turned their backs. they were discomfited at the first onset, and our people pursued them for a full great league. there they won plenty of horses and stallions, and palfreys, and mules, and tents and pavilions, and such spoil as is usual in such case. so they returned to the host, where they were right well received, and their spoils were divided, as was fit. message of the emperor alexius-reply of the crusaders the next day after, the emperor alexius sent an envoy with letters to the counts and to the barons. this envoy was called nicholas roux, and he was a native of lombardy. he found the barons in the rich palace of scutari, where they were holding council and he saluted them on the part of the emperor alexius of constantinople, and tendered his letters to the marquis of montferrat-who received them. and the letters were read before all the barons; and there were in them words, written after various manners, which the book does not (here) relate, and at the end of the other words so written, came words of credit, accrediting the bearer of the letters, whose name was nicholas roux. "fair sir," said the barons, "we have seen your letters, and they tell us that we are to give credit to what you say, and we credit you right well. now speak as it pleases you." and the envoy was standing before the barons, and spoke thus: "lords," said he, "the emperor alexius would have you know that he is well aware that you are the best people 35 uncrowned, and come from the best land on earth. and he marvels much why, and for what purpose, you have come into his land and kingdom. for you are christians, and he is a christian, and well he knows that you are on your way to deliver the holy land overseass and the holy cross, and the sepulchre. if you are poor and in want, he will right willmgly give you of his food and substance, provided you depart out of his land. neither would he otherwise wish to do you any hurt, though he has full power therein, seeing that if you were twenty times as numerous as you are, you would not be able to get away without utter discomfiture if so be that he wished to harm you." by agreement and desire of the other barons, and of the doge of venice, then rose to his feet conon of béthune, who was a good knight, and wise, and very eloquent, and he replied to the envoy: " fair sir, you have told us that your lord marvels much why our signors and barons should have entered into ms kingdom and land. into his land they have not entered, for he holds this land wrongfully and wickedly, and against god and against reason. it belongs to ws nephew, who sits upon a throne among us, and is the son of his brother, the emperor isaac. but if he is willing to throw himself on the mercy of his nephew, and to give mm back his crown and empire, then we will pray his nephew to forgive him, and bestow upon him as much as will enable him to live wealthily. and if you come not as the bearer of such a message, then be not so bold as to come here again." so the envoy departed and went back to constantinople, to the emperor alexius. the crusaders show the young alexius to the people of constantinople, and prepare for the battle the barons consulted together on the morrow, and said that they would show the young alexius, the son of the emperor of constantinople, to the people of the city. so they assembled all the galleys. the doge of venice and the marquis of montferrat entered into one, and took with them alexius, the son of the emperor isaac; and into the other galleys entered the knights and barons, as many as would. they went thus quite close to the walls of constantinople and showed the youth to the people of the greeks, and said, 36 "behold your natural lord; and be it known to you that we have not come to do you harm, but have come to guard and defend you, if so be that you return to your duty. for he whom you now obey as your lord holds rule by wrong and wickedness, against god and reason. and you know full well that he has dealt treasonably with him who is your lord and his brother, that he has blinded his eyes and reft from him his empire by wrong and wickedness. now behold the rightful heir. if you hold with him, you will be doing as you ought; and if not we will do to you the very worst that we can." but for fear and terror of the emperor alexius, not one person on the land or in the city made show as if he held for the prince. so all went back to the host, and each sought his quarters. on the morrow, when they had heard mass, they assembled in parliament, and the parliament was held on horseback in the midst of the fields. there might you have seen many a fine war-horse, and many a good knight thereon. and the council was held to discuss the order of the battalions, how many they should have, and of what strength. many were the words said on one side and the other. but in the end it was settled that the advanced guard should be given to baldwin of flanders, because he had a very great number of good men, and archers and crossbowmen, more than any other chief that was in the host. and after, it was settled that henry his brother, and matthew of wallincourt, and baldwin of beauvoir, and many other good knights of their land and country, should form the second division. the third division was formed by count hugh of st. paul, peter of amiens his nephew, eustace of canteleu, anseau of cayeux, and many good knights of their land and country. the fourth division was formed by count louis of blois and chartres, and was very numerous and rich and redoubtable; for he had placed therein a great number of good knights and men of worth. the fifth division was formed by matthew of montmorency and the men of champagne. geoffry the marshal of champagne formed part of it, and oger of saint-chéron, manasses of l'isle, miles the brabant, macaire of sainte-menehould, john foisnous, guy of chappes, clerembaud his nephew, robert of ronsoi; all these people formed part of the fifth 37 division. be it known to you that there was many a good knight therein. the sixth division was formed by the people of burgundy. in this division were odo the champenois of champlitte, william his brother, guy of pesmes, edmund his brother, otho of la roche, richard of dampierre, odo his brother, guy of conflans, and the people of their land and country. the seventh division, which was very large, was under the command of the marquis of montferrat. in it were the lombards and tuscans and the germans, and all the people who were from beyond mont cenis to lyons on the rhone. all these formed part of the division under the marquis, and it was settled that they should form the rearguard. the crusaders seize the port the day was fixed on which the host should embark on the ships and transports to take the land by force, and either live or die. and be it known to you that the enterprise to be achieved was one of the most redoubtable ever attempted. then did the bishops and clergy speak to the people, and tell them how they must confess, and make each one his testament, seeing that no one knew what might be the will of god concerning him. and this was done right willingly throughout the host, and very piously. the term fixed was now come; and the knights went on board the transports with their war-horses; and they were fully armed, with their helmets laced, and the horses covered with their housings, and saddled. all the other folk, who were of less consequence in battle, were on the great ships; and the galleys were fully armed and made ready. the morning was fair a little after the rising of the sun; and the emperor alexius stood waiting for them on the other side, with great forces, and everything in order. and the trumpets sound, and every galley takes a transport in tow, so as to reach the other side more readily. none ask who shall go first, but each makes the land as soon as he can. the knights issue from the transports, and leap into the sea up to their waists, fully armed, with helmets laced, and lances in hand; and the good archers, and the good sergeants, and the good crossbowmen, each in his company, land so soon as they touch ground. 38 the greeks made a goodly show of resistance; but when it came to the lowering of the lances, they turned their backs, and went away flying, and abandoned the shore. and be it known to you that never was port more proudly taken. then began the mariners to open the ports of the transports, and let down the bridges, and take out the horses; and the knights began to mount, and they began to marshal the divisions of the host in due order. capture of the tower of galata count baldwin of flanders and hainault, with the advanced guard, rode forward, and the other divisions of the host after him, each in due order of march; and they came to where the emperor alexius had been encamped. but he had turned back towards constantinople, and left his tents and pavilions standing. and there our people had much spoil. our barons were minded to encamp by the port before the tower of galata, where the chain was fixed that closed the port of constantinople. and be it known to you, that any one must perforce pass that chain before he could enter into the port. well did our barons then perceive that if they did not take the tower, and break the chain, they were but as dead men, and in very evil case. so they lodged that night before the tower, and in the jewry that is called stenon, where there was a good city, and very rich. well did they keep guard during the night; and on the morrow, at the hour of tierce, those who were in the tower of galata made a sortie, and those who were in constantinople came to their help in barges; and our people ran to arms. there came first to the onset james of avesnes and his men on foot; and be it known to you that he was fiercely charged, and wounded by a lance in the face, and in peril of death. and one of his knights, whose name was nicholas of jenlain, gat to horse, and came to his lord's rescue, and succoured him right well, and so won great honour. then a cry was raised in the host, and our people ran together from all sides, and drove back the foe with great fury, so that many were slain and taken. and some of them did not go back to the tower, but ran to the barges by which they had come, and there many were drowned, and some escaped. 39 as to those who went back to the tower, the men of our host pressed them so hard that they could not shut the gate. then a terrible fight began again at the gate, and our people took it by force, and made prisoners of all those in the tower. many were there killed and taken. attack on the city by land and sea so was the tower of galata taken, and the port of constantinople won by force. much were those of the host comforted thereby, and much did they praise the lord god; and greatly were those of the city discomforted. and on the next day, the ships, the vessels, the galleys and the transports were drawn into the port. then did those of the host take council together to settle what thing they should do, and whether they should attack the city by sea or by land. the venetians were firmly minded that the scaling ladders ought to be planted on the ships, and all the attack made from the side by the sea. the french, on the other hand, said that they did not know so well how to help themselves on sea as on land, but that when they had their horses and their arms they could help themselves on land right well. so in the end it was devised that the venetians should attack by sea, and the barons and those of the host by land. they sojourned thus for four days. on the fifth day, the whole host were armed, and the divisions advanced on horseback, each in the order appointed, along the harbour, till they came to the palace of blachernae; and the ships drew inside the harbour till they came over against the self-same place, and this was near to the end of the harbour. and there is at that place a river that flows into the sea, and can only be passed by a bridge of stone. the greeks had broken down the bridge, and the barons caused the host to labour all that day and all that night in repairing the bridge. thus was the bridge repaired, and in the morning the divisions were armed, and rode one after the other in the order appointed, and came before the city. and no one came out from the city against them; and this was a great marvel, seeing that for every man that was in the host there were over two hundred men in the city. then did the barons decide that they should quarter them40 selves between the palace of blachernae and the castle of boemond, which was an abbey enclosed with walls. so the tents and pavilions were pitched-which was a right proud thing to look upon; for of constantinople, which had three leagues of front towards the land, the whole host could attack no more than one of the gates. and the venetians lay on the sea, in ships and vessels, and raised their ladders, and mangonels, and petraries, and made order for their assault right well. and the barons for their part made ready their petraries and mangonels on land. and be it known to you that they did not have their time in peace and quiet; for there passed no hour of the night or day but one of the divisions had to stand armed before the gate, to guard the engines, and provide against attack. and, notwithstanding all this, the greeks ceased not to attack them, by this gate and by others, and held them so short that six or seven times a day the whole host was forced to run to arms. nor could they forage for provisions more than four bow-shots' distance from the camp. and their stores were but scanty, save of flour and bacon, and of those they had a little; and of fresh meat none at all, save what they got from the horses that were killed. and be it known to you that there was only food generally in the host for three weeks. thus were they in very perilous case, for never did so few people besiege so many people in any city. first incidents of the assault then did they bethink themselves of a very good device; for they enclosed the whole camp with good lists, and good palisades, and good barriers, and were thus far stronger and much more secure. the greeks meanwhile came on to the attack so frequently that they gave them no rest, and those of the host drove them back with great force; and every time that the greeks issued forth they lost heavily. one day the burgundians were on guard, and the greeks made an attack upon them, with part of the best forces that they had. and the burgundians ran upon the greeks and drove them in very fiercely, and followed so close to the gate that stones of great weight were hurled upon them. there was taken one of the best greeks of the city, whose name was constantine lascaris; william of neuilly took him all 41 mounted upon his horse. and there did william of champlitte have his arm broken with a stone, and great pity it was, for he was very brave and very valiant. i 'cannot tell you of all the good strokes that were there stricken, nor of all the wounded, nor all the dead. but before the fight was over, there came into it a knight of the following of henry, the brother, of count baldwin of flanders and hainault, and his name was eustace of marchais; and he was armed only in padded vest and steel cap, with his shield at his neck; and he did so well in the fray that he won to himself great honour. few were the days on which no sorties were made; but i cannot tell you of them all. so hardly did they hold us, that we could not sleep, nor rest, nor eat, save in arms. yet another sortie was made from a gate further up; and there again did the greeks lose heavily. and there a knight was slain, whose name was william of gi; and there matthew of wallincourt did right well, and lost his horse, which was killed at the drawbridge of the gate; and many others who were in that fight did right well. from this gate, which was beyond the palace of blachernae, the greeks issued most frequently, and there peter of bracieux gat himself more honour than any, because he was quartered the nearest, and so came most often into the fray. assault of the city thus their peril and toil lasted for nearly ten days, until, on a thursday morning (i7th july i203) all things were ready for the assault, and the ladders in trim; the venetians also had made them ready by sea. the order of the assault was so devised, that of the seven divisions, three were to guard the camp outside the city, and other four to give the assault. the marquis boniface of montferrat guarded the camp towards the fields, with the division of the burgundians, the division of the men of champagne, and matthew of montmorency. count baldwin of flanders and hainault went to the assault with his people, and henry his brother; and . count louis of blois and chartres, and count hugh of st. paul, and those who held with them, went also to the assault. they planted two ladders at a barbican near the sea; and the wall was well defended by englishmen and danes; and 42 the attack was stiff and good and fierce. by main strength certain knights and two sergeants got up the ladders and made themselves masters of the wall; and at least fifteen got upon the wall, and fought there, hand to hand, with axes and swords, and those within redoubled their efforts and cast them out in very ugly sort, keeping two as prisoners' and those of our people who had been taken were led before the emperor alexius; much was he pleased thereat. thus did the assault leave matters on the side of the french. many were wounded and many had their bones broken, so that the barons were very wroth. meanwhile the doge of venice had not forgotten to do his part, but had ranged his ships and transports and vessels in line, and that line was well three crossbow-shots in length; and the venetians began to draw near to the part of the shore that lay under the walls and the towers. then might you have seen the mangonels shooting from the -ships and transports, and the crossbow bolts flying, and the bows letting fly their arrows deftly and well; and those within defending the walls and towers very fiercely; and the ladders on the ships coming so near that in many places swords and lances crossed; and the tumult and noise were so great that it seemed as if the very earth and sea were melting together. and be it known to you that the galleys did not dare to come to the shore. capture of twenty-five towers now may you hear of a strange deed of prowess; for the doge of venice, who was an old man, and saw naught (seeing he was blind), stood, fully armed, on the prow of his galley, and had the standard of st. mark before him; and he cried to his people to put him on land, or else that he would do justice upon their bodies with his hands. and so they did, for the galley was run aground, and they leapt therefrom, and bore the standard of st. mark before him on to the land. and when the venetians saw the standard of st. mark on land, and the galley of their lord touching ground before them, each held himself for shamed, and they all gat to the land; and those in the transports leapt forth, and landed; and those in the big ships got into barges, and made for the shore, each and all as best they could. then might you have 43 seen an assault, great and marvellous; and to this bears witness geoffry of villehardouin, who makes this book, that more than forty people told him for sooth that they saw the standard of st. mark of venice at the top of one of the towers, and that no man knew who bore it thither. now hear of a strange miracle: those who are within the city fly and abandon the walls, and the venetians enter in, each as fast and as best he can, and seize twenty-five of the towers, and man them with their people. and the doge takes a boat, and sends messengers to the barons of the host to tell them that lie has taken twenty-five towers, and that they may know for sooth that such towers cannot be retaken. the barons are so overjoyed that they cannot believe their ears; and the venetians begin to send to the host in boats the horses and palfreys they have taken. when the emperor alexius saw that our people had thus entered into the city, he sent his people against them in such numbers that our people saw they would be unable to endure the onset. so they set fire to the buildings between them and the greeks; and the wind blew from our side, and the fire began to wax so great that the greeks could not see our people who retired to the towers they had seized and conquered. the emperor alexius comes out for battle, but retires without attacking then the emperor alexius issued from the city, with all his forces, by other gates which were at least a league from the camp; and so many began to issue forth that it seemed as if the whole world were there assembled. the emperor marshalled his troops in the plain, and they rode towards the camp; and when our frenchmen saw them coming, they ran to arms from all sides. on that day henry, the brother of count baldwin of flanders, was mounting guard over the engines of war before the gate of blachernae, together with matthew of wallincourt, and baldwin of beauvoir, and their followers. against their encampment the emperor alexius had made ready a great number of his people, who were to issue by three gates, while he himself should fall upon the host from another side. then the six divisions issued from our camp as had been 44 devised, and were marshalled in ranks before the palisades: the sergeants and squires on foot behind the horses, and the archers and crossbowmen in front. and there was a division of the knights on foot, for we had at least two hundred who, were without horses. thus they stood still before the palisades. and this showed great good sense, for if they had moved to the attack, the numbers of the enemy were such that they must have been overwhelmed and (as it were) drowned among them. it seemed as if the whole plain was covered with troops, and they advanced slowly and in order. well might we appear in perilous case, for we had but six divisions, while the greeks had full forty, and there was not one of their divisions but was larger than any of ours. but ours were ordered in such sort that none could attack them save in front. and the emperor alexius rode so far for-ward that either side could shoot at the other. and when the doge of venice heard this, he made his people come forth, and leave the towers they had taken, and said he would live or die with the pilgrims. so he came to the camp, and was himself the first to land, and brought with him such of his people as he could. thus, for a long space, the armies of the pilgrims and of the greeks stood one against the other; for the greeks did not dare to throw themselves upon our ranks, and our people would not move from their palisades. and when the emperor alexius saw this, he began to withdraw his people, and when he had rallied them, he turned back. and seeing this, the host of the pilgrims began to march towards him with slow steps, and the greek troops began to move backwards, and retreated to a palace called philopas. and be it known to you, that never did god save any people from such peril as he saved the host that day; and be it known to you further that there was none in the host so hardy but he had great joy thereof. thus did the battle remain for that day. as it pleased god nothing further was done. the emperor alexius returned to the city, and those of the host to their quarters-the latter taking off their armour, for they were weary and overwrought; and they ate and drank little, seeing that their store of food was but scanty. 45 alexius abandons constantinople his brother isaac is replaced on the throne the crusaders send him a message now listen to the miracles of our lord-how gracious are they whithersoever it pleases him to perform them! that very might the emperor alexius of constantinople took of his treasure as much as he could carry, and took with him as many of his people as would go, and so fled and abandoned the city. and those of the city remained astonied, and they drew to the prison in which lay the emperor isaac, whose eyes had been put out. him they clothed imperially, and bore to the great palace of blachernae, and seated on a high throne; and there they did to him obeisance as their lord. then they took messengers, by the advice of the emperor isaac, and sent them to the host, to apprise the son of the emperor isaac, and the barons, that the emperor alexius had fled, and that they had again raised up the emperor isaac as emperor. when the young man knew of this he summoned the marquis boniface of montferrat, and the marquis summoned the barons throughout the host. and when they were met in the pavilion of the emperor isaac's son, he told them the news. and when they heard it, their joy was such as cannot be uttered, for never was greater joy in all this world. and greatly and most devoutly was our lord praised by all, in that he had succoured them within so short a term, and exalted them so high from such a low estate. and therefore well may one say: " him whom god will help can no man injure." then the day began to dawn, and the host to put on their armour; and all gat them to their arms throughout the host, because they did not greatly trust the greeks. and messengers began to come out from the city, two or three together, and told the same tale. the barons and counts, and the doge of venice had agreed to send envoys into the city, to know how matters really stood; and, if that was true which had been reported, to demand of the father that he should ratify the covenants made by the son; and, if he would not, to, declare that they on their part should not suffer the son to enter into the city. so envoys were chosen: one was 46 matthew of montmorency, and geoffry the marshal of champagne was the other, and two venetians on the part of the doge of venice. the envoys were conducted to the gate, and the gate was opened to them, and they dismounted from their horses. the greeks had set englishmen and danes, with their axes, at the gate and right up to the palace of blachernae. thus were the envoys conducted to the great palace. there they found the emperor isaac, so richly clad that you would seek in vain throughout the world for a man more richly apparelled than he, and by his side the empress, his wife, a most fair lady, the sister of the king of hungary; and of great men and great ladies there were so many, that you could not st' ir foot for the press, and the ladies were so richly adomed that richer adornment might not be. and all those who, the day before, had been against the emperor were, on that day, subject in everything to his good pleasure. the emperor isaac ratifies the covenants entered into by his son the envoys came before the emperor isaac, and the emperor and all those about him did them great honour. and the envoys said that they desired to speak to him privily, ,on the part of his son, and of the barons of the host. and he rose and entered into a chamber, and took with him only the empress, and his chancellor, and his dragoman (interpreter) and the four envoys. by consent of the other envoys, geoffry of villehardouin, the marshal of champagne, acted as spokesman, and he said to the emperor isaac: " sire, thou seest the service we have rendered to thy son, and how we have kept our covenants with him. but he cannot come hither till he has given us surety for the covenants he has made with us. and he asks of thee, as thy son, to confirm those covenants in the same form, and the same manner, that he has done." " what covenants are they? " said the emperor. " they are such as we shall tell you," replied the envoys: " in the first place to put the whole empire of roumania in obedience to rome, from which it has been separated this long while; further to give 200,000 marks of silver to those of the host, with food for one year for small and great; to send 10,000 men, horse and foot many on 47 foot as we shall devise and as many mounted-in his own ships, and at his own charges, to the land of babylon, and keep them there for a year; and during his lifetime to keep, at his own charges, five hundred knights in the land overseass so that they may guard that land. such is the covenant that your son made with us, and it was confirmed by oath, and charters with seals appended, and by king philip of germany who has your daughter to wife. this covenant we desire you to confirm." certes said the emperor, " this covenant is very onerous, and i do not see how effect can be given to it; nevertheless, you have done us such service, both to my son and to myself, that if we bestowed upon you the whole empire, you would have deserved it well." many words were then spoken in this sense and that, but, in the end, the father confirmed the 'covenants, as his son had confirmed them, by oath and by charters with gold seals appended. these charters were delivered to the envoys. then they took their leave of the emperor isaac, and went back to the host, and told the barons that they had fulfilled their mission. entry of the crusaders into constantinople coronation of the young alexius then did the barons mount their horses, and led the young man, with great rejoicings, into the city, to his father; and the greeks opened the gate to him, and received him with very much rejoicing and great feasting. the joy of the father and of the son was very great, because of a long time they had not seen one another, and because, by god's help and that of the pilgrims, they had passed from so great poverty and ruin to such high estate. therefore the joy was great inside constantinople; and also without, among the host of the pilgrims, because of the honour and victory that god had given them. and on the morrow the emperor and his son also besought the counts and the barons, for god's sake, to go and quarter themselves on the other side of the straits, toward estanor and galata; for, if they quartered themselves in the city, it was to be feared that quarrels would ensue between them and the greeks, and it might well chance that the city would be destroyed. and the counts and barons said that they had 48 already served him in so many ways that they would not now refuse any request of his. so they went and quartered themselves on the other side, and sojoumed there in peace and quiet, and with great store of good provisions. now you must know that many of those in the host went to see constantinople, and the rich palaces and great churches, of which there were many, and all the great wealth of the city-for never was there city that possessed so much. of relics it does not behove me to speak, for at that day there were as many there as in all the rest of the world. thus did the greeks and french live in good fellowship in all things, both as regards trafficking and other matters. by common consent of franks and greeks it was settled that the new emperor should be crowned on the feast of our lord st. peter (1st august 1203). so was it settled, and so it was done. he was crowned full worthily and with honour according to the use for greek emperors at that time. afterwards he began to pay the moneys due to the host; and such moneys were divided among the host, and each repaid what had been advanced in venice for his passage. alexius begs the crusaders to prolong their stay the new emperor went oft to see the barons in the camp, and did them great honour, as much as he could; and this was but fitting, seeing that they had served him right well. and one day he came to the camp, to see the barons privily in the quarters of count baldwin of hainault and flanders. thither were summoned the doge of venice, and the great barons, and he spoke to them and said: " lords, i am emperor by god's grace and yours, and you have done me the highest service that ever yet was done by any people to christian man. now be it known to you that there are folk enough who show me a fair seeming, and yet love me not; and the greeks are full of despite because it is by your help that i have entered into my inheritance. now the term of your departure is nigh, and your fellowship with the venetians is timed only to last till the feast of st. michael. and within so short a term i cannot fulfil our covenant. be it known to you therefore, that, if you abandon me, the greeks hate me because of you: i shall losemy land, and they will kill me. but now do this thing that 49 i ask of you: remain here till march, and i will entertain your ships for one year from the feast of st. michael, and bear the cost of the venetians, and will give you such things as you may stand in need of till easter. and within that term i shall have placed my land in such case that i cannot lose it again; and your covenant will be fulfilled, for i shall have paid such moneys as are due to you, obtaining them from all mi lands; and i shall be ready also with ships either to go with you myself, or to send others, as i have covenanted; and you will have the summer from end to end in which to carry on the war against the saracens." the barons thereupon said they would consult together apart; knowing full well that what the young man said was sooth, and that it would be better, both for the emperor and for themselves, to consent unto him. but they replied that they could not so consent save with the common agreement of the host, and that they would therefore lay the matter before the host, and then give such answer as might be devised. so the emperor alexius departed from them, and went back to constantinople. and they remained in the camp and assembled a parliament the next day. to this parliament were summoned all the barons and the chieftains of the host, and of the knights the greater part; and in their hearing were repeated all the words that the emperor had spoken. debate among the crusaders death of matthew of montmorency then was there much discord in the host, as had been oft times before on the part of those who wished that the host should break up; for to them it seemed to be holding together too long. and the party that had raised the discord at corfu reminded the others of their oaths, and said: " give us ships as you swore to us, for we purpose to go to syria." and the others cried to them for pity and said: " lords, for god's sake, let us not bring to naught the great honour that god has given us. if we go to syria at this present, we shall come thither at the beginning of winter and so not be able to make war, and the lord's work will thus remain undone. but if we wait till march, we shall leave this emperor in good estate, and go hence rich in goods and in food. thus 50 shall we go to syria, and over-run the land of babylon. and the fleet will remain with us till michaelmas, yes, and onwards from michaelmas to easter, seeing it will be unable to leave us because of the winter. so shall the land overseas fall into our hands." those who wished the host to be broken up, cared not for reasons good or bad so long as the host fell to pieces. but those who wished to keep the host together, wrought so effectually, with the help of god, that in the end the venetians made a new covenant to maintain the fleet for a year, reckoning from michaelmas, the emperor alexius paying them for so doing; and the pilgrims, on their side, made a new covenant to remain in the same fellowship as theretofore, and for the same term. thus were peace and concord established in the host. then there befell a very great mischance in the host; for matthew of montmorency, who was one of the best knights in the kingdom of france, and of the most prized and most honoured, took to his bed for sickness, and his sickness so increased upon him that he died. and much dole was made for him, for great was the loss-one of the greatest that had befallen the host by any man's death. he was buried in a church of my lord st. john, of the hospital of jerusalem. progress of the young alexius through the empire afterwards, by the advice of the greeks and the french the emperor alexius issued from constantinople, with a very great company, purposing to quiet the empire and subject it to his will. with him went a great part of the barons; and the others remained to guard the camp. the marquis boniface of montferrat went with him, and count hugh of st. paul, and henry, brother to count baldwin of flanders and hainault, and james of avesnes, and william of champlitte, and hugh of colerni, and many others whom the book does not here mention by name. in the camp remained count baldwin of flanders and hainault, and count louis of blois and chartres, and the greater part of the pilgrims of lesser note. and you must know that during this progress all the greeks, on either side of the straits, came to the emperor 51 alexius, to do his will and commandment, and did him fealty and homage as to their lord-all except john, who was king of wallachia and bulgaria. this john was a wallachian, who had rebelled against. his father and uncle, and had warred against them for twenty years, and had won from them so much land that he had become a very wealthy king. -and be it known to you, that of the land lying on the west side of the straits of st. george, he had conquered very nearly the half. this john did not come to do the will of the emperor, nor to submit himself to him. conflict between the greeks and latins in constantinople-burning of the city while the emperor alexius was away on this progress, there befell a very grievous misadventure; for a conflict arose between the greeks and the latins who inhabited constantinople, and of these last there were many. and certain people-who they were i know not-out of malice, set fire to the city; and the fire waxed so great and horrible that no man could put it out or abate it. and when the barons of the host, who were quartered on the other side of the port, saw this, they were sore grieved and filled with pity-seeing the great churches and the rich palaces melting and falling in, and the great streets filled with merchandise burning in the flames; but they could do nothing. thus did the fire prevail, and win across the port, even to the densest part of the city, and to the sea on the other side, quite near to the church of st. sophia. it lasted two days and two nights, nor could it be put out by the hand of man. and the front of the fire, as it went flaming, was well over half a league broad. what was the damage then done, what the possessions and riches swallowed up, could no man tell-nor what the number of men and women and children who perished-for many were burned. all the latins, to whatever land they might belong, who were lodged in constantinople, dared no longer to remain therein; but they took their wives and their children, and such of their possessions as they could save from the fire, and entered into boats and vessels, and passed over the port and came to the camp of the pilgrims. nor were they few in number, for there were of them some fifteen thousand, small 52 and great; and afterwards it proved to be of advantage to the pilgrims that these should have crossed over to them. thus was there division between the greeks and the franks; nor were they ever again as much at one as they had been before, for neither side knew on whom to cast the blame for the fire; and this rankled in men's hearts upon either side. at that time did a thing befall whereby the barons and those of the host were greatly saddened; for the abbot of loos died, who was a holy man and a worthy, and had wished well to the host. he was a monk of the order of the cistercians. the young alexius returns to constantinoplizhe fails in his promises to the crusaders the emperor alexius remained for a long time on progress, till st. martin's day, and then he returned to constantinople. great was the joy at his home-coming, and the greeks and ladies of constantinople went out to meet their friends in great cavalcades, and the pilgrims went out to meet their friends, and had great joy of them. so did the emperor re-enter constantinople and the palace of blachernae; and the marquis of montferrat and the other barons returned to the camp. the emperor, who had managed his affairs right well and thought he had now the upper hand, was filled with arrogance towards the barons and those who had done so much for him, and never came to see them in the camp, as he had done aforetime. and they sent to him and begged him to pay them the moneys due, as he had covenanted. but he led them on from delay to delay, making them, at one time and another, payments small and poor; and in the end the payments ceased and came to naught. the marquis boniface of montferrat, who had done more for him than any other, and stood better in his regard, went to him oftentimes, and showed him what great services the crusaders had rendered him, and that greater services had never been rendered to any one. and the emperor still entertained them with delays, and never carried out such things as he had promised, so that at last they saw and knew clearly that his intent was wholly evil. then the barons of the host held a parliament with the 53 doge of venice, and they said that they now knew that the emperor would fulfil no covenant, nor ever speak sooth to them; and they decided to send good envoys to demand the fulfilment of their covenant, and to show what services they had done him; and if he would now do what was required, they were to be satisfied; but, if not, they were to defy him, and right well might he rest assured that the barons would by all means recover their due. the crusaders defy the emperors for this embassy were chosen conon of béthune and geoffry of villehardouin, the marshal of champagne, and miles the brabant of provins; and the doge also sent three chief men of his council. so these envoys mounted their horses, and, with swords girt, rode together till they came to the palace of blachernae. and be it known to you that, by reason of the treachery of the greeks, they went in great peril, and on a hard adventure. they dismounted at the gate and entered the palace, and found the emperor alexius and the emperor isaac seated on two thrones, side by side. and near them was seated the empress, who was the wife of the father, and stepmother of the son, and sister to the king of hungary-a lady both fair and good. and there were with them a great company of people of note and rank, so that well did the court seem the court of a rich and mighty prince. by desire of the other envoys conon of béthune, who was very wise and eloquent of speech, acted as spokesman: "sire, we have come to thee on the part of the barons of the host and of the doge of venice. they would put thee in mind of the great service they have done to thee-a service known to the people and manifest to all men. thou hast swom, thou and thy father, to fulfil the promised covenants, and they have your charters in hand. but you have not fulfilled those covenants well, as you should have done. many times have they called upon you to do so, and now again we call upon you, in the presence of all your barons, to fulfil the covenants that are between you and them. should you do so, it shall be well. if not, be it known to you that from this day forth they will not hold you as lord or friend, but will endeavour to obtain their due by all the means in their 54 power. and of this they now give you warning, seeing that they would not injure you, nor any one, without first defiance given; for never have they acted treacherously, nor in their land is it customary to do so. you have heard what we have said. it is for you to take counsel thereon according to your pleasure." much were the greeks amazed and greatly outraged by this open defiance; and they said that never had any one been so hardy as to dare defy the emperor of constantinople in his own hall. very evil were the looks now cast on the envoys by the emperor alexius and by all the greeks, who aforetime were wont to regard them very favourably. great was the tumult there within, and the envoys turned about and came to the gate and mounted their horses. when they got outside the gate, there was not one of them but felt glad at heart; nor is that to be marvelled at, for they had escaped from very great peril, and it held to very little that they were not all killed or taken. so they returned to the camp, and told the barons how they had fared. the war begins the greeks endeavour to set fire to the fleet of the crusaders thus did the war begin; and each side did to the other as much harm as they could, by sea and by land. the franks and the greeks fought often; but never did they fight, let god be praised therefor i that the greeks did not lose more than the franks. so the war lasted a long space, till the heart of the winter. then the greeks bethought themselves of a very great device, for they took seven large ships, and filled them full of big logs, and shavings, and tow, and resin, and barrels, and then waited until such time as the wind should blow strongly from their side of the straits. and one night, at midnight, they set fire to the ships, and unfurled their sails to the wind. and the flames blazed up high, so that it seemed as if the whole world were a-fire. thus did the burning ships come towards the fleet of the pilgrims; and a great cry arose in the host, and all sprang to arms on every side. the venetians ran to their ships, and so did all those who had ships in possession, and they began to draw them away out of the flames very vigorously. 55 and to this bears witness geoffry the marshal of champagne, who dictates this work, that never did people help themselves better at sea than the venetians did that night; for they sprang into the galleys and boats belonging to the ships, and seized upon the fire ships, all burning as they were, with hooks, and dragged them by main force before their enemies, outside the port, and set them into the current of the straits, and left them to go burning down the straits. so many of the greeks had come down to the shore that they were without end and innumerable, and their cries were so great that it seemed as if the earth and sea would melt together. they got into barges and boats, and shot at those on our side who were battling with the flames, so that some were wounded. all the knights of the host, as soon as they heard the clamour, armed themselves; and the battalions marched out into the plain, each according to the order in which they had been quartered, for they feared lest the greeks should also attack them on land. they endured thus in labour and anguish till daylight; but by god's help those on our side lost nothing, save a pisan ship, which was full of merchandise, and was burned with fire. deadly was the peril in which we stood that night, for if the fleet had been consumed, all would have been lost, and we should never have been able to get away by land or sea. such was the guerdon which the emperor alexius would have bestowed upon us in return for our services. mourzuphles usurps the empire isaac dies, and the young alexius is strangled then the greeks, being thus embroiled with the franks, saw that there was no hope of peace; so they privily took counsel together to betray their lord. now there was a greek who stood higher in his favour than all others, and had done more to make him embroil himself with the franks than any other. this greek was named mourzuphles. with the advice and consent of the others, one night towards midnight, when the emperor alexius was asleep in his chamber, those who ought to have been guarding him and specially mourzuphles-took him in his bed and threw him into a dungeon in prison. then mourzuphles assumed 56 the scarlet buskins with the help and by the counsel of the other greeks (january 1204). so he made himself emperor. afterwards they crowned him at st. sophia. now see if. ever people were guilty of such horrible treachery! when the emperor isaac heard that his son was taken and mourzuphles crowned, great fear came upon him, and he fell into a sickness that lasted no long time. so he died. and the emperor mourzuphles caused the son, whom he had in prison, to be poisoned two or three times; but it did not please god that he should thus die. afterwards the emperor went and strangled him, and when he had strangled him, he caused it to be reported everywhere that he had died a natural death, and had him mourned for, and buried honourably and as an emperor, and made great show of grief. but murder cannot be hid. soon was it clearly known, both to the greeks and to the french, that this murder had been committed, as has just been told to you. then did the barons of the host and the doge of venice assemble in parliament, and with them met the bishops and the clergy. and all the clergy, including those who had powers from the pope, showed to the barons and to the pilgrims that any one guilty of such a murder had no right to hold lands, and that those who consented thereto were abettors of the murder; and beyond all this, that the greeks had withdrawn themselves from obedience to rome. "wherefore we tell you," said the clergy, " that this war is lawful and just, and that if you have a right intention in conquering this land, to bring it into the roman obedience, all those who die after confession shall have part in the indulgence granted by the pope." and you must know that by this the barons and pilgrims were greatly comforted. the crusaders continue the war defeat of mourzuphles dire was the war between the franks and the greeks, for it abated not, but rather increased and waxed fiercer, so that few were the days on which there was not fighting by sea or land. then henry, the brother of count baldwin of flanders rode forth, and took with him a great part of the good men in the host. with him went james of avesnes, and baldwin of beauvoir, odo of champagne of champlitte, 57 william his brother, and the people of their country. they started at vesper time and rode all night, and on the morrow, when it was full day, they came to a good city, called phile, and took it; and they had great gain, beasts, and prisoners, and clothing, and food, which they sent in boats down the straits to the camp, for the city lies on the sea of russia. so they sojoumed two days in that city, with food in great plenty, enough and to spare. the third day they departed with the beasts and the booty, and rode back towards the camp. now the emperor mourzuphles heard tell how they had issued from the camp, and he left constantinople by night, with a great part of his people, and set himself in ambush at a place by which they must needs pass. and he watched them pass with their beasts and their booty, each division, the one after the other, till it came to the rearguard. the rear-guard was under the command of henry, the brother of count baldwin of flanders, and formed of his people, and the emperor mourzuphles fell upon them at the entrance to a wood; whereupon they turned against him. very fiercely did the battle rage there. by god's help the emperor mourzuphles was discomfited, and came near to being taken captive; and he lost his imperial banner and an eikon that was home before him, in which he and the other greeks had great confidence-it was an ikon that figured our lady-and he lost at least twenty knights of the best people that he had. thus was discomfited the emperor mourzuphles, as you have just heard and fiercely did the war rage between him and the franks; and by this time a great part of the winter had already passed, and it was near candlemas (2nd february 1204), and lent was approaching. of the pilgrims who had gone to syria now we will leave off speaking of the host before constantinople, and speak of those who sailed from other ports than venice, and of the ships of flanders that had sojoumed during the winter at marseilles, and had all gone over in the summer to the land of syria; and these were far more in number than the host before constantinople. listen now, and you shall hear what a great mischance it was that they 58 had not joined themselves to the host, for in that case would christendom have been for ever exalted. but because of their sins, god would not so have it, for some died of the sickness of the land, and some turned back to their own homes. nor did they perform any great deeds, or achieve aught of good, in the land overseass and there started also a company of very good men to go to antioch, to join boemond, prince of antioch and count of tripoli, who was at war with king leon, the lord of the armenians. this company was going to the prince to be in his pay; and the turks of the land knew of it, and made an ambuscade there where the men of the company needs must pass. and they came thither, and fought, and the franks were discomfited, so that not one escaped that was not killed or taken. there were slain villain of neuilly, who was one of the best knights in the world, and giles of trasegnies, and many others; and were taken bernard of moreuil, and renaud of dampierre, and john of villers, and william of neuilly. and you must know that eightty knights were in this company, and every one was either killed or taken. and well does this book bear witness, that of those who avoided the host of venice, there was not one but suffered harm or shame. he therefore must be accounted wise who holds to the better course. agreement between the franks and venetians before attacking constantinople now let us leave speaking of those who avoided the host, and speak of those before constantinople. well had these prepared all their engines, and mounted their petraries, and mangonels on the ships and on the transports, and got ready all such engines of war as are needful for the taking of a city, and raised ladders from the yards and masts of the vessels, so high that they were a marvel to behold.* [note: this passage is obscure in the original.] and when the greeks saw this, they began, on their side, to strengthen the defences of the city which was enclosed with high walls and high towers. nor was any tower so high that they did not raise thereon two or three stages of wood to heighten it still more. never was city so well fortified. 59 thus did the greeks and the franks bestir themselves on the one side and the other during the greater part of lent. then those of the host spoke together, and took counsel what they should do. much was advanced this way and that, but in the end, they devised that if god granted them entry into the city by force, all the booty taken was to be brought together, and fittingly distributed; and further, if the city fell into their power, six men should be taken from among the franks, and six from among the venetians, and these twelve should swear, on holy relics, to elect as emperor the man who, as they deemed, would rule with most profit to the land. and whosoever was thus elected emperor, would have one quarter of whatever was captured, whether within the city or without, and moreover would possess the palace of bucoleon and that of blachernae; and the remaining three parts would be divided into two, and one of the halves awarded to the venetians and the other to those of the host. and there should be taken twelve of the wisest and most experienced men among the host of the pilgrims, and twelve among the venetians, and those twenty-four would divide fiefs and honours, and appoint the service to be done therefor to the emperor. this covenant was made sure and sworn to on the one side and the other b' the franks and the venetians; with provision that at the end of march, a year thence, any who so desired might depart hence and go their way, but that those who remained in the land would be held to the service of the emperor in such mariner as might be ordained. thus was the covenant devised and made sure; and such as should not observe it were excommunicated by the clergy. attack of the crusaders repulsed they make ready for another assault the fleet was very well prepared and armed, and provisions were got together for the pilgrims. on the thursday after mid-lent (8th april 1204), all entered into the vessels, and put their horses into the transports. each division had its own ships, and all were ranged side by side; and the ships were separated from the galleys and transports. a marvellous sight it was to see; and well does this book bear 60 witness that the attack, as it had been devised, extended over full half a french league. on the friday morning the ships and the galleys and the other vessels drew near to the city in due order, and then began an assault most fell and fierce. in many places the pilgrims landed and went up to the walls, and in many places the scaling ladders on the ships approached so close, that those on the towers and on the walls and those on the ladders crossed lances, hand to hand. thus lasted the assault, in more than a hundred places, very fierce, and very dour, and very proud, till near upon the hour of nones. but, for our sins, the pilgrims were repulsed in that assault, and those who had landed from the galleys and transports were driven back into them by main force. and you must know that on that day those of the host lost more than the greeks, and much were the greeks rejoiced thereat. and some there were who drew back from the assault, with the ships in which they were. and some remained with their ships at anchor so near to the city that from either side they shot at one another with petraries and mangonels. then, at vesper time, those of the host and the doge of venice called together a parliament, and assembled in a church on the other side of the straits-on the side where they had been quartered. there were many opinions given and discussed; and much were those of the host moved for the mischief that had that day befallen them. and many advised that they should attack the city on another side the side where it was not so well fortified. but the venetians, who had fuller knowledge of the sea, said that if they went to that other side, the current would carry them down the straits, and that they would be unable to stop their ships. and you must know that there were those who would have been well pleased if the current had home them down the straits, or the wind, they cared not whither, so long -as they left that land behind, and went on their way. nor is this to be wondered at, for they were in sore peril. enough was there spoken, this way and in that; but the conclusion of their deliberation was this: that they would repair and refit on the following day, which was saturday, and during the whole of sunday, and that on the monday they would return to the assault; and they devised further that the ships that carried the scaling ladders should be 61 bound together, two and two, so that two ships should be in case to attack one tower; for they had perceived that day how only one ship had attacked each tower, and that this had been too heavy a task for the ship, seeing that those in the tower were more in number than those on the ladder. for this reason was it well seen that two ships would attack each tower with greater effect than one. as had been settled, so was it done, and they waited thus during the saturday and sunday. the crusaders take a part of the city before the assault the emperor mourzuphles had come to encamp, with all his power, in an open space, and had there pitched his scarlet tents. thus matters remained till the monday morning, when those on the ships, transports, and galleys were all armed. and those of the city stood in much less fear of them than they did at the beginning, and were in such good spirits that on the walls and towers you could see nothing but people. then began an assault proud and marvellous, and every ship went straight before it to the attack. the noise of the battle was so great that it seemed to read the earth. thus did the assault last for a long while, till our lord raised a wind called boreas which drove the ships and vessels further up on to the shore. and two ships that were bound together, of which the one was called the pilgrim and the other the paradise, approached so near to a tower, the one on the one side and the other on the other-so as god and the wind drove them-that the ladder of the pilgrim joined on to the tower. immediately a venetian, and a knight of france, whose name was andrew of urboise, entered into the tower, and other people benan to enter after them, and those in the tower were discomfited and fled.* [note [pp. 61-63]: i should like to quote here another feat of arms related by robert of clari, one of those feats that serve to explain how the crusaders obtained mastery the mastery of perfect fearlessness over the greeks. robert of clari, then, relates how a small body of the besiegers, ten knights and nine sergeants, had come before a postem which had been newly bricked up. "now there was there a clerk, aleaume of clari by name, who had shown his courage whenever there was need, and was always first in any assault at which he might be present; and when the tower of galata was taken, this same clerk had performed more deeds of prowess with his body, man for man, than any one in the host, save only the lord peter of bracuel; for the lord peter it was who surpassed all others, whether of high or low degree, so that there was none other that performed such feats of arms, or acts of prowess with his body, as the lord peter of bracuel. so when they came to the postern they began to hew and pick at it very hardily; but the bolts flew at them so thick, and so many stones were hurled at them from the wall, that it seemed as if they would be buried beneath the stones-sucb was the mass of quarries and stones thrown from above. and those who were below held up targes and shields to cover those who were picking and hewing underneath; and those above threw down pots of boiling pitch, and greek fire, and large rocks, so that it was one of god's miracles that the assailants were not utterly confounded; for my lord peter and his men suffered more than enough of blows and grievous danger. however, so did they hack at the postern, both above and below, with their axes and good swords, that they made a great bole therein; and when the postern was broken through, they all swarmed to the aperture, but saw so many people above and below, that it seemed as if half the world were there, and they dared not be so bold as to enter. "now when aleaume, the clerk, saw that no one dared to go in, be sprang forward, and said that go in he would. and there was there present a knight, a brother to the clerk (the knight's name was robert ofclari),who-forbade him,and said he should not go in. and the clerk said he would, and scrambled in on his hands and feet. and when the knight saw this, he took hold upon him, by the foot, and began to drag him back. but in his brother's despite, and whether his brother would or not, the clerk went in. and when he was within, many were the greeks who ran upon him, and those on the walls cast big stones upon him. and the clerk drew his knife, and ran at them; and he drave them before him as if they had been cattle, and cried to those who were without, to the lord peter of amiens and his folk, 'sire, come in boldly, i see that they are falling back discomfited and flying.' when my lord peter heard this, he and his people who were without, they entered in; and there were no more than ten knights with him, but there were some sixty sergeants, and they were all on foot. and when those who were on the wall at that place saw them, they had such fear that thev did not dare to remain there, but avoided a great space on the wall, and fled helter-skelter. "now the emperor mourzuphles, the traitor, was near by, at less than a stone's throw of distance, and he caused the silver horns to be sounded, and the cymbals, and a great noise to be made. and when he saw my lord peter, and his people, who bad entered in on foot, he made a great show of falling upon them, and spurring forward, came about half-way to where they stood. but mv lord peter, when he saw him coming, began to encourage his people, and to say: 'now, lord god, grant that we may do well, and the battle is ours. here comes the emperor! let no one dare to think of retreat, but each bethink himself to do well' then mourzuphles, seeing that they would in no wise give way, stayed where he was, and then turned back to his tents." after this, according to robert of clari, lord peter's men break open a gate, and.the crusaders enter into the city. see li estoires de chiaus qus conquisent constantinoble. de robert de clari en aminois, chevalier, pp. 60-62. the volume in the british museum is undated, and there is this note in the catalogue, " no more printed." the volume itself is noteless, though there are printed marks here and there which would suggest that notes were intended. the chronicle of robert of clari win also be found in hopf's chroniques gréco-romanes inédites ou peu connues, etc., pp. 1-85, berlin, 1873.] 62 when the knights see this, who are in the transports, they land, and raise their ladders against the wall, and scale the top of the wall by main force, and so take four of the towers. and all begin to leap out of the ships and transports and galleys, helter-skelter, each as best he can; and they break in some three of the gates and enter in; and they draw the horses out of the transports; and the knights mount and ride straight to the quarters of the emperor mourzuphles. he had his battalions arrayed before his tents, and when his men see the mounted knights coming, they lose heart and fly; and so goes the emperor flying through the streets to the castle of bucoleon. then might you have seen the greeks beaten down; and horses and palfreys captured, and mules, and other booty. of killed and wounded there was neither end nor measure. a great part of the greek lords had fled towards the gate of 63 blachernae. and vesper-time was already past, and those of the host were wear of the battle and of the slaying,. and they began to assemble in a great open space that was in constantinople, and decided that they would take up their quarters near the walls and towers they had captured. never had they thought that in a whole month they should be able to take the city, with its great churches, and great palaces, and the people that were in it. flight of mourzuphles second fire in constantinople as they had settled, so was it done, and they encamped before the walls and before the towers by their ships. count baldwin of flanders and hainault quartered himself in the scarlet tents that the emperor mourzuphles had left standing, and henry his brother before the palace of blachernae; and boniface, marquis of montferrat, he and his men, towards the thickest part of the city. so were the host encamped as you have heard, and constantinople taken on the monday after palm sunday (12th april 1204). now count louis of blois and chartres had languished all the winter with a q ' uartan fever, and could not bear his armour. and you must know that this was a great misfor64 tune to the host, seeing he was a good knight of his body; and he lay in one of the transports. thus did those of the host, who were very weary, rest that night. but the emperor mourzuphles rested not, for he assembled all his people, and said he would go and attack the franks. nevertheless he did not do as he had said, for he rode along other streets, as far as he could from those held by the host, and came to a gate which is called the golden gate, whereby he escaped, and avoided the city; and afterwards all who could fled also. and of all this those of the host knew nothing. during that night, towards the quarters of boniface marquis of montfcrrat, certain people, whose names are unknown to me, being in fear lest the greeks should attack them, set fire to the buildings between themselves and the greeks. and the city began to take fire, and to burn very direfully; and it burned all that night and all the next day, till vesper-time. and this was the third fire there had been in constantinople since the franks arrived in the land; and more houses had been burned in the city than there are houses in any three of the greatest cities in the kingdom of france. that night passed and the next day came, which was a tuesday morning (13th april 1204); and all armed themselves throughout the host, both knights and sergeants, and each repaired to his post. then they issued from their quarters, and thought to find a sorer battle than the day before, for no word had come to them that the emperor had fled during the night. but they found none to oppose them. the crusaders occupy the city the marquis boniface of montferrat rode all along the shore to the palace of bucoleon, and when he arrived there it surrendered, on condition that the lives of all therein should be spared. at bucoleon were found the larger number of the great ladies who had fled to the castle, for there were found the sister [agnes, sister of philip augustus, married successively to alexius ii., to andronicus, and to theodore branas] of the king of france, who had been empress, and the sister [margaret, sister of emeric, king of hungary, married to the emperor isaac, and afterwards to the marquis of montferrat.] of the king of hungary, who 65 had also been empress, and other ladies very many. of the treasure that was found in that palace i cannot well speak, for there was so much that it was beyond end or counting. at the same time that this palace was surrendered to the marquis boniface of montferrat, did the palace of blachernae surrender to henry, the brother of count baldwin of flanders, on condition that no hurt should be done to the bodies of those who were therein. there too was found much treasure, not less than in the palace of bucoleon. each garrisoned with his own people the castle that had been surrendered to him, and set a auard over the treasure. and the other people, spread abroad throughout the city, also gained much booty. the booty gained was so great that none could tell you the end of it: gold and silver, and vessels and precious stones, and samite, and cloth of silk, and robes vair and grey, and ermine, and every choicest thing found upon the earth. and well does geoffry of villehardouin the marshal of champagne, bear witness, that never, since the world was created, had so much booty been won in any city. every one took quarters where he pleased and of lodgings there was no stint. so the host of the pilgrims and of the venetians found quarters, and greatly did they rejoice and give thanks because of the victory god had vouchsafed to them-for those who before had been poor were now in wealth and luxury. thus they celebrated palm sunday and the easter day following (25th april 1204) in the joy and honour that god had bestowed upon them. and well miaht they praise our lord, since in all the host there were no more than twenty thousand armed men, one with another, and with the help of god they had conquered four hundred thousand men, or more, and in the strongest city in all the world yea, a great city and very well fortified. division of the spoil then was it proclaimed throughout the host by the marquis boniface of montferrat, who was lord of the host, and by the barons, and by the doge of venice, that all the booty should be collected and brou-ht together, as had been covenanted under oath and pain of excommunication. three churches were appointed for the receiving of the 66 spoils, and guards were set to have them in charge, both franks and venetians, the most upright that could be found. then each began to bring in such booty as he had taken, and to collect it together. and some brought in loyally, and some in evil sort, because covetousness, which is the root of all evil, let and hindered them. so from that time forth the covetous began to keep things back, and our lord began to love them less. ah god! how loyally they had borne themselves up to now! and well had the lord god shown them that in all things he was ready to honour and exalt them above all people. but full oft do the good suffer for the sins of the wicked. the spoils and booty were collected together, and you must know that all was not brought into the common stock, for not a few kept thin-s back, maugre the excommunication of the pope. that which was brought to the churches was collected together and divided, in equal parts, between the franks and the venetians, according to the sworn covenant. and you must know further that the pilgrims, after the division had been made, paid out of their share fifty thousand marks of silver to the venetians, and then divided at least one hundred thousand marks between themselves, among their own people. and shall i tell you in what wise? two sergeants on foot counted as one mounted, and two sergeants mounted as one knight. and you must know that no man received more, either on account of his rank or because of his deeds, than that which had been so settled and orderedsave in so far as he may have stolen it. and as to theft, and those who were convicted thereof, you must know that stem justice was meted out to such as were found guilty, and not a few were hung. the count of st. paul hung one of his knights, who had kept back certain spoils, with his shield to his neck; but many there were, both great and small, who kept back part of the spoils, and it was never known. well may you be assured that the spoil wavery great, for if it had not been for what was stoletand for the part given to the venetians, there would if have been at least four hundred thousand marks of silver and at least ten thousand horses-one with another. thus were divided the spoils of constantinople, as you have heard. 67 baldwin, count of flanders, elected emperor then a parliament assembled, and the commons of the host declared that an emperor must be elected, as had been settled aforetime. and they parliamented so long that the matter was adjourned to another day, and on that day would they choose the twelve electors who were to make the election. nor was it possible that there should be lack of candidates, or of men covetous, seeing that so great an honour was in question as the imperial throne of constantinople. but the greatest discord that arose was the discord concerning count baldwin of flanders and hainault and the marquis boniface of montferrat; for all the people said that either of those two should be elected. and when the chief men of the host saw that all held either for count baldwin or for the marquis of montferrat, they conferred together and said: " lords, if we elect one of these two great men, the other will be so filled with envy that he will take away with him all his people. and then the land that we have won may be lost, just as the land of jerusalem came nigh to be lost when, after it had been conquered, godfrey of bouillon was elected king, and the count of st. giles became so fulfilled with envy that he enticed the other barons, and whomsoever he could, to abandon the host. then did many people depart, and there remained so few that, if god had not sustained them, the land of jerusalem wouldhavebeenlost. letusthereforebewarelestthesame mischance befall us also, and rather bethink ourselves how we may keep both these lords in the host. let the one on whom god shall bestow the empire so devise that the other is well content; let him grant to that other all the land on the further side of the straits, towards turkey, and the isle of greece, and that other shall be his liegeman. thus shall we keep both lords in the host." as had been proposed, so was it settled, and both consented right willingly. then came the day for the parliament, and the parliament assembled. and the twelve electors were chosen, six on one side and six on the other; and they swore on holy relics to elect, duly, and in good faith, whomsoever would best meet the needs of the host, and bear rule over the empire most worthily. 68 thus were the twelve chosen, and a day appointed for the election of the emperor; and on the appointed day the twelve electors met at a rich palace, one of the fairest in the world, where the doge of venice had his quarters. great and marvellous was the concourse, for every one wished to see who should be elected. then were the twelve electors called, and set in a very rich chapel within the palace, and the door was shut, so that no one remained with them. the barons and knights stayed without in a great palace. the council lasted till they were agreed; and by consent' of all they appointed nevelon, bishop of soissons, who was one of the twelve, to act as spokesman. then they came out to the place where all the barons were assembled, and the doge of venice. now you must know that many set eyes upon them, to know how the election had turned. and the bishop, lifting up his voice-while all listened intentlyspoke as he had been charged, and said: " lords, we are agreed, let god be thanked! upon the choice of an emperor; and you have all sworn that he whom we shall elect as ern,,)eror shall be held by you to be emperor indeed, and that it any one gainsay him, you will be his helpers. and we name him now at the self-same hour when god was born, the count baldwin of flanders and hainault! " a cry of joy was raised in the palace, and they bore the count out of the palace, and the marquis boniface of montferrat bore him on one side to the church, and showed him all the honour he could. so was the count baldwin of flanders and hainault elected emperor, and a day appointed for his coronation, three weeks after easter (16th may 1204). and you must know that many a rich robe was made for the coronation; nor did they want for the wherewithal. boniface weds isaac's widow, and after baldwin's coronation obtains the kingdom of salonika before the time appointed for the coronation, the marquis boniface of montferrat espoused the empress who had been the wife of the emperor isaac, and was sister to the king of hungary. and within that time also did one of the most noble barons of the host, who bore the name of odo of champlitte of champagne, make an end and die. much was he mourned and bewept by william his brother, and by his 69 other friends; and he was buried in the church of the apostles with great honour. the time for the coronation drew near, and the emperor baldwin was crowned with great joy and great honour in the church of st. sophia, in the year of the incarnation of jesus christ one thousand twelve hundred and four. of the rejoicings and feasting there is no need to speak further, for the barons and knights did all they could; and the marquis boniface of montferrat and count louis of blois and chartres did homage to the emperor as their lord. after the great rejoicings and ceremonies of the coronation, he was taken in great pomp, and with a great procession, to the rich palace of bucoleon. and when the feastings were over he began to discuss his affairs. boniface the marquis of montferrat called upon him to carry out the covenant made, and give him, as he was bound to do, the land on the other side of the straits towards turkey and the isle of greece. and the emperor acknowledged that he was bound so to do, and said he would do it right willingly. and when the marquis of montferrat saw that the emperor was willing to carry out this covenant so debonairly, he besought him, in exchange for this land, to bestow upon him the kingdom of salonika, because it lay near the land of the king of hungary, whose sister he had taken to wife. much was this matter debated in various ways; but in the end the emperor granted the land of salonika to the marquis, and the marquis did homage therefor. and at this there was much joy thr oughout , the host, because the marquis was one of the knights most highly prized in all the world, and one whom the knights most loved, inasmuch as no one dealt with them more liberally than he. thus the marquis remained in the land, as you have heard. baldwin marches against mourzuphles the emperor mourzuphles had not yet removed more than four days' journey from constantinople; and he had taken with him the empress who had been the wife of the emperor alexius, who aforetime had fled, and his daughter. this emperor alexius was in a city called messinopolis, with all his people, and still held a great part of the land. and at that 70 time the men of note in greece departed, and a large number passed over the straits towards turkey; and each one, for his own advantage, made himself master of such lands as he could lay hands upon; and the same thing happened also throughout the other parts of the empire. the emperor mourzuphles made no long tarrying before he took a city which had surrendered to my lord the emperor baldwin, a city called tchorlu. so he took it and sacked it, and seized whatever he found there. when the news thereof came to the emperor baldwin, he took counsel with the barons, and with the doge of venice, and they agreed to this, that he should issue forth, with all his host, to make conquest of the land, and leave a garrison in constantinople to keep it sure, seeing that the city had been newly taken and was peopled with the greeks. so did they decide, and the host was called together, and decision made as to who should remain in constantinople, and who should go in the host with the emperor baldwin. in constantinople remained count louis of blois and chartres, who had been sick, and was not yet recovered, and the doge of venice. and conon of béthune remained in the palaces of blachemoe and bucoleon to keep the city; and with him geoffry the marshal of champagne, and miles the brabant of provins, and manasses of l'isle, and all their people. all the rest made ready to go in the host with the emperor. before the emperor baldwin left constantinople, his brother henry departed thence, by his command, with a hundred very good knights; and he rode from city to city, and in every city to which he came the people swore fealty to the emperor. so he fared forward till he came to adrianople, which was a good city, and wealthy; and those of the city received him right willingly and swore fealty to the emperor. then he lodged in the city, he and his people, and sojoumed there till the emperor baldwin came thither. mourzuphles takes refuge with alexius, the brother of isaac, who puts out his eyes the emperor mourzuphles, when he heard that they thus advanced against him, did not dare to abide their coming, but remained always two or three days' march in advance. 71 so he fared forward till he came near messinopolis, where the emperor alexius was sojourning, and he sent on messengers, telling alexius that he would give him help, and do all his behests. and the emperor alexius answered that he should be as welcome as if he were his own son, and that he would give him his daughter to wife, and make of him his son. so the emperor mourzuphles encamped before messinopolis, and pitched his tents and pavilions, and alexius was quartere within the city. so they conferred together, and alexius gave him his daughter to wife, and they entered into alliance, and said they should be as one. they sojourned thus for i know not how many days, the one in the camp and the other in the city, and then did the emperor alexius invite the emperor mourzupwes to come and eat with him, and to go with him to the baths. so were matters settled. the emperor mourzuphles came privately, and with few people, and when he was within the house, the emperor alexius called him into a privy chamber, and had him thrown on to the ground, and the eyes drawn out of his head. and this was done in such treacherous wise as you have heard. now say whether this people, who wrought such cruelty one to another, were fit to have lands in possession i and when the host of the emperor mourzuphles heard what had been done, they scattered, and fled this way and that; and some joined themselves to the emperor alexius, and obeyed him as their lord, and remained with him. baldwin marches against alexius-he is joined by boniface then the emperor baldwin moved from constantinople, with all his host, and rode forward till he came to adrianople. there he found henry his brother, and the men with him. all the people whithersoever the emperor passed, came to him, and put themselves at his mercy and under his rule. and while they were at adrianople, they heard the news that the emperor alexius had pulled out the eyes of the emperor mourzuphles. of this there was much talk among them; and well did all say that those who betrayed one another so disloyally and treacherously had no right to hold land in possession. then was the emperor baldwin minded to ride straight to 72 messinopolis, where the emperor alexius was. and the greeks of adrianople besought him, as their lord, to leave a garrison in their city because of johannizza, king of wallachia and bulgaria, who ofttimes made war upon them. and the' emperor baldwin left there eustace of saubruic, who was a knight of flanders, very worthy and very valiant, together with forty right good knights, and a hundred mounted sergeants. so departed the emperor baldwin from adrianople, and rode towards messinopolis, where he thought to find the emperor alexius. all the people of the lands through which he passed put themselves under his rule and at his mercyand when the emperor alexius saw this, he avoided messl-' nopolis and fled. and the emperor baldwin rode on till he came before messinopolis; and those of the city went out to meet him and surrendered the city to his commandment. then the emperor baldwin said he would sojourn there, wafting for the arrival of boniface, marquis of montferrat, who had not yet joined the host, seeing he could not move as fast as the emperor, because he was bringing with him the empress, his wife. however, he also rode forward till he came to messinopolis, by the river, and there encamped, and pitched his tents and pavilions. and on the morrow he went to speak to the emperor baldwin, and to see him, and reminded him of his promise. "sire," said he, "tidings have come to me from salonika that the people of the land would have me know that they are ready to receive me willingly as their lord. and i am your liegeman, and hold the land from you. therefore, i pray you, let me go thither; and when i am in possession of my land and of my city, i will bring you out such supplies as you may need, and come ready prepared to do your behests. but do not go and ruin my land. let us rather, if it so pleases you, march against johannizz', the king of wallachia and bulgaria, who holds a great part of the land wrongfully." rupture between baldwin and b0niface the one marches on salonika, the other on demotica i know not by whose counsel it was that the emperor replied that he was determined to march towards salonika, 73 and would afterwards attend to his other affairs. sire," said boniface, marquis of montferrat, " i pray thee, since i am able without thee to get possession of my land, that thou wilt not enter therein; but if thou dost enter therein, i shall deem that thou art not acting for my good. and be it known to thee that i shall not go with thee, but depart from among you." and the emperor baldwin replied that, notwithstanding all this, he should most certainly go. alas! how ill-advised were they, both the one and the other, and how great was the sin of those who caused this quarrel! for if god had not taken pity upon them, now would they have lost all the conquests they had made, and christendom been in danger of ruin. so by ill fortune was there division between the emperor baldwin of constantinople and boniface, marquis of montferrat,-and by illadvice. . the emperor bal dwin rode towards salonika, as he devised, with all his people, and with all his power. and boniface, the marquis of montferrat, went back, and he took with him a great number of right worthy people. with him went james of avesnes, william of champlitte, hugh of colemi, count berthold of katzenellenbogen, and the greater part of those who came from the empire of germany and held with the marquis. thus did the marquis ride back till he came to a castle, very goodly, very strong, and very rich, which is called demotica; and it was surrendered by a greek of the city, and when the marquis had entered therein he garrisoned it. then because of their knowledge of the empress (his wife), the greeks began to turn towards him, and to surrender to his rule from all the country round about, within a day or two's journey. the emperor baldwin rode straight on to salonika, and came to a castle called christopolis, one of the strongest in the world. and it surrendered, and those of the city did homage to him. afterwards he came to another place called blache, which was very strong and very rich, and this too surrendered, and the people did homage. next he came to cetros, a city strong and rich, and it also came to his rule and order, and did homage. then he rode to salonika, and encamped before the city, and was there for three days. and those within surrendered the city, which was one of the best and wealthiest in christendom at that day, on condition that 74 he would maintain the uses and customs theretofore observed by the greek emperor. message of the crusaders to boniface he suspends the siege of adrianople while the emperor baldwin was thus at salonika, and the land surrendering to his good pleasure and commandment, the marquis boniface of montferrat, with all his people and a great quantity of greeks who held to his side, marched to adrianople and besieged it, and pitched his tents and pavilions round about. now eustace of saubruic was therein, with the people whom the emperor had left there, and they mounted the walls and towers and made ready to defend themselves. then took eustace of saubruic two messengers and sent them, riding night and day, to constantinople. and they came to the doge of venice, and to count louis, and to those who had been left in the city by the emperor baldwin, and told them that eustace of saubruic would have them know that the emperor and the marquis were embroiled together, and that the marquis had seized demotica, which was one of the strongest castles in roumania, and one of the richest, and that he was besieging them in adrianople. and when those in constantinople heard this they were moved with anger, for they thought most surely that all their conquests would be lost. then assembled in the palace of blachernae the doge of venice, and count louis of blois and chartres, and the other barons that were in constantinople; and much were they distraught, and greatly were they angered, and fiercely did they complain of those who had put enmity between the emperor and the marquis. at the prayer of the doge of venice and of count louis, geoffry of villehardouin, the marshal of champagne, was enjoined to go to the siege of adrianople, and appease the war, if he could, because he was well in favour with the marquis, and therefore they thought he would have more influence than any other. and he, because of their prayers, and of their great need, said he would go willingly; and he took with him manasses of l'isle, who was one of the good knights of the host, and one of the most honoured. 75 so they departed from constantinople, and rode day by day till they came to adrianople, where the siege was going on. and when the marquis heard thereof, he came out of the camp and went to meet them. with him came james of avesnes, and william of champlitte, and hugh of colemi, and otho of la roche, who were the chief counsellors of the marquis. and when he saw the envoys, he did them much honour and showed them much fair seeming. geoffry the marshal, with whom he was on very good terms, spoke to him very sharply, reproaching him with the fashion in which he had taken the land of the emperor and besieged the emperor's people in adrianople, and that without apprising those in constantinople, who surely would have obtained such redress as was due if the emperor had done him any wrong. and the marquis disculpated himself much, and said it was because of the wrong the emperor had done him that he had acted in such sort. so wrought geoffry, the marshal of champagne, with the help of god, and of the barons who were in the confidence of the marquis, and who loved the said geoffry well, that the marquis assured him he would leave the matter in the hands of the doge of venice, and of count louis of blois and chartres, and of conon of béthune, and of geoffry of villehardouin, the marshal-all of whom well knew what was the covenant made between himself and the emperor. so was a truce established between those in the camp and those in the city. and you must know that geoffry the marshal, and manasses of l'isle, were right joyously looked upon, both by those in the camp and those in the city, for very strongly did either side wish for peace. and in such measure as the franks rejoiced, so were the greeks dolent, because right willingly would they have seen the franks quarrelling and at war. thus was the siege of adrianople raised, and the marquis returned with all his people to demotica, where was the empress his wife. message of the crusaders to baldwin death of several knights the envoys returned to constantinople, and told what they had done. greatly did the doge of venice, and count louis 76 of blois, and all besides, then rejoice that to these envoys had been committed the negotiations for a peace; and they chose good messengers, and wrote a letter, and sent it to the emperor baldwin, tellinhim that the marquis had referred himself to them, with assurances that he would accept their arbitration, and that he (the emperor) was even more strongly bound to do the same, and that they besought him to do so-for they would in no wise countenance war-and promise to accept their arbitration, as the marquis had done. while this was in progress the emperor baldwin had settled matters at salonika and departed thence, garrisoning it with his people, and had left there as chief renier of mons, who was a good knight and a valiant. and tidings had come to him that the marquis had taken demotica, and established himself therein, an(f conquered a great part of the land lying round about, and besieged the emperor's people in adrianople. greatly enraged was the emperor baldwin when these tidings came to him, and much did he hasten so as to raise the siege of adrianople, and do to the marquis all the -harm that he could. ah god! what mischief their discord might have caused! if god had not seen to it, christendom would have been undone. so did the emperor baldwin journey day by day. and a very great mischance had befallen those who were before salonika, for many people of the host were stricken down with sickness. many who could not be moved had to remain in the castles by which the emperor passed, and many were brought along in litters, journeying in sore pain; and many there were who died at cetros (la serre). among those who so died at cetros was master ' john of noyon, chancellor to the emperor baldwin. he was a good clerk, and very wise, and much had he comforted the host by the word of god, which he well knew how to preach. and you must know that by his death the good men of the host were much discomforted. nor was it long ere another great misfortune befell the host, for peter of amiens died, who was a man rich and noble, and a good and brave knight, and great dole was made for him by hugh of st. paul, who was his cousin-german; and heavily did his death weigh upon the host. shortly after died gerard of mancicourt, who was a knight much 77 prized, and giles of annoy, and many other good people. forty knights died during this expedition, and by their death was the host greatly enfeebled. baldwin's reply to the message of the crusaders the emperor baldwin journeyed so day by day that he met the messengers sent by those of constantinople. one of the messengers was a knight belonging to the land of count louis of blois, and the count's liegeman; his name was bègue of fransures, and he was wise and eloquent. he spoke the message of his lord and the other barons right manfully, and said: " sire, the doge of venice, and count louis, my lord, and the other barons who are in constantinople send you health and greeting as to their lord, and they complain to god and to you of those who have raised discord between you and the marquis of montferrat, whereby it failed but little that christendom was not undone; and they tell you that you did very ill when you listened to such counsellors. now they apprise you that the marquis has referred to them the quarrel that there is between him and you, and they pray you, as their lord, to refer that quarrel to them likewise, and to promise to abide by their ruling. and be it known to you that they will in no wise, nor on any ground, suffer that you should go to war." the emperor baldwin went to confer with his council, and said he would reply anon. many there were in the emperor's council who had helped to cause the quarrel, and they were greatly outraged by the declaration sent by those at constantinople, and they said: " sire, you hear what they declare to you, that they will not suffer you to take vengeance of your enemy. truly it seems that if you will not do as they order, they will set themselves against you." very many big words were then spoken; but, in the end, the council agreed that the emperor had no wish to lose the friendship of the doge of venice, and count louis, and the others who were in constantinople; and the emperor replied to the envoys: " i will not promise to refer the quarrel to those who sent you, but i will go to constantinople without doing aught to injure the marquis." so the emperor baldwin journeyed day by day till he came to constantinople, and 78 the barons, and the other people, went to meet him, and received him as their lord with great honour. reconciliation of baldwin and boniface on the fourth day the emperor knew clearly that he had been ill-advised to quarrel with the marquis, and then the doge of venice and count louis came to speak to him and said: "sire, we would pray you to refer this matter to us, as the marquis has done." and the emperor said he would do so right willingly. then were envoys chosen to fetch the marquis, and bring him thither. of them envoys one was gervais of chatel, and the second renier of trit, and geoffry, marshal of champagne the third, and the doge of venice sent two of his people. the envoys rode day by day till they came to demotica, and they found the marquis with the empress his wife, and a great number of right worthy people, and they told him how they had come to fetch him. then did geoffry the marshal desire him to come to constantinople, as he had promised, and make peace in such wise as might be settled by those in whose hands he had remitted his cause; and they promised him safe conduct, as also to those who might go with him. the marquis took counsel with his men. some there were who agreed that he should go, and some who advised that he should not go. but the end of the debate was such that he went with the envoys to constantinople, and took full a hundred knights with him; and they rode day by day till they came to constantinople. very gladly were they received in the city; and count louis of blois and chartres, and the doge of venice went out to meet the marquis, together with many other right worthy people, for he was much loved in the host. then was a parliament assembled, and the covenants were rehearsed between the emperor baldwin and the marquis boniface; and salonika was restored to boniface, with the land, he placing demotica, which he had seized, in the hands of geoffry the marshal of champagne, who undertook to keep it till he heard, by accredited messenger, or letters duly sealed, that the marquis was seized of salonika, when he would give back demotica to the emperor, or to whomsoever the emperor might appoint. thus was peace made between the emperor and the marquis, as you have heard. and great was the joy 79 thereof throughout the host, for out of this quarrel might very great evil have arisen. the kingdom of salonika is restored to boniface division of the land between the crusaders the marquis then took leave, and went towards salonika with his people, and with his wife; and with him rode the envoys of the emperor; and as they went from castle to castle, each, with all its lordship, was restored to the marquis on the part of the emperor. so they came to salonika, and those who held the place for the emperor surrendered it. now the governor, whom the emperor had left there, and whose name was renier of mons, had died; he was a man most worthy, and his death a great mischance. then the land and country began to surrender to the marquis, and a great part thereof to come under his rule. but a greek, a man of great rank, whose name was leon sgure, would in no wise come under the rule of the marquis, for he had seized corinth and napoli, two cities that lie upon the sea, and are among the strongest cities under heaven. he then refused to surrender, but began to make war against the marquis, and a very great many of the greeks held with him. and another greek, whose name was michael, and who had come with the marquis from constantinople, and was thought by the marquis to be his friend, he departed, without any word said, and went to a city called arthe (? durazzo) and took to wife the daughter of a rich greek, who held the land from the emperor, and seized the land, and began to make war on the marquis. now the land from constantinople to salonika was quiet and at peace, for the ways were so safe that all could come and go at their pleasure, and from the one city to the other there were full twelve long days' journey. and so much time had now passed that we were at the beginning of september (1204). and the emperor baldwin was in constantinople, and the land at peace, and under his rule. then died two right good knights in constantinople, eustace of canteleu, and aimery of villeroi, whereof their friends had great sorrow. then did they begin to divide the land. the venetians had their part,and the pilgrims the other. and when each 80 one was able to go to his own land, the covetousness of this world, which has worked so great evil, suffered them not to be at peace, for each began to deal wickedly in his land, some more, and some less, and the greeks began to hate them and to nourish a bitter heart. then did the emperor baldwin bestow on count louis the duchy of nice, which was one of the greatest lordships in the land of roumania, and situate on the other side of the straits, towards turkey. now all the land on the other side of the straits had not surrendered to the emperor, but was against him. then afterwards he gave the duchy of philippopolis to renier of trit. so count louis sent his men to conquer his land-some h.undred and twenty knights. and over them were set peter of bracieux and payen of orleans. they left constantinople on all saints day (1st november 1204), and passed over the straits of st. george on ship-board, and came to piga, a city that lies on the sea, and is inhabited by latins. and they began to war against the greeks. execution of mourzuphles and imprisonment of alexius in those days it happened that the emperor mourzuphles, whose eyes had been put out-the same who had murdered his lord, the emperor isaac's son, the emperor alexius, whom the pilgrims had brought with them to that land-it happened, i say, that the emperor mourzuphles fled privily, and with but few people, and took refuge beyond the straits. but thierri of loos heard of it, for mourzuphles' flight was revealed to him, and he took mourzuphles and brought him to the emperor baldwin at constantinople,. and the emperor baldwin rejoiced thereat, and took counsel with his men what he should do with a man who had been guilty of such a murder upon his lord. and the council agreed to this: there was in constantinople, towards the middle of the city, a column, one of the highest and the most finely wrought in marble that eye had ever seen; and mourzuphles should be taken to the top of that column and made to leap down, in the sight of all the people, because it was fit that an act of justice so notable should be seen of the whole world. so they led the emperor 81 mourzuphles to the column, and took him to the top, and all the people in the city ran together to behold the event. then they cast him down, and he fell from such a height that when he came to the earth he was all shattered and broken. now hear of a great marvel! on that column from which he fell were images of divers kinds, wrought in the marble. and among these images was one, worked in the shape of an emperor, falling headlong; for of a long time it had been prophesied that from that column an emperor of constantinople should be cast down. so did the semblance and the prophecy come true. it came to pass, at this time also, that the marquis boniface of montferrat, who was near salonika, took prisoner the emperor alexius-the same who had put out the eyes of the emperor isaac-and the empress his wife with him. and he sent the scarlet buskins, and the imperial vestments, to the emperor baldwin, his lord, at constantinople, and the emperor took the act in very good part. shortly after the marquis sent the emperor alexius and the empress his wife, to montferrat, there to be imprisoned. capture of abydos, of philippopolis, and of nicomedia theodore lascaris pretends to the empire at the feast of st. martin after this (11th november 1204), henry, the brother of the emperor baldwin, went forth from constantinople, and marched down by the straits to the mouth of abydos; and he took with him some hundred and twenty good knights. he crossed the straits near a city which is called abydos, and found it well furnished with good things, with corn and meats, and with all things of which man has need. so he seized the city, and lodged therein, and then began to war with the greeks who were before him. and the armenians of the land, of whom there were many, began to turn towards him, for they greatly hated the greeks. at that time renier of trit left constantinople, and went towards philippopolis, which the emperor had given him; and he took with him some hundred and twenty very good knights, and rode day by day till he passed beyond adrianople, and came to philippopolis. and the people of the land received him, and obeyed him as their lord, for they beheld his coming very willingly. and they stood in great 82 need of succour, for johannizza, the king of wallachia, had mightily oppressed them with war. so renier helped them right well, and held a great part of the land, and most of those who had sided with johannizza, now turned to him. in those parts the war with johannizza raged fiercely. tle emperor had sent some hundred knights over the straits of saint george opposite constantinople. macaire of saintemen,ehould was in command, and with him went matthew of wallincourt, and robert of ronsoi. they rode to a city called nicomedia, which lies on a gulf of the sea, and is well two days' journey from constantinople. when the greeks saw them coming, they avoided the city, and went away; so the pilgrims lodged therein, and garrisoned it, and enclosed it with walls, and began to wage war before them, on that side also. the land on the other side of the straits had for lord a greek named theodore lascaris. he had for wife the daughter of the emperor alexius, through whom he laid claim to the land this was the alexius whom the franks had driven from constantinople, and who had put out his brother's eyes. the same lascaris maintained the war against the franks on the other side of the straits, in whatsoever part they might be. in constantinople remained the emperor baldwin and count louis, with but few people, and the count of st. paul, who was grievously sick with gout, that held him by the knees and feet; and the doge of venice, who saw naught. reinforcements from syria death of mary, the wife of baldwin after this time came from the land of syria a great company of those who had abandoned the host, and gone thither from other ports than venice. with this company came stephen of perche, and renaud of montmirail, who was cousin to count louis, and they were by him much honoured, for he was very glad of their coming. and the emperor baldwin, and the rest of the people also received them very gladly, for they were of high rank, and very rich, and brouaht very many good people with them. from the land of syria came hugh of tabarie, and raoul his brother, and thierri of tenremonde, and very many people of the land, knights and light horsemen, and sergeants. 83 and the emperor baldwin gave to stephen of perche the duchy of philadelphia. among other tidings came news at this time to the emperor baldwin whereby he was made very sorrowful; for the countess mary [she was the daughter of henry count of champagne and of mary, daughter of philip augustus, king of france] his wife, whom he had left in flanders, seeing she could not go with him because she was with childhe was then but count-had brought forth a daughter-and afterwards, on her recovery, she started to go to her lord overseass and passed to the port of marseilles, and coming to acre, she had but just landed, when the tidings came to her from constantinople-told by the messengers whom her lord had sent-that constantinople was taken, and her lord made emperor, to the great joy of all christendom. on hearing this the lady was minded to come to him forthwith. then a sickness took her, and she made an end and died, whereof there was great dole throughout all christendom, for she was a gracious and virtuous lady and greatly honoured. and those who came in this company brought the tidings of her death, whereof the emperor baldwin had sore affliction, as also the barons of the land, for much did they desire to have her for their lady. defeat of theodore and constantine lascaris at that time those who had gone to the city of piga peter of bracieux and payen of orléans being the chiefs fortified a castle called palormo; and they left therein a garrison of their people, and rode forward to conquer the land. theodore lascaris had collected all the people he could, and on the day of the feast,of our lord st. nicholas (6th december 1204), which is before the nativity, he joined battle in the plain before a castle called poemaninon. the battle was engaged with great disadvantage to our people, for those of the other part were in such numbers as was marvellous; and on our side there were but one hundred and forty knights, without counting the mounted sergeants. but our lord orders battles as it pleases him. by his grace and by his will, the franks vanquished the greeks and discomfited them, so that they suff ered very great loss. and within the week, they surrendered a very large part of the land. they surrendered poemaninon, which was a very 84 strong castle, and lopadium, which was one of the best cities of the land, and polychna, which is seated on a lake of fresh water, and is one of the strongest and best castles that can be found. and you must know that our people fared very excellently, and by god's help had their will of that land. shortly after-, by the advice of the armenians, henry, the brother of the emperor baldwin of constantinople, started from the city of abydos, leaving therein a garrison of his people, and rode to a city called adramittium, which lies on the sea, a two days' journey from abydos. this city yielded to him, and he lodged therein, and a great part of the land surrendered; for the city was well supplied with corn and meats, and other goods. then he maintained the war in those parts against the greeks. theodore lascaris, who had been discomfited at poemaninon, collected as many people as he could, and assembled a very great army, and gave the command thereof to constantine, his brother, who was one of the best greeks in roumania, and then rode straight towards adramittium. and henry, the brother of the emperor baldwin, had knowledge, through the armenians, that a great host was marching against him, so he made ready to meet them, and set his battalions in order; and he had with him some very good men, as baldwin of beauvoir, and nicholas of mailly, and anseau of cayeux, and thierri of loos, and thierri of tenremonde. so it happened that on the saturday which is before mid lent (19th march 1205), came constantine lascaris with his great host, before adramittium. and henry, when he knew of his coming, took counsel, and said he would not suff er himself to be shut up in the city, but would issue forth. and those of the other part came on with all their host, in great companies of horse and foot, and those on our part went out to meet them, and began the onslaught. then was there a dour battle and fighting hand to hand; but by god's help the franks prevailed, and discomfited their foes, so that many were killed and taken captive, and there was much booty. then were the franks at ease, and very rich, so that the people of the land turned to them, and began to bring in their rents. 85 boniface attacks leon sgure; he is joined by geoffry of villehardouin, the nephew now let us leave speaking further (for the nonce), of those at constantinople, and return to the marquis boniface of montferrat. the marquis had gone, as you have heard, towards salonika, and then ridden forth against leon sgure, who held napoli and corinth, two of the strongest cities in the world. boniface besieged both cities at once. james of avesnes, with many other good men, remained before corinth, and the rest encamped before napoli, and laid siege to it. then befell a certain adventure in the land. for geoffry of villehardouin, who was nephew to geofiry of villehardouin, marshal of roumania and champagne, being his brother's son, was moved to leave syria with the company that came to constantinople. but wind and chance carried him to the port of modon, and there his ship was injured, so that, of necessity, it behoved him to winter in that country. and a greek, who was a great lord of the land, knew of it, and came to him, and did him much honour, and said: " fair sir, the franks have conquered constantinople, and elected an emperor. if thou wilt make alliance with me, i will deal with thee in all good faith, and we together will conquer much land." so they made alliance on oath, the greek and geoffry of villehardouin, and conquered together a great part of the country, and geoffry of villehardouin found much good faith in the greek. but adventures happen as god wills, and sickness laid hold of the greek, and he made an end and died. and the greek's son rebelled against geoffry of vihehardouin, and betrayed him, and the castles in which geoffry had set a garrison turned against him. now he heard tell that the marquis was besieging napoli, so he went towards him with as many men as he could collect, and rode through the land for some six days in very great peril, and thus came to the carnp, where he was received right willingly, and much honoured by the marquis and all who were there. and this was but right, seeing he was very honourable and valiant, and a good knight. 86 exploits of william of champlitte and geoffry of villehardouin, the nephew, in morea the marquis would have given him land and possessions so that he might remain with him, but he would not, and spoke to william of champlitte, who was his friend, and said: " sir, i come from a land that is very rich, and is called morea. take as many men as you can collect, and leave this host, and let us go and conquer that land by the help of god. and that which you will give me out of our conquests, i will hold from you, and i will be your liegeman." knd william of champlitte, who greatly trusted and loved him, went to the marquis, and told him of the matter, and the marquis allowed of their going. so william of champlitte and geoffry of villehardouin (the nephew) departed from the host, and took with them about a hundred knights, and a great number of mounted sergeants, and entered into the land of morea, and rode onwards till they came to the city of modon. michael heard that they were in the land with so few people, and he collected together a great number of people, a number that was marvellous, and he rode after them as one thinking they were all no better than prisoners, and in his hand. and when they heard'tell that he was coming, they refortified modon, where the defences had long since been pulled down, and there left their baggage, and the lesser folk. then they rode out a day's march, and ordered their array with as many people as they had. but the odds seemed too great, for they had no more than five hundred men mounted, whereas on the other part there were well over five thousand. but events happen as god pleases; for our people fought with the greeks ' and discomfited and conquered them. and the greeks lost very heavily, while those on our side gained horses and arms enough, and other goods in very great plenty, and so returned very happy, and very joyously, to the city of modon. afterwards they rode to a city called coron, on the sea, and besieged it. and they had not besieged it long before it surrendered, and william gave it to geoffry of villehardouin (the nephew) and he became his liegeman, and set therein a garrison of his men. next they went to a castle called chale87 mate which was very strong and fair, and besieged it. this castle troubled them for a very long space, but they remained before it till it was taken. then did more of the greeks of that land surrender than had done aforetiine. siege of napoli and corinth; alliance between the greeks and johannizza the marquis of montferrat besieged napoli, but he could there do nothing, for the place was too strong, and his men suffered greatly. james of avesnes, meanwhile, continued to besiege corinth, where he had been left by the marquis. leon sgure, who was in corinth, and very wise and wily, saw that james had not many people with him, and did not keep good watch. so one morning, at the break of day, he issued from the city in force, and got as far as the tents, and killed many before they could get to their armour. . there was killed dreux of estruen, who was very honourable and valiant, and greatly was he lamented. and james of avesnes, who was in command, waxed very wroth at the death of his knight, and did not leave the fray till he was wounded in the leg right grievously. and well did those who were present bear witness that it was to his doughtiness that they owed their safety; for you must know that they came very near to being all lost. but by god's help they drove the greeks back into the castle by force. now the greeks, who were very disloyal, still nourished treachery in their hearts. they perceived at that time that the franks were so scattered over the land that each had his own matters to attend to. so they thought they could the more easily betray them. they took envoys therefore privily, from all the cities in the land, and sent them to johannizza, the king of wallachia and bulgaria, who was still at war with them as he had been aforetime. and they told johannizza they would make him emperor, and give themselves wholly to him, and slay all the franks. so they swore that they would obey him as their lord, and he swore that he would defend them as though they were his own people. such was the oath sworn. 88 uprising of the greeks at demotica and adrianople; their defeat at arcadiopolis at that time there happened a great misfortune at constantinople, for count hugh of st. paul, who had long been in bed, sick of the gout, made an end and died; and this caused great sorrow, and was a great mishap, and much was he bewept by his men and by his friends. he was buried with great honour in the church of our lord st. george of mangana. now count hugh in his lifetime had held a castle called demotica, which was very strong and rich, and he had therein some of his knights and sergeants. the greeks, who had made oath to the king of wallachia that they would kill and betray the franks, betrayed them in that castle, and slaughtered many and took many captive. few escaped, and those who escaped went flying to a city called adrianople, which the venetians held at that time. not long after the greeks in adrianople rose in arms; and such of our men as were therein, and had been set to guard it, came out in great peril, and left the city. tidings thereof came to the emperor baldwin of constantinople, who had but few men with him, he and count louis of blois. much were they then troubled and dismayed. and thenceforth, from day to day, did evil tidings begin to come to them, that everywhere the greeks were rising, and that wherever the greeks found franks occupying the land, they killed them. and those who had left adrianople, the venetians and the others who were there, came to a city called tzurulum, that belonged to the emperor baldwin. there they found william of blanvel, who kept the place for the emperor. by the help and comfort that he gave them, and because he accompanied them with as many men as he could, they turned back to a city, some twelve lea-ues distant, called arcadiopolis, which belonged to the venetians, and they found it empty. so they entered in, and put a garrison there. on the third day the greeks of the land gathered together, and came at the break of dawn before arcadiopohs; and then began, from all sides, an assault, great and marvellous. the franks defended themselves right well, and opened their 89 gates, and issued forth, attacking vigorously. as was god's will, the greeks were discomfited, and those on our side began to cut them down and to slay them, and then chased them for a league, and killed many, and captured many horses and much other spoil. so the franks returned with great joy to arcadiopolis, and sent tidings of their victory to the emperor baldwin, in constantinople, who was much rejoiced tliereat. nevertheless they dared not hold the city of arcadiopolis, but left it on the morrow, and abandoned it, and returned to the city of tzurulum. here they remained in very great doubt, for they misdoubted the greeks who were in the city as much as those who were without, because the greeks in the city had also taken part in the oath sworn to the king of wallachia, and were bound to betray the franks. and manv there were who did not dare to abide in tzurulum, but made their way back to constantinople. the crusaders on the other side of the straits are recalled to march on adrianople expedition of geoffry of villehardouin then the emperor baldwin and the doge of venice, and count louis took counsel together, for they saw they were losing the whole land. and they settled that the emperor should tell his brother henry, who was at adramittium, to abandon whatsoever conquests he had made, and come to their succour. count louis, on his side, sent to payen of orléans and peter of bracieux, who were at lopadium, and to all the people that were with them, telling them to leave whatsoever conquests they had made, save pioa only, that lay on the sea, where they were to set a garrison the smallest they could and that the remainder were to come to their succour. the emperor directed macaire of sainte-menchould, and matthew of wallincourt, and robert of ronsoi, who had some hundred knights with them in nicomedia, to leave nicomedia and come to their succour. by command of the emperor baldwin, geoffry of villehardouin, marshal of champagne and of roumania, issued from constantinople, with manasses of l'isle, and nvith as many men as they could corect, and these were few enough, seeing 90 that all the land was being lost. and they rode to the city of tzurulum, which is distant a three days' journey. there they found william of blanvel, and those that were with him, in very great fear, and much were these reassured at their coming. at that place they remained four days. the emperor baldwin sent after geoffry the marshal as many as he could, of such people as were coming into constantinople, so that on the fourth day there were at tzurulum eighty knights. then did geoffry the marshal move forward, and manasses of l'isle, and their people, and they rode on, and came to the city of arcadiopolis, and quartered themselves therein. there they remained a day, and then moved to a city called bulgaropolis. the greeks had avoided this city and the franks quartered themselves therein. the following day they rode to a city called neguise, which was very fair and strong, and well furnished with all good things. and they found that the greeks had abandoned it, and were all gone to adrianople. now adrianople was distant nine french leagues, and therein were gathered all the great multitude of the greeks. and the franks decided that they should wait where they were till the coming of the emperor baldwin. renier of trit abandoned at philippopolis by his son and the greater part of his people now does this book relate a great marvel: for renier of trit, who was at philippopolis, a good nine days' journey from constantinople, with at least one hundred and twenty knights, was deserted by reginald his son, and giles his brother, and james of bondies, who was his nephew, and achard of verdun, who had his daughter to wife. and they had taken some thirty of his knights, and thought to come to constantinople; and they had left him, you must know, in great peril. but they found the country raised against them, and were discomfited; and the greeks took them, and afterwards handed them over to the king of wallachia, who had their heads cut off. and you must know that they were but little pitied by the people, because they had behaved in such evil sort to one whom they were bound to treat quite otherwise. and when the other knights of renier de trit saw that he 91 was thus abandoned by those who were much more bound to him than themselves, they felt the less shame, and some eighty together left him, and departed by another way. so renier of trit remained among the greeks with very few men, for he had not more than fifteen knights at philippopolis and stanimac-which is a very strong castle which he held, and where he was for a long time besieged. baldwin undertakes the siege of adrianople we will speak no further now of renier of trit but return to the emperor baldwin, who is in constantinople, with but very few people, and greatly angered and much distracted. he was waiting for henry his brother, and all the people on the other side of the straits, and the first who came to him from the other side of the straits came from nicomedia, viz.: macaire of sainte-menehould, and matthew of wallincourt, and robert of ronsoi, and with them full a hundred knights. when the emperor saw them, he was right glad, and he consulted with count louis, who was count of blois and chartres. and they settled to go forth, with as many men as they had, to follow geoffry the marshal of champagne, who had gone before. alas 1 what a pity it was they did not wait till all had joined them who were on the other side of the straits, seeing how few people they had, and how perilous the adventure on which they were bound. so they started from constantinople, some one hundred and forty knights, and rode from day to day till they came to the castle of neguise, where geoffry the marshal was quartered. that night they took counsel together, and the decision to which they came was, that on the morrow they should go before adrianople, and lay siege to it. so they ordered their battalions, and did for the best with such people as they had. when the morning came, and full daylight, they rode as had been arranged, and came before adrianople. and they found it very well defended, and saw the flags of johannizza, king of wallachia and bulgaria, on the walls and towers; and the city was very strong and very rich, and very full of people. then they made an assault, with very few people, before two of the gates, and this was on the tuesday of 92 palmtide (29th march i205). so did they remain before the city for three days, in great discomfort, and but few in number. the siege of adrianople continued without result then came henry dandolo, the doge of venice, who was' an old man and saw naught. and he brought with him as many people as he had, and these were quite as many as the emperor baldwin and count louis had brought, and he encamped before one of the gates. on the morrow they were joined by a troop of mounted sergeants, but these might well have been better men than they proved themselves to be. and the host [note: meaning here a little obscure. i think, however, the intention of the origin'd is to state that the host, and not only the sergeants, lacked supplies] had small store of provisions, because the merchants could not come with them; nor could they go foraginc, because of the many greeks that were spread throughout the land. johannizza, king of wallachia, was coming to succour adrianople with a very great host; for he brought with him wallachians and bulgarians, and full fourteen thousand comans who had never been baptised. now because of the dearth of provisions, count louis of blois and chartres went foraging on palm sunday. with him went stephen of perche, brother of count geoffry of perche, and renaud of montmirail, who was brother of count hervée of nevers, and gervais of châtel, and more than half of the host. they went to a castle called peutace, and found it well garrisoned with greeks, and assailed it with great force and fury; but they were able to achieve nothing, and so retreated without taking anv spoils. thus they remained during the week of the two'easters (palm sunday to easter day), and fashioned engines of divers sorts, and set such miners as they had to work underground and so undermine the wall. and thus did they celebrate easter (10th april) before adrianople, being but few in number and scant of provisions. 93 johannizza, king of wallachia, comes to relieve adrianople then came tidings that johannizza, king of wallachia, was coming upon them to relieve the city. so they set their affairs in order, and it was arranged that geoffry the marshal, and manasses of l'isle should guard the camp, and that the emperor baldwin and all the remainder of the host should issue from the camp if so be that johanizza came and offered battle. thus they remained till the wednesday of easter week, and johannizza had by that time approached so near that he encamped at about five leagues from us. and he sent his comans running before our camp, and a cry was raised throughout the camp, and our men issued therefrom helterskelter, and pursued the comans for a full league very foolishly; for when they wished to return, the comans began to shoot at them in grievous wise, and wounded a good many of their horses. so our men returned to the camp, and the barons were summoned to the quarters of the emperor baldwin. and they took counsel, and all said that they had dealt foolishly in thus pursuing people who were so lightly armed. and in the end they settled that if johannizza came on again, they would issue forth, and set themselves in array of battle before the camp, and there wait for him, and not move from thence. and they had it proclaimed throughout the host that none should be so rash as to disregard this order, and move from his post for any cry or tumult that might come to his ears. and it was settled that geoffry the marshal should keep guard on the side of the city, with manasses of l'isle. so they passed that night till the thursday morning in easter week, when they heard mass and ate their dinner. and the comans ran up to their tents, and a cry arose, and they ran to arms, and issued from the camp with all their battalions in array, as had afore been devised. 94 defeat of the crusaders-baldwin taken prisoner count louis went out first with his battalion, and began to follow after the comans, and sent to urge the emperor to come after him. alas! how ill did they keep to what had been settled the night before! for they ran in pursuit of the comans for at least two leagues, and joined issue with them, and chased them a long space. and then the comans turned back upon them, and began to cry out and to shoot. on our side there were battalions made up of other people than knights, people having too little knowledge of arms, and they began to wax afraid and be discomfited. and count louis, who had been the first to attack, was wounded in two places full sorely; and the comans and wallachians began to invade our ranks; and the count had fallen, and one of his knights, whose name was john of friaise, dismounted, and set him on his horse. many were count louis' people who said: "sir, get you hence, for you are too sorely wounded, and in two places." and he said: "the lord god forbid that ever i should be reproached with flying from the field, and abandoning the emperor." the emperor, who was in great straits on his side, recalled his people, and he told them that he would not fly, and that they were to remain with him: and well do those who were there present bear witness that never did knight defend himself better with his hands than did the emperor. this combat lasted a long time. some were there who did well, and some were there who fled. in the end, for so god suffers misadventures to occur, they were discomfited. there on the field remained the emperor baldwin, who never would fly, and count louis; the emperor baldwin was taken alive and count louis was slain. alas! how woful was our loss! there was lost the bishop peter of bethlehem, and stephen of perche, brother to count geoffry, and renaud of montmirail, brother of the count of nevers, and matthew of wallincourt, and robert of ronsoi, john of friaise, walter of neuilli, ferri of yerres, john his brother, eustace of heumont, john his brother, baldwin of neuville, and many more of whom the book does 95 not here make mention. those who were able to escape, they came back flying to the camp. the crusaders raise the siege of adrianople when geoffry the marshal of champagne, who was keeping guard at one of the gates of the cityo , saw this he issued from the camp as soon as he could, with all the men that were with him, and gave command to manasses of lisle, who was on guard at another gate, that he should follow after him. and he rode forth with all his force at full speed, and in full array, to meet the fugitives, and the fugitives all rallied round him. and manasses of l'isle followed as soon as he was able, with his men, and joined himself to him, so that together they formed a very strong body; and all those who came out of the rout, and whom they could stop, were taken into their ranks. the rout was thus stayed between nones and vespers. but the most part of the fugitives were so afeared that they fled right before them till they came to the tents and quarters. thus was the rout stayed, as you have heard; and the comans, with the wallachians and greeks, who were in full chace, ceased their pursuit. but these still galled our force with their bows and arrows, and the men of our force kept still with their faces turned towards them. thus did both sides remain till nightfall, when the comans and wallachians began to retire. then did geoffry of villehardouin, the marshal of champagne and roumania, summon to the camp the doge of venice, who was an old man and saw naught, but very wise and brave and vigorous; and he asked the doge to come to him there where he stood with his men, holding the field; and the doge did so. and when the marshal saw him, he called him into council, aside, all alone, and said to him: "lord, you see the misadventure that has befallen us. we have lost the emperor baldwin and count louis, and the larger part of our people, and of the best. now let us bethink ourselves how to save what is left. for if god does not take pity of them, we are but lost." and in the end they settled it thus: that the doge would return to the camp, and put heart into the people, and order that every one should arm and remain quiet in his tent or 96 pavilion; and that geoffry the marshal would remain in full order of battle before the camp till it was night, so that their enemies might not see the host move; and that when it was night all would move from before the city; the doge of venice would go before, and geoffry the marshal would form the rear-guard, with those who were with him. retreat of the crusaders thus they waited till it was night; and when it was night the doge of venice left the camp, as had been arranged, and geoffry the marshal formed the rear-guard. and they departed at foot pace, and took with them all their people mounted and dismounted, the wounded as well those who were whole-they left not one behind. and they journeyed towards a city that lies upon the sea, called rodosto, and that was full three days' journey distant. so they departed from adrianople, as you have heard; and this adventure befell in the year of the incarnation of jesus christ twelve hundred and five. and in the night that the host left adrianople, it happened that a company started to get to constantinople earlier, and by a more direct way; and they were greatly blamed therefor. in this company was a certain count from lombardy named gerard, who came from the land of the marquis, and odo of ham, who was lord of a castle called ham in vermandois, and john of maseroles, and many others to the number of twenty-five knights, whom the book does not name. and they went away so fast after the discomfiture, which had taken place on the thursday evening, that they came to constantinople on the saturday night, though it was ordinarilyagoodfivedays'journey. andtheytoldthenews to the cardinal peter of capua, who was there by the authority of innocent pope of rome, and to conon of béthune, who guarded the city, and to miles the brabant, and to the other good men in the city. and you must know that these were greatly affeared, and thought of a certainty that all the rest, who had been left before adrianople, were lost, for they had no news of them. 97 peter of bracieux and payen of orleans meet the retreating host now will we say no more about those at constantinople, who were in sore trouble, but go back to the doge of venice and geoffry the marshal, who marched all the night that they left adrianople, till the dawn of the following day; and then they came to a city called pamphyle. now listen and you shall hear how adventures befall as god wills: for in that city had lain during the night, peter of bracieux and payen of orldans, and all the men belonging to the land of count louis, at least a hundred very good knights and one hundred and forty mounted sergeants, and they were coming from the other side of the straits to join the host at adrianople. when they saw the host coming, they ran to their arms nght nimbly, for they thought we were the greeks. so they armed themselves, and sent to know what people we were, when their messengers discovered that we were the host retreating after our discomfiture. so the messengers went back, and told them that the emperor baldwin was lost, and their lord count louis, of whose land and country they were, and of whose following. sadder news could they not have heard. there might you have seen many tears wept, and many hands wrung for sorrow and pity. and they went on, all an-ned as they were, till they came to where geoffry, the marshal of champagne, was keeping guard in the rear, in very great anxiety and misease. for johannizza, the king of wallachia and bulgaria, had come at the point of day before adrianople with all his host, and found that we had departed, and so ridden after us till it was full day; and when he found us not, he was full of grief; and well was it that he found us not, for if he had found us we must all have been lost beyond recovery. "sir," said peter of bracieux and payen of orléans to geoffry the marshal, "what would you have us do? we will do whatever you wish." and he answered them: " you see how matters stand with us. you are fresh and unwearied, and your horses also; therefore do you keep guard in the rear, and i will go forward and hold in hand our people, who are greatly dismayed and in sore need of comfort." to this they consented right willingly. so they 98 established the rearguard duly and efficiently, and as men who well knew how, for they were good knights and honourable. the host reaches rodosto geoffry the marshal rode before and led the host, and rode till he came to a city called cariopolis. then he saw that the horses were weary with marching all night, and entered into the city, and put them up till noon. and they gave food to their horses, and ate themselves of what they could find, and that was but little. so they remained all the day in that city until night. and johannizza, the king of wallachia, had followed them all the day with all his powers, and encamped about two leaaues from them. and when it was night, those in the city all armed themselves and departed. geoffry the marshal led the van, and those formed the rear-guard who had formed it during the day. so they rode through that night, and the following day (16th april) in great fear and much hardship, till they came to the city of rodosto, a city very rich and very strong, and inhabited by greeks. these greeks did not dare to defend themselves, so our people entered in and took quarters; so at last were they in safety. thus did the host escape from adrianople, as you have heard. then was a council held in the city of rodosto; and it seemed to the council that constantinople was in greater jeopardy than they were. so they took messengers, and sent them by sea, telling them to travel night and day, and to advise those in the city not to be anxious about them-for they had escaped-and that they would repair back to constantinople as soon as they could. seven thousand pilgrims leave the crusaders at the time when the messengers arrived, there were in constantinople five ships of venice, very large and very good, laden with pilgrims, and knights and sergeants, who were leaving the land and returning to their own countries. there were at least seven thousand men at arms in the ships, and one was william the advocate of béthune, and there were besides baldwin of aubigny, and john of virsin, who be99 longed to the land of count louis, and was his liegeman, and at least one hundred other knights, whom the book does not here name. master peter of capua, who was cardinal from the pope of rome, innocent, and conon of béthune, who commanded in constantinople, and miles the brabant, and a great number of other men of mark, went to the five ships, and prayed those who were in them, with sighs and tears, to have mercy and pity upon christendom, and upon their liege lords who had been lost in battle, and to remain for the love of god. but they would not listen to a single word, and left the port. they spread their sails, and went their way, as god ordained, in such sort that the wind took them to the port of rodosto; and this was on the day following that on which those who had escaped from the discomfiture came thither. the same prayers, with tears and weeping, that had been addressed to them at constantinople-those same prayers were now addressed to them at rodosto; and geoffry the marshal, and those who were with him, besought them to have mercy and pity on the land, and remain, for never would they be able to succour any land in such dire need. they replied that they would consult together, and give an answer on the morrow. and now listen to the adventure which befell that night in the city. there was a knight from the land of count louis, called peter of frouville, who was held in honour, and of great name. the same fled by night, and left all his baggage and his people, and gat himself to the ship of john of virsin, who was from the land of count louis of blois and chartres. and those on board the five ships, who in the morning were to give their answer to geoffry the marshal and to the doge of venice, so soon as they saw the day, they spread their sails, and went their way without word said to any one. much and great blame did they receive, both in the land whither they went, and in the land they had left; and he who received most blame of all was peter of frouville. for well has it been said that he is but ill-advised who, through fear of death, does what will be a reproach to him for ever. 100 meeting of many of the crusaders-henry, the brother of baldwin, is made regent now let us speak of these last no farther, but speak of henry, brother to the emperor baldwin of constantinople, who had left adramittium, which he had conquered, and passed the straits at the city of abydos, and was coming towards adrianople to succour the emperor baldwin, his brother. and with him had come the armenians of the land, who had helped him against the greeks-some twenty thousand with all their wives and children-for they dared not remain behind. then came to him the news, by certain greeks, who had escaped from the discomfiture, that his brother the emperor baldwin was lost, and count louis, and the other barons. afterwards came the news of those who had escaped and were at rodosto; and these asked him to make all the haste he could, and come to them. and because he wanted to hasten as much as he could, and reach them earlier, he left behind the armenians, who travelled on foot, and had with them chariots, and their wives and children; and inasmuch as these could not come on so fast, and he thought they would travel safely and without hurt, he went forward and encamped in a village called cartopolis. on that very day came thither the nephew of geoffry the marshal, anseau of courcelles, whom geoffry had summoned from the parts of macre, trajanopolis, and the baie, lands that had been bestowed upon him; and with anseau came the people from philippopolis, who had left renier of trit. this company held full a hundred good knights, and full five hundred mounted sergeants, who all were on their way to adrianople to succour the emperor baldwin. but tidings had come to them, as to the others, that the emperor had been defeated, so they turned to go to rodosto, and came to encamp at cartopolis, the village where henry, the brother of the emperor baldwin, was then encamped. and when baldwin's men saw them coming, they ran to arms, for they thought they were greeks, and the others thought the same of baldwin's men. and so they advanced till they became known to one another, and each was right glad of the other's 101 coming, and felt all the safer; and they quartered themselves in the village that night until the morrow. on the morrow they left, and rode straight towards rodosto, and came that night to the city; and there they found the doge of venice and geoffry the marshal, and all who had escaped from the late discomfiture; and right glad were these to see them. then were many tears shed for sorrow by those who had lost their friends. ah, god! what pity it was that those men now assembled had not been at adrianople with the emperor baldwin, for in that case would nothing have been lost. but such was not god's pleasure. so they sojoumed there on the following day, and the day after, and arranged matters; and henry, the brother of the emperor baldwin, was received into lordship, as regent of the empire, in lieu of his brother. and then misfortune came upon the armenians, who were coming after henry, the brother of the emperor baldwin, for the people of the land gathered together and discomfited the armenians, so that they were all taken, killed or lost. return to constantinople appeals for help sent to the pope, and to france and to other lands death of the doge johannizza., king of wallachia and bulgaria, had with him all his power, and he occupied the whole land; and the country, and the cities, and the castles held for him; and his comans over-ran the land as far as constantinople. henry the regent of the empire, and the doge of venice, and geoffry the marshal, were still at rodosto, which is a three days' journey from constantinople. and they took council, and the doge of venice set a garrison of venetians in rodosto -for it was theirs. and on the morrow they put their forces in array, and rode, day by day, towards constantinople. when they reached selymbria, a city which is two days' journey from constantinople, and belonged to the emperor baldwin, henry his brother set there a garrison of his people, and they rode with the rest to constantinople, where they were received right willingly, for the people were in great terror. nor is that to be wondered at, for they had lost so much of the country, that outside constantinople they only held rodosto and selymbria; the whole of the rest of the 102 country being held by johannizza, king of wallachia and bulgaria. and on the other side of the straits of st. george, they held no more than the castle of piga, while the rest of the land was in the hands of theodore lascaris. then the barons decided to send to the apostle of rome, innocent, and to france and flanders, and to other lands, to ask for succour. and for this purpose were chosen as envoys nevelon, bishop of soissons, and nicholas of mailly, and john bliaud. the rest remained in constantinople, in great distress, as men who stood in fear of losing the land. so they remained till pentecost (29th may 1205). and within this time a very great misfortune happened to the host, for henry dandolo was taken sick; so he made an end and died, and was buried with great honour in the church of st. sophia. when pentecost had come, johannizza, the king of wallachia and bulgaria, had pretty well had his will of the land; and he could no longer hold his comans to-ether, because they were unable to keep the field during the summer; so the comans departed to their own country. and he, with all his host of bulgarians and greeks, marched against the marquis towards salonika. and the marquis, who had heard the news of the discomfiture of the emperor baldwin, raised the siege of napoli, and went to salonika with as many men as he could collect, and garrisoned it. the regent obtains certain advantages over the greeks henry, the brother of the emperor baldwin of constantinople, with as many people as he could gather, marched against the greeks to a city called tzurulum, which is a three days' journey from constantinople. this city surrendered, and the greeks swore fealty to him-an oath which at that time men observed badly. from thence he marched to arcadiopolis, and found it void, for the greeks did not dare to await his coming. and from thence again he rode to the city of bizye, which was very strong, and well garrisoned with greeks; and this city too surrendered. aferwards he rode to the city of napoli (apros) which also remained well garrisoned with greeks. as our people were preparing for an assault, the greeks within the city asked to negotiate for capitulation. but 103 while they thus negotiated, the men of the host effected an entrance into the city on another side, and henry the regent of the empire and those who were negotiating knew nothing of it. and this proved very disastrous to the greeks. for the franks, who had effected an entrance, began to slaughter them, and to seize their goods, and to take all that they had. so were many killed and taken captive. in this wise was napoli (apros) captured; and the host remained there three days. and the greeks were so terrified by this slaughter, that they abandoned all the cities and castles of the land, and fled for refuge to adrianople and demotica, which were very strong and good cities. seres surrenders to johannizza he forfeits his word at that time it happened that johannizza, the king of wallachia and bulgaria, with all his host, marched against the marquis, towards a city called seres. and the marquis had set a strong garrison of his people in the city, for he had set there hugh of colemi, who was a very good knight, and hi,h in rank, and william of arles, who was his marshal, and great part of his best men. and johannizza, the king of wallachia besieged them; nor had he been there long before he took the burgh by force. and at the taking of the burgh a great misfortune befell, for hugh of colemi was killed; he was struck through the eye. when he was killed, who was the best of them all, the rest of the garrison were greatly afeared. they drew back into the castle, which was very strong; and johannizza besieged them, and erected his petraries and mangonels. nor had he besieged them long before they began to talk about surrendering, for which they were afterwards blamed, and incurred great reproach. and they agreed to yield up the castle to johannizza, and johannizza on his side caused twenty-five of the men of highest rank that he had to swear to them that they should be taken, safe and sound, with all their horses, and all their arms, and all their baggage, to salonika, or constantinople, or hungary-wmchever of the three it liked them best. in this manner was seres surrendered, and johannizza caused the besieged to come forth from the castle and en104 camp near him in the fields; and he treated them with much fair seeming, and sent them presents. so he kept them for three days, and then he lied and foreswore his promises; for he had them taken, and spoiled of their goods, and led away to wallachia, naked, and unshod, and on foot. the poor and the mean people, who were of little worth, he sent into hungary; and as for the others, he caused their heads to be cut off. of such mortal treachery was the kinl, of wallachia guilty, as you have heard. here'did the host suffer grievous loss, one of the most dolorous that ever it suffered. and johannizza had the castle and city razed, and went on after the marquis. the regent besieges adrianople in vain henry, the regent of the empire, with all his power, rode towards adrianople, and laid siege to it; and he was in great peril, for there were many, both within and without the city who so hemmed him in, he and his people, that they could scantl buy provisions, or go foraging. therefore they enclosed their camp with palisades and barriers, and told off part of their men to keep guard within the palisades and barriers, while the others attacked the city. and they devised machines of divers kinds, and scaling ladders, and many other engines, and wrought diligently to take the city. but they could not take it, for the city was very strong and well furnished for defence. so matters went ill with them, and many of their people were wounded; and one of their good knights, peter of bracieux, was struck on the forehead from a mangonel, and brought near to death; but he recovered, by the will of god, and was taken away in a litter. when they saw that they could in no wise prevail against the city, henry the regent of the empire, and the french host departed. and greatly were they harassed by the people of the land and by the greeks; and they rode -from day to day till they came to a city called pamphyle, and lodged there, and sojourned in it for two months. and they made thence many forays towards demotica and the country round about, where they captured much cattle, and other booty. so the host remained in those parts till the beginning of winter; and supplies came to them from rodosto, and from the sea. 105 destruction of philippopolis by johannizza now let us leave speaking of henry, the regent of the empire, and speak of johannizza, the king of wallachia and bulgaria, who had taken seres, as you have already heard, and killed by treachery those who had surrendered to him. afterwards he had ridden towards salonika, and sojoumed thereby a long while, and wasted a great part of tfle land. the marquis boniface of montferrat was at salonika, very wroth, and sorrowing greatly for the loss of his lord the emperor baldwin, and for the other barons, and for his castle of seres that he had lost, and for his men. and when johannizza saw that he could do nothing more, he retired towards his own land, with all his force. and the people in philippopolis-which belonged to renier of trit, for the emperor baldwin had bestowed it upon him-heard tell how the emperor baldwin was lost, and many of his barons, and that the marquis had lost seres; and they saw that the relatives of renier of trit, and his own son and his nephew, had abandoned him, and that he had with him but very few people; and they deemed that the franks would never be in power again. so a great part of the people, who were paulicians, [note: an eastem sect. they believed, among other things, that all matter is evfl, and that christ suffered in appearance only.] betook themselves to johannizza, and surrendered themselves to him, and said: " sire, ride to philippopolis, or send thither thy host, and we will deliver the whole city into thy hands." when renier of trit, who was in the city, knew of this, he doubted not that they would yield up the city to johannizza. so he issued forth with as many people as he could collect, and left at the point of day, and came to one of the outlying quarters of the city where dwelt the paulicians who had repaired to johannizza, and he set fire to that quarter of the city, and burned a great part of it. then he went to the castle of stanimac, which was at three leagues' distance, and garrisoned by his people, and entered therein. and in this castle he lay besieged for a long while, some thirteen months, in great distress and great poverty, so that for famine they ate their horses. he was distant a nine 106 days' journey from constantinople, and could neither obtain tidings therefrom, nor send tidings thither. then did johannizza send his host before philippopolis; nor had he been there long before those who were in the city surrendered it to him, and he promised to spare their lives. and after he had promised to spare their lives, he first caused the archbishop of the city to be slain, and the men of rank to be flayed alive, and certain others to be burned, and certain others to have their heads cut off, and the rest he caused to be driven away in chains. and the city he caused to be pulled down, with its towers and walls; and the high palaces and rich houses to be burned and utterly destroyed. thus was destroyed the noble city of philippopolis, one of the three finest cities in the empire of constantinople. the regent sets garrisons in such places as he still held now let us leave off speaking of those who were at philippopolis, and of renier of trit, who is shut up in stanimac, and return to henry, the brother of the emperor baldwin, who had sojourned at pamphyle till the beginning of winter. then he took council with his men and with his barons; and they decided to set a garrison in a city called rusium, which was situate at a place rich and fertile in the middle of the land; and the chiefs placed over this garrison were thierri of loos, who was seneschal, and thierri of tenremonde, who was constable. and henry,,the regent of the empire, gave to them at least seven score knights, and a great many mounted sergeants, and ordered them to maintain the war against the greeks, and to guard the marches. and he himself went with the rest of his people to the city of bizye, and placed a garrison there; and left in command anseau of cayeux, and confided to him at least six score knights, and a great many mounted sergeants. another city, called arcadiopolis was garrisoned by the venetians. and the city of napoli was restored by the brother of the emperor baldwin to vemas, who had to wife the sister [agnes, sister to philip augustus, king of france] of the king of france, and was a greek who sided with us; and except he, no other greek was on our part. and those who were in these cities maintained the war against the greeks, 107 and made many forays. henry himself returned to constantinople with the rest of his men. now johannizza, the king of wallachia and bulgaria, though rich and of great possessions, never forgat his own interests, but raised a great force of comans and wallachians. and when it came to three weeks after christmas, he sent these men into the land of roumania to help those at adrianople and demotica; and the latter, being now in force, grew bolder and rode abroad with the greater assurance. defeat of the franks near rusium thierri of tenremonde, who was chief and constable, made a foray on the fourth day before the feast of st. mary candlemas (30th january 1206); and he rode all night, having six score knights with him, and left rusium with but a small garrison. when it was dawn, he came to a village where the comans and wallachians were encamped, and surprised them in such sort that those who were in the village were unaware of their coming. they killed a good many of the comans and wallachians, and captured some forty of their horses; and when they had done this execution, they turned back towards rusium. and on that very night the comans and wallachians had ridden forth to do us hurt; and there were some seven thousand of them. they came in the morning before rusium, and were there a lono, space; and the garrison, which was but small, closed the gates, and mounted the walls; and the comans and wallachians turned back. they had not gone more than a league and a half from the city, when they met the company of the french under the command of thierri of tenremonde. so soon as the french saw them advancing, they formed into their four battalions, with intent to draw into rusium in slow time; for they knew that if, by god's grace, they could come thither, they would then be in safety. the comans, and the wallachians, and the greeks of the land rode towards them, for they were in very great force. and they came upon the rear-guard, and began to harass it full sorely. now the rear-guard was formed of the men of thierri of loos, who was seneschal, and had returned to constantinople, and his brother villain was now in command. 108 and the comans and wallachians and greeks pressed them very hard, and wounded many of their horses. loud were the cries and fierce the onslaught, so that by main force and pure distress they drove the rear-guard back on the battalion of andrew of urboise and john of choisy; and in this manner the franks retreated, suffering greatly. the enemy renewed their onslaught so fiercely that they drove the franks who were nearest to them back on the battalion of thierri of tenremonde, the constable. nor was it long before they drove them back still further on to the battalions led by charles of the frêne. and now the franks had retreated, sore harassed, till they were within half a mile of rusium. and the others ever pressed upon them more hardily; and the battle went sore against them, and many were wounded, and of their horses. so, as god will suffer misadventures, they could endure no further, but were discomfited; for they were heavily armed, and their enemies lightly; and the latter began to slaughter them. alas! well might christendom rue that day! for of all those six score knights did not more than ten escape who were not killed or taken; and those who escaped came flying into rusiiim, and rejoined their own people. there was slain thierri of tenremonde, the constable, orri of l'isle, who was a good knight and highly esteemed, and john of pompone, andrew of urboise, john of choisy, guy of conflans, charles of the frêne, villain the brother of thierri the seneschal. nor can this book tell the names of all who were then killed or taken. on that day happened one of the greatest mishaps, and the most grievous that ever befell to the christendom of the land of roumania, and one of the most pitiful. he comans and greeks and wallachians retired, having done according to their will in the land, and won many good horses and good hawberks. and this misadventure happened on the day before the eve of our lady st. mary candlemas (31st january 1206). and the remnant who had escaped from the discomfiture, together with those who had been in rusium. escaped from the city, so soon as it was night, and went all night flying, and came on the morrow to the city of rodosto. 109 new invasion of johannizza; ruin of napoli this dolorous news came to henry the regent of the empire, while he was going in procession to the shrine of our lady of blachemae, on the day of the feast of our lady st. mary candlemas. and you must know that many were then dismayed in constantinople, and they thought of a truth that the land was but lost. and henry, the regent of the empire, decided that he would place a garrison in selymbria, which was a two days' journey from constantinople, and he sent thither macaire of sainte-menehould, with fifty knights to garrison the city. now when tidings came to johannizza, king of wallachia. as to how his people had fared, he was very greatly rejoiced'; for they had killed or taken a very great part of the best men in the french host. so he sent throughout all his lands to collect as many people as he could, and raised a great host of comans, and greeks and wallachians, and entered into roumania. and the greater part of the cities held for him, and all the castles; and he had so large a host that it was a marvel. when the venetians heard tell that he was coming with so great a force, they abandoned arcadiopolis. and johannizza rode with all his hosts till he came to napoli, which was garrisoned by greeks and latins, and belonged to vemas, who had to wife the empress, the sister of the king of france; and of the latins was chief bègue of fransures, a knight of the land of the beauvaisais. and johannizza, the king of wallachia, caused the city to be assaulted, and took it by force. there was so great a slaughter of people killed, that it was a marvel. and bègue of fransures was taken before johannizza, who had him killed incontinently, together with all, whether greek or latin, who were of any account; and all the meaner folk, and women and children, he caused to, be led away captive to wallachia. then did he cause all the city-which was verv good and very rich, and in a good land, to be cast down and utterly destroyed. thus was the city of napoli rased to the ground as you have heard. 110 destruction of rodosto twelve leagues thence lay the city of rodosto, on the sea. tt was very strong, and rich, and large, and very well garrisoned by venetians, and besides all this, there had come thither a body of sergeants, some two thousand strong, and they had also come to guard the city. when they heard that napoli had been taken by force, and that johannizza had caused all the people that were therein to be put to death, they fell in to such terror that they were utterly confounded and foredone. as god suffers misadventures to fall upon men, so the venetians rushed to their ships, helter-skelter, pell-mell, and in such sort that they almost drowned one another; and the mounted sergeants, who came from france and flanders, and other countries, went flying through the land. now listen and hear how little this served them, and what a misadventure was their flight; for the city was so strong, and so well enclosed by good walls and good towers, that no one would ever have ventured to assault it, and that johannizza had no thought of going thither. but when johannizza, who was full half a day's journey distant, heard tell that they had fled, he rode thither. the greeks who had remained in the city, surrendered, and he incontinently caused them to be taken, small and great-save those who escaped-and led captive into wallachia; and the city he ordered to be destroyed and rased to the ground. ah! the loss and dar.,iage! for the city was one of the best in roumania, and of the best situated. johannizza continues his conquests and ravages near there was another citv called panedor, which surrendered to him; and he caused it to be utterly destroyed, and the people to be led captive to wallachia like the people of rodosto. afterwards he rode to the city of heraclea, that lay by a good seaport, and belonged to the venetians, who had left in it but a weak garrison; so he assaulted it, and took it by force. there aain was a mighty slaughter, and the remnant that escaped the slaughter he caused to be led captive to wallachia, while the city itself he destroyed, as lie had destroyed the others. 111 thence he marched to the city of daonium, which was very strong and fine; and the people did not dare to defend it. so he caused it to be destroyed and rased to the ground. then he marched to the city of tzurulum, which had already surrendered to him, and caused it to be destroyed and rased to the ground, and the people to be led away captive. and thus he dealt with every castle and city that surrendered; even though he had promised them safety, he caused the buildings to be destroyed, and the men and women to be led away captive; and no covenant that he made did he ever keep. then the comans and wallachians scoured the land up to the gates of constantinople, where henry the regent then was, with as many men as he could command; and very dolorous was he and very wroth, because he could not get men enough to defend his land. so the comans seized the cattle off the land, and took captive men, women, and children, and destroyed the cities and castles, and caused such ruin and desolation that never has man heard tell of greater. so they came to a city called athyra, which was twelve leagues from constantinople, and had been given to payen of orléans by henry, the emperor's brother. this city held a very great number of people, for the dwellers in the country round about had fled thither; and the comans assaulted it, and took it by force. there the slaughter was so great, that there had been none such in any city where they had been. and you must know that all the castles and all the cities that surrendered to johannizza under promise of safety were destroyed and rased to the ground, and the people led away captive to wallachia in such manner as you have heard. and you must know that within five days' journey from constantinople there remained nothing to destroy save only the city of bizye, and the city of selymbria, which were garrisoned by the french. and in bizye abode anseau of cayeux, with six score knights, and in salymbria abode macaire of sainte-menehould with fifty knights; and henry the brother of the emperor baldwin remained in constantinople with the remainder of the host. and you may know that their fortunes were at the lowest, seeing that outside of constantinople they had kepl& possession of no more than these two cities. 112 the greeks are reconciled to the crusaders johannizza desieges demotica when the greeks who were in the host with johannizza the same who had yielded themselves up to him, and rebelled against the franks when they saw how he destroyed their castles and cities, and kept no covenant with them, they held themselves to be but dead men, and betrayed. they spoke one to another, and said that as johannizza had dealt with other cities, so would he deal with adrianople and demotica, when he returned thither, and that if these two cities were destroyed, then was roumania for ever lost. so they took messengers privily, and sent them to vernas in constantinople. and they besought vernas to cry for pity to henry, the brother of the emperor baldwin, and to the venetians, so that they might make peace with them; and they themselves, in turn, would restore adrianople and demotica to the franks; and the greeks would all turn to henry; and the greeks and franks dwell together in good accord. so a council was held, and many words were spoken this way and that, but in the end it was settled that adrianople and demotica, with all their appurtenances, should be bestowed on vernas and the empress his wife, who was sister to the king philip of france, and that they should do service therefor to the emperor and to the empire. such was the convention made and concluded, and so was peace established between the greeks and the franks. johanizza, the king of wallachia and bulgaria, who had sojourned long in roumania, and wasted the country during the whole of lent, and for a good while after easter (2nd april 1206), now retired towards adrianople and demotica, and had it in mind to deal with those cities as he had dealt with the other cities of the land. and when the greeks who were with him saw that he turned towards adrianople, they began to steal away, both by day and by night, some twenty, thirty, forty, a hundred, at a time. when he came to adrianople, he required of those that were within that they should let him enter, as he had entered elsewhere. but they said they would not, and spoke thus: "sire, when we surrendered to thee, and rebelled against the 113 franks, thou didst swear to protect us in all good faith, and to keep us in safety. thou hast not done so, but hast utterly ruined roumania; and we know full well that thou wilt do unto us as thou hast done unto others." and when johannizza heard this, he laid siege to demotica, and erected round it sixteen large petraries, and began to construct engines of every kind for the siege, and to waste all the country round. then did those in adrianople and demotica take messengers, and send them to constantinople, to henry, the regent of the empire, and to vemas, and prayed them, for god's sake, to rescue demotica, which was being besieged. and when those at constantinople heard these tidings, they decided to succour demotica. but some there were who did not dare to advise that our people should issue from constantinople, and so place in jeopardy the few christian folk that remained. nevertheless, in the end, as you have heard, it was decided to issue forth, and move on selymbria. the cardinal, who was there as legate on the part of the pope of rome, preached thereon to the people, and promised a full indulgence to all such as should go forth, and lose their lives on the way. so henry issued from constantinople with as many men as he could collect, and marched to the city of selyrnbria; and he encamped before the city for full eight days. and from day to day came messengers from adrianople praying him to have mercy upon them, and come to their relief, for if he did not come to their relief, they were but lost. the crusaders march to the relief of demotica then did henry take council with his barons, and their decision was that they would go to the city of bizve, which was a fair city, and strong. so they did as they had devised, and came to bizye, and encamped before the city on the eve of the feast of our lord st. john the baptist, in june (23rd june 1206). and on the day that they so encamped came messengers from adrianople, and said to henry, the brother of the emperor baldwin: "sire, be it known to thee that if thou dost not relieve the city of demotica, it cannot hold out more than eight days, for johannizza's petraries have breached the walls in four places, and his men have twice got on to the walls." 114 then he asked for counsel as to what he should do. many were the words spoken, to and fro; but in the end they said: " lord, we have come so far that we shall be for ever shamed if we do not succour demotica. let every man now confess and receive the communion; and then let us set our forces in array." and it was reckoned that they had with them about four hundred knights, and of a certainty no more. so they summoned the messengers who had come from adrianople, and asked them how matters stood, and what number of men johannizza had with him. and the messengers answered that he had with him at least forty thousand men-at-arms, not reckoning those on foot, of whom they had no count. ah god! what a perilous battle-so few against so many 1 in the morning, on the day of the feast of our lord st. john the baptist, all confessed and received the communion, and on the following day they marched forward. the van was commanded by geoffry, the marshal of roumania and champagne, and with him was macaire of sainte-menehould. the second division was under conon of béthune and miles the brabant; the third under payen of orléans and peter of bracieux; the fourth was under anseau of cayeux; the fifth under baldwin of beauvoir; the sixth under hugh of beaumetz; the seventh under henry, brother of the emperor baldwin; the eighth, with the flemings, under walter of escornai; thierri of loos, who was seneschal, commanded the rear-guard. so they rode for three days, all in order; nor did any host ever advance seeking battle so perilously. for they were in peril on two accounts; first because they were so few, and those they were about to attack so many; and secondly, because they did not believe the greeks, with whom they had just made peace, would help them heartily. for they stood in fear lest, when need arose, the greeks would go over to johannizza, who, as you have already heard, had been so near to taking demotica. johannizza retreats, followed by the crusaders when johannizza heard that the franks were coming, he did not dare to abide, but burned his engines of war, and broke up his camp. so he departed from demotica; and you must know that this was accounted by all the world as a 115 great miracle. and henry, the regent of the empire, came on the fourth day (28th june) before adrianople, and pitched his cainp near the river of adrianople, in the fairest meadows in the world. when those who were within the city saw his host coming, they issued forth, bearing all their crosses, and in procession, and showed such joy as had never been seen. and well might they rejoice for they had been in evil case. then came tidings to the host that johannizza was lodged at a castle called rodosto. so in the morning they set forth and marched to those parts to seek battle; and johannizza broke up his,camp, and marched back towards his own land. the host followed after him for five days, and he as constantly retired before them. on the fifth day they encamped at a very fair and pleasant place by a castle called fraim; and there they sojoumed three days. and at this place there was a division in the host, and a company of valiant men separated themselves therefrom because of a quarrel that they had with henry, the brother of the emperor baldwin. of this company baldwin of beauvoir was chief; and hugh of beaumetz went with him, and william of gommegnies and dreux of beaurain. there were some fifty knights who departed together in that company; and they never thought the rest would dare to remain in the land in the midst of their enemies. renier of trit relieved and delivered then did henry, the regent of the empire, take council with the barons that were with him; and they decided to ride forward. so they rode forward for two days, and encamped in a very fair valley, near a castle called moniac. the castle yielded itself to them, and they remained there five days; and then said they would go and relieve renier of trit, who was besieged in stanimac, and had been shut up therein for thirteen months. so henry the regent of the empire, remained in the camp, with a great part of the host, and the remainder went forward to relieve renier of trit at stanimac. and you must know that those who went forward went in very great peril, and that any rescue so full of danger has but seldom been undertaken, seeing that they rode for three days through the land of their enemies. in this rescue took part 116 conon of béthune, and geoffry of villehardouin, marshal of roumania and champagne, and macaire of sainte-menehould, and miles the brabant, and peter of bracieux, and payen of orléans, and anseau of cayeux, and thierri of loos, and william of perchoi, and a body of venetians under command of andrew valère. so they rode forward till they came to the castle of stanimac, and approached so near that they could now see it. renier of trit was on the walls, and he perceived the advanced guard, which was under geoffry the marshal, and the other battalions, approaching in very good order; and he knew not what people they might be. and no wonder that he was in doubt, for of a long time he had heard no tidings of us ; and he thought we were greeks coming to besiege him. geoffry the marshal of roumania and champagne took certain turcoples [soldiers born of a turkish father atid a greek mother] and mounted cross-bowmen and sent them forward to see if they could learn the condition of the castle; for they knew not if those within it were alive or dead, seeing that of a long time they had heard no tidings of them. and when these came before the castle, renier of trit and his men knew them; and you may well think what joy they had 1 they issued forth and came to meet their friends, and all made great joy of each other. the barons quartered themselves in a very good city that lay at the foot of the castle, and had aforetime besieged the castle. then said the barons that they had often heard tell that the emperor baldwin had died in johannizza's prison, but that they did not believe it. renier of trit, however, told them of a truth that the emperor was dead, and then they believed it. greatly did many then grieve; alas i if only their grief had not been beyond remedy i so they lay that night in the city; and on the morrow they departed, and abandoned stanimac. they rode for two days., and on the third they came to the camp, below the castle of moniac, that lies on the river arta, where henry, the emperor's brother, was waiting for them. greatly did those of the host rejoice over renier of trit, who had thus been rescued from durance, and great was the credit given to those who had brought him back, for they had gone for him in great peril. 117 henry crowned emperor johannizza ravages the country again the emperor marches against him the barons now resolved that they would go to constantinople, and crown henry, the brother of the emperor baldwin as emperor, and leave in the country vemas, and all the greeks of the land, together with forty knights, whom henry, the regent of the empire, would leave with him. so henry, the regent of the empire, and the other barons, went towards constantinople, and they rode from day to day till they came thither, and right well were they received. they crowned henry as emperor with great joy and great honour in the church of st. sophia, on the sunday (20th august) after the festival of our lady st. mary, in august. and this was in the year of the incarnation of our lord jesus christ twelve hundred and six. now when johannizza, the king of wallachia and bulgaria, heard that the emperor had been crowned in constantinople, and that vemas had remained in the land of adrianople and demotica, he collected together as large a force as he could. and vemas had not rebuilt the walls of demotica where they had been breached by johannizza with his petraries and mangonels, and he had set but a weak garrison therein. so johannizza marched on demotica, and took it, and destroyed it, and rased the walls to the ground, and overran the whole country, and took men, women, and children for a prey, and wrought devastation. then did those in adrianople beseech the emperor henry to succour them, seeing that demotica had been lost in such cruel sort. then did the emperor henry summon as many people as he could, and issued from constantinople, and rode day by day towards adrianople, with all his forces in order. and johannizza, the king of wallachia, who was in the land, when he heard that the emperor was coming, drew back into his own land. and the emperor henry rode forward till he came to adrianople, and he encamped outside the city in a meadow. then came the greeks of the land, and told him that johanriizza, the king of wallachia, was carrying off men and women and cattle, and that he had destroyed demotica, and wasted the country round; and that he was still within a 118 day's march. the emperor settled that he would follow after, and do battle-if so be that johannizza would abide his coming-and deliver the men and women who were being led away captive. so he rode after johannizza, and johannizza retired as the emperor advanced, and the emperor followed him for four days. then they came to a city called veroi. when those who were in the city saw the host of the emperor henry approaching, they fled into the mountains and abandoned the city. and the emperor came with all his host, and encamped before the city, and found it well furnished with corn and meat, and such other things as were needful. so they sojourned there for two days, and the emperor caused his men to overrun the surrounding country, and they obtained a large booty in beeves and cows and buffaloes, and otl-ler beasts in very great plenty. then he departed from veroi with all his booty, and rode to another city, a day's journey distant, called blisnon. and as the other greeks had abandoned veroi, so did the dwellers in blisnon abandon their city; and he found it furnished with all things necessary, and quartered himself there. the emperor meets johannizza, and recaptures his prisoners then came tidings that in a certain valley, three leagues distant from the host, were the men and women whom ohannizza was leading away captive, together with 9.11 his plunder, and all his chariots. then did henry appoint that the greeks from adrianople and demotica should go and recover the captives and the plunder, two battalions of knights going with them; and as had been arranged, so was this done on the morrow. the command of the one battalion was given to eustace, the brother of the emperor henry of constantinople, and the command of the other to macaire of sainte-menehould. so they rode, they and the greeks, till they came to the valley of which they had been told; and there they found the captives. and johannizza's men engaged the emperor henry's men, and men and horses were killed and wounded on either side; but by the goodness of god, the franks had 119 the advantage, and rescued the captives, and caused them to turn again, and brought them away. and you must know that this was a mighty deliverance; for the captives numbered full twenty thousand men, women, and children; and there were full three thousand chariots laden with their clothes and baggage, to say nothing of other booty in good quantity. the line of the captives, as they came to the camp, was two great leagues in length, and they reached the camp that night. then was the emperor henry greatly rejoiced, and all the other barons; and they had the captives lodged apart, and well guarded, with their goods, so that they lost not one pennyworth of what they possessed. on the morrow the emperor henry rested for the sake of the people he had delivered. and on the day after he left that country, and rode day by day till he came to adrianople. there he set free the men and women he had rescued; and each one went whithersoever he listed, to the land where he was bom, or to any other place. the booty, of which he had great plenty, was divided in due shares among the host. so the emperor henry sojoumed there five days, and then rode to the city of demotica, to see how far it had been destroyed, and whether it could again be fortified. he encamped before the city, and saw, both he and his barons, that in the state in which it then was, it were not well to refortify it. projected marriage between the emperor and the daughter of boniface the crusaders ravage the lands of johannizza then came to the camp, as envoy, a baron, otho of la roche by name, belonging to the marquis boniface of montferrat. he came to speak of a marriage that had been spoken of aforetime between the daughter of boniface, the marquis of montferrat, and the emperor henry; and brought tidings that the lady had come from lombardy, whence her father had sent to summon her, and that she was now at salonika. then did the emperor take council, and it was decided that the marriage should be ratified on either side. so the envoy, otho of la roche, returned to salonika. the emperor had reassembled his men, who had gone to place in safe holding the booty taken at veroi. and he marched day by day from adrianople till he came to the land 120 of johannizza, the king of wallachia and bulgaria. they came to a city called ferme, and took it, and entered in, and won much booty. they remained there for three days, and overran all the land, got very much spoil, and destroyed a city called aquilo. on the fourth day they departed from ferme, which was a city fair and well situated, with hot water springs for bathing, the finest in the world; and the emperor caused the city to be burned and destroyed, and they carried away much spoil, in cattle and goods. then they rode day by day till they came back to the city of adrianople; and thev sojoumed in the land till the feast of all saints (1st november 1206), when they could no longer carry on the war because of the winter. so henry and all his barons, who were much aweary of campaigning, turned their faces towards constantinople; and he left at adrianople, among the greeks, a man of his named peter of radinghem, with ten knights. the emperor resumes the war against theodore lascaris at that time theodore lascaris, who held the land on the other side of the straits towards turkey, was at truce with the emperor henry; but that truce he had not kept well, having broken and violated it. so the emperor held council, and sent to the other side of the straits, to the city of piga, peter of bracieux, to whom land had been assigned in those parts, and with him payen of orléans, and anseau of cayeux, and eustace, the emperor's brother, and a great part of his best men to the number of seven score knights. these began to make war in very grim and earnest fashion against theodore lascaris, and greatly wasted his land. they marched to a land called skiza, which was surrounded by the sea except on one side. and in old days the way of entry had been defended with walls and towers, and moats, but these were now decayed. so the host of the french entered in, and peter of bracieux, to whom the land had been devised, began to restore the defences, and built two castles, and made two fortified ways of entry. from thence they overran the land of lascaris, and gained much booty and cattle, and brought such booty and cattle into their island: theodore lascaris, on the other hand, harked back upon 121 skiza, so that there were frequent battles and skirmishes, and losses on the one side and on the other; and the war in those parts was fierce and perilous. now let us leave speaking of those who were at skiza, and speak of thierri of loos, who was seneschal, and to whom nicomedia should have belonged; and nicomedia lay a day's journey from nice the great, the capital of the land of theodore lascaris. thierri then went thither, with a great body of the emperor's men, and found that the castle had been destroyed. so he enclosed and fortified the church of st. sophia, which was very large and fair, and maintained the war in that place. advantages obtained by boniface marriage of his daughter with the emperor at that time the marquis boniface of montferrat departed from salonika, and went to seres, which johannizza had destroyed; and he rebuilt it; and afterwards rebuilt a castle called drama in the valley of philippi. all the country round about surrendered to him, and came under his rule; and he wintered in the land. meanwhile, so much time had gone by, that christmas was now past. then came messengers from the marquis to the emperor at constantinople to say that the marquis had sent his daughter in a galley to the city of abydos. so the emperor henry sent geoffry the marshal of roumania and champagne, and miles the brabant, to bring the lady; and these rode day by day till they came to abydos. they found the lady, who was very good and fair, and saluted her on behalf of their lord henry, the emperor, and brought her to constantinople in great honour. so the emperor henry was wedded to her in the church of st. sophia, on the sunday after the feast of our lady st. mary candlemas (4th february i207), with great joy and in great pomp; and they both wore a crown; and high were the marriage-feastings in the palace of bucoleon. thus, as you have just heard, was the marriage celebrated between the emperor and the daughter of the marquis boniface, agnes the empress by name. theodore lascaris forms an alliance with johannizza theodore lascaris, who was warring against the emperor henry, took messengers and sent them to johannizza, the king of wallachia and bulgaria. and he advised johannizza that all the forces of the emperor henry were fighting against him (lascaris) on the other side of the straits towards turkey; that the emperor was in constantinople with but very few people; and that now was the time for vengeance, inasmuch as he himself would be attacking the emperor on the one side, and johannizza on the other, and the emperor had so few men that he would not be able to defend himself against both. now johannizza had already engaged a great host of comans, who were on their way to join his host; and had collected together as large a force of wallachians and bulgarians as ever he could. and so much time had now gone by, that it was the beginning of lent (7th march 1207). macaire of sainte-menehould had begun to build a castle at charax, which lies on a gulf of the sea, six leagues from nicomedia, towards constantinople. and william of sains began to build another castle at cibotos, that lies on the gulf of nicomedia, on the other side, towards nice. and you must know that the emperor henry had as much as he could do near constantinople; as also the barons who were in the land. and well does geoffry of villehardouin, the marshal of champagne and roumania, who is dictating this work, bear witness, that never at any time were people so distracted and oppressed by war; this was by reason that the host were scattered in so many places. siege of adrianople by johannizza siege of skiza and cibotos by lascaris then johannizza left wallachia with all his hosts, and with a great host of comans who joined themselves to him, and entered roumania. and the comans overran the country up to the gates of constantinople; and he himself besieged adrianople, and erected there thirty-three great petraries, which hurled stones against the walls and the towers. and inside adrianople were only the greeks and 123 peter of radinghem, who had been set there by the emperor, with ten knights. then the greeks and the latins together sent to tell the emperor henry how johannizza had besieged them, and prayed for succour. much was the emperor distraught when he heard this; for his forces on the other side of the straits were so scattered, and were everywhere so hard pressed that they could do no more than they were doing, while he himself had but few men in constantinople. none the less he undertook to take the field with as many men as he could collect, in the easter fortnight; and he sent word to skiza, where most of his people were, that they should come to him. so these began to come to him by sea; eustace, the brother of the emperor henry, and anseau of cayeux, and the main part of their men, and thus only peter of bracieux, and payen of orléans, with but few men, remained in skiza. when theodore lascaris heard tidings that adrianople was besieged, and that the emperor henry, through utter need, was recalling his people, and did not know which way to tum-whether to this side or to that-so heavily was he oppressed by the war, then did lascaris with the greater zeal gather together all the people he could,, and pitched his tents and pavilions before the gates of skiza; and many were the battles fought before skiza, some lost and some won. and when theodore lascaris saw that there were few people remaining in the city, he took a great part of his host, and such ships as he could collect on the sea, and sent them to the castle of cibotos, which william of sains was fortifying; and they set siege to the castle by sea and land, on the saturday in mid-lent (31st march 1207). within were forty knights, very good men, and macaire of sainte-menehould was their chief; and their castle was as yet but little fortified, so that their foes could come at them with swords and lances. the enemy attacked them by land and by sea very fiercely; and the assault lasted during the whole of saturday, and our people defended themselves very well. and this book bears witness that never did fifty knights defend themselves at greater disadvantage against such odds. and well may this appear, for of the knights that were there, all were wounded save five only; and one was killed, who was nephew to miles the brabant, and his name was giles. 124 the emperor attacks the fleet of theodore lascaris, and rescues cibotos before this assault began, on the saturday morning, there came a messenger flying to constantinople. he found the emperor henry in the palace of blachernae, sitting at meat, and spoke to him thus: "sire, be it known to you that those at cibotos are being attacked by land and sea; and if you do not speedily deliver them, they will be taken, and but dead men." with the emperor were conon of béthune, and geoffry the marshal of champagne, and miles the brabant, and but very few people. and they held a council, and the council was but short, and the emperor went down to the shore, and entered into a galleon; and each one was to take ship such as he could find. and it was proclaimed throughout the city that all were to follow the emperor in the utter need wherein he stood, to go and rescue his men, seeing that without help they were but lost. then might you have seen the whole city of constantinople all a-swarrn with venetians and pisans and other seafaring folk, running to their ships, helterskelter and pell-mell; and with them entered into the ships the knights, fully armed; and whosoever was first ready, he first left port to go after the emperor. so they went rowing hard all the evening, as long as the light lasted, and all through the night till the dawn of the following day. and the emperor had used such diligence, that a little after sun-rising he came in sight of cibotos, and of the host surrounding it by sea and land. and those who were within the castle had not slept that night, but had kept guard through the whole night, however sick or wounded they might be, as men who expected nothing but death. the emperor saw that the greeks were close to the walls and about to assault the city. now he himself had but few of his people with him-among them were geoffry the marshal in another ship, and miles the brabant, and certain pisans, and other knights, so that he had some sixteen ships great and small, while on the other side there were full sixty. nevertheless they saw that if they waited for their people, and suffered the greeks to assault cibotos, then those within 125 must be all killed or taken; and when they saw this they decided to sail against the enemy's ships. they sailed thitherward therefore in line; and all those on board the ships were fully armed, and with their helms laced. and when the greeks, who were about to attack the castle, saw us coming, they perceived that help was at hand for the besieged, and they avoided the castle, and came to meet us; and all this great host, both horse and foot, drew up on the shore. and the greeks on ship-board [the meaning here is a little obscure in the original ] when they saw that the emperor and his people meant to attack them in any case, drew back towards those on shore, so that the latter might give them help with bows and darts. so the emperor held them close with his seventeen ships, till the shouts of those coming from constantinople began to reach him; and when the night fell so many had come up that the franks were everywhere in force upon the sea; and they lay all armed during the night, and cast anchor. and they settled that as soon as they saw the day, they would go and do battle with the enemy on the shore, and also seize their ships. but when it came to about midnight, the greeks dragged all their ships to land, and set fire to them, and burned them all, and broke up their camp, and went away flying. the emperor henry and his host were right glad of the victory that god had given them,,and that they had thus been able to succour their people. and when it came to be morning, the emperor and his barons went to the castle of cibotos, and found those who were therein very sick, and for the most part sore wounded. and the emperor and his people looked at the castle, and saw that it was so weak as not to be worth the holding. so they gathered all their people into the ships, and left the castle and abandoned it. thus did the emperor henry return to constantinople. johannizza raises the siege of adrianople johannizza, the king of wallachia, who had besieged adrianople, gave himself no rest, for his petraries, of which he had many, cast stones night and day against the walls and towers, and damaed the walls and towers very greatly. and he set his sappers to mine the walls, and made many 126 assaults. and well did those who were within, both greeks and latins, maintain themselves, and often did they beg the emperor henry to succour them, and wam him that, if he did not succour them, they were utterly undone. the emperor was much distraught; for when he wished to go and succour his people at adrianople on the one side, then theodore lascaris pressed upon him so straitly on the other side, that of necessity he was forced to draw back. so johannizza remained during the whole month of april (1207) before adrianople; and he came so near to taking it that in two places he beat down the walls and towers to the ground, and his men fought hand to hand, with swords and lances, against those who were within. also he made assaults in force, and the besieged defended themselves well; and there were many killed and wounded on one side and on the other. as it pleases god that adventures should be ordered, so it befell that the comans who had overrun the land, and gained much booty, and returned to the camp before adrianople, with all their spoils, now said they would remain with johannizza no longer, but go back to their own land. thus the comans abandoned johannizza. and without them he dared not remain before adrianople. so he departed from before the city, and left it. and you must know that this was held to be a great miracle: that the siege of a city so near to the taking should be abandoned, and by a man possessed of such power. but as god wills, so do events befall. those in adrianople made no delay in begging the emperor, for the love of god, to come to them as soon as he could; for sooth it was that if johannizza, the king of wallachia returned, they would all be killed or taken. skiza again besieged by theodore lascaris the emperor delivers the city the emperor, with as many men as he possessed, had prepared to go to adrianople, when tidings came, very grievous, that escurion, who was admiral of the galleys of theodore lascaris, had entered with seventeen galleys into the straits of abydos, in the channel of st. george, and come before skiza, where peter of bracieux then was, and payen of 127 orléans; and that the said escurion was besieging the city by sea, while theodore lascaris was besieging it by land. moreover, the people of the land of skiza had rebelled against peter of bracieux, as also those of marmora, and had wrought him great harm, and killed many of his people. when these tidi . ngs came to constantinople, they were greatly dismayed. then did the emperor henry take council with his men, and his barons, and the venetians also; and they said that if they did not succour peter of bracieux, and payen of orléans, they were but dead men, and the land would be lost. so they armed fourteen galleys in all diligence, and set in them the venetians of most note, and all the barons of the emperor. in one galley entered conon of béthune and his people; in another geoffry of villehardouin and his people; in the third macaire of sainte-menehould and his people; in the fourth miles the brabant in the fifth anscau of cayeux; in the sixth thierri of loos, who was seneschal of roumania; m the seventh william of perchoi; and in the eighth eustace the emperor's brother. thus did the emperor henry put into all these galleys the best people that he had; and when they left the port of constantinople, well did all say that never had galleys been better armed, nor manned with better men. and thus, for this time, the march on adrianople was again put off. those who were in the galleys sailed down the straits, right towards skiza. how escurion, the admiral of theodore lascaris' galleys, heard of it, i know not; but he abandoned skiza, and went away, and fled down the straits. and the others chased him two days and two nights, beyond the straits of abydos, forty miles. and when they saw they could not come up with him, they turned back, and came to skiza, and found there peter of bracieux and payen of orléans; and theodore lascaris had dislodged from before the city and repaired to his own land. thus was skiza relieved, as you have just heard; and those in the galleys turned back to constantinople, and prepared once more to march on adrianople. 128 the emperor twice delivers nicomedia, besieged by theodore lascaris theodore lascaris sent the most part of his force into the land of nicomedia. and the people of thierri of loos, who had fortified the church of st. sophia, and were therein, besought their lord and the emperor to come to their relief; for if they received no help they could not hold out, especially as they had no provisions. through sheer distress and sore need, the emperor henry and his people agreed that they must once more abandon thought of going to adrianople, and cross the straits of st. george, to the turkish side, with as many people as they could collect, and succour nicomedia. and when the people of theodore lascaris heard that the emperor was coming, they avoided the land, and retreated towards nice the great. and when the emperor knew of it, he took council, and it was decided that thierri of loos, the seneschal of roumania, should abide in nicomedia, with all his knights, and all his sergeants, to guard the land; and macaire of sainte-menehould should abide at charax, and william of perchoi in skiza; and each defend the land where he abode. then did the emperor henry, and the remainder of his people return to constantinople, and prepare once again to go towards adrianople. and while he was so preparing, thierri of loos the seneschal, who was in nicomedia, and william of perchoi, and all their people, went out foraging on a certain day. and the people of theodore lascaris knew of it, and surprised them, and fell upon them. now the people of theodore lascaris were very many, and our people very few. so the battle began, and they fought hand to hand, and before very long the few were not able to stand against the many. thierri of loos did right well, as also his people; he was twice struck down, and by main strength his men remounted him. and william of perchoi was also struck down, and remounted and rescued. but numbers hemmed them in too sore, and the franks were discomfited. there was taken thierri of loos, wounded in the face, and in peril of death. there, too, were most of his people taken, for few escaped. william of perchoi fled on a hackney, wounded in the hand. 129 those that escaped from the discomfiture rallied in the church of st. sophia. he who dictates this history heard blame attached in this affair-whether rightly or wrongly he knows not-to a certain knight named anseau of remi, who was liegeman of thierri of loos the seneschal, and chief of his men; and who abandoned him in the fray. then did those who had returned to the church of st. sophia in nicomedia, viz. william of perchoi and anseau of remi, take a messenger, and send him flying to constantinople, to the emperor henry; and they told the emperor what had befallen, how the seneschal had been taken with his men; how they themselves were besieged in the church of st. sophia, in nicomedia, and how they had food for no more than five days; and they told him he must know of a certainty that if he did not succour them they must be killed or taken. the emperor, as one hearing a cry of distress, passed over the straits of st. george, he and his people, each as best he could, and pell-mell, to go to the relief of those in nicomedia. and so the march to adrianople was put off once more. when the emperor had passed over the straits of st. george, he set his troops in array, and rode day by day till he came to nicomedia. when the people of theodore lascaris, and his brothers, who formed the host, heard thereof, they drew back, and passed over the mountain on the other side, towards nice. and the emperor encamped by nicomedia in a very fair field that lay beside the river on this side of the mountain. he had his tents and pavilions pitched; and caused his men to overrun and harry the land, because the people had rebelled when they heard that thierri of loos, the seneschal, was taken; and the emperor's men captured much cattle and many prisoners. truce with theodore lascaris the emperor invades the lands of johannizza the emperor henry sojoumed after this manner for five days in the meadow by nicomedia. and while he was thus sojourning, theodore lascaris took messengers, and sent them to him, asking him to make a truce for two years, on condition that the emperor would suffer him to demolish 130 skiza and the fortress of the church of st. sophia of nicomedia, while he, on his side, would yield up all the prisoners taken in the last victory, or at other times of whom he had a great many in his land. now the emperor took council with his people; and they said that they could not maintain two wars at the same time, and that it was better to suffer loss as proposed than suffer the loss of adrianople, and the land on the other side of the straits; and moreover that they.would (by agreeing to this truce) cause division between their enemies, viz. johannizza, the king of wallachia and bulgaria and theodore lascaris who were now friends, and helped one another in the war. the matter was thus settled and agreed to. then the emperor henry summoned peter of bracieux from skiza; and he came to him; and the emperor henry so wrought with him that he gave up skiza into his hands, and the emperor delivered it to theodore lascaris to be demolished, as also the church of st. sophia of nicomedia. so was the truce established, and so were the fortresses demolished. thierri of loos was given up, and all the other prisoners. then the emperor henry repaired to constantinople, and undertook once more to go to adrianople with as many men as he could collect. he assembled his host at selymbria; and so much time had already passed that this did not take place till after the feast of st. john, in june (1207). and he rode day by day till he came to adrianople, and encamped in the fields before the city. and those within the city, who had greatly desired his coming, went out to meet him in procession, and received him very gladly.. and all the greeks of the land came with them. the emperor remained only one day before the city to see all the damage that johannizza had done to the walls and towers, with mines and petraries; and these had worked great havoc to the city. and on the morrow he departed', and marched towards the country of johannizza, and so marched for four days. on the fifth day he came to the foot of the mountain of wallachia, to a city called euloi, which johannizza had newly repeopled with his folk. and when the people of the land saw the host coming, they abandoned the city, and fled into the mountains. 131 the e mperor's foragers suffer loss the emperor henry and the host of the french encamped before the city; and the foraging parties overran the land and captured oxen, and cows, and beeves in great plenty and other beasts. and those from adrianople, who had brought their chariots with them, and were poor and illfurnished with food, loaded their chariots with corn and other grain; and they found also provisions in plenty and loaded with them, in great quantities, the other chariots that they had captured. so the host sojoumed there for three days; and every day the foraging parties went foraging throughout the land; but the land was full of mountains, and strong defiles, and the host lost many foragers, who adventured themselves madly. in the end, the emperor henry sent anscau of cayeux to guard the foragers, and eustace his brother, and thierri of flanders, his nephew, and walter of escomai, and john bliaud. their four battalions went to guard the foragers, and entered into a land rough and mountainous. and when their people had overrun the land, and wished to return, they found the defiles very well guarded. for the wallachians of the country had assembled, and fought against them, and did them great hurt, both to men and horses. hardly were our men put to it to escape discomfiture; and the knights had, of necessity, to dismount and go on foot. but by god's help they returned to the camp, though not without great loss and damage. on the morrow the emperor henry, and the host of the french departed thence, and marched day by day till they came to adrianople; and they stored therein the corn and other provisions that they brought with them. the emperor sojourned in the field before the city some fifteen days. homage rendered by boniface to the emperor, and by geoffry of villehardouin to boniface at that time boniface, the marquis of montferrat, who was at seres, which he had fortified, rode forth as far as messinopolis, and all the land surrendered to his will. then he took messengers, and sent them to the emperor henry, and told him that he would right willingly speak with him 132 by the river that runs below cypsela. now they two had never been able to speak together face to face since the conquest of the land, for so many enemies lay between them that the one had never been able to come to the other. and when the emperor and those of his councilheardthat themarquis boniface was at messinopolis, they rejoiced greatly; and the emperor sent back word by the messengers that he would speak with the marquis on the day appointed. so the emperor went thitherward, and he left conon of bethune to guard the land near adrianople, with one hundred knights. and they came on the set day to the place of meeting in a very fair field, near the city of cypsela. the emperor came from one side, and the marquis from the other, and they met with very great joy; nor is that to be wondered at, seeing they had not, of a long time, beheld one another. and the marquis asked the emperor for tidings of his daughter agnes; and the emperor told him she was with child, and the marquis was glad thereof and rejoiced. then did the marquis become liegeman to the emperor, and held from him his land, as he had done from the emperor baldwin, his brother. and the marquis gave to geoffry of villehardouin, marshal of roumania and champagne, the city of messinopolis, and all its appurtenances, or else that of seres, whichever he liked best; and the marshal became his liegeman, save in so far as he owed fealty to the emperor of constantinople. they sojourned thus in that field for two days, in great joy, and said that, as god had granted that they should come together, so might they yet again defeat their enemies. and they made agreement to meet at the end of the summer, in the month of october, with all their forces, in the meadow before the city of adrianople, and make war against the king of wallachia. so they separated joyous and well content. the marquis went to messinopolis, and the emperor henry towards constantinople. boniface is killed in a battle against the bulgarians when the marquis had come to messinopolis, he did not remain there more than five days before he rode forth, by the advice of the greeks of the land, on an expedition to the mountain of messinopolis, which was distant a long day's 133 journey. and when he had been through the land, and was about to depart, the bulgarians of the land collected and saw that the marquis had but a small force with him. so they came from all parts and attacked the rear-guard. and when the marquis heard the shouting, he leapt on a horse, all unarmed as he was, with a lance in his hand. and when he came together, where the bulgarians were fighting with the rear-guard, hand to hand, he ran in upon them, and drove them a great way back. then was the marquis boniface of montferrat wounded with an arrow, in the thick of the arm, beneath the shoulder, mortally, and he began to lose blood. and when his men saw it, they began to be dismayed, and to lose heart, and to bear themselves badly. those who were round the marquis held him up, and he was losing much blood; and he began to faint. and when his men perceived that he could give them no farther help, they were the more dismayed, and began to desert him. so were they discomfited by misadventure; and those who remained by him-and they were but few-were killed. the head of the marquis boniface of montferrat was cut off, and the people of the land sent it to johannizza; and that was one of the greatest joys that ever johannizza had. alas! what a dolorous mishap for the emperor henry, and for all the latins of the land of roumania, to lose such a man by such a misadventure-one of the best barons and most liberal, and one of the best knights in the world! and this misadventure befell in the year of the incarnation of jesus christ, twelve hundred and seven. end [every attempt has been made to replicate the original as printed. some typographical errors have been corrected; a list follows the text. (note of etext transcriber.)] the walls of constantinople [illustration: frontispiece, constantinople from the sea of marmora] the walls of constantinople by captain b. granville baker [illustration: colophon] london: john milne 1910 preface romance and the history of walled cities are inseparable. who has not felt this to be so at the sight of hoary ruins lichen-clad and ivy-mantled, that proudly rear their battered crests despite the ravages of time and man's destructive instincts. it is within walled cities that the life of civilized man began: the walls guarded him against barbarian foes, behind their shelter he found the security necessary to his cultural development, in their defence he showed his finest qualities. and such a city--and such a history is that of ancient byzantium, the city of constantine, the castle of cæsar. what wonder then that man should endeavour to express by pen and pencil his sense of the greatness and beauty, the romance of a walled city such as constantinople. the more so that a movement is on foot to remove these ancient landmarks of the history of europe and asia. true there are other works on this same subject, works by men deeply learned in the history of this fair city, works that bid fair to outlive the city walls if the fell intent of destroying them is carried into execution, and from these men and their works i derived inspiration and information, and so wish to chronicle my gratitude to them--sir edwin pears and professor van millingen of robert college, constantinople. there are many others too in constantinople to whom my thanks are due--his majesty's vice-consul, my host, his colleagues, now my friends, and many others too numerous to mention. they all have helped me in this work, and i am grateful for the opportunity offered me of here recording my thankfulness for their kind offices. b. granville baker. note.--as i have taken the historical events recorded in this book not in chronological order, but as they occurred to me on a tour round the walls of constantinople, i have appended a brief chronological table, for the guidance of my readers and for the elucidation of this work. contents chap. page i constantinople 13 ii the approach to the city by the bosphorus 28 iii seraglio point 54 iv seraglio point (_continued_) 84 v the walls by the sea of marmora 101 vi the golden gate 124 vii the golden gate (_continued_) 147 viii the walls of theodosius to the gate of st. romanus 172 ix the valley of the lycus 198 x from the gate of edirné to the golden horn 225 envoi 252 appendix 255 list of illustrations constantinople from the sea of marmora _frontispiece_ _facing page_ genoese castle at entrance to bosphorus from the black sea 31 anatoli hissar, or the castle of asia 39 roumeli hissar, or the castle of europe 43 the tower of galata 51 the landward walls of the seraglio 58 the palace of hormisdas, or justinian 101 the sea-wall 117 the marble tower 122 postern with inscriptions of basil ii and constantine ix 124 the golden gate from south-west 126 the approach to the golden gate from north-west 146 yedi koulé kapoussi, or gate of the seven towers 170 part of turkish fortress of yedi koulé 172 theodosian wall and approach to belgrade kapoussi, second military state 183 theodosian wall--a broken tower, outside 188 theodosian wall--a broken tower, inside 190 gate of rhegium, or yedi mevlevi haneh 193 top kapoussi, gate of st. romanus 194 third military gate 196 the valley of the lycus, looking north 199 the valley of the lycus from inside the walls 201 the valley of the lycus, showing where the last emperor fell 224 the palace of the porphyrogenitus from the fosse 226 the palace of the porphyrogenitus from within the walls 228 tower of manuel comnenus 232 gate of the bootmakers, or the crooked gate 241 wall of palæologian repair 244 towers of isaac angelus and anemas 246 old house in the phanar 249 the walls of constantinople chapter i constantinople byzas the seafarer stood in the sacred copse, the copse of fir-trees dedicated to his father poseidon. his soul was filled with awe, for he was listening for an answer to his prayer; he had prayed for help and guidance in his next venture out upon the seas, and had brought rich gifts with him. hush! the faint murmuring of the evening breeze--a sound--a whisper only--it is the voice of the oracle: "build your city opposite the city of the blind, for there you shall prosper." the voice died away in the stillness of evening. gently, with reverence, byzas placed his offerings upon the ground, turned and went his way without looking behind him. before the dawn arose, byzas had joined his comrades. "to sea," he cried, "for the oracle has spoken thus: 'go to the country of the blind--there build you a city opposite their own--you shall prosper.'" silently the stout vessel that carried byzas and his fortunes stood out to sea as the rosy dawn touched the high peaks of the peloponnese and tinted with pale carmine and gold the unruffled water of the ægean. and ever bearing to the north, to that unknown region, with byzas at the helm, the ship held on. they sounded here and there, and asked of those they met, "is this the country of the blind?" their question met with little sympathy; the answers are nowhere recorded. after many vain inquiries the adventurous crew drew out into the sea of marmora. towards evening they sighted land. no doubt byzas was drawn towards the prince's islands 'twixt him and asia as he sailed northward up the quiet inland sea. but sternly he resisted the temptation of these lovely isles, and held on his way. his long craft pulled nearer in towards the narrow mouth, and through the twilight a great city loomed up before him on his right--the city of chalcedon, better known by its modern name of kadekeuy. now in the days of byzas suspicious-looking craft of no ostensible occupation were not encouraged, piracy was too common and, indeed, considered one of the few occupations fit for a gentleman--night was falling; so we imagine byzas putting in to the spit of land that projects boldly into the sea as if to meet the asiatic shore and offer stepping-stones for any migrant titan that might pass that way. rounding the point, he saw before him a broad waterway winding inland till lost to sight behind the tree-clad heights to northward. so byzas steered towards this fairway, holding to the southern bank, and then, some little distance from the point, his comrades lowered the broad sails, dropped anchor and awaited the light of day. only when it dawned were they conscious that they had reached their goal, the country mentioned by the whispering oracle. a fair sight that, by the first rays of the rising sun: the east aglow with many colours, repeated in the waters of the winding bay, henceforth to be known as the golden horn; first touches of pink in the small clouds over the rose-tipped mountain of the east; and, swimming in a silvery haze, the islands they had passed. then the keenest and most fleet-footed of the crew betook themselves ashore. they searched diligently everywhere, and brought back word that all day long never a man had they seen of whom they could inquire, "is this the country of the blind?" so byzas spoke: "this is the country of the blind, for those are blind who could pass by this most favoured spot, and build their city on the other side." so byzas settled here and built a city and prospered--the oracle had spoken truly. all this happened many centuries ago, when the world, at least the western world was young, and rome--imperial rome, the eternal city, was still wrapped in the legendary mysteries of her birth. and so arose constantinople,--a city known by many names, the one familiar to the majority of those of western race is that of the city of constantine, constantinople, familiar but with subconscious charm of strange remoteness: the slavs still talk of tsarigrad, the castle of cæsar; to the turk this is stamboul, a corruption of [greek: eis tên polin]--the phrase they must have so often heard on the lips of the vanquished greeks, but through all ages this is byzantium in romance. the first thing a man does when he comes into any kind of property, is to safeguard it somehow. if this property be land, however acquired, the natural thing is to build a wall around it, and this no doubt byzas did too. but of his walls nothing is left--the city grew and prospered, the oracle said it would, so the matter was in a sense already settled, and new walls were thrown out further until imperial byzantium, like imperial rome, stood on seven hills. behind these walls a busy populace increased the wealth and importance of the place, and others who wanted wealth and importance flocked in here for it. byzant became a thoroughfare to all those of the west who did business with the east, but was chary of being too much of a thoroughfare for those who came from the east. for these latter had the habit of coming in swarms and armed, otherwise empty-handed, but with a sincere wish not to return in that condition. against such as these the walls were built, strong and cunningly planned. and so ancient byzant grew into the mart for those who traded from the west along the coasts of the mediterranean, away through dardanelles and bosphorus to the black sea, to trebizond, where the old greek tongue yet lingers in its purest form, the crimea--even distant persia. so also byzant became the bulwark that met, and broke, successive storm-waves of asiatic attack, until in due season a strong asiatic race forced its way in, and has stayed there, and still holds its hard-won stronghold. it was this position that made constantine, the man of genius, transfer the capital of his empire from rome to byzant, after defeating his rival licinius at chrysopolis (scutari) opposite the mouth of the golden horn, and henceforth to make the city known as his--constantinople, the castle of cæsar. this alone would justify his claim to be called great, and, as dean stanley remarked, of all the events of constantine's life, this choice is the most convincing and enduring proof of his real genius. it is to be doubted whether any city walls have such a stirring history to relate as those of constantinople, except perhaps the walls of rome. of former, older fortifications traces have been found, and they reach back to very ancient history. echoes come to us from those dim ages of history, shadowy forms of warriors, seafarers, priests and sages pass by in pageant, with here and there the bearer of some great name in bolder outline. somebody has said that the east is noteworthy as the grave of monarchs and reputations. of no spot is this truer than it is of stamboul. chroseos, king of persia, emerges from the gloom, and with him hordes of warriors trained to ride, to shoot, to speak the truth. he is seen for a brief space encamped before the walls to bring its citizens to submission: he fades away with his phantom host. then comes one better known, and he stands out in bold relief, the light of history gives him more definite outline,--pausanias. he drove the persians from the city after defeating them in the field. his handiwork, 'tis said, can still be traced in some gigantic blocks that went to fortify yet more the walls that byzas built. he was recalled in disgrace: well for him had he never come. it needed but a little of the splendour and luxury of an oriental court to corrode the old iron of the spartan character. for him the watery soup and black bread of the eurotos valley could never have quite the same flavour afterwards. he left the city a discredited politician of more than doubtful loyalty to the land that reared him and the great confederacy which had set him at its head. then follows an everchanging array of warriors of many nations, many races. seven times did the fierce sons of arabia, fired by their new-found faith, lay siege to old byzantium, and seven times their impetuous valour broke against these walls in vain. albari, bulgarians, sclavi, russians, vainly spent their strength in trying to force an entrance into the castle of the cæsars. great bloodshed or great treachery could alone serve as the key to what latter-day poets call "the gate of happiness." crusaders too, men of the same faith, besieged the city, and after one short period of success, they too vanished, to leave the imperial city standing as before; to leave her, perhaps, a little wickeder, perhaps a little more luxurious, but still as perennial and unchanging as she is to-day. then came another, stronger race out of the east. they laid their plans cunningly and boldly executed them, they hovered for years over the city and around it, and for years their efforts proved abortive, until the time had come when this bulwark of europe, that had for centuries hurled back the waves of warriors that dashed themselves against its ramparts, had fulfilled its mission. vain it was to cry for help to the christ whom they had persistently dishonoured, and to whom their very existence, corrupt and luxurious, was a standing insult. no, they in their turn were compelled to make way for the stern realities and honest animalism over which the crescent cast its protecting shadow. then did the conqueror mohammed enter into possession, he and his people; here they settled after centuries of storm and stress, and here they are still, and they too are prospering--as said the oracle in those dim distant ages before the greek seafarers landed here. meantime, behind those sheltering walls, europe was working out its destiny. the western empire centred in imperial rome succumbed before the on-rush of barbarians from the north, those warriors from primæval forests, blue-eyed and strong, whose very aspect reduced the stout roman legionaries to tears of terror and despair, with fair hair floating in the breeze as their long boats (sea-serpents they called them) bore them from shore to shore, or as astride of their shaggy horses they crossed the frontiers guarded by roman legions, and conquered as they went. then these took root, the langobards in northern italy, goths in the iberian peninsula, saxons and angles in britain, and, by degrees, became conscious of political existence. some vanished before the fury of the arab as did the goths in spain, while others grew and prospered like the franks. races emerged from darkness to add to the confusion of europe's seething mass of humanity. christianity shed its light upon them, and by degrees order appeared, to make way again from time to time to wild disorder. and all the time the walls of constantine's proud city prevented the irruption of any eastern foes whose advent would have made confusion worse confounded. so on the eastern frontier of the eastern empire a wonderful revival of the power of persia was held in check by those who held the fort of constantine, and a vigorous attempt to regain the possessions of hellas-hated xerxes was frustrated. transient states arose and vanished--the republic of rome, the exarchate of ravenna, mythical celtic kingdoms like armorica and cornwall, and the vandal kingdom of africa. thereupon appeared the more lasting dominions of the moors at cordova and granada, and of the normans in france and sicily, and the enduring power of the papal see. slowly, uncertainly, under the shelter of the walls of constantinople, europe drew the first rough outline of her present political aspect, and began to emerge from barbarism. ambitions and strange freaks of fanaticism flared up among young nations and died away. among the former the revival of the roman empire by germanic monarchs lingered longest. conceived by charlemagne with the aid of the roman pontiff and his own paladins, this dream lived on for many centuries, caused endless bloodshed and such cruel deeds as the murder of that hapless conradin, the last of the hohenstauffens, a race of rulers that had given rise to many legends and heroic lays. then the crusaders with all their fruitless sufferings, their lavish shedding of blood and treasure, and the masses of private iniquity which they died trusting to expiate by public sacrifice. and yet constantinople held the eastern foe at bay. the tradition of rome's all-conquering legions lingered yet, and old byzantium boasted of a standing army, highly trained and disciplined through all these centuries--those stormy times for europe, when every man's hand was against his neighbours. then bands of armed men roamed over europe, following this leader or the other, each bent only on his own advancement. little by little degeneration set in within and without the walls of constantinople. one fair province after another was regained by those barbarians from whom they had been conquered, and the mighty eastern empire fell to pieces. the spirit of the people was no longer bent on upholding the traditions of the past, or, mayhap, lived too much in those traditions. so when the nations had begun to settle, the day of constantine's city was over and its task accomplished. the eastern foeman achieved the oft-attempted end, and possessed himself of those ramparts which so long had kept him at bay, and established a new empire in place of the vanished power of roman tradition. there is yet another aspect to the history of constantinople. it was here that its second founder embraced christianity. st. sophia and st. irene still stand as monuments to mark that happening, albeit the crescent, not the cross, now glitters from their pinnacles; although portly, bearded imams now take the place of the long-haired greek priests, and the high altars have been turned awry, so that the faithful may know that their gaze is fixed direct towards mecca. here much of st. chrysostom's life and energy was spent; here, since the schism with the church of rome, has been the seat of the patriarch, head and high priest of the greek church. rulers, dynasties, even governing races have replaced each other, yet here the patriarchate still maintains the dignity of the great church it represents. for the strong man who vanquished this proud city did not seek to turn his new subjects to his faith, but rather gave them full liberty to follow their own. and this has been the policy of his successors; thus it is that a greek patriarch, joachim, third of that name, this day watches over the interests of his flock. adherents to every creed, save that of the armenians, have enjoyed complete religious freedom, and jews who were hounded out of catholic spain took refuge under the chalif of islam. the same policy is continued by those clear-headed men who have but recently revived the empire of the east, and trust in time to give it a government conceived on modern lines. romance! are not the pages of history, even the most recent, made glorious by it? so who will deny the attribute of romance to the story of a walled city? think of the enterprise, the ingenuity, the steadfast endeavour that led to the encircling of ever-increasing areas within the embrace of those stout walls; of the life of the people who pressed onward out of paganism to christianity, from despotism to constitutional government.--romance! in younger days wars were waged because some fair lady had been carried off, some rich jewel stolen, and in order that black insults might be wiped out. we live nowadays beneath a more sombre sky. from isolated incidents our motives have crystallized into definite principles, and it needs the delicate eye of the artist to see any of the old lustre in our honest if humdrum efforts to defend them. constantinople--the name conjures up dreams of eastern colour, eastern sights, and eastern smells: visions of turks in baggy breeches and jaunty fez; visions of bearded elders in flowing robes and turbans, white, green or multi-coloured according to the wearer's calling, descent, or personal taste, for only he who is learned in the koran may wear white. those who claim descent from the prophet bind their fez with green, and divers colours are worn more by ottoman subjects from over the water. then you dream of stalwart sunburnt turkish soldiery whose bearing speaks of koran-bred discipline and stubborn fighting, and a fanaticism which takes the place of imagination. gorgeous cavasses, frock-coated followers of islam with unshaven jowls and green umbrellas, smart bedouins and copper-coloured eunuchs from abyssinia, immaculately-attired dragomans, veiled ladies, more mysterious even than their western sisters--in fact, splendour, squalor, light and life, and all as picturesque and romantic as dreams can be. this is the vision, and the reality to whosoever is fortunate enough to see constantinople is its fulfilment. all but the dragomans, perhaps, for you may pass one by and not know he is that wonderful omniscient being--a dragoman. he will hide his greatness under a straw hat, maybe, he may even affect an air of western hustle. but every other effect makes up for any disappointment one may experience over dragomans. in a golden haze kaleidoscopic changes, every type of face a study, every street corner its own distinctive character, even the spick and span liners that lie along the quays, or have their station in the fairway of the golden horn, seem to adopt a catchet other than their register provides for them. over all, the domes of many mosques with their attendant minarets, from which the call to prayer goes forth, they point the way to the goal of all good moslems, and few there are who allow this world's cares to interfere with their devotions. later in the day these mosques, silhouetted in the gold of a stamboul sunset along with the other tall columns "qui s'accusent" against the sky, go to form, as browning (who had never seen them) suggests, a sort of giant scrip of ornamental turkish handwriting. so, having followed this sketch of constantinople's history from byzas to these days, in which an almost bloodless revolution has been accomplished, let us approach the city, and mark the bulwarks that are left, and hear what those massive towers and battlements have to tell us. chapter ii the approach to the city by the bosphorus author and artist have, for the sake of compactness, been rolled into one. this method leaves to both a free hand and ensures absolute unanimity: their harmonious whole now proposes to the reader a personally conducted tour around the walls of constantinople, within and without, stopping at frequent intervals to allow the artist to ply his pencil while the author holds forth to an eager circle of intelligent listeners. constantinople should not be approached by those who hail from the west with any western hustle--no charging to the agents or the booking-office at the last moment to demand a return ticket by the quickest possible route, to traverse all europe, passing through many strange and interesting countries with the determined tourist's reckless haste, to tumble out on to the platform of the german-looking stamboul railway station, worn out and wretched and wishing to be back at home again. rather should the traveller wean his mind from many western notions. let him disabuse himself of the hackneyed superstition that time is of any moment. in the east it is not. men have all the time there is, and plenty of that. in this respect it corresponds to the biblical description of heaven: "there is no time there." conscious of their easily won eternity, trains, and more particularly boats, make no attempt to start at the hour mentioned in the schedule, aware that by doing so they would only cause inconvenience to the large majority of their passengers. any one who has had official relations with the turk knows that his most frequent exclamation is "yarsah--yarsah" ("slowly--slowly"), but to most foreigners the system is, at first, a little disconcerting. again, the traveller should prepare his mind for what he hopes to see--a walled city,--so should, ere starting, let his mind's eye travel beyond his garden wall, against which perchance he may safely lean as aid to meditation, to what he has heard of walls, walls that were built by many devoted generations and in return protected their descendants from those hungry powers that seek to destroy whatever prospers. and travelling toward his eastern goal the reader passes through many an ancient city whose walls chronicle the history of its inhabitants. he should take his journey easily, should move eastward with no undue haste. let him go down the danube, that mighty river which arises from a small opening in the courtyard of a german castle, flows majestically through the lands of many nations, where before the days of history saga held her sway and gave birth to the nibelungs. in its waters many ruined castles are reflected, amongst others dürnstein, where blondel's voice at length brought hope of deliverance to his imprisoned liege, richard coeur-de-lion. he will pass many fair historic cities, vienna, budapesth, belgrade, the white fortress, and so on through the iron gates, whence the great stream swells with increasing volume through the plains of eastern europe to throw out many arms to the black sea. it is here that author and artist await you; for to worthily approach constantinople you should do so from the north, and by sea. and you are in good company, for by this seaway came the russians in their several attempts on the eastern capital. the turks, too, the present masters of the situation, found this way and followed it to victory. these, too, overcame great difficulties--they sailed in small vessels and were much at the mercy of wind and weather; in fact, the russians found their plans frustrated by the elements. they met with anything but a pleasant reception, whereas the traveller nowadays steams in great comfort in a racy-looking roumanian [illustration: genoese castle at entrance to bosphorus from the black sea. a narrow entrance this--strongly fortified it was too, in olden times, for on that height to the left stands a frowning ruin, a genoese castle.] liner, and is sure of a courteous welcome from his hospitable host, the turk. along the coast of bulgaria--that kingdom of strong men under a strong ruler, whose history, with a long and melancholy hiatus, is taken up again, is in the making, and bids fair to rival that of older nations as a record of devotion and steadfastness of purpose. and so to the mouth of the bosphorus, a narrow entrance through which the strong current of the black sea forces its way to join the warm waters of the mediterranean. the argonauts found their way through here, braved the crash of the symplegades, and sailed out into the unknown in search of the golden apples of the hesperides. let no man say that these were simply oranges, for these a man may cull in many a greek garden to-day. no--it was an ideal they sought, and, like true men, they found and followed it. a narrow entrance this, and strongly held, as it deserves to be if nature be man's handmaid. strongly fortified it was, too, in olden times, for on that height to the left stands a frowning ruin, a genoese castle, commanding the entrance for many miles round the open sea and the rolling, wooded heights of asia inland. intensely interesting are the naval exploits of the city republics of italy during the middle ages. it is not easy to realize the power developed by such towns as pisa, genoa, and venice, and the enormous importance of the part they took in the development of europe. other cities are so much overshadowed by rome, that those who are not historians hear only echoes of their greatness. primarily there seems to be a divergence in the origin of empire between those gained by a northern or southerly race. latin empires grew out of cities--rome and constantinople, and athens with her delian confederacy; the states of pisa which owned large oversea possessions, genoa which to a long strip of coast counted corsica among her spoils, venice which with varying fortunes controlled dalmatia and istria and built the stout fortress of nauplia commanding the gulf of argolis. whereas england, france, germany, in fact those empires founded by the men of a northern race, began, it appears, by the conquest of other people's cities, and, making themselves masters of a number of such towns, started states of their own, drawing liberal and very elastic boundaries round them which they could enlarge when strong enough by the simple expedient of picking a quarrel with their neighbours. these depended for their defence more on those who lived in fortified seclusion on the marches of their domain than on the town-dwellers. the genoese navy, composed of ships fitted out alike for battle as well as for commerce, was free to look further afield as soon as pisa, their whilom ally against the saracens of africa, spain and the mediterranean islands (but a formidable rival at all other times), had been finally crushed at meloria. opportunity soon offered, for trouble arose as usual in the eastern empire. the latin dynasty put into power by the crusaders was sinking lower, and a feeling for the restitution of the greek empire was growing. also, the venetians, new rivals, had assisted the latins, so there was every reason to interfere. the interference proved successful, michael palæologus conceded the suburbs of pera and galata to the genoese. these places were fortified, and served as a base from whence to push genoese enterprise further into the black sea, and in the crimea a factory was established. from time to time the genoese turned against the greeks, no doubt in order that their swords might not rust for want of exercise during the piping times of that peace which in the east was a seldom acquired taste. they stood by the greeks, however, when trouble came from elsewhere, and to the last upheld their high reputation for bravery and devotion. the genoese tower of galata still stands overlooking the golden horn. a yet more notable monument to those gallant seafarers are the so-called "capitulations." the genoese colony was ruled by a magistrate sent from home, and to this day that right is still granted to the powers of europe, and can only be fully appreciated by those familiar with the ordinary standards of eastern justice. on the next height the giant's mountain, also on the left bank, is another monument of yet greater antiquity, though perhaps its historical value is less easily assessed--depending more than ever on personal opinion and a romantic nature completely undisturbed by the galling limitations of probability--the tomb of joshua. its origin is shrouded in mystery, as it well may be considering the countless ages that have passed over it--there are so few records of joshua's travels that no doubt that eminent warrior may have gone on leave to travel for the improvement of his mind like his colleagues of the present day without our hearing anything of his experiences in foreign parts. it is equally possible that he may not have returned from furlough--owing to decease. this is purely speculation--very real, however, is the tomb itself. a long, narrow, walled-in space in connection with a small mosque and under the care of the hodja in charge contains this, his resting-place, enclosed by iron rails and about 24 ft. long by 10. it also serves as fruit garden, or orchard--for several fig-trees grow here, so we see that, unless the legend lies, joshua must have been a tall strapping fellow and the sons of anak can have caused him no real surprise or alarm. the correct thing to do is to walk round the tomb a great many times (there is a fixed number, but it does not matter much), tie a bit of rag to the railing and express a wish, keeping it strictly to yourself. the next best thing to do is to forget the wish, pay two-pence in baksheesh and ride away to get the most of a glorious view. artist and author alike do so. and a pleasant thing it is to ride on into asia minor on an alert, sure-footed arab; he need be sure-footed, for at one time your road leads along the very edge of a steep decline, at another over the bed of what is a rushing torrent in the rainy season. everywhere a changing vista, bold, rolling hills, now covered with short scrub and heather, with black rocks peering through it--now under oak and beech, everywhere the glorious bracing air of the uplands mingled with breezes from the northern sea. here and there you find patches of cultivation, the patient team of oxen drawing the primitive plough, merely an iron-shod staff at an angle to the shaft to which the team is yoked. near by, a village, small wooden houses sheltered by fig-trees, a little shady café where of an evening the men smoke a solemn hubble-bubble and discuss events in the measured sentences of a conversation which begins about nothing in particular and ends in the same district. what changes those fields have known! armies pouring into asia full of enterprise and the lust of conquest, returning to escort a victorious emperor in triumph through the golden gate, or beaten remnants of a host to seek refuge behind the city walls. and a plough of the same construction, drawn by the same faithful servants, stopped its course a while to watch, and then went on its way unchanging. but the fairest road is still that glittering waterway with its ever-increasing number of craft, so we pass on to constantinople. with a fair breeze from the black sea dead astern small sailing vessels hurry on towards their goal--the golden horn. they are high in the bows, higher still in the poop, with an elegant waist but withal a reasonable breadth of beam, brightly painted too, with cunning devices on the prow and sails that glisten white under the ottoman ensign; they carry for a flag a crescent argent in a field gules (the artist insists on heraldic terms, as they are so picturesque). these little ships have been busy collecting many things for the stamboul market along the black sea coast. heavy-laden tramps thump onward to odessa to return with corn or wool. we overhaul a yacht-bowed russian mail-boat and get a shrill whinny of greeting from the stout little passenger steamers, tyne-built, that ply between the many landing-stages along the bosphorus bringing officials, business men and even artists back from the city to those quiet, cosy little bungalows that hide among the trees on either side. white-painted caiques flit across from side to side, one-oared and even two-, some more pretentious ones with more oars still, the boatmen dressed in becoming uniform, veiled ladies in the stern sheets. a hustling steam-pinnace shoots by from one or the other "stationaires," for every larger power keeps one here; and there on the right, that row of gleaming palaces by the waterside is therapia, those palaces the different embassies in their summer quarters. here homesick travellers of many nations may feast their eyes on the war-flag of their country and get up a thrill, if the scenery should have failed to cause one. it certainly is a pleasant sight to see a sturdy british bluejacket again or his smart colleague of the u.s. navy in his jaunty white hat. therapia will tell you that this is the only place to live in during the summer; other places along the road on either hand claim the same advantage, and the claims must be allowed where the choice is so difficult. for there is candilli, and who that has spent some sunny weeks under the trees of that favoured spot, has dived from the garden wall (displacing volumes of water) into the evening phosphorescence of the bosphorus, but wishes to return and to repeat the performance? and arnoutkeni, where, on a hill-top, lives the most hospitable of consuls-general. the silvery way narrows and widens, and winds, though slightly, past ever-increasing signs of human habitation. wooden turkish houses with the jealously latticed windows of the harems dipping their stone foundations in the sea, some with a little scala leading to a stoep, where the veiled ladies of the house may take the air while children play around them. stately palaces walled off towards the land, the sea-front open and mayhap the lordly owner's steam-yacht moored just opposite, barracks and cafés with vine-clad trellis-work, and behind the narrow stone streets and little shops. every now and then a mosque, its dazzling minarets pointing to the sky, and also, too frequently, a very modern residence in the very latest bad taste, which is saying a good deal. to all this a background of trees, the warm depth of pines, the pleasant green of oaks and beeches, the bright shining green of fig-tree, and everywhere larger or smaller groups of slim cypresses, close-serried beneath whose shade rest faithful sons of islam--and [illustration: anatoli hissar, or the castle of asia. within the precincts of this castle, entered by narrow gates, are other small houses, still smaller shops and cafés.] surely none of them might wish for a more lovely and decorous burial-ground than here, looking out upon the narrow strait their fathers won so dearly. there are open spaces too, where groups of people, gay patches of bright colours, disport themselves: a game of football is no unusual sight here. even a factory chimney stands out here and there, not emphatically belching out defiant volumes of black smoke to insist on the power of the _main-d'oeuvre_, but in a gentler manner, as if rather apologizing for this outrage upon nature and trying its best to adapt itself to its surroundings by the kindly aid of quaint-looking craft, blackavised, but free from any suggestion of machine-made regularity; these craft carry the coal necessary to enterprise, just to oblige, they seem to say. the channel widens, then narrows again, and here stand two ancient fortresses, one on either hand. ancient, compared to western notions, though too recent to be mentioned by chroniclers of old byzant, for they are of turkish origin, and date back but a few odd centuries. on the asiatic side stands anatoli hissar, or the castle of asia. wooden houses of all ages cluster about it, the wood of some painted in bright colours, pink or ochre, or others left to be coloured by time and climate, ranging from warm purple greys to the strongest burnt sienna. within the precincts of this castle, entered by narrow gates, are other small houses, still smaller shops and cafés. to southward broad green streams join the bosphorus, the sweet waters of asia, along the banks of which are pleasant open spaces, a mass of colour on friday afternoons; for here the moslem ladies take their leisurely walks abroad on that day, and spend many pleasant hours chatting under the shady trees, though what they find to talk about except their children, allah alone knows. the bridge leading over the northern arm of these waters in an attractive spot: here the artist put up his easel to sketch the continuous stream of passers-by--grave merchants, portly of person on small donkeys, small horses laden with baskets, pedestrians many and of all manner of races, mostly eastern, now and again a squad of cavalry on active little arabs, or a body of infantry with the fine decisive tramp of a conquering race. at the foot of the rather high-arched wooden bridge a number of caiques, white-painted with crimson cushions, their oarsmen dozing in the sun, while heavier boats laden with fruit and vegetables go out to market at stamboul. across the bridge quaint wooden houses with the usual latticed windows, and, connecting them across the narrow street, vine-covered trellis-work beneath the shade of which some business is transacted, buying and selling conducted with all the leisure and decorum of men for whom a year more or less means little. behind and crowning all, the frowning though dismantled fortress. here the artist had an experience that struck him enormously. his morning sketch was of the scene described above, his afternoon work was from inside a boat-builder's yard, looking over the sweet waters to some turkish houses, glorious in colour with quaint wood carving, each with its tiny well-kept garden by the sea. the second day while at work on the morning sketch, the genial boat-builder approached and confided the key of his establishment to the artist, at the same time intimating that the yard would otherwise have been found closed and thus the afternoon's sketch delayed. would this have happened on clyde or tyne? over against anatoli hissar stands roumeli hissar, the castle of europe, a yet more imposing mass of ruins. its plan is said to be the cypher of mohammed. the whole fortress is said to have been built in two months by the forced labour of greeks, to each of whom was delegated a measured area. the towers that command the upper part are of the construction peculiar to the turkish architecture of that period, a tower of smaller dimension superimposed on the lower one is what it looks like, and we shall see it again at yedi koulé. this castle encircling a picturesque village is peculiarly beautiful in the spring, for then the flaming colour of the judas tree, swamping with its vivid tone the delicate pink of almond sprays, lights up the deeper ochres and purples of the surrounding masonry, and makes the dark cypresses that stand all about strike even a yet deeper note than when the glamour of high summer bathes all things in a golden haze and draws light even from these sombre trees. and they are so beautiful, though perhaps a bit wistful also--their slender shape, the warm grey and purple of their stems and branches and the cool depth of their foliage. close by this castle stands robert college. further south, obliquely opposite is candilli, a place where it is good to be. at first glance, but for its prominent situation, it may appear to be much like other places along the banks of the bosphorus. a short bit of narrow street, stone-paved and very bad to walk on, leads to a cross-road, the cord that connects all these little villages. it is equally badly paved, but as many of the blocks of stone that once served as pavement have vanished, there are quite a number of softer spots wherein a man may set his feet when walking. there is a café by the waterside, where turks, armenians, greeks and others take their [illustration: roumeli hissar, or the castle of europe. over against anatoli hissar stands roumeli hissar, the castle of europe. its plan is said to be the cypher of mohammed.] leisure, drink endless cups of coffee and gaze into the water. the gentleman who sells tickets to those who leave by boat, and collects them from those who land here, may generally be seen fishing from the landing-stage. he is a philosopher; it is but little that he wants, and he takes a long time getting it. there is a mosque close by whose hodja is counted among the artist's personal friends. he is a busy man, as turks go: he sweeps out his mosque, trims and lights the candles that adorn it by night, and fulfils all the koran's requirements in daily prayer, encouraging others in the same commendable practice. he also possesses a magnificent tenor voice which is heard to best advantage rising up from his minaret to the hill overlooking candilli, when exactly one hour and a half after sunset he announces to the world that "allah is great. there is no god but allah, and mohammed is his prophet." he has a son who is learning to chant the same refrain and to quote the koran. like most of the early apostles, he is a fisherman. all around by the seaport, on the hillside, in garden and under trees, stand the houses of those who live in candilli, either permanently or as summer tenants only. should the reader ever visit here, let him turn sharp to his right and keep along the sea-front, a stone-paved terrace about 8 feet broad occasionally broken to admit boats into the boathouses, caverns in the stone foundations of the houses that stand here. these breaks are planked over for the convenience of foot-passengers; and so we keep on till a sharp turn to the left takes us to a flight of steep steps. we ascend and join the high-road, the cord referred to above. you are welcomed there by a sportive litter of pariah pups who have an _al fresco_ lodging here on a luxurious bed of melon-skins, which provide food and bedding at the same time, and quite a plentiful supply of each during the season. the neighbourhood for miles round, city and suburbs, is full of little corners convenient for receiving things that you no longer want. a few hundred yards along the high-road another sharp turn to the left, another litter of pariah pups and their white mother, generally called the "old lady," all most pleased to see you; another ascent, short but sharp with holes torn out of the pavement as if the shell of a cow-gun had struck it, and you arrive at a doorway in the wall. it is quite unpretentious, in fact its modesty is carried so far that a piece of string that dangles out of a hole will, when you pull it, lift the latch and so give you admittance. you enter an unpaved yard, in fact after a few days' rain you may call it a garden, for grass grows up without any other encouragement, just as it does in all eastern gardens. before you stands a wooden house, shrouded with vine and overshadowed by a fig-tree; there is yet another fig-tree in the garden, and a walnut-tree and another sitting-out-under tree, which finds that sufficient avocation, and therefore yields no fruit of any kind. entering the house, the first thing that meets your eye and holds it is a row of boots on the left-hand side of a stone-flagged apartment called the hall. your eyes rest on the boots, for you know at a glance that they are british made--they are, for englishmen live here. a doorway opposite the entrance leads to the kitchen; here the greek cook, aleko, reigns supreme, and with him the butler, kotcho, which being interpreted means alexander and constantine. a wooden staircase leads to upper regions, to a spacious sitting-room, where no one ever sits save in wet weather. but why this lengthy description of an ordinary english bachelor abode? the reader asks of the author. he gets behind his collaborator--the artist lived here, and thus history is made. the artist lived here as the guest of those whose work lies in constantinople. there were several, their numbers had frequent additions towards the weekend, and the assembly went by different names, the most common being the "y.m.c.a.," because one of the number nearly lunched in the company of a bishop one day, and a bishop in the levant is rare enough for comment. they lived in great contentment, did these britons abroad; at work during the day, they foregathered at dinner in the variegated garb that betokens ease and talked of many things between the peals of the pianola wafted from a villa higher up on the hillside. they listened to the eastern sounds that came to them from afar, to the warning hum of the mosquito, the distant barking of a dog, the tapping of the watchman's iron-shod staff on the pavement outside. one night they heard his cry of "yungdin var" ("there is a fire"), as in accordance with time-honoured custom he proclaimed some distant conflagration, while his colleagues all along the coast on either side gave the same warning. this call sounded in the lane below the bungalow, and was vigorously repeated from within. the watchman answered, "pecci, pecci, effendi" ("all very fine, gentle sirs"--or words to that effect), but tell me where it is? and then himself announced the place and went on his way rejoicing in a "score." now and then these men would sally forth of an evening to one or the other hospitable house, to dance or dine, a solid phalanx of dazzling shirt-fronts. the nights on the shores of the bosphorus are very fair. quite still, the lights of stamboul and pera gleaming in the distance, the swish of passing steamers whose searchlights flash unbidden through your windows, and the moonlight reflected in their wash in myriads of sparkling facets. and then the rosy dawn dispelling the faint haze upon the waters, when the tall trees that are silhouetted black against the clear nocturnal sky, lose their sharply-defined shape as they resume their colours and merge with the glorious scheme of awakening chiaroscuro. and for many ages night on the bosphorus has enjoyed this deep repose, making an occasional disturbance such as happens where men inhabit seem incongruous. imagine the deep stillness when byzas first settled in his city, set out in early morning to search out the land on his own side of this broad waterway, that led to lands remotely known to him through legend only. his constant pleased surprise at finding more and more treasure beautiful and material in the wooded bays where safe anchorage offered. and his return at nightfall in the stillness till he saw the ramparts of his city purple against the evening sky, faint lights twinkling and fainter sounds reaching him across the water betokening the activity of his settlers. these peaceful waters have known much strife and turmoil, the valleys on either hand, the hills of europe and asia have echoed back the sounds of battle. fast sailing ships brought swarms of adventurers down time after time to try their fortunes before the walls of cæsar's castle. from roumeli hissar, the fortress built by mahomed the conqueror, right down beyond seraglio point and into the sea of marmora stretched that monarch's fleet. but it was of no avail against the seaward walls. entrance to the harbour was impossible, as a chain had been stretched across the mouth of the golden horn, and behind it the larger vessels of the genoese and venetians rode at anchor. so mahomed conceived a plan bold and in keeping with his character and ability. he decided to convey a portion of his fleet across country to the upper reaches of the golden horn and to attack the walls that guarded the upper harbour. there appears to be some doubt still as to the exact spot where these galleys were beached and as to the route they took. galata, the genoese fortress, must be avoided, and at the same time the shortest route must be taken. galata stands in a position somewhat similar to constantinople, on a promontory formed by the hellespont on one side and on the other by the golden horn, which bends slightly to the north after passing west of where the land-wall of theodosius joined the sea-wall of the bosphorus, towards the sweet waters of europe. at any rate we pass the place where this great feat was accomplished, and this is how it was done. mahomed made a road of smooth planks covered with grease, and along this road a host of men pulled eighty galleys in the night. the next morning these ships were riding at anchor in the upper, shallower part of the harbour beyond reach of the larger vessels of the genoese and venetians. according to the byzantine chronicler ducas, every galley had a pilot at her prow and another at her poop, with the rudder in his hand, one moved the sails while a fourth beat the drum and sang a sailor's song. and thus the whole fleet passed along as though it had been carried by a stream of water, sailing, as it were, over the land. certainly a most remarkable feat carried out to the sound of the drum. the drum an instrument, some say of torture during the month of ramazan, for it serves to arouse the faithful moslem an hour before sunrise that he may eat--for he may touch neither meat nor drink between sunrise and sunset during this fast, and it cannot fail to wake others in the neighbourhood. entirely oriental in its origin--no doubt an ancient, its enthusiasts think venerable means of producing sound--its appearance in europe is of comparatively recent date; in fact, not till after west and east met in the crusades did the drum become part of a european army's outfit, and to this we may directly trace the creation of military bands, for where would any band, save a german one performing in england, be without a drum? we may conclude that in all probability it served a double purpose, the uncanny noise both struck terror into the heart of the enemy and cheered on "the faithful" to battle. the roman armies sounded the tuba, frank or teuton put his soul into a bullock's horn, which a later period imitated in brass, and that so successfully that not even the best of modern composers can altogether do without it. the crusaders rallied their bands by means of horns, each in a different key, no doubt; the saracens beat drums to draw their followers to the crescent standard, and a happy blending of these two, with the addition of some attempts at harmony, now brighten the soldier's life when marching to church in sections, or returning heavy footed from a field day. the traveller is at liberty to choose any spot he likes, given that it be on our right, to settle where mahomed's galleys left the waters; that safely accomplished, he should look before him. we have passed many charming little villages quaintly named--beylerbey, [illustration: the tower of galata. galata's proud tower comes into view, and right at its feet the golden horn, all life and bustle and glittering harmonies of colour.] the bay of the beys; tshengelkeui; beshiktache; kabatache. on the heights above palaces, palaces on the sea-front, as we sail on towards constantinople, and there it is before us. we see seraglio point, and then the view increases, showing a glorious vista of mosques, gleaming domes and tapering minarets. we pass on our right a couple of steam-yachts, bright and trim, moored opposite a splendid palace. h.m. the sultan's yachts lie here, and his residence is the palace of dolma bagche. on the heights above pera, the city of italian origin, now inhabited by those western by birth or inclination, and standing some distance away from it, is yildiz kiosk, the deserted haunt of baleful associations. galata's proud tower comes into view, and right at its feet the golden horn, all life and bustle and glittering harmonies of colour. the very smoke rising from the tall funnels of tramps and ocean liners catches the light, reflects it, and add another beauty to the aspect. over our port bow we look down the smooth, shining expanse of the sea of marmora, in which the prince's islands seem to float as in a sunny haze. these have their history, and sad it is for the greater part, and reference will be made to that later, when the artist has finished talking about the scenery, and has returned to his legitimate occupation. behind these islands are faintly seen the mountains of the asiatic mainland, then the coast draws in towards the golden horn, and here are modar and kadikeui, villages so called, though perhaps more truly suburbs, wherein you may find many hospitable houses. one of them gave shelter to a turkish gentleman, a high-placed personage whom an angry soldiery were in search of during the last counter-revolution, the last dying effort of reaction. and here below modar lie many yachts, for it is a fair sea for yachting is the sea of marmora, and the coast and the islands offer ever-varying change of scene. then close to kadikeui and north of it is haidar pasha, with its blot upon the landscape, the terminus of the bagdad railway, an edifice german in construction and of consummate ugliness. close under this eyesore is a peaceful spot where many tombstones and a monument bear record of the deeds of the english soldiers, victims of the crimean war. a peaceful spot, and oh! so beautiful. above it stands a large yellow building many storied, with a background of tall cypresses in thousands that shade the turkish cemeteries, where many lie who fought side by side with britons and our gallant friends the french against their old northern enemy, russia. this building may fall to ruin and perish, the dead that lie about here and their deeds may be forgotten by all but the straight-stemmed cypress-trees, but the memory that lives about this place will never die, for it tells the glorious story of a noble woman's work--this building was florence nightingale's hospital. and near here another work by women is in progress, work devoted to rising generations at the american girls' college. the traveller may cast a glance backward to the way he came and see a small tower standing in the sea--this is a trim-looking tower and shows a light o' nights--this is called the tower of leander. but no more looking back. we have arrived opposite seraglio point, and our goal is before us; for here is the starting-point of the strange and glorious history of the city of constantine, here the foundations of the city of byzas were laid--here is constantinople. chapter iii seraglio point persons of importance like our travellers land at seraglio point instead of travelling round to the bridge of galata. byzas did so, we have it in black and white a few pages back, so it must be true. we can without much fear of contradiction suppose that constantine the great landed here also, though perhaps he went to one of the harbours on the sea of marmora. indeed, he is more likely to have done so, for the current runs pretty strongly and the sea is more than a little choppy at this point. byzas had no harbour to turn into except the golden horn, and he must have been too eager to land and survey his new property to have followed that waterway any considerable distance. just a little west of the point is perhaps the best place to land, somewhere near the turkish custom house. it is, of course, very interesting to land at the bridge of galata, passing through crowded shipping on the way up the golden horn. on one hand, to the south, one sees the irregular mass of buildings, mosques, and public offices which go to form stamboul. you may descry that vast square of solid ugliness owned by the international creditors of the ottoman empire and known as the public debt. close by you catch sight of the head-quarters of government--the sublime porte. drowsy fox-hunting squires, to whom their wives read the paper of an evening, must often have started at the reiteration of this familiar phrase, and wondered to what year the marvellous eastern vintage belonged. opposite the business quarter of galata, crowned by its tower. the life, the colour ever changing, on the highway across the golden horn is extraordinarily fascinating. sons of every race and nation upon earth are freely mingled here. the western official or the business man, whose garb is allowed to betray no ease or originality, here brave the fierce suns of summer clad in the drab discomfort of business attire, with the perote or native of pera and levantines of european origin who have imbibed some longing for oriental display without the requisite taste. western ladies unveiled, eastern ladies veiled, the latter in many cases beautifully shod and gloved. also the artist raves about a little hand he has seen ungloved, such a dainty, beautiful hand, and according to his own estimate he is an expert in such matters. then there are turks, western turks, whose costume is also western, the fez and seldom-shaven cheeks being the only things in which they differ from others, for many are fair and most are fine, handsome men with every sign of the self-control good breeding gives. hamals, the porters, push their way with backs bent double and their packs joined upon the leather rests provided for that purpose. great men in carriages drawn by dashing, spirited arab steeds roll by you, a servant in gorgeous livery beside the driver on the box. asiatics of all kinds and colours, fantastically yet harmoniously clad, move past with silent, unhurried footsteps. and then a batch of soldiers, fine, upstanding fellows in business-like khaki, march past on their way to embark for the yemen, the sierra leone of the turkish empire, for which men even volunteer nowadays, since the bad old order changed. but we have landed our travellers on the northern extremity of the promontory on which stands constantine's ancient city. this part serves as a public promenade, and here people take the air, admire the glorious view, and generally behave like people do everywhere else, when they find time for a leisurely stroll, the only difference being that here men find time for one more often. the point is open to the sea, for there is no further occasion for the walls and towers that encircled this the starting-point of byzantine history. here was the first settlement of byzas that grew into an acropolis, walled, and strongly held, the heart of a growing empire. so we go inland, crossing by a bridge the railway that discreetly hides its unloveliness in a cutting before running into a terminus that might have been picked up from one of the hanseatic towns and planted here by some malignant fairy. the road leads upwards to the seraglio buildings, and here is much of interest. there is the museum containing many treasures, among them two of wondrous beauty--two sarcophagi, one of which claims to have held the remains of alexander the great, the other is presumed to be the last resting-place of one of alexander's higher officers, and is known as "les pleureuses," from the beautifully-sculptured female figures in mourning garb that adorn it. within these precincts is the school of art, where much good, earnest work is being done under the guidance of humdi bey, to whose efforts the recovery of the sarcophagi and other monuments is due as the result of excavations in asia minor. a broad road leads us with park-like plantations on either hand up from the sea towards the seraglio buildings. these buildings stand on a height, the first of the seven hills that form the immovable foundations of the city. the seraglio no longer serves its original purpose, the imperial museums and school of art have taken up a considerable portion of them, and others find accommodation for troops. here you may see the stalwart anatolian peasant being made into a soldier after the german pattern, and a very good pattern too. bugle-calls, reminiscent of those heard in germany, tells the turkish soldier the time for all the many duties he should attend to. sergeants in manner emphatic and teutonesque impart the mysteries of that solemn, high-stepping march which takes the place of route marching in an army that has to train its men to reach perfection in two years' time. slim-waisted subalterns, whose moustaches follow imperial precept, superintend these operations, and an anxious company commander may be seen in conference with his colour-sergeant. it would sound invidious, it would savour of interference, to wonder which is the better use for the seraglio buildings, that of the present or the past. the artist doth profess loudly on this point, that no building can serve a higher purpose than that of housing in comfort those who are taken from their homes to learn how to defend the honour of their [illustration: the landward walls of the seraglio. romance and mystery cling to the place and live in the name seraglio. it is jealously walled in, the wall being of turkish construction and comparatively recent, and to it may be seen clinging quaint wooden houses.] country, and that again the honour and glory of a community is well served by making ample provisions for the encouragement of art. both author and artist wish these seraglio buildings a glorious future in their present warlike and peaceful missions. but romance and mystery cling to the place and live in the name seraglio. it is jealously walled in, the wall being of turkish construction and comparatively recent, and to it may be seen clinging quaint wooden houses. no doubt byzas dwelt somewhere about here, though the exact spot is possibly beyond the ken of the keenest archæologist. remains of solid masonry, huge blocks of stone, have been discovered near the seraglio kitchens, of which a fine view is offered from the railway, peeps of the massive, high-standing building through the ranks of its solemn escort of cypress-trees. when byzantium became the city of constantine it was found necessary to extend the enceinte of the older fortifications, as the number of inhabitants had grown prodigiously, and this first rampart was of greater extent than the present seraglio walls. the many improvements made by constantine, the palace he built unto himself, the forum and hippodrome he laid out, and the churches he erected, are nearly all within the immediate neighbourhood of the seraglio, if not inside its precincts. so here again was the centre of the civic and religious life of the city, rising rapidly to the zenith of its power, and here it has remained until most recent times. there were walls and towers round the point to guard the city both against her enemies and the violence of the elements, and, sooth to say, it was the latter caused more damage than the former. these had need to be constantly repaired. of the very earliest walls no trace remains, yet they too had their page in history. not far from where our distinguished travellers landed, just round the eastern point and looking east, is top kapoussi, which means cannon-gate, for here stood a gate dedicated to st. barbara, who is the patron saint of gunners. but a more likely reason for the turks to retain the memory of the original name is that close by stood a magazine or military arsenal when they conquered the city, and may have stood for years after. it seems that there was a yet older gate at this spot, a gate through which the spartan admiral anaxibius entered the acropolis when he escaped from the city by boat along the golden horn, what time xenophon and his truculent greeks were in possession. after constantine had led his people, or at least those under his immediate influence, into the fold of the christian community, many churches sprang up about this northern extremity of the promontory. (there are, no doubt, those who will differ from the author on the subject of constantine's conversion, who may say that his people led constantine to adopt christianity, and that reasons of policy rather than the conviction born of a sudden inspiration guided him, but the artist will on no account allow such a prosaic version.) five churches stood about here, one dedicated to st. barbara, as we have seen, another to st. demetrius, a third to st. saviour, yet another to st. lazarus, and a fifth one built to st. george on the highest ground available just there, according to custom, for in former times all churches dedicated to the warrior's patron saint were built on higher ground, as if to give the saint an opportunity of keeping a good look-out from his sanctuary. this church gave to the sea of marmora its mediæval name of braz st. george. there were evidently other buildings in connection with st. george's church, a monastic institution most probably, for here under the name of joasaph the emperor john cantacuzene dwelt in seclusion after his abdication until he withdrew altogether from among his former subjects to a monastery on mount athos. another great feature of this neighbourhood was its holy well, which may be springing still, though for this the author cannot vouch, as he has not seen it. the church of st. saviour guarded this holy spring--its water had healing qualities, and pilgrimages were made to it on the festival of the transfiguration. the life of the capital of an empire stirred the precinct of what is now the seraglio enclosure and the vicinity outside it for close on twenty centuries. we have seen the city rise under the fostering care of byzas its founder, and followed those dim paths of remotest history when the world was young, though no doubt the sad young cynics of the period thought it as old and foredone as they do to-day. then came the glorious epoch of constantine and his successors--glorious indeed in the new light of christianity, but in that name much evil was done, and by it murder and violence and civil war were held to be excused. but through it all the city, this seat of empire, exhibited a most astounding elasticity and power of recovery. true the palace of cæsar built by constantine was not within the precincts enclosed by the seraglio walls of to-day, but the brain of the empire held its sway hard by here, and its tumultuous heart beat everywhere among the ruins and decay that now mark the site of palaces. constantine in his glory and genius passes, and others follow him in an unbroken sequence, some good, many bad, all human, and thus surrounded by the romance that envelops those that played their part in history and did their share in making it. a noble sequence taking them all in all from constantine, who reigned from 306 to 337, then his successors down to the last emperor, another constantine of the house of palæologus, twelfth of the name who fell before his city walls to be succeeded by a conqueror of the house of ottoman, the house that has filled the throne of the eastern empire until to-day. if we take but a few of this unbroken line of sovereigns, more than one hundred altogether, such names stand out in the world's history as valens, whose aqueduct still stands as a monument to perpetuate his name. then theodosius ii, whose master mind gave to the city its furthest limit in those proud walls that have encircled it since the beginning of his reign, and still stand as testimony to the genius of man. justinian the great, too, first of that name of whom we must say more when we come to the ruins of the lordly palace he inhabited. leo v the armenian who entered the city as a poor groom, they say, but served his imperial master, michael i the drunkard, so well that he then ascended his throne and restored the expelled government of the empire. and there are many others of whom mention will be made elsewhere in connection with fortifications and palaces that were erected far beyond the first narrow limits of the city that byzas had founded and the great constantine made his own. about this neighbourhood centred the life of the city; there was a broad esplanade near where the church of st. lazarus stood, down by the sea of marmora, its site probably not far from the foot of the seraglio kitchens. this esplanade was called the atrium of justinian the great, for it was his creation. and a fair place it was, all built of white marble. here the good citizens might walk and breathe the soft air, looking out towards the prince's islands and the coast of asia, across the sea of marmora, reflecting in its translucent depths the glorious colours of an eastern sunset. and here they walked and talked, and no doubt discussed all subjects upon earth, religion, politics, those chief incentives to resultless argument, and the news, with all its variations, which were nothing uncommon even in the days before a daily paper first appeared. how portly burghers must have smiled with satisfaction at the sight of bellying sails that drove their galleys back from the shores of many countries to the great market. or a racing craft under full sail with all its rows of glittering oars rising and dipping in strict accord would round the point into the golden horn, leaving the gazers in the atrium the prey to many conjectures, until a gentle sound coming from the north, round by the senate, growing to a roar conveyed the news of some great victory. perhaps an anxious heart of mother, wife or sister would beat against the coping of the atrium, as tearful eyes followed the swift sails of departing war fleets that pressed onward into the morning. and the sun would rise to arouse the golden glories of the city, and yet leave that heart unlightened. here, too, good folk would meet to discuss the pomp and splendour of the escort that had brought the emperor's bride-elect to the sea-gate of eugenius down by the golden horn. how cæsar there had met her with great pomp and ceremony, and had himself invested her with the insignia of her exalted rank. the talk would then go on to the high doings at the palace, and all those good things that had been brought together from every quarter of the earth for the delectation of the wedding guests. when lowering clouds obscured the brightness of the sun of cæsar what whisperings, what anxious glances out to sea! yes, and perhaps what black looks when an alliance was proposed, and indeed consummated, between a princess of their royal house and the polygamist ruler of their enemies the turks, amurath i. what troublous times and discontents when every messenger brought news of fresh disaster, of yet another portion of the empire torn from its enfeebled grasp. what grumbling at the supineness of the christian world that looked on with apathy when it could find the time to spare from its own internal quarrels, while the most eastern bulwark of the faith was being hard pressed by those who carried islam with fire and sword wherever they went. and then a ray of hope when as a last resource john vi palæologus betook himself to rome to implore the pope to exert his influence on behalf of his expiring fortunes, and to stir up another crusade among the nations of the west. though at the same time the emperor sent one of his sons to serve in the turkish army and learn those secrets of success which that host alone seemed to know. intrigue flourished at constantinople more perhaps than anywhere, unless it be in rome, and we well imagine how rumours of such matters filtered down among the populace, giving rise to conjecture and wild, inaccurate statements, the food that intrigue fattens on, rumour also of private feuds and family dissensions not only among nobles and leaders of the state, but among its lowliest citizens. so when john palæologus betrayed his weakness and the weakness of his empire, many among those who walked the atrium of an evening might search their minds for some one who could save them from the threatening devastation, and would gladly turn to any who promised to strengthen the shaky edifice and re-establish that sense of security without which all private enterprise was crippled. for here, as in the time before saxon england fell to the duke of normandy, the conqueror's influence permeated, and attachments were formed between the highest of both nations. so andronicus, another son of john palæologus, entered into friendship with saoudji, one of the sons of amurath. saoudji was jealous of the favour shown to bajazet, his brother, and resented the latter's popularity--well deserved too, for he was valiant and successful in the field, and through the rapidity and vigour of his charges acquired the epithet of yilderim, or lightning. so while amurath was away in asia, saoudji and andronicus, with the assistance of a band of greek nobles and retainers, organized a combined revolt against the byzantine and turkish governments. amurath got tidings of this, and forthwith recrossed the hellespont. suspecting palæologus of complicity, amurath compelled him to join in his proceedings to quell the revolt. the rebel forces were encamped near the town of apicidion, and amurath marched against them. unattended and under cover of night he rode to the entrenchments of their camp and called aloud to the turkish insurgents, commanding them to return to their allegiance, promising a general amnesty. all these on hearing the familiar voice deserted their new leader and their byzantine allies, and rejoined the forces of amurath. saoudji and andronicus with his greek followers were speedily taken. saoudji was brought before his father, who commanded first that his eyes should be put out as unworthy to look his last upon the day, and then that he should be slain. the greek insurgents were tied together and flung two or three at a time into the maritza, while amurath sat by until the last was drowned. the fathers of some of the rebels were ordered to slay their children before him; those who refused were themselves destroyed. amurath ended by sending andronicus in fetters to his father, commanding him to deal with him even as he had dealt with his own. and after all the suppliant emperor's journey to rome failed to arouse the western nations to undertake a new crusade. all that was achieved was a confederacy to resist the future progress of the ottoman power, and if possible to dispossess it of its european territories. the sclavonic nations, at the confines of whose territories the turks had arrived, joined together at the instigation of servia. servians, then the best troops and the most formidable the turks had met in europe, bosnians, albanians and bulgarians, and with them magyars and men from wallachia took the field. though at times successful, the alliance failed eventually in its purpose, and not until most recent times have those nations emerged from turkish suzerainty to national independence. the battle of kossova broke the power of the sclavonic race in the balkans and led to their disappearance from the arena of the polity of nations for many centuries. a fierce fight it was that raged all day with varying fortunes and glorious display of chivalry and knightly daring, where bajazet the lightning struck swift and sure, though a christian noble ended the conqueror's career when the fortunes of the day had just turned in his favour. it happened thus, one milosh kabilovitch galloped forth as if a deserter from the servian ranks and sought the royal presence of amurath. he alleged important intelligence concerning the plans of the allies. kneeling before amurath, he suddenly leapt up and by one stroke buried his dagger in the monarch's heart. by a miraculous exercise of strength he beat off all the attendants who surrounded him again and again, but finally fell under the sabres of the janissaries just as he had reached the spot where he had left his horse. amurath survived but to the close of the battle. his last act was to order the death of the captured lazarus, king of servia, who had commanded the centre of the christian force, and who, standing in chains, regaled the dying eyes of his conqueror. news of this momentous happening reached constantinople, and we can guess that the faces of those who frequented the atrium grew gloomier. was there no one who could help? the horns of the crescent were closing in on the city of constantine, the empire was shorn of most of its former glory and its vast possessions. little but the city and its immediate surroundings were left unsubdued, all escape from the conquering turk seemed hopeless. and then what were their prospects? to be conquered, and by such ruthless hands! the death of saoudji may have been reckoned an act of justice, but rumours came to them, and proved true, of other deeds more cruel, of how bajazet ascended the throne, like richmond on bosworth field, of how his brother yakoub, who had fought valiantly in the battle of kossova, and had contributed largely to its success, was summoned to the regal tent and there saw his father's body, the first intimation of his death. how then and there in the presence of that body bajazet had immediately ordered his sorrowing brother to be strangled. this act was done, says seaddedin, the turkish historian, in conformity with the precept of the koran, "disturbance is worse than murder." surely a gloomy outlook for the watchers on the wall. but how awful would be the fate of their city which had so long resisted the sacred scimitar of ottoman! what mercy could they expect? help there was none, and bajazet was making preparations to submit constantinople to yet another siege. but he was diverted by hostilities on his western frontier, and hope revived again in the hearts of those that looked over the city walls across the sea of marmora. for the christian natives of the west had at last begun to realize the danger threatening them from the east. they were moved not by the recommendation of a heretic greek emperor, but urged by the supplications of the king of hungary, a spiritual vassal of the roman see. pope boniface ix proclaimed a crusade against the turks, and promised plenary indulgence to those who should engage in an expedition for the defence of hungary, and the neighbouring catholic states. there were fewer sinners in need of indulgence in those days than there are now; but the population of europe was proportionately smaller. yet many rallied to the banners of philip of artois; comte d'eu, constable of france; vienne, admiral; and bourcicault, marshal of france. the count of hohenzollern, grand prince of the teutonic order, led a force of germans; the knights of st. john of jerusalem, led by their grand master naillac, joined the force of some 120,000 allies, all, as froissart says, "of tried courage and enterprise." their aim was to break the power of bajazet in hungary, and when this was done to advance on constantinople, cross the hellespont, enter syria, gain the holy land, and deliver jerusalem with its holy sepulchre from the hands of infidels. how anxiously those citizens of constantinople must have longed for news of the enterprise, how hope revived as the fall of widdin, orsova, and raco were reported. what a heavy time of waiting it must have been while the christian host lay before nicopolis. still hope held on, for bajazet was in asia, and was never expected back. but suddenly he appeared within six leagues of the crusaders' camp. the news was brought in by foragers, and the impetuous french knights, sitting at their evening meal, at once buckled on their arms, and demanded to be led against the foes. against the advice of sigismund of hungary the french charged impetuously. they charged and broke the ranks of the akindgi, the advanced guard of the janissaries and of the heavy regular cavalry, and pressed on till they encountered the main body of the turks under the command of the sultan himself. meanwhile the disordered ranks of the akindgi and janissaries left behind, reformed and attacked the french in their rear. all gallantry was unavailing--they were almost all killed or taken. the german knights fell around their sacred banners. the day was lost; of the ten thousand prisoners taken, nearly all were massacred on the following day by bajazet, who sat out from dawn till evening watching, according to the custom of his race, the gratifying spectacle of slaughter. this dashed the hopes of the greek christians, and they began to prepare for the last hours of their imperial city. but bajazet was called away to his eastern asiatic frontier, where the mongols were making fierce inroads on his territory, under their famous leader tamerlane. a respite was thus granted while thus occupied, for the army of bajazet was annihilated at angora, and he himself was slain. no doubt the news of bajazet's defeat and death was welcome to those who took their walks on the atrium, no doubt many a good bargain was concluded then and there in a friendly way, when the news from asia promised better security, and at least a postponement of the eastern terror. and indeed the ottoman power was prostrate for awhile after the battle of angora, and to make matters worse the sons of bajazet quarrelled about the succession. in the chaos that ensued even the greek empire profited directly, for several portions of lost property were recovered, and no doubt hopes ran high that a turning-point in its fortunes had arrived, that the dark clouds of eastern predominance so long threatening were to be finally dispelled, and that the sun of rome would shine again over byzantium. but the old terror revived again, though not perhaps to the same extent. certainly, ere long the turks were knocking at the city gates again. this time under musa, a son of bajazet, who on being released from captivity in tamerlane's tents, joined in the fray of brothers, and laid siege to constantinople, because the emperor supported the claims of the eldest brother solyman, who had taken unto himself the sultanate of his father's european possession, but had been overcome and slain by mahomed the younger son. manuel ii palæologus, greek emperor, besought the protection of mahomed, and for a time a turkish army actually garrisoned the castle of cæsar. but mahomed had to take his troops back to asia. there he overcame and slew his brother musa, and then, all rival claimants having been removed, became sultan of his father's dominions. but a few years longer was the respite granted to the failing power of byzantium. john vii palæologus retained some semblance of imperial dignity; but under his successor, a bearer of constantine's illustrious name, the death-knell sounded alike to the house of palæologus and to the roman empire of the east. the curtain rang down on what may be called the second act of the drama of byzantium--the reign of the christian emperors. the curtain rose again on a scene strewn with ruins of imperial splendour, on heaps of slain, the victims of the conqueror's lust of blood, and the succession of emperors in the imperial city of the east was restored by one of the greatest and perhaps the most cruel of the able sons of othman. mahomed ii the conqueror broke the proud record of those stout walls of constantinople, and made the place his own. the ancient capital of the ottomans, broussa, and the more recent one, adrianople, receded into the background; the former to become a relic of satisfied ambitions, treated with the respect usually meted out to a stepping-stone, the latter a mere base for frontier defence. mahomed transformed all the life of his nation, and centred it in the city of constantine, choosing that part of it where byzas first landed, the point of the promontory. for here he separated a space of eight furlongs from the point to the triangle and built his seraglio. and here the history of constantinople continued its course with just that break of a few days when ownership was forcibly transferred. nor did the religious life of the city suffer any lengthy interruption. true, the monasteries disappeared, the cross fell from the christian churches, the crescent added minarets, and due ceremony made them into mosques. but who can say that the religious life had ceased with the alteration in creed and dogma. and the turks with some exceptions, usually political, have always respected the faith of others. it must have been one of the most marvellous and astounding scenes ever witnessed by mortal eyes that took place not long after the city fell, and long before the sights and signs of the desolation there wrought had been removed. the greek remnant had gathered together and returned in crowds as soon as they had sufficiently been assured of their lives, their liberties, and the free exercise of their religion. to solemnize this fast the sultan held an investiture on old byzantium lines, with all the pomp and traditional splendour of the ceremony, an investiture of the patriarch of greek orthodoxy. with his own hand the conqueror delivered into the hands of gennodius the crosier or pastoral staff, the symbol of his ecclesiastical office. his holiness was then conducted to the gate of the seraglio, presented with a horse richly caparisoned, and led by viziers and pashas to the palace allotted for his residence. and this happened within the seraglio walls! surely an astounding event. the successor to the throne and empire of the cæsars, the conqueror whose hands were red with the blood of massacred christians, the victorious leader of that fanatic race whose life is more influenced by their creed than that of perhaps any other human community, himself approved the chosen patriarch, the head of his new subjects' religion, and with his own hands elevated him to that high office. thus from the centre of constantine's city in its new aspect of purely oriental colouring, the seraglio, the latticed prison of those whose privilege it is to give birth to the sons of islam, new life was given to greek orthodoxy by him whose sword had hitherto been raised against it. so the life of the old city, the heart of a new empire continued, and one ruler followed another, and like those of the second act, some were good, others bad, but none wholly indifferent. another bajazet followed on mahomed the conqueror and carried on the victorious traditions of his house. mahomed died suddenly among his soldiers, leaving two sons, who contested for the sovereignty, as has so often happened in the history of empires raised by the hand of one strong man. zizimes, the younger son, suggested a division of the empire, bajazet to rule over roumelia, zizimes to govern anatolia with the hellespont as boundary between their realms. but bajazet would none of it. "the empire is a bride whose favours cannot be shared," he said, and zizimes was defeated and had to seek refuge at the courts of other rulers, some christian, but none of them favourable to the furtherance of his hopes. his death was caused by poison, administered by a servant of the pope, alexander borgia, who thereby gained a reward of 300,000 ducats from the brother bajazet, the sum that borgia had agreed to for the deed, and would probably have earned himself had not charles viii of france invaded italy and carried off zizimes from the guardianship of the roman pontiff. and the romantic history of this chosen spot of byzas continues within the walls of the seraglio, one sultan following another and making his throne secure by murdering others that stood near it. thus did selim i to his brethren. he was the youngest, the ablest and most daring of the sons of bajazet, and in his father's lifetime intrigued against him for possession of the throne. his efforts proved successful. a rabble of soldiers and citizens surrounded the seraglio and demanded audience of the sultan. "what is your desire?" inquired bajazet. "our padishah is old and sickly, and we will that selim shall be our sultan." so bajazet abdicated, to die a few days afterwards, and selim reigned in his stead. having secured the throne selim bent his mind on conquest and the suppression of schism among the followers of the prophets. the shiites repudiated the claim to the caliphate of mahomed's immediate successors, abu-dekr, omar and othman. so for reasons probably as much political as religious, selim proclaimed himself champion of orthodoxy, and sullied his reign by the st. bartholomew of ottoman history. in all there were 70,000 of his subjects who held to the shii doctrine within the ottoman dominion in europe and asia, 40,000 of these were massacred and 30,000 sentenced to perpetual imprisonment. and selim became caliph of the moslem faith. then follows one whose name looms large in history, solyman i the great, his title nobly earned not only by valour in the field, but by wisdom in the council--and he was great among a galaxy of great christian sovereigns, charles v, francis i, henry viii and pope leo x. the world was then entering on modern times, and many changes were in progress. but who will deny to this the first inception of the modern spirit, the glamour of romance. the art and practice of war was undergoing a change, the arts of peace were reviving. holbein was making illustrious sovereigns yet more illustrious by his cunning hand, and the bold spirits of a new europe found yet newer countries across the seas. the name of solyman conjures up visions of the glowing glory of the eastern empire, of the force and vigour of islam, for selim had enjoined upon his son to carry war into the countries that professed the faith of the cross. through this monarch's enterprise was romance enriched by the story of his wars, as when against hungary he penetrated even as far as vienna, which he besieged, what time the poles came stoutly to the help of europe, to be rewarded later in history by the partition of poland and a period of oppression which is not yet ended. with him we connect another glorious name, who brought to his master, victorious on land, new laurels won at sea, barbarossa, solyman's great admiral. yet another name that rings out from within the walls of the seraglio, and is known by all who love romance, is that of roxalana. solyman's favourite sultana in the earlier part of his reign had been a beautiful circassian. her son mustapha inherited his mother's beauty, and was a pattern of manly and chivalrous excellence. but the circassian sultana lost the imperial favour. a lovely russian girl, khourrem ("the joyous one"), enkindled anew the passion of love in the sultan's breast. she was a slave, she obtained her freedom from her royal lover and induced him to wed her. khourrem, or as the christians called her "roxalana" became sultana. her aims and ambition was to forward the chances of her own children, and to that end mustapha had to be removed. she ruled solyman to the day of her death, and had the satisfaction of bringing about the murder of mustapha before she died. he was appointed governor of carmania, and so skilfully did roxalana work upon solyman that he was at last induced to believe that mustapha was plotting to usurp the throne. mustapha was ordered to enter the sultan's presence alone, and solyman looking on from an inner chamber saw seven mute executioners carry out his command to strangle his son with the bowstring. and so the romance that sheds a glamour over the history enacted within the seraglio walls flows on, while fortune favours those who merit it, and wrong-doing is often punished by those drastic measures to which these grey embattlements had long become accustomed. roxalana herself was buried in all due state not a stone's throw from the spot where her sovereign lord afterwards found his rest. but in the two chambers where they lie you will notice a difference. to enter that of solyman you must take off your shoes, the place is holy ground--the grave of a warrior who is almost a saint. you may, however, pass to the chamber of the "joyous one" shod as you are. she has no soul, that makes all the difference. they tell of selim, solyman's successor, roxalana's son, who broke the law of the prophet and died drunk; othman ii, of the revolt of the janissaries and their choice of sultan--until the seat of government was moved from the place where byzas first made his choice and constantine and his successors reigned, until they in due time gave way to those of the house of ottoman. but is the present state of this seraglio less romantic than in those days of fierce passion untrammelled and only expressed in blood? the head priest, the sheik-ul-islam, has decreed that there is no infringement of the laws of islam in its sons expressing higher thoughts by means artistic. and so the life of the seraglio goes on, peaceful, more beautiful, and just as much romance as heretofore. chapter iv seraglio point (_continued_) seraglio point itself, or rather the extreme end of it at least, is now open to the sea. it was not always so, and is only safe now that long-range guns have completely revolutionized the methods of defence. where our travellers alighted was a wall flanked by strong towers, 188 in all, says bondelmontius; this extended all along the coast by the sea of marmora, until it joined the angle where the land-walls that cut right across the peninsula commence. remains, and fine remains, of their sea-wall are still here, at one place dipping their stout foundations into the sea, at others further inland on spots which were in former times the harbour. no doubt the first wall here was built by byzas, but it has vanished and made room for the ramparts which constantine the great erected to defend his new capital. what yet remains is full of interest and has a beauty of its own. when looking towards the city from modar or kadikeui on the asiatic side, the city seems to arise from out a girdle of embattled walls, to lose itself in a forest of slender minarets. on approaching these walls their interest increases, for here are arches built up and strange inscriptions, gateways that each contribute many pages to history. theodosius ii and his præfect constantius have here left records of their rule; the emperor theophilus is mentioned in the same manner as the restorer of the walls, and so is the share that emperor isaac angelus contributed to their repair. no doubt there was much need of walls to guard the ever-extending sea-front of the city along the shore of the sea of marmora; for though the greeks, and after them the turks, were generally able to forestall an attack by striking first, this policy in the degenerate times of the empire was not always practicable. still the sea-walls were not exposed to the assaults of an enemy to such an extent as were the landward ones; their worst enemy was the sea in its destructive phases, and other elements aided in rendering insecure man's tenure of this precious slip of land. the traveller must remember the first sight of constantine's glorious city; he approached it at high noon and saw it melting in a golden haze rising out of tranquil waters, which mirrored faithfully the colour of the sky, while many other colours flamed and fleeted like sparkling diamonds. yet as we approached seraglio point the strength of the current became evident, the current against which those heavy-built sailing craft, aided by their oars, battled so manfully, while it bore other small craft swiftly out into the sea of marmora. this current with its constant wear and tear put a severe strain on the foundations of the seaward walls upon seraglio point. the traveller's first view was in the fairest of fair weather; but in the winter, when the piercing icy gale tears down through the narrow channel of the bosphorus, ploughing up its waters to dash them against the facings of the promontory, another side of the picture is revealed, and helps to account for the constant repairs that were needed to keep the seaward ramparts in a proper state of defence. not only those storms that scourge the racing billows to the charge, but other forces have helped to frustrate man's efforts to shelter himself from fierce foemen and fiercer elements. for in 447 an earthquake visited this fair spot and wreaked much havoc among the stout walls and stouter towers that constantine constructed. again, some three centuries later, a most severe winter held all that eastern neighbourhood in an iron grip. according to theophanes, the black sea along the northern and western shores was frozen to a distance of one hundred miles from land, and that to a depth of sixty feet. upon this foundation a huge mass of snow some forty-five feet in height had gathered. with the softer breath of spring the ice broke up, and floating on the swift currents of the bosphorus came the floes in such numbers that they blocked up the narrower passages and formed a floating barricade across the channel from scutari to galata. when this mass in its turn was loosened and drifted south, huge icebergs crashed against the bulwarks, so high that they overtopped the towers and ramparts of the sea-wall, so great that their weight and impetus crushed all that opposed their progress. and thus the walls along the apex of the promontory had to be entirely reconstructed by michael ii, who commenced the work, and his son theophilus, who completed it. author and artist have discussed most seriously how best to show the traveller these walls along the sea of marmora, for there is much to be seen. the artist loves the view from across the sea of marmora seen at sunrise, of the city swimming in a sea of pearly grey; or at sunset, purple against a glowing mass of orange, red and green, colours which are all truthfully reflected in the placid waters. and the centre of the composition is the seraglio lighthouse. close behind it rise battlemented walls and towers, and then in tiers of little red roofs above the grey wooden houses, among trees of all kinds, while everywhere the immortal cypress strives after the minarets that stand as sentinels to the many mosques which crown the heights of the city. here, too, on that tranquil sheet of water, pages of history have been unrolled, filled up, and set aside for the guidance of future generations. for though the seaward walls were strong and bravely manned, though they were further guarded by a current which could dash an enemy's fleet to atoms on the strong surface of the defences, or carry it harmless out to sea again, many a shipload of adventurous spirits has tried conclusions with the men who held them and the elements which guarded the approaches with equal jealousy. perhaps the first serious attempt upon the seaward walls was made by those scourges of the mediterranean, the saracens. it was on this occasion that mention is first made of the use of a chain to close the entrance of a harbour against an enemy. it was stretched across the golden horn, from a tower near the apex of the promontory to one upon the northern bank. those were stirring times, when the sons of arabia felix, the first disciples of the prophet, spread out over all the mediterranean and the neighbouring countries. they conquered in breathless advance egypt and all north of africa, and held their own still in its most western region. they invaded persia, they overflowed into spain, overthrew the gothic monarchy, and remained, despite the heroic efforts of charlemagne and his paladins. syria and the holy places were theirs, and they snatched what was best and most worth having among the islands of the mediterranean. what wonder, then, that they turned their eager, flashing eyes towards constantinople? as we stand gazing at the beautiful city that rises proudly out of a tranquil sea, the waters become troubled, and dark-blue and iron-grey storm-clouds gather in the south. they race up from the dardanelles, and hundreds of rakish-looking craft, rigged as those that the traveller may see any day off the north coast of africa, fly before the wind. the rain falls in torrents, and then suddenly all is still again, the sea is quiet, and the rearguard of the tempest sweeps away up the bosphorus, to leave the sun in possession of its former battlefield. even so came the invincible navies of egypt and syria, carrying the swarthy sons of arabia towards the treasures they descried within the walls of constantine's imperial city. and up it comes, this storm-cloud, over a smooth sea, and borne on a gentle breeze like a moving forest overshadowing the surface of the strait. others of their fierce race and fiercer faith were arrayed before the land-walls; and no one of the invaders doubted that any bulwarks, however strong, however well defended, could resist the tide of passionate bravery that was about to break over the devoted city. but the time was not yet come. leo iii the isaurian, a man risen from the people to the imperial purple through his ability and valour, knew how to defend his own. he had the chain that guarded the entrance to the harbour lowered, and, while the enemy hesitated as to which course to adopt, greek fireships sailed amongst them carrying destruction as to the armada. this, and the tempests that arose, so seriously damaged the hitherto invincible fleet that only a few galleys were spared to return to alexandria and to relate the tale of their moving misadventures. though peace was never the lot of the eastern empire for any protracted period, it was more than a century later that an unfriendly keel furrowed the waters of the sea of marmora. and this time the trouble came from within. michael ii the stammerer had gained the throne when leo v the armenian was slain at the foot of the altar grasping a weighty cross in his hand. thomas contested michael's claim and sailed towards the city to enforce his own, but a storm arose and compelled him to withdraw. so thomas and his galleys are wafted from the scene to be followed shortly afterwards by other hardier adventurers. they came down from the black sea, a black cloud their canopy, on black waters that turned to silver where the prows of their vessels cleared a path. fierce, reckless foes these, who in 865 first made acquaintance with the eastern gate of europe, a goal that for ten centuries represented the sum of their ambition. fair men of big stature with high cheek-bones, speaking a barbarous language, they sped down on the wings of a fierce gale towards the golden horn. but here the tempest gained the mastery, and this the first russian fleet to disturb the peace of constantinople perished in the storm. again a visionary host crowds the further banks with their glittering arms and pennants waving overhead; all the chivalry of the west is here assembled. their numbers are so great that the byzantine agents gave up the task of counting them. they came from all the west: from rome to britain, from poland and bohemia and all germany under the banner of conrad the kaiser. louis of france too, and his nobles, swelled this throng, who, with the cross emblazoned on their shields and embroidered on their garments, set out upon this conquest of the holy land. we see them cross the waters, while hope beats high in their unconquered hearts, and would rather draw a veil over the return of the mere remnant of survivors. then later on came others in larger vessels, from the south: genoese, experienced travellers and determined fighters; also venetians, the only race of sea-dogs that ever succeeded in an attempt on these sea-walls. a striking scene this. in double line the ships and lighter galleys of the venetians bore down upon the walls. soldiers leapt from the swifter sailing craft on to shore and planted scaling-ladders against the walls. in the meantime the heavier ships filled up the gaps with their high poop-decks and turrets, as platforms for those military engines then in use, and from them drawbridges were lowered to the summit of the wall. on the prow of his galley stood dandolo, the venerable doge, in full armour. he was the first warrior on the shore. the standard of st. mark waved from the ramparts and twenty-five of the towers were speedily occupied, the greeks being driven by fire from the adjacent quarters. but dandolo decided to forego the advantage thus gained in order to hasten to the aid of his latin comrades, whose small and exhausted bands were in sore straits among the superior numbers of the greeks. nevertheless, their firm aspect awed the coward emperor alexius. but he collected a treasure of 10,000 pounds of gold, and basely deserting his wife and people crept into a barque and stole through the bosphorus and sought safety in an obscure thracian harbour. two mighty heroes of history and romance, both known as barbarossa, add yet more colour to the vivid pageant that plays over these placid waters. for further to the south, where the sea of marmora narrows into the channel of the dardanelles, the redbeard frederick, conrad's son and successor to the throne of the holy roman empire, if not the greatest, at least the best known in the romantic story of the house of hohenstauffen, crossed into asia to find, after many deeds of derring do, his watery grave in a small cilician torrent. there were many who believed he was not dead, but only slumbering deep among the ruins of kyffhausen--his long red beard grown through the table on which his hand supports his head, the while he dreams even as he has dreamt through all the troublous times that visited germany. dreamt while the last scion of his house perished; dreamt while a war of thirty years, provoked like all the cruelest wars by religious differences, devastated the fair fields of germany and laid waste many a walled city; dreamt while the march of the first napoleon's armies made europe tremble--only to awake when all germany arose and marched towards the rhine and into the empire of the third napoleon, and returning thence to build up a new and stronger empire. the next to bear the epithet of barbarossa lived his eventful life when francis i was king of france and charles v king of spain, naples and the netherlands, and by election german emperor, ruled over many states and provinces of the old world and the new. solyman i the great was sultan and chief, and reigned at constantinople, extending the empire of the crescent by land far into western europe, while barbarossa carried the victorious symbol everywhere in the mediterranean sea. his name was khairedden pasha, one of four brothers who were trained to merchandise with its usual concomitant piracy, and amassed great wealth in these pursuits. barbarossa and his brother urudsh sailed at first under the flag of the tunisian sultan but paid tribute to solyman, and eventually transferred to him their allegiance. they conquered temnes, algiers, and all the barbary coast, which they held as fief of the porte. all his ventures seemed to be successful. a strong fleet was sent against him under command of genoa's great admiral, doria, by charles v, but barbarossa defied him. a stately pageant passed down the sea of marmora in 1534. barbarossa and his fleet of eighty-four vessels, with which he scoured the mediterranean sea, ravaged the coasts of italy, minorca and spain, and beat the combined fleets of the emperor, the pope, and venice off prevesa. after many years of successful marauding we see the turkish fleet return, still under command of their veteran admiral, barbarossa, whose beard was turning white. a peaceful end in constantinople was his, and now the body that held that turbulent spirit rests worthily enshrined by the shore of the bosphorus. with the passing of barbarossa a new power first makes its appearance under the walls of old byzantium, its colours the white ensign emblazoned with st. george's blood-red cross. tight-built english ships, some of which may possibly have borne their brave part in the defeat of spain's great armada, are next seen sailing smoothly upon the waters of the inland sea. they bring messages from elizabeth, queen of england, to amurath ii, sultan and chief. again, a century later, when ibrahim, an evil ruler, reigned over the turkish empire, and excesses of all kinds went unpunished, some english ships lying in the bosphorus were plundered. it was the custom then in turkey, when any one had received an injury from a minister or official, for him to put fire on his head and run to the palace. stout sir thomas bentinck, the english ambassador--redress for the outrage to english ships having been refused--brought them up from galata and anchored them immediately before the windows of the imperial palace. adapting the custom we have mentioned, he lighted fires on every yard-arm. no sooner was this seen on shore than the vizier hastened to the ambassador, paid him a large sum of money, and engaging to pay the surplus of the sum demanded, besought him to extinguish the warning blaze. but now, at the bidding of the author, we move landwards again. as we approach, bearing somewhat to the south of the seraglio lighthouse, the buildings above us stand out more clearly. constantine's church, now mosque of st. sophia, looms over all the attendant minarets, relieving the imposing mass of masonry of its too heavy aspect. near by the mosque of st. irene, also of constantine's building. in this mosque is still kept the chain that barred the golden horn to the turks during the last siege. a long yellow building stands out near st. sophia, and shows a pillared front to the smooth waters of the marmora. this is now the turkish parliament, though in a short time that young and vigorous assembly is to transfer its deliberations to one of the more gorgeous palaces of the bosphorus. fittingly enough it stands almost on the site of the senate of roman, grecian and byzantine empire. here centred much of the life of the old city of constantine, hard by is the hippodrome which that emperor laid out. it was here that the city's pleasure-seeking denizens met to enjoy the games, the chariot-races, and other pastimes peculiar to that age. what fortunes must have been wagered or dissipated by a single crashing blow of the cæstus, or by one slip of the runner as he left the starting-line! how many a delicate girl must have held her hands in horror to her eyes, when under the brazen tripod fell the charioteer who had swerved too closely to the corner, and drawn down the other competitors with him in his ruin. here, also, in later times of trouble or internal strife the citizens would meet and clamour to be taken to the palace, there to acclaim a heroic emperor, or abuse an unpopular leader. how fickle and ill-balanced that turbulent cosmopolitan crowd must have been, we realize from the curious history of justinian. justinian, bearing the name of a triumphant lawgiver, entered into the heritage of the roman world in 685. he was a lad of strong passions and feeble intellect. he ruled with a cruelty gross even for that age and place, through the hands of his favourite ministers, a eunuch and a monk, by whose aid he succeeded for ten years in braving the growing hatred of his subjects. a sudden freak, rather than any sense of the justice he habitually outraged, induced the emperor to liberate leontius, a general of high repute, who, with some of the city's noblest and most deserving men, had suffered imprisonment for above three years. leontius was promoted to be governor of greece. a successful conspiracy was headed by him, the prisons were forced open, and an excited populace swarmed to the church of st. sophia, where the patriarch, taking as text for his sermon, "this is the day of the lord," influenced the passions of the multitude. they crowded into the hippodrome, justinian was dragged before the insurgent judges, who clamoured for his immediate death. but leontius, already clothed in the purple, was merciful, and spared the life of his benefactor's son, the scion of so many emperors, and, slightly mutilated about the face, the deposed sovereign was banished to the crimea. here he abode, and watched events of which the news trickled through but sparingly. news of another revolution arrived, in which leontius fell from power a mutilated victim, to make room for apsimar, who henceforth called himself tiberius. meanwhile justinian had contracted an alliance with the khan of the chazars by marrying that chief's sister, theodora. but the khan proved venal, and bribed by the gold of constantinople sought to bring about justinian's death. in vain, for theodora's conjugal love frustrated this design, and justinian with his own hands strangled the two emissaries of the khan. he then sent theodora back to her brother. thereupon justinian sailed away, and with the aid of the bulgarians laid siege to his own city, which having tired of their present ruler admitted him to the throne again. so we find justinian in the hippodrome surrounded by his people. the two usurpers, leontius and apsimar, were dragged one from his prison, the other from his palace, and cast prostrate and in fetters before the throne, where justinian sat and watched the chariot-race, a foot on the neck of each vanquished rival. the fickle people meanwhile shouted in the words of the psalmist, "thou shalt trample on the asp and basilisk, and on the lion and the dragon shalt thou set thy foot." even in those early days the use of a well-known text, taken conveniently apart from its context, was a political weapon not to be despised. when the games were over leontius and apsimar were taken down to the kynegion, the place of execution near the church of st. george of mangana, and there justinian requited the ill-judged clemency of his former conqueror. but his own capricious cruelty so disgusted the troops he had dispatched to carry out the sentence of those on whom the emperor had sworn to be avenged, that they revolted, and invested bardanes with the imperial purple. destitute of friends, and deserted by his barbarian guard, there was none to ward off the stroke of the assassin, and by it justinian, along with his innocent son, tiberius, perished, and thus ended the line of heraclius. [illustration: the palace of hormisdas or justinian. this place is full of the memories of dark and strange events, it is the palace of justinian.] chapter v the walls by the sea of marmora let us go ashore under the sea-walls of constantinople. we now approach the white seraglio lighthouse, keeping a little south of it and yet a little more, rounding a slight bend of the coast to westward. here, beyond a strong square tower which formerly showed a flare of grecian fire to guide the mariner, is a stretch of beach, author and artist insist on landing. the tower we left on our right joins on to a large front of masonry, built stoutly of rough stones as you may see where the walls are broken, and where a few marble pillars frame hollow openings for the windows. this place is full of the memories of dark and strange events, it is the palace of justinian. old chroniclers called this the palace of hormisdas, or hormouz, prince of persia, who sought refuge here with constantine the great. others, again, suggest that this palace was built by justinian himself before he began his long and useful reign. at any rate, great and famous names occur to us as we survey these ruins. it is an astounding chapter of history this, which tells how justinian came to inherit the imperial purple. his uncle justin was the founder of his house, a simple dacian peasant who left his native village and the flocks he tended to enter the military service of the eastern empire. through his own strength, his own ability and valour in the field, justin the dacian peasant rose step by step until he took his place next to cæsar himself in importance. then when the emperor anastasius died, after carefully excluding his own kinsman from the throne, justin was acclaimed emperor by the unanimous consent of those who knew him to be brave and gentle, his soldiers, and by those who held him to be orthodox, the priests. so in his old age, for he was sixty-eight when anastasius died, justin climbed the throne and reigned for nine years. strange, too, it is, that he and yet another ruler of his time, theodoric, the king of italy, even in those days when learning was by no means uncommon, should both have been unable to read and write. justin had brought his nephew justinian out of dacia, and had him educated in constantinople to be trained for the purple. his was a curious and eventful reign. of great strength and comely of face, full of the best intentions and restless in his pursuit of knowledge, justinian entered into his inheritance; he had been his uncle justin's right hand, and so was well acquainted with all the devious ways of statecraft. so everything promised well, and in a measure he succeeded. the wars he undertook were brought to a successful issue, the laws he framed should have earned him the people's gratitude, yet justinian was not beloved. no doubt these walls could tell the reason--you may almost hear them whisper, "theodora, the actress, the dancer, and justinian's empress." surely those were stirring times, when justinian and theodora sat side by side upon the throne, when circus and streets rang with the cries of factions, blue and green. and theodora favoured blue--her cause for doing so dates back to the day of her earliest appearance in constantinople--in the theatre. here she and her sisters, daughters of acacius, whose office was to tend the wild beasts that the green faction kept for the games, were brought by their mother in the garb of suppliants. the green faction received them with contempt, the blues with compassion, and hence the reason that theodora favoured that colour. then some time elapsed, during which it were best not to follow theodora's fortunes. during this epoch a son was born to her. years after, the father of the child when dying told him: "your mother is an empress." the son of theodora hastened to constantinople, hurried to the palace to present himself--and was never seen again. when in seclusion at alexandria theodora had a vision which told her that one day she would wear the purple, so she returned to constantinople, and ere long won justinian's love. so they reigned side by side, and justinian first of that name is still called "the great." let whatever evil she may have done be forgotten. are not the scandals of that time softened by the mists of romance which enshroud them, for all but those who like to peer about among the secrets of dead men, and to cavil at their failings, and tear what tatters of reputation they can find into yet smaller shreds. nearly four centuries had passed, and yet again the palace of justinian was witness of imperial weakness. the greek fleet rode at anchor beneath the windows of the palace, and from his ship the admiral romanus lecapenus made his way into the presence of the emperor. there he demanded of constantine vii, called porphyrogenitus, a share in the government of the empire, and was proclaimed co-emperor. at one time during this reign five cæsars wore the purple; he who was born in it, constantine vii, porphyrogenitus, ranked least among them, but he survived them all in office to die of poison, it is said administered by theophane, the wife of his son, romanus ii. again a woman plays a strong part in the history of these palace walls. a woman of low origin, this wife of the eastern emperor, son of constantine vii, and under the careless reign of her good-natured husband, she made her vigorous personality a power in the land. four years did romanus ii reign, and in that time did nothing that could afford the historian excuse for lingering on his name. strongly built and fair to look upon, his time was spent in the pleasures he best loved. while the two brothers leo and nicephones triumphed over the saracens, the emperor's days were spent in strenuous leisure. he visited the circus in the morning, feasted the senators at noon, and then adjourned to the sphæristerium, the tennis-court, where he achieved his only victories. from time to time he would cross over to the asiatic side, and there hunt the wild boar, returning to the palace well content with what he probably considered a good day's work. theophane tired of her useless spouse, and mingled for him the same deadly draught which killed his father. she then aspired to reign in the name of her two sons, basil and constantine, one five, the other only two years old, but found she could not support the weight of such responsibility, and looked about for some one to protect her. she found the man in nicephorus phocas, who was then accounted the bravest soldier in the land. in other ways he appeared suitable, for he combined with the military genius that had led to many victories the reputation of a saint. for the rest, in person he was deformed, so that perchance theophane's spacious heart was aided by her head when she set about to choose the successor to romanus in her affections. another like him lived many centuries later and ruled over england, richard of gloucester--and through the hazy veil wherewith romance so kindly clothes the crude outlines of history, it is difficult to decide to what extent the religious practices and utterances of these two monarchs were prompted by sincerity or guile. for nicephorus wore hair-cloth, fasted, and clothed his conversation with pious terms; he even wished to retire from the business of this world into the serene seclusion of a monastery. whatever the value of the sentiments he expressed, the people and the patriarch trusted him, and so he was invested with the command of the oriental armies. no sooner had he received the leaders and the troops than he marched boldly into constantinople at their head. he trampled on his enemies, avowed his correspondence with the empress, and assumed the title of augustus. unlike his double, richard, he spared the lives of the young princes. after some dubious dealings, the silence of the clergy made his union with theophane possible, so he reached the height of his ambition--the imperial purple. but, strange to say, the once so popular general when in the purple lost the affection of his people. no doubt the faults were equally divided, the greeks disliked him for his parsimony, and he had ample precedent of how easily a fickle population can change from favour to fierce hatred. a demonstration of this change caused nicephorus to fortify the palace of justinian; he had been stoned by his own people, and had barely reached the palace in safety. whilst standing by the sea under this mass of ruins, let us go back to a winter's night in 969. the additions to the palace that nicephorus had made to guard him against the fury of his subjects had that day been completed. the gates were locked and bolted, the windows strongly barred, and, as a further precaution, the emperor had moved from the couch and room he generally occupied at night, and lay asleep stretched on a bear-skin on the floor of a smaller chamber. but treachery lurked within the palace walls; murderous plans were rife, and they were conceived in the brain of an adulterous empress. and listening by those dark waves we hear the sound of muffled oars. a boat takes shape in the gloom at the foot of the palace stairs. headed by john zimisces, lover of theophane, a man of small stature but great strength and beauty, and a soldier of renown, shadowy forms ascend a rope ladder, lowered from a window by some female attendants. other conspirators were hidden in theophane's most private chambers; they reached the emperor's retreat, and with much cruelty and insult nicephorus ii phocas was done to death. john zimisces reigned in his stead, but ere he was allowed to assume full power with the sanction of the church he had to face at least one upright man. on the threshold of st. sophia, whither he went to his coronation, the intrepid patriarch stopped his progress, charged him with entering the holy place with blood upon his hands, and demanded, as a sign of penance, he should separate himself from his guilty companion. so theophane was banished from the place that still is haunted by her baleful influence, and died unmourned in exile. another vision, less sombre, equally dramatic and more fleeting, comes and fades away. amaury, king of jerusalem, visits manuel comnenus in 1170, to implore his aid against saladin. a brief pathetic scene thus re-enacts itself, brief as the reign of those, the christian kings of david's royal city, pathetic in the waste of life, the misery, the abject hopelessness that marked those chivalrous enterprises known to us as the crusades. one final scene before we turn away from this historic spot, the last scene in its history, and splendid in its utter despair. here, at the last siege of constantinople by the turks, stout-hearted peter guliano and his gallant catalans held out when all else was lost. a steep incline leads from the beach, past little wooden houses perched anywhere against the ruined walls. they look like that old house--that dear old house--hans andersen speaks of in the shortest of his fairy tales. we climb up the steep ascent, and at the top find more ruins--the base of a gigantic marble pillar, broken arches built of brick and glorious in their subdued colour; and then--the railway. yes, gentle readers, the roumelian railway, to give it its full and awesome title. and we must follow this railway if we would see more of the city walls. you may walk anywhere you like along the single track. a little pathway winds about here and there and everywhere, and on either hand are houses, some of wood, some more pretentious, scattered about with irregularity. above us is the ridge on which the hippodrome, theatre, and circus used to stand in days when a pleasure-loving population spent time and money in much the same way as do some western nations of this day. no doubt they too considered themselves sportsmen; no doubt they too danced abject attendance and stood numerous dinners to the stalwart hero who was awarded his "blue" or his "green," as the case might be. and as to some forms of sport in those days of the byzantine empire, we have already given account of one sportsman's strenuous day, the emperor romanus, and we have seen how his wife discouraged his proclivities, by methods effective, but far too drastic for the present age. ancient chroniclers make mention of a polo-ground, but it is too much to expect such very learned men to tell you how the game was played. yet this concerns the author and artist nearly, for both have spent much time and pleasantly in the saddle. no doubt the game, under whatever rules, was extremely picturesque; the life, the colour, the movement of horses and men engaged in such a keen pursuit can never fail to give a series of brilliant and entrancing pictures. but when you come to details! no trim pigskin saddles, but possibly some coloured bolsters, with loose bits of braid or tassels for adornment; no doubt bright-coloured brow-bands--that abomination! and then the ball. the artist wonders whether it was painted the colour of one of the many factions that made up the political life of the city--blue, green, or red--or whether, like keen sportsmen, such differences were dropped in contests of this kind. undoubtedly party feeling ran high when races--chariot-races chiefly--were in progress at the hippodrome. these green and blue kept up a continual wordy warfare, and no doubt backed their own fancy colour with the same indiscriminate ardour not altogether unfamiliar even in the world's greatest empire of to-day. and here again another likeness presents itself, for the games were played and contests entered by men paid to show their skill, while thousands sat and watched, shouted advice, or yelled their disapproval, though quite unable and unwilling to venture on the game themselves. of fishing there is no mention as a sport. the author much regrets to have to make this statement, as he would have liked to give walton's disciples of to-day some account of how their gentle art was plied in the days of old byzantium. but then the necessary implements were not available, for the west had not yet swamped the east with cheap manufactures and easily-twisted pins in penny packets. the artist has watched with interest gallant attempts with the bent pin to draw fish from the bosphorus. the small boy with his little rod so evidently cut by himself, and one sticky little hand full of dead flies, served to remind the artist of his own efforts in that line. oh the unholy joy of impaling a fat blue-bottle on the point of that bent pin! but the chief pleasure of this form of sport is lacking on the banks of the bosphorus; the long arm of the law does not interfere, and so the charm of the "strictly forbidden" is denied you. a noble form of sport was practised in the middle ages, and until comparatively recent times a pastime that has given rise to much that is beautiful in poetry and painting--the art of falconry. this was a favourite pursuit of many a sultan, this and hunting with those strong hounds whose descendants (though to judge from their appearance one can scarcely believe it) now roam the streets of constantinople, and act as rather unsatisfactory scavengers. a mighty sportsman in these particulars was achmet i, who reigned in the beginning of the seventeenth century. it was in this monarch's reign that the turkish theologians propounded a peculiar doctrine. achmet had ordered all the dogs in constantinople to be transported to scutari, on the opposite side of the bosphorus, with an allowance of bread and carrion for their maintenance. by a later decree they were again removed, this time to an island sixteen miles away, where they all perished for want of food. the lives of dogs, though held unclean by turks, were deemed of such importance that the sultan thought fit to ask the mufti whether it were lawful to kill them. after due deliberation the head of islam answered (for he can give no fetvah or decree unless first consulted) that every dog had a soul, and therefore it was not lawful to kill them. what subsequently happened to the dogs is not recorded; some legends say that they swam back to their old haunts, and incidentally to their ladies, who it appears had not been exiled. certain it is that their lives were spared, for there are plenty to be seen everywhere in old stamboul and its neighbourhood, for of course achmet, a pious moslem, would not disregard the mufti's momentous utterance. that achmet was a pious man is without doubt; his mosque bears witness to his devotion, a mosque which far out-rivalled that of st. sophia in the splendour of its decoration, though it is somewhat smaller. great treasures were spent upon this mosque, and neither trouble nor expense were spared to make it more glorious than any other. but achmet left behind an unpaid, discontented army and an empty treasury, having grasped the secret of laying up for himself treasure in heaven by the ingenious method of robbing other people's possessions on earth. in those days east and west drew nearer to each other than heretofore. where formerly the west had paid sporadic visits which were by no means always welcome, commerce had begun to spread its tendrils, and found the policy of turkey singularly liberal. so all the greater nations established relations on that friendly basis with the porte; england, france and holland had each a regularly accredited ambassador at the ottoman court. this inaugurated a more peaceful method of settling disputes, as, for example, when the moors of granada brought to the sultan their grievance against france, telling how, in their passage to that country on being expelled from spain, they had suffered bodily harm and loss of goods. a chaus or ambassador from sultan achmet to henry iv soon set matters right without resort to what diplomats call the _ultima ratio_. while on the subject of ambassadors a romantic story should be told, an incident which nearly disturbed the peace of europe. achmet left seven sons, all infants, into whose hands he could not place the reins of government, which he himself had held but loosely. on his accession he had not found it necessary to clear his path and prevent further trouble by the usual remedy of fratricide. his only brother, mustapha, was thoroughly incompetent, almost an idiot. yet it was he whom achmet declared as his successor, and the mufti, the ulema, the high college of priests, and the high officers of state approved his choice and placed mustapha on the throne. in all his acts mustapha emphasized his incapacity to rule, and one of them went near to cause a rupture with france. it fell out thus. two captives languished in the dungeons of a castle on the black sea. one was prince koreski, a pole, who had been taken prisoner in moldavia during the last reign, and was confined here because he had refused to turn mahomedan. the other who shared koreski's cell was rigault, a frenchman, who kept up a clandestine correspondence with a fellow-countryman, martin, secretary to the french embassy at constantinople. now martin loved a young polish lady, who with her mother and her maid was held prisoner by the turks. martin succeeded in purchasing the freedom of these ladies by a payment to the sultan of two thousand five hundred crowns. but when the ladies returned to their home in poland the father refused to accede to the arrangement and practically forbade the banns. so in his trouble martin confided all to his friend rigault, who in his turn told all to the prince. now koreski was a man of great influence in his own country, and told rigault to assure his friend that if their escape from prison could be managed, martin should not pine long for his lady-love. so martin set to work right eagerly. a greek priest who went to visit the prisoners concealed under his garments a long piece of pack-thread, and by these means the captives gained their freedom. mustapha's police sought diligently, but only managed to discover martin's share in the transaction, so the whole french embassy were put under arrest. the ambassador was confined in the grand vizier's palace, rigault and the domestics were put to the torture. the protests of the english and dutch ambassadors failed to move mustapha, and it was only through large donations to the chief officers of state that the french embassy was set at liberty. while listening to the tales the author has to tell, our travellers have picked their way along the railway-line, and have threaded in and out among the picturesque inhabitants of this quarter. here [illustration: the sea wall. these remnants of massive walls with battlemented summits, or perhaps little wooden houses are perched on top.] stand broken arches, loopholes looking out to sea; there remnants of massive walls with battlemented summits, or perhaps little wooden houses are perched on top, with their latticed windows; while beneath them one sees gardens, where part of a prophecy is at least fulfilled, for every man has his own fig-tree. and as we walk on these remains, the walls recede inland and disappear altogether, for here was formerly a harbour, and the name of the station we are passing, koum kapoussi--sand-gate--was given to the gate that opened out on the harbour of the kontoscalion. a fair-sized harbour too, now all silted up and built over. what life and bustle was here in the days of old byzant, those days of the great traders from the east, west and south. and what stores of treasure were landed at this spot. work from the looms of greece was stapled here, manufacturers of linen, woollen and silk--the former industries which had flourished since the days of homer, the latter introduced about the time of justinian. perhaps it was here that those rich gifts arrived for basil i from his generous friend, danielis, the rich matron of peloponnesus, who had adopted him as her own. doubtless the goods she sent were products of the grecian looms. even an emperor of byzantium must have greeted with pleased astonishment the beauty of the presents sent by his friend. a carpet large enough to overspread the floor of a new church, woven of fine wool and cunningly designed to represent and rival the brilliant eyes that adorn the peacock's tail. of silk and linen each six hundred pieces, the latter so exquisitely fine that an entire piece might be rolled into the hollow of a cane, the silk dyed with tyrian crimson, and the whole ornamented with fair needlework. duties were raised on all the goods that entered, and went towards suggesting the splendour of the emperor and his court. it is not possible to accurately compute the value of the goods and the vast sums they realized, but at least one traveller of experience was much impressed by what he witnessed here. a jew, and therefore no mean authority on pecuniary matters, one benjamin of tudela, speaks of the riches of byzantium, which he visited in the twelfth century-"it is here in the queen of cities that the tributes of the greek empire are annually deposited, and the lofty towers are filled with precious magazines of silk, purple and gold. it is said that constantinople pays each day to her sovereign 20,000 pieces of gold, which are levied on the shops, taverns, and markets, on the merchants of persia and egypt, of russia and hungary, of italy and spain, who frequent the capital by sea and land." nowadays the main source of public revenue is the crushing import duty on all new articles of 11 per cent., soon with the consent of the powers to be raised to 15. until recently every turkish subject resident in the capital paid also a capitation tax in lieu of the military service, which is now to be endured by all alike who cannot pay an exemption fee of £50. we walk on but a little further along the line, still past ruined walls and towers, and come to yet another gate, yedi kapoussi, or new gate. this was the entrance to a very ancient harbour--the oldest, it is said, along this stretch of coast. its origin is ascribed to eleutherius, who was one of the first to see this city rise. the site of the harbour is now entirely covered, and market-gardens are to be seen where formerly war-galleys sought refuge from enemies or elements. it is not certain at what date this harbour was abandoned, but it had happened before the final assault by mahomed the conqueror. the difficulty of keeping this harbour dredged must have been very considerable, for not only does the sea constantly cast sand along this coast, but just here the lycus, an historic stream, empties its waters into the sea of marmora, and deposits at its mouth an ever-increasing burden of rich mud washed down from above. according to tradition the harbour of eleutherius served not only for the safety of the empire's ships of war, but also as an entrance to the slave-market, which is said to have been somewhere in this neighbourhood. it is too sad, sadder than all the tales of cunning intrigue, ferocious crime and unscrupulous ambitions which make up so large a portion of the history enacted behind these city walls, to remember the vast multitude of human beings bartered here like the beasts of the field. innocent victims of misfortune were sold here, and many families must have met, possibly for the last time on earth, in this ghastly and degrading place, while captives that had escaped the sword in some bloody war of conquest or reprisal were here put up to auction, to be led away by their new masters and die in hopeless misery. but that sombre vision vanishes too under the sun that draws such brilliant colours from the ruined walls that so long sheltered this chartered and unchallenged iniquity, and we move onward by a laughing sea towards the west, turning south by a point or two as we leave the harbour of eleutherius behind us. we linger for a minute at the gate of psamathia--sand-gate again--and look out across the sea from a shady turkish café standing on a small spit of land that shelters a tiny harbour to westward. here are a number of those craft that we have seen flying down the bosphorus under full sail. the leisurely process of unloading is going forward, and stacks of wood are piled up carelessly and anywhere without undue hurry, while nimble-footed donkeys thread their way amongst the merchandise, and the driver follows sunk in his eastern reverie. and everywhere are dogs lounging together in little knots like elderly gentlemen in a club smoking-room (and always in the way), taking no interest in anything save the adventurous flies, and only giving an occasional languid snap at them. from here we thread our way through a maze of little narrow lanes of quaint wooden houses teeming with life and colour. here at a street corner a modest general store, showing some melons in their thick green coats, one with a large slice cut out by way of charity or advertisement, the green skin merging from pale lemon to a delicious crimson. near these a basketful of ripe tomatoes in their flaring red, contrasting strongly with the golden green of luscious grapes exposed for sale on delicate pink paper; yet all these colours harmonize, and in the cool depths of the background the owner sits and drowses cross-legged, amid all their glory. as we continue on our way we lose sight of these ancient sea-walls, for we have to turn inland awhile and follow the high-road that leads out into the open country. but now and then we see between the houses a glimpse of high towers and battlements in front of us. we turn down from the high-road, recross the railway-line, and find ourselves again amongst imposing ruins. standing out boldly is a fine tower, almost intact. as we draw nearer to it we understand how it came by its name, for this is the marble tower. it is a building of four storeys, constructed from the topmost string course downwards of large marble blocks, its white and gleaming foundations washed by the blue waters of the sea of marmora. to eastward, and joined on to the tower, stands a two-storied mass of masonry, with deep-arched window looking out to sea. these are the ruins of a castle that stood here to mark the place where sea-and land-walls joined. most probably it was the residence of some high military officer. surely a pleasant place to live in, strong and secure, with a spacious courtyard and perhaps a shady garden therein. or more likely still, this space, now a market-garden, was the scene of military life for many [illustration: the marble tower. standing out boldly is a fine tower, almost intact. this is the marble tower.] centuries; here the heavy-armed infantry of roman tradition made way for lighter troops whose dexterity replaced the armour they had abandoned. what discussions must have taken place when news came that a powder had been invented in the west, a powder which could hurl stones and leaden shot with greater impetus than any engines then in use, that a breast-plate and helmet and even stone walls were no protection against this deadly stuff. and the sentry pacing the ramparts on his lonely post at night would ruminate upon this matter, and wonder what power of evil could let loose a force capable of destroying both the stout walls under him and that fair marble gleaming white in the light of the moon. probably with the simple faith of his time he laid the whole matter at the door of satan himself, and his chosen agents--the workers of black magic--and no doubt glanced fearfully out to sea and crossed himself piously when he realized how much influence these unpleasant people still possessed even in a christian world which caused them to be burned on the barest suspicion of such malpractices. moon and stars and the plashing waves are now the only guardians of these walls. chapter vi the golden gate a small, deep-arched postern leads our travellers out of the precincts of the ruins that surround the marble tower. the masonry above the postern bears inscriptions dating back to the days when several emperors reigned together. basil ii and constantine ix, who have been already mentioned in connection with the palace of justinian, left records of their reign upon this section of the walls. the postern leads us outside the city walls, and as we turn for a last glance at the marble tower and the wonderful view it commands, we notice a strange byzantine device carved on its keystone. a narrow tongue of land runs out into the sea just here, and under its lee the cargo of several small sailing craft is being leisurely brought ashore, for staring us in the face is commercial enterprise and all it entails in the shape of a tannery. here in former days was open country which many a time had witnessed thrilling scenes. for at this small harbour [illustration: postern, with inscriptions of basil ii. and constantine ix. a small, deep-arched postern leads out of the precincts of the ruins that surround the marble tower.] the hero of a victorious campaign in asia minor was wont to land, and with him his troops. spoils taken in the war were stacked and hapless prisoners paraded to follow in procession through the golden gate at the conqueror's chariot wheels. from this harbour the turkish fleet of 305 vessels attempted to cut off the five gallant ships that brought provisions from the island of scio to the city during the last siege; these managed to force their way to the golden horn. the sentry on the ramparts over the postern we have left behind us, looking over this rolling plain, would see the glittering domes and pinnacles of yet another lordly place away on the curving sea-coast--the palace of the hebdomon. this, it appears, served as a rustic retreat for the emperors of the east. important functions took place there, for here valens was inaugurated as colleague of his brother, the emperor valentine, and proclaimed augustus. and others followed him, such as arcadius and honorius, raised to imperial rank by theodosius the great, leo the great and leo the armenian, and he with whose fate we became familiar when talking of theophane, nicephorus ii phocas. but we will hasten away from that malodorous evidence of progress, the tannery, for we are strongly drawn towards those towering ruins gleaming through the dark cypresses. we cross the railway-line and note where it has cut a path through the ancient defences of byzantium. climbing a bank, we reach a little turkish cemetery, its weird and tumbling tombstones shaded by those solemn, watchful cypress-trees. now look towards the walls: between us and them is a deep fosse, where fig-trees grow and throw out their twisted branches as if to protect these ancient ramparts from crumbling further to decay. ivy in dense dark masses clings to the crenulated scarp, and beyond that a broad roadway, all neglected, rises in gentle gradient till it turns sharply towards an archway, guarded on either hand by massive towers built of blocks of polished marble. this is the golden gate, the "porta aurea" of so many glorious moments in the life of constantine's great city. here the procession that had formed on the plain down by the harbour made its triumphal entry, and worthy was this monument in those days to serve as frame to a conquering augustus. walls and towers were crowned with parapets, over which glittered the glint of armour and the flashing light of spear-heads. the gates, too, were all on fire with the precious metal from which its name comes, though it now lives [illustration: the golden gate, from south-west.] this is the golden gate, the "porta aurea" of so many glorious moments in the life of constantine's great city.] only in memory. statues and sculptured ornaments added to the splendour of which the only traces now to be seen are some remains of marble cornices, and, at the south-western angle of the northern tower, a roman eagle with wings outspread in solitary grandeur. the golden gate had three archways, of which the central one was loftier and wider, like those more familiar to us in the roman forum. these were dedicated to severus and constantine respectively, and the gilded gates of these three arches were those of mompseueste, placed here by nicephorus phocas to commemorate his victorious campaign in cilicia. of all the many works of art that went to decorate the golden gate no traces but those just mentioned can be found; but there are records of them, and some are strange reading--for instance, the transactions between an english ambassador to the porte from 1621-28, sir thomas rowe and the "great treasurer." good sir thomas, it appears, had mentioned in his dispatches that two bas-reliefs which figured here were really well worthy of note. this led to another english gentleman, a mr. petty, being sent to constantinople to see to the removal of these treasures to the earl of arundel, who sought to share them with the duke of buckingham. much english gold changed hands and found its way into the hungry pockets of the great treasurer, who, like all other turkish high officials before and since, had frequent and pressing need of money, and was not plagued with petty scruples as to the means employed to obtain it. the bargain was completed and all arrangements made, but at the last moment, when it came to removing these marbles, the populace, under the castellan of the castle, rose in mutiny. the precious life of the great treasurer was in danger, and as he had probably pouched the money by that time, he discovered it to be quite impossible to carry out his part of the contract, at least for the present; and stout sir thomas reported to head-quarters in these words, "so i despair to effect therein your grace's service, and it is true, though i could not get the stones, yet i allmost raised an insurrection in that part of the cytty." we are standing now before the ruined remains of this, the culminating point of many a page of glorious achievement in the history of the eastern capital. but let us now regard it with the eye of retrospection; let the past ages envelop the broken, ivy-covered monument and restore it to us in its pristine glory, for we, too, would take part in the splendid pageant that once animated this now-deserted stronghold. so we go back into the depth of time from which perchance we issued. the fourth century of the christian era is big with the names of those who stamped themselves upon their time for good or evil, and thus the capital of the eastern empire owes its second birth to one whose glorious name is writ large upon the scroll of fame--to constantine the great. second only to constantine in this succession of rulers of the eastern empire comes theodosius i, also called great, and rightly so, for constantinople owes to him a debt almost as great as to the second founder of the imperial city. constantine gave to this city a new lease of life, and theodosius insured it against capture by assault for many centuries; for all those strong defences, the remains of which, some broken beyond recognition, others practically intact, extend from the golden gate to the golden horn, are a lasting monument to the theodosian dynasty. this golden gate itself is said to have been erected by theodosius to celebrate his victory over a formidable rival; and to enter fully into sympathy with the great incidents this monument has witnessed, let us take note of the events that led theodosius both to the imperial purple and the towering place he holds in the history of the world. the final separation into east and west of rome's imperial power had not yet taken place, and gratian was emperor. the latter years of his reign were hard and full of troubles. northern barbarians ravaged the provinces of rome at their will, and none seemed capable of checking their savage onslaughts. the legions of the roman army had time after time failed of their old tradition, and had so often been vanquished that they held their foes to be invincible. fiercest of all these fierce foemen were the goths, and it was they who caused the most distress. valens had fallen in the battle of hadrianople, and with him two-thirds of the roman army; the rest had barely effected their escape under cover of night. the roman empire was in sore straits; the goths were flushed with their victory, and likely to take advantage of it. five months after the death of valens the emperor gratian did a deed perhaps unparalleled. he sent for theodosius, presented him to the troops, who acclaimed him as augustus, and invested him with the imperial purple. the strangeness of this act lies in the history that precedes it. theodosius the elder, father of the new emperor, had but three years before been put to death unjustly and with ignominy by gratian's orders, and his son banished. so gratian's messengers found theodosius managing his estates in spain. they gave him their message, and forthwith the emperor-elect proceeded to his new duties imposed on him by one whose keen discernment found the right man in the time of need, and whose sense of right had sought the way towards redeeming a terrible injustice. theodosius was thirty-three years of age when he ascended the throne of the eastern division of the roman empire. in grace and manly beauty, in his qualities of heart and intellect, contemporaries held him to outshine trajan. like other military heroes--alexander, hannibal and the second africanus--he had been trained young in the profession of arms under the stern discipline of his own father. even at this early age he had gained renown for valour in the field, where his experiences had been many and varied. he had fought against the scots in their inclement climate, had heard the war-cry of the saxons echoing among the primeval forests of germany, and faced the moors under the fierce power of southern suns. he was now called upon to meet rome's most dreaded foes, those mighty goths, who, as their king said, drove the roman legions like sheep before them. theodosius showed no impetuous haste to gain new laurels for his own adornment. rather, he bided his time, placed his troops cunningly, and kept himself so well informed that whenever an opportunity offered of attacking a small force of the enemy in superior numbers, or from some vantage ground, he would seize it, and always proved successful. thus he restored the confidence of his troops, who now no longer believed the goths to be invincible. in this manner theodosius had already earned his title as great as a firm and faithful servant of the republic. his statecraft helped him further in his plans for the welfare of the empire, of which a considerable portion was now under his control, for dacia and macedonia were added to the eastern empire, which consisted then of thrace, asia and egypt. the death of fritigern, who had held together the barbarian alliance of eastern and western goths, huns and alani, was another factor which theodosius knew well how to take into account. once the bonds of the alliance loosened, and the different parties to it went different ways, the jealousy of ostrogoths and visigoths revived, and made it possible to win the services of one or other discontented leader. the aged athanaric collected many of fritigern's subjects round him, and with them listened to a fair proposal of an honourable and advantageous treaty. theodosius met him outside the city walls, invited him to enter, and here entertained him with the confidence of a friend and the magnificence of a monarch. athanaric marvelled at all the wondrous things he saw, and, according to the chronicler jornandes, exclaimed, "indeed, the emperor of the romans is a god upon earth; and the presumptuous man who dares to lift his hand against him is guilty of his own blood." the gothic king did not live long to enjoy the friendship of theodosius, though his death was probably of greater advantage to the emperor than his alliance might have proved to be. athanaric was buried with all proper ceremony, a monument was erected to his memory, and his whole army enlisted under the standard of the roman empire. in consequence of the submission of so great a body as the visigoths, other independent chieftains followed, and four years had barely elapsed since the defeat and death of valens when the final and complete capitulation of the goths was an accomplished fact. the ostrogoths, however, went their own way. they left the banks of the danube to visit other countries, where, having made themselves extremely unpopular, they returned after many years to their former haunts, reinforced by many of the fiercest warriors of germany and scythia. theodosius, by skilful tactics, brought about their destruction. his spies had spread among the goths a rumour that the roman camp could, on a certain night, be easily taken by surprise. one moonless night the whole multitude of goths hastily embarked in 3000 dug-outs, and set out to reach the southern bank of the river, certain of finding an easy landing and assailing an unguarded camp. but they found an insuperable obstacle in a triple line of vessels strongly bound one to another; and while they yet struggled to find a way out of this difficulty, a fleet of galleys bore down the stream upon them, vigorous rowing giving them irresistible impetus. the valour of the barbarians was all in vain; alatheus their king perished in the fray, together with the flower of his army, either by the swords of the romans or in the waters of the danube. those who escaped surrendered and became roman subjects. the goths soon settled in the empire, the visigoths in thrace, the remnant of the ostrogoths in phrygia and lydia, while many took service under the roman eagles. they were allowed to retain their own free government, but the royal dignity was abolished, and their kings and chieftains ranked as generals, to be appointed and removed at the royal pleasure. under the name of foederati 40,000 goths were maintained for the perpetual service of the east; they were distinguished by their golden collars, liberal pay, and licentious privileges. so here we find the walls of constantinople guarded by its former enemies, while the population lose more and more of the military spirit of ancient rome. no love was lost, we fancy, between the citizens of old byzantium and these haughty barbarians. indeed, one old chronicler relates how the city was deprived for half a day of the public allowance of bread, to expiate the murder of a gothic soldier. there is no record of how many greek citizens a barbarian guardsman was allowed to murder if he thought fit to do so; probably statistics would be striking. no doubt the idea was that a fine blend of races might thus be induced, an idea that has occurred to other conquerors and has not always proved successful. so in this case: the goths, it was supposed, would acquire habits of industry and obedience, while christianity and education smoothed over the very apparent roughness of their disposition. though gratitude is a virtue that is generally attributed to barbarians and denied to highly civilized races, the goths made no signal display of it, and from time to time deserted in large bodies to make the neighbouring provinces unhappy. thus on one occasion, when their services were particularly required in a civil war against maximus, the goths considered that the time had come for a little private entertainment. they therefore retired to the morasses of macedonia, and indulged in a course of quite unnecessary outrage. it required the presence of the emperor himself to persuade them to return to their allegiance. some attributed these alarums and excursions to the sudden rise of the barbaric passion, to which a strong, undisciplined race is always prone. but others maintain that there was much method in their madness, and that these outbursts were the result of deep and long-premeditated design, for it was generally believed that when the goths had signed the treaty binding them to peace and service, they had previously sworn never to keep faith with romans, and to neglect no opportunity favourable to revenge. the second opinion seems to have been formed on quite sufficient grounds, and one occurrence tends to prove it. two factions there were among the goths: the one led by fravitta, a valiant, honourable youth, considered itself friendly to peace, to justice, and to the interests of rome; the other and more numerous faction asserted its independence under a fierce and passionate leader--priulf. on one occasion, when a solemn festival had gathered all the great officers of state together, priulf and fravitta, having according to the custom of their race duly overheated themselves with wine, forgot the usual restraints of discretion and respect, and betrayed in the presence of theodosius the secrets of their domestic disputes. the meeting ended in tumult. theodosius was compelled to dismiss his guests. fravitta, exasperated by his rival's insolence, followed him, drew his sword and slew him. priulfs companions flew to arms, and in their superior numbers would have overcome fravitta and his followers had not the imperial guard stepped in to save him. now author and artist are at variance in their views of the incident just related. the author looks upon the subject from a lofty pedestal built of historic facts, and has just given this account of an abrupt and unpleasant ending to a dinner-party in order to shake his head reprovingly over the want of self-control exhibited by the invited gothic guests. he would also point to the degeneracy of the roman empire, when such scenes could be enacted in the presence of the emperor. what was the lord high guest-inviter about to ask fravitta and priulf to meet? he should have known that they would quarrel in their cups, and have sent out his separate invitations for two repasts, though perhaps for consecutive evenings. and the lord high bottle-washer? surely one in his exalted station should have recognized from long experience the first symptoms, and substituted something less stimulating than the blood of the grape on the third or fourth circuit of the decanter. for surely concoctions equally tasty and considerably under proof must have been known to "the trade" in those ages of gastronomic culture. however, matters turned out as recorded, and the artist revels in the episode. the church's solemn feast had been duly observed that morning; no doubt the goths had taken part in church parade, and had, as usual, failed to be sufficiently impressed with the solemnity of the occasion. then all the great ones proceeded to the palace, and, already chafing at the length of the sermon, grew yet more impatient at the delay of dinner while waiting in some ante-room. the emperor theodosius augustus enters, and a stir goes through the assembly. a kind word here and there in latin, greek, or some barbaric tongue as the kind-hearted emperor recognizes a familiar face, and then into the banqueting-hall--a lofty, spacious apartment, with arched windows looking out to sea. as to the fare--the artist is no expert, but would suggest that the festive board groaned, like all boards do on such occasions, beneath a quite superfluous amount of all the food-stuffs then available. no doubt at first the strict decorum of a court was carefully observed, and the weather or the latest scandal discussed in a duly christian spirit; but after a while a louder laugh would strike a stronger, healthier note in the clangour of the table-talk, till all of a sudden angry voices rose and all the courtiers stared aghast at two barbarians gloriously drunk and quarrelling across the very presence of augustus. the sequel, too, seems quite appropriate to the artist, and he can silence criticism by pointing back but one short century in the life of his own beloved country. mention was made of maximus just now, and it was he who gave to the porta aurea its origin--for had he not risen as rival against the power of rome theodosius would not have taken the field, vanquished him and erected this triumphal arch in memory of his victory. and, indirectly again, this arch owes its origin to britain, for there it was that the trouble first arose like a small cloud over the western seas. a native of spain, a fellow-countryman of theodosius and his rival as a soldier, maximus won golden opinions from the garrison of britain, the province he was called upon to govern. the legions stationed in britain had already earned the reputation of being the most arrogant and presumptuous of all the roman forces; the country itself, by its isolation, fostered the spirit of revolt and justified the image bossuet, whom we imagine smarting from his latest channel crossing, gives: "cette isle, plus orageuse que les mers qui environnent." so maximus rose as rival to the throne, and some say that against his better judgment he was compelled to accept the purple. the youth of britain crowded to his standard, and he invaded gaul with a naval and military force that could be likened to an emigration. gratian, in his residence at paris, became alarmed at this hostile approach, and found himself deserted when he tried to rally his forces, for the armies of gaul received maximus with joyful acclamations. the emperor of the west was forced to flee, for even those troops whose stations attached them immediately to his person deserted to the enemy. so maximus pursued his triumphant way, leaving britons behind him as colonists in bretagne, where it is said that their descendants endure to this day. a romantic legend attaches to this tale of conquest. the whole emigration from britain consisted of 30,000 soldiers and 100,000 plebeians, who settled in bretagne. in a spirit of rare patriotism the brides of these settlers left england under special convoy of st. ursula, 11,000 noble and 60,000 plebeian maidens, but they mistook their way. they eventually landed at cologne, and there were cruelly slain by huns. a window in cologne cathedral commemorates this martyrdom, so all doubts on the subject are dispelled for ever. theodosius was unable, for reasons of state, to avenge the murder of his benefactor gratian, but as time went on the rivalry between him and maximus became intolerable. one or the other had to make way, and it was maximus who succumbed. then it was that this triumphal arch, this porta aurea, came to be erected, to stand as a perpetual monument to one who ranks with constantine the great in the romantic history of constantinople. nearly three centuries later another emperor, heraclius, entered in triumph through this gateway, on his return from the persian wars. one hundred years later constantine copronymus followed through these golden arches, after defeating the bulgarians. then came theophilus in the middle of the ninth century, to celebrate his hard-won victories over the saracens. basil i, the macedonian, followed, and of his first acquaintance with the golden gate mention will be made hereafter. then basil ii of that name, called bulgaroktonos, for he wreaked savage vengeance on the bulgarians who had dared to disturb his peace. a weird, romantic figure this of basil, we have had a glimpse of him when telling of those dark influences that coloured his earliest days. those days in the palace of justinian when theophane, his mother, worked wickedness, can have had but the worst effect on a character like his. learning and all the gentler arts and crafts he heartily despised, and cared for nothing but military glory. he first drew sword against two domestic enemies, phocas and sclerus, two veteran generals who rendered insecure his tenure of the purple. he subdued them both. then he turned against the saracens, proved successful, and as has been said already, vanquished the bulgarians. in spite of his achievements in the field basil did not gain the affection of his people. he was one of those mournful figures that flit from time to time across the pages of history. his only virtues were courage and patience, but they were counterbalanced by a tameless ferocity. a mind like his in such an age lends a ready ear to the dreariest superstition, and after the first licence of his youth, his life in the field and in the palace was devoted to the penance of a hermit. he wore the monastic habit under his robes or armour, and imposed upon himself vows of abstinence from all the lusts of the flesh. his martial spirit urged him to embark in person on a holy war against the saracens of sicily, but death prevented him. he was then in his sixty-eighth year, and left the world blessed by the priests but cursed by his people. another in this glittering pageant that passes through the golden gate in triumph is john zimisces the armenian, whom our travellers first saw in that dark night under the windows of justinian's palace. his life was spent almost entirely in the field, and he well deserved the triumph that awaited him on his return to constantinople after defeating both the saracens and russians. the last of all the emperors to whom triumphal entry through the golden gate was accorded was michael palæologus, in august 1261. it is not easy to discover why this honour should have been shown him, for he had achieved no renown in his endeavour to regain his own. no doubt the people gladly welcomed back one of the former race of rulers, not only because like most people they wanted a change, but because that change could not possibly be for the worse, inasmuch as they had suffered grievously for more than half-a-century under the rule imposed on them by the latins, and were willing to accept any possible alternative. baldwin, the last of the latin emperors, had fled, and michael palæologus entered constantinople only twenty days after the expulsion of the latins. the golden gate was thrown open on his approach, he dismounted, and on foot meekly followed the miraculous image of mary the conductress into the city as far as the cathedral of st. sophia. but michael's joy at entering the capital was marred by the sights that met his eye. whole streets had been consumed by fire, no signs of trade or industry were to be seen, and even his palace was in a state of desolation, grimy with smoke and dirt and stripped of every ornament. standing inside the enclosure we look up at the golden gate--the stones and brick that block up the three arches fade away, and in their place stand the gleaming gates that helped to give it its name. a surging mass of people moves excitedly around us pressing forward towards the entrance. a body of troops appears: big men, of fairer skins than those who form the crowd, clear with long-handled spears a roadway, thrusting aside with undisguised contempt the over-curious spectators. scowls and glances of resentment vanish as sounds of an approaching multitude, accompanied by martial music, are heard proceeding from the plain outside the gate. here they come! and already in a golden haze the pageant seems to move towards us. huns and alani, the light cavalry trained by theodosius, on wiry horses, shaggy, savage-looking men, they hurry on, followed by sturdy, heavy-treading infantry, stout warriors clad in skins of animals, with here and there a touch of finer stuff, betraying them not all unused to the refinements of the empire's capital. they surround him whom they are pleased to call master, the roman emperor. and then comes endless misery, unchronicled and long-forgotten--the captives taken in the wars. red-headed celts and fair-haired saxons, swarthy moors and saracens with desperate, flashing eyes. among the captives big-limbed slavs, and then more troops, some in the primitive costume of their native wilds, others in armour of all periods. thus passes this glorious array--emperors on horseback or in chariots, their guards and soldiery, captives and slaves both men and women, trophies and spoils of war. in these few minutes while we watch, the triumphs of seven centuries of empire rise up before us and fade away into that general oblivion which so few men survive, and even those often, as it seems, only by some chance or trick of fortune. thousands and tens of thousands have passed this way in their brief hour of victory, have made the heavens ring with their deeds, that lived a day or two in memory, and then have silently moved onwards into the place of forgotten things. the vision passes and leaves us but a name or two by which we may remember what greatness and glory have swept by. the gilded splendour of the gates is dimmed, the stones and bricks resume their place within the arches, and here before us stands that hoary ruin grey with age, lichen-covered and festooned with ivy, while rank weeds spring up round its foundation and flowering bushes form its ramparts--the triumphal arch of theodosius--the golden gate. [illustration: the approach to the golden gate from north west. here before us stands that hoary ruin, grey with age, lichen-covered and festooned with ivy--the triumphal arch of theodosius--the golden gate.] chapter vii the golden gate (_continued_) the golden gate was from time to time thrown open for other purposes than to admit a conqueror. persons of note who sought audience of the emperor have passed in through it, and their mission was in the service of another victor, they came in the name of him who overcame death. among these was pope constantine, who came to confer with that justinian ii whose acquaintance we made some chapters back. another emperor whose history is familiar to our travellers, basil ii, admitted the legate of pope hadrian into the city underneath the same portals. and yet another solemn procession moves in at the gates while we watch. no blare of trumpet, no martial sound of clashing arms, no steady, resolute footsteps, scurry of horses or the grinding noise of chariot wheels marks the progress of this host of shadows. it moves slowly, to the rhythm of a solemn chant that rises into a more rapturous cadence from time to time; moves through the crowds of kneeling figures with bared heads and eyes lowered to the ground that they may not see the glory of that which is passing, for is it not the sacred icon, the icon of christ brought from edessa to find sanctuary in the church of st. sophia? christianity owes much to the personality of the first eastern emperors to constantine, the first augustus to be baptized into that faith, and again to theodosius i, the ardent champion of the cross. until the reign of this great emperor the ancient faith of rome still lived on, both in that city and in the provinces. an altar to victory accompanied the roman legions in the field, the higher officers of state in many cases laid claim to the title of pontifex and presided over the old religious rites while the majority of the roman senate still adhered to the polytheistic tenets of the old faith. the emperor gratian, fired by the zeal of ambrose, banished once and for all the altar of victory from the roman senate. this led to a heated controversy, which was decided by theodosius. returning to rome "with all his blushing honours thick upon him," the emperor proposed at a full meeting of the senate the momentous question: shall the worship of jupiter or that of christ be the religion of the romans? in the roman republic of those days it was not expedient to gainsay a victorious emperor, so by a majority of the senate jupiter was condemned and degraded. thus when we witnessed the triumphal entry of theodosius the great into constantinople by the golden gate, the gods of ancient rome, unseen by us, were fastened to his chariot wheels. theodosius was first of all a soldier, and though born of christian parents he did not embrace the faith until towards the end of the first year of his reign, when a severe illness carried conviction to the imperial heart. he received the sacrament of baptism before he again took the field against the goths, at the hands of acholius, the orthodox bishop of thessalonica. once convinced of the beauty of the faith, and sure of the unfailing aid the church affords, theodosius acted as a soldier and a convert usually does. no room for the doubts and fears of others, he had found the sure haven of his soul, and all his people must needs be categorically instructed in the right way. on ascending from the holy font he issued an edict which must be given word for word. "it is our pleasure that all the nations which are governed by our clemency and moderation should steadfastly adhere to the religion which was taught by st. peter to the romans, which faithful tradition has preserved; and which is now professed by the pontiff damarcus and by peter, bishop of alexandria, a man of apostolic holiness. according to the discipline of the apostles and the doctrine of the gospel, let us believe the sole deity of the father, the son and the holy ghost, under an equal majesty and a pious trinity. we authorize the followers of this doctrine to assume the title of catholic christians, and as we judge that all others are extravagant madmen, we brand them with the infamous name of heretics, and declare that their conventicles shall no longer usurp the respectable appellation of churches. besides the condemnation of divine justice, they must expect to suffer the severe penalties, which our authority, guided by heavenly wisdom, shall think proper to inflict upon them." so we find little room in byzantium for the nonconformist conscience, or, indeed, for any other save that of the ruler himself. like a soldier theodosius adhered to his opinions, and all argument from other sides failed to impress him. once only was he found to show the slightest inclination to listen to another version of the christian creed. he expressed a wish to converse with the pious and learned eunomius, who lived a retired life near constantinople. the prayers of the empress flaccilla prevented this dangerous and mistaken attempt even to understand the position of others, and further confirmation in his orthodoxy came about in a dramatic manner. theodosius and his son arcadius, upon whom the title of augustus had lately been bestowed, were seated side by side upon a stately throne to receive the homage of their subjects. amphilochius, bishop of iconium, approached the throne and rendered due homage to theodosius. he then turned and addressed arcadius in the patronizing tones some dignitaries of the church still use towards plebeian children. this insolent behaviour provoked the monarch, and he gave orders to eject the priest. while the guards were executing them, the bishop turned in the doorway and exclaimed in a loud voice, "such is the treatment, o emperor! which the king of heaven has prepared for those impious men who affect to worship the father but refuse to acknowledge the equal majesty of his divine son." this convincing logic failed not of its effect, the orthodoxy of theodosius was safe against all further argument, and in no other case was he tempted into the uncertain and unsettling paths of philosophical speculation. in matters religious constantinople may perhaps be said to lead the controversial way. it was for forty years, from 340 to 380, the centre of arianism, and is said to have admitted all manner of strange doctrines from every province of the empire--as was to be expected among a population more prone to disputations than to serious thought or that activity which takes religion as a staff to guide its daily task and not as a subject for polemic exercise. let us return to a haunt familiar to the reader--the atrium, down by the sea of marmora, and listen, without venturing an opinion, to what the men of the fourth century had to say upon an all-important subject. they were, or the majority of them would probably profess to be, arians, and for many reasons, not alone dogmatic, would have closed their ears to the echoes that came to them of a purer doctrine taught at rome and alexandria. yet they must have felt some apprehensions, for among them in their own city blossomed that rarest of all fair flowers, a perfect friendship between two men of the same way of thinking. basil and gregory, both natives of cappadocia, were of one heart and mind in their endeavours at reform. they had pursued their studies together at athens, together had retired into the solitude of the desert of pontus, and together they set out upon their mission to constantinople. truly a lovely sight, and altogether beautiful, this friendship of two earnest men. no doubt the heads of those that walked the atrium of justinian the great wagged as they reflected that there must be great goodness in a right so blessed. but a cold vapour passed over this entrancing vision--basil was exalted to the archiepiscopal throne of cæsarea, and by way of favour to his friend selected him as bishop of sasima, of all the fifty bishoprics in his extensive province, the most desolate--sans water, sans verdure, sans everything that one could wish a friend. some years later gregory returned to constantinople to try for further preferment, and in the meantime started a tabernacle of his own, and after much adversity attained his object when theodosius entered the city at the close of a successful campaign in november 380. gregory had gained many adherents, and was eventually elevated to the eastern see by the orthodox emperor. in spite of the unyielding orthodoxy which theodosius knew how to enforce, the arians did not acquiesce without a protest, and gregory confessed pathetically that on the day of his installation the capital of the east wore the appearance of a city taken by storm at the hands of a barbarian conqueror. no doubt the polemics that raged around the question of the trinity exasperated the soldier theodosius, he therefore determined to have the matter settled definitely, and to that end convened a synod of one hundred and fifty bishops to complete the theological system established in the council of nicæa. no doubt this council arrived at some conclusion that satisfied the emperor, so that at least one man's mind was set at rest on a vexed question. many different christian sects had sprung up before theodosius began to issue edicts, and that many of them returned to obscurity is a reason for profound gratitude, for the world has on more than one occasion proved too small for rival creeds. still it is sad to reflect that the office of inquisitor in matters of religion was first instituted by one of the greatest of the eastern emperors. no doubt theodosius was convinced that he had said the last word on religious controversy, that being very sure himself his people would be equally so. this, however, turned out to be rather too hopeful a view of the matter, for synods, conferences and councils followed one after another, leading to endless controversy and to no more gratifying result than a more marked divergence of opinions. behind these walls of constantinople the religious life of the people showed uncommon vigour, though it may be doubted whether the general effect was one of holiness. strong men appear upon the scene and take an active part provoking strong passions much at variance with the peaceful precepts of the christian creed, though quite in keeping with the prophecy of him who asserted that he came to bring "not peace but a sword." out of this chaos of ideas and ideals rises one form after another, to stand out before his contemporaries in bolder outline than historical perspective warrants. of these one may be singled out as truly great, though it is perhaps due to his personality more than to the enduring good he did that he appeals to readers of the present day. he came from antioch with a great reputation as a preacher, so great that people called him the golden mouth--st. john chrysostom. his induction to the eastern see was carried into effect by somewhat unusual means. eutropius, the prime minister of arcadius the young emperor, had heard and admired the sermons of john chrysostom when on a journey in the east. fearing that the faithful of antioch might be unwilling to resign their favourite preacher, the minister sent a private order to the governor of syria, and the divine was transported with great speed and secrecy to constantinople. the new archbishop did not fail to make his influence felt at once, and his sermons gave rise to factions, some in his favour, some against him, all united to make the most of an excuse for religious controversy. as has often happened since, though on a less magnificent scale, the ladies of the parish took very ardent interest in the dispute. some there were who approved of all he said and did, others violently condemned him and all his works. these ladies were for the most part of mature age, and therefore well qualified to judge, and many of them were extremely wealthy, which of course gave weight to their opinions. chrysostom was of choleric temperament and unsocial habits, the first led him to express disapproval in scarcely measured terms, the second prevented him from finding out what was going forward in those places where he had been insisting on reform. so it came about that an ecclesiastical conspiracy formed against him was all unknown to him until he found that one theophilus, archbishop of alexandria, had arrived by invitation of the empress, together with a number of independent bishops, to secure a majority at the synod. theophilus had taken the further precaution of bringing with him a strong escort of egyptian mariners to serve as practical warriors in the church militant and keep the refractory populace in order. the synod brought various charges against chrysostom, who refused to attend the meetings, so in default this august body condemned the archbishop for contumacious disobedience and sentenced him to be deposed. chrysostom was hurried out of the city to a place of banishment near the entrance of the black sea, but before two days had passed he was recalled, his faithful flock rose with unanimous and irresistible fury, the promiscuous crowd of monks and egyptian mariners were slaughtered without mercy in the streets of the city, the waves of sedition roared and seethed round the palace gates, and an earthquake came just in time to be interpreted as the voice of heaven, so the empress eudoxia had to implore arcadius to reinstate the favourite preacher. chrysostom returned in triumph down the bosphorus and into the golden horn, through lanes of shipping that vied with the houses ashore in the splendour of their illuminations. from the landing-stage to the cathedral thousands of his faithful flock escorted him with frenzied exclamations. but st. john (the golden mouth) was no courtier, he pursued his course with increased zeal. his sermons made him yet more popular with the masses, and proved yet more distasteful to the court, until one directed in bitterest vein against the empress proved his temporal undoing for a second time. again he was banished, and this time to the distant ridges of mount taurus. he spent three years of great activity in this retreat, carrying on a correspondence with the most distant provinces of the empire. his enemies, however, were not yet satisfied, and brought about his removal to the desert of pityas, but on the way thither in his sixtieth year st. john chrysostom died. thirty years after, in january 438, the remains of this zealous, high-spirited priest were transported from their obscure sepulchre to the royal city. theodosius ii advanced as far as chalcedon to meet them, and falling prostrate on the coffin implored in the name of his guilty parents, arcadius and eudoxia, the forgiveness of the injured saint. the efforts of st. john chrysostom proved effective during his lifetime alone. after his death the religious cohesion of a large empire, composed of so many races, each with its own peculiar temperament fell away and the divergence of opinion on matters of dogma became more and more accentuated. a peculiar instance of this is afforded by the armenian church, and the author apologizes to his fellow-travellers for having omitted to point out the unpretentious cathedral of that community when visiting the walls by the sea of marmora. the armenians took up the christian faith in a most generous spirit during the reign of constantine. the many invasions their country suffered under, the constant disorders that occurred there, as well as the fact that their clergy were generally ignorant of the greek tongue, all tended to separate them from their fellow-believers in europe. they clung to their doctrine that the manhood of christ was created of a divine and incorruptible substance, and therefore scouted the notion that imputed to the godhead the infirmities of the flesh. their priests were unable to assist at the council of chalcedon, owing to the linguistic difficulty referred to, so in time they became schismatics, their separation from other communities dating back as far as 552. for reasons which it is not well to enter into, the armenians have not always enjoyed the toleration shown to other creeds by the moslem conquerors of the eastern empire--gruesome tales have reached the ears of europe from time to time, and the less said on this subject the better, for the enlightened powers that now rule over the destinies of the eastern empire give ample assurance that those dark days of persecution are past. where christianity has gained hold over the minds of men, it not only influences their thoughts and actions more than any other motive power, but it has the result, perhaps quite contrary to the intentions of its founder, of crystallizing the national characteristics of the different races that become subject to its influence. this leads to a definite expression of national sentiments, aims and ambitions, and so it happened when christianity was in the full vigour of youth. those communities whose life was lived under a southern sun, in lands where tradition and history receded into the dim vistas that hide the origin of all things, lands like syria and egypt drifted into a spiritual nirvana of lazy and contemplative devotion. no wonder then that the fierce onrush of those who were inflamed by mahomed's fighting creed met with no resistance, and islam is now the faith of those lands of ruin and golden sand. the western nations took to the new creed without any loss of the fighting qualities of their race; and in fact the preaching of the new religion seems to have had but little effect upon their methods of expressing their convictions on any subject, and equally little power to check ambition. so the western church was forced to adopt the strenuous method of the people under its spiritual sway, aided therein by the strain of stronger northern races that had revived the moribund communities in the immediate neighbourhood of rome. then the direction taken by the western church led to absolute power over the bodies and souls of men. the superstitions grafted on the doctrines of the church to enhance the power of its ministers proved a weapon of irresistible force in the hands of an unscrupulous and ambitious pontiff. the warrior kings of warlike nations quailed before the power of the head of western christendom, and one of germany's haughty emperors crept barefooted through the snow to canossa, there to implore the pontiff's pardon. this ambition has fired the western church through all these ages that saw the gradual development of europe, has led to many and most bloody wars, occasioned revolting crimes, and still acts as an incentive to the "kultur kampf," against which even bismarck, the iron chancellor, did not battle with unqualified success. as may be supposed, the ambitious strivings of the roman see were not directed only against the western nations whom christendom had reached mainly through its agents. it cast longing glances at the eastern capital. the greeks, however, took their religion in yet another form, approached it in yet another spirit. at constantinople the emperor and the patriarch lived side by side, and were busily engaged in checking each other's authority, or offering a united front against roman interference. no attempt seems to have been made on the part of any archbishop of the eastern capital to arrogate to himself temporal power. it was politically impossible, so long as successors to the throne of cæsar were to be found among victorious generals, whenever the scions of the imperial family showed signs of weakness. again the genius of the greek expressed itself in a different sense. the roman church laid down its dogmata, and no one was found to cavil at them, or those that did, until luther's time, met with a short shrift and a blazing pyre. the populace of the eastern empire, and more expressly of constantinople, knew none of this intellectual submission to ecclesiastical authority, and exercised their keen wits in disputations, subtle or extravagant, according to individual taste. vehement controversies raged constantly around the mysteries of the christian creed, and served at once to sharpen the intellect and obscure the purity of the faith. new sects were for ever springing up, some to be suppressed by edict of an emperor, or to prolong their precarious existence under persecution, others to die yet more surely of neglect. high and low entered into these contests, perhaps not always urged by the purest motives--the isaurian emperors condemned the use of icons, and theodora in sanguinary devotion restored them to the churches. paulicians, who abhorred all images, were introduced from the banks of the euphrates into constantinople and thrace by constantine, whom the worshippers of images surnamed copronymus, in the middle of the eighth century. they suffered much persecution from time to time; and again were encouraged and in fact reinforced by another emperor, john zimisces, who transported a large colony of them to the valleys of mount hæmus. under good treatment they became arrogant, and being doughty warriors resented the injuries they frequently received at the hands of the eastern clergy. they retired to their native land, and there were subject to renewed attacks by their christian brethren of the eastern fold, and by any armed and adventurous nation of a different faith who happened to pass that way. asia too has had experience of a religious war lasting thirty years and devastating many tracts of fair and fertile country, an example followed by europe nearly eight centuries later. thus the religious life of constantine's great city was not without intense excitement to those who lived within the walls. after the first eight centuries of the christian era, the interest somewhat abated, the degenerate population seemed to have lost its appetite for controversy. a definite separation from rome had not been brought about, though it may be supposed that the roman pontiff exercised little direct control over the religious destinies of the eastern empire. the recital of religious differences, of disputes concerning the mysteries of any faith make unpleasant reading at any time. but yet such matters have to be faced if we would restore some of the testimony of these silent witnesses, the ruined walls of constantinople. thus if we are to read the history their stones record, we cannot overlook the darker pages, the depth of shadows that offer such contrast to the brighter passages of the chronicles of this imperial city. the eastern and the western world were never really in accord on any subject--the bonds that united them were frail and might snap at the death of one strong man or the other, who like constantine had firm hold of the reins of government. but the western empire was no more, and owing to this and the disorders that ensued in consequence, the eastern empire gained in importance. it at least presented a united front to outward enemies, so when charlemagne restored the western roman empire, a rivalry of power seemed imminent--this marked the distance east and west had travelled on diverging roads and brought about a separation of the greek and latin churches. the intellectual pride of the greeks could not submit to any dictation on the subject of the christian doctrine from the see of rome; roman ambition would not allow outlying communities to formulate new doctrines or to revise old ones. in everything the adherents of the eastern and western churches found points of disagreement. it needed but a small pretext to bring about a schism, small at this period of time but great and momentous to those who struggled through the controversy. a pretext was not long wanting. about the middle of the ninth century photius, a layman, captain of the guards, was promoted by merit and favour to the office of patriarch of constantinople. in ecclesiastical science and in the purity of morals he was equally well qualified for his high office. but ignatius, his predecessor, who had abdicated, had still many obstinate supporters, and they appealed to pope nicholas i, one of the proudest and most ambitious of the roman pontiffs, who welcomed an opportunity of judging and condemning his rival of the east. the greek patriarch issued triumphant with the aid of the court, but fell with his patron, cæsar bardas, uncle of michael iii, whereupon basil the macedonian restored ignatius to his former dignity. photius emerged on the death of ignatius from the monastery which had sheltered him and was again restored to the dignity of the patriarchate, to be again and for ever deprived of office on the death of basil i. the roman see had interfered in favour of ignatius, and had become unpopular with all sections of greek orthodoxy in consequence. then followed the dark and hopeless days of the tenth century, without any attempt at reconciliation between the churches. nothing but unseemly recriminations ensued, till in 1054 the papal legates entered constantinople, having laid a bill of excommunication against the patriarch upon the altar of st. sophia, and shaking the dust from off their feet returned to rome. negotiations between the two churches continued at ever-increasing intervals, and the breach widened by the actions of both sides. when the western nations, fired by religious enthusiasm, pressed eastward in their thousands to attempt the rescue of the holy land, they met with faint support, and even covert opposition from the eastern emperors. and when the eastern empire was hard pressed by the old enemy of the cross, the pope refused his aid until urged thereto by one of his own spiritual vassals, and that, as we have seen, in vain. from time to time attempts were made at reconciliation, but whether they were sincere is hard to determine, and certainly does not come within the province of this book. suffice it to say, they failed, and now under the protection of crescent and star the orthodox greek church preserves the even tenor of her way. author and artist wonder whether perchance they should apologize for talking at length on a matter of such vital interest as the religious controversies between different schools of christian thought. they decide not to do so, for to give a fair account of all the history or of as much of it as one small volume may contain, the strong note that dominated the lives and motives of so many generations, all struggling upwards to the light, must sound above the universal and jarring discords. there is yet another feature of the religious life that had its day behind these sheltering walls, its monastic institutions. the author has views on the subject of political economy which he does not intend to inflict upon his fellow-travellers. of a truth this is neither a reasonable time nor an appropriate place for any such controversial matter. rather the author proposes to entrust his patient audience to the mercy of the artist, who has a tale to tell and may be some time in telling it. thus he leaves his collaborator to think out the next chapter, for much remains to be told. meanwhile the artist takes us back to those remote, romantic ages when christianity was young and even more capable than it is to-day of arousing fierce passions which led to what the cynics of other ages regard as mere extravagances. he tells of anthony, an illiterate youth who lived in thebais at the beginning of the fourth century. of how anthony distributed his patrimony, left his kith and kin and began his monastic penance among the tombs in a ruined tower by the banks of the nile. how anthony then wandered three days' journey into the desert to eastward of the nile and fixed his last residence in a lonely spot where he had found shade and water. from egypt, that land of mystery, this novel conception of a christian's duty spread over all the christian world. anthony's fame went far afield, many disciples followed him, and ere he died at the advanced age of 105 he was surrounded by many fellow-anchorites ready to follow in his footsteps. the people of the eastern empire took up the new idea with enthusiasm, and many monasteries were erected within the walls of old byzantium. one of them has already been mentioned, the monastery of st. george at the mangane near seraglio point, where for some time the emperor john cantacuzene took up his abode after his abdication. monasteries and convents were in fact almost invaluable to party politicians of the byzantine empire. emperors and empresses were conveyed to these places of retreat, with more or less of ceremony according to the judgment passed on their misdeeds, real or supposed, by the fickle populace. royal princes who might be tempted to usurp the throne were banished to convenient monasteries, and sometimes deprived of eyesight that they might realize the vanity of all things. victorious and ambitious generals found unsought rest and quietness in the cloister, even patriarchs have been known to vanish from sight into the "dim religious light" that was the material and spiritual attribute of those secluded haunts. those fairy islands we saw floating in the placid sea of marmora held many illustrious captives within the walls of its cloisters and convents. distant mount athos with its thousands of anchorites would from time to time welcome back a brother who had basked for a short time in the sunlight of an emperor's smile. but through all those ages of monastic life, in all the stories and legends of pious hermits and anchorites, the artist misses any one akin to his own admired friend--friar tuck. greek monks took frequent part in the disturbances that party politics provoked, but none was found to expound like him, his doctrine of christian socialism with the aid of a stout quarter-staff. and of the artistic side of monastic usefulness no trace remains, none of those beautifully executed illuminations that were the life-work of so many a skilful limner in the west. the storm that broke over constantinople swept all this away, and nothing is left but a faint record of the site of some ancient hermitage. thus on our way to the marble tower and not far from where we stand stood a monastery dedicated to st. diomed, and hereby hangs a tale full as romantic as any yet recorded. one evening in the middle of the ninth century a youth, strong and active, but weary and travel-stained, approached the golden gate from over the heights beyond the walls. he entered the city, but not by the golden gate that we are now so well acquainted with, he went round a little to the north, where there is another opening in the walls, a sort of "tradesmen's entrance," for to none but emperors or visitors of the highest rank was the golden gate thrown open. the wanderer was none of these, so by the failing light he entered what is now yedi koulé kapoussi. he had neither friends nor money, so tired out lay down to sleep on the steps of the church of st. diomed. a kindly monk extended the hospitality of the monastery to him, and so refreshed he went his way in search of fortune. his good luck took him to a cousin, a namesake of the emperor theophilus, and in his patron's train he went to the peloponnese. his personal merit brought him advancement, and fortune [illustration: yedi koulé kapoussi, or gate of the seven towers. one evening in the middle of the ninth century, a youth entered the city, but not by the golden gate, for to none but emperors or visitors of the highest rank was the golden gate thrown open--he entered what is now yedi koulé kapoussi.] favoured him again in making him acquainted with a wealthy widow, danielis, who adopted him as her son. this youth was basil i--the founder of the macedonian dynasty, whom we saw in that proud pageant of victorious emperors passing under the porta aurea. the monks of st. diomed had no occasion to repent their hospitality to the stranger, for basil found many ways of proving his gratitude towards his former hosts. chapter viii the walls of theodosius to the gate of st. romanus having escaped from the hands of the artist, the travellers fall into the clutches of the author, who insists on showing them the golden gate from both sides as it really is to-day. for that purpose we enter by a gateway a little to the north of the porta aurea. this is called yedi koulé kapoussi, or the "gate of the seven towers," and stands where stood formerly a byzantine gate through which basil entered the city. as we may infer from its name, the present gate is of turkish origin, as are also the strong towers that rise up on our right. bearing southwards, we come to an entrance in that section of the wall which faces east. we enter and stand, in fact, where we had stood in imagination watching the triumphant pageants of former ages defiling past us. we may enter one of the strong towers, the shape of which is familiar to all who have visited roumeli hissar, and thus we know it to be of turkish construction. a winding staircase [illustration: part of turkish fortress of yedi koulé. we may enter one of the strong towers, the shape of which is familiar to all who have visited roumeli hissar, and thus we know it to be of turkish construction.] leads us to the rampart; through a bend in the wall we may look down into the interior of the tower, where erstwhile spacious vaulted chambers held the garrison while captives pined in the dungeons below. the romantic tales that cling to all dungeons are not wanting here, for beneath this spot even ambassadors are said to have languished, though probably not for any length of time, for the person of such high representatives of foreign potentates partake in some degree of their master's lustre and may not be lightly treated. nevertheless, the venetian ambassador was once arrested by achmet iii, when he and charles xii, the most picturesque figure of the beginning of the eighteenth century, were allied against russia, and venetian possessions in morea barred the path of further turkish conquests. as we walk along the top of the ramparts we see how strong these ruined walls still remain, and how much greater their strength must have been when rebuilt in 1457 a.d. by mahomet the conqueror. and before mahomet's day this citadel's history was a record of stout resistance to the city's enemies, for it long defied the onslaught of the turks, who rebuilt it when the city fell into their hands. the sultan had planted a cannon before this stronghold, and tried its strength with other engines of war, but manuel of liguria and his two hundred men held out until the end. a pathetic figure appeared in 1347, john cantacuzene, who, though a loyal guardian to his young imperial master, was driven into civil war by court intrigues. his followers admitted him into this stronghold before he retired to monastic seclusion. he had some difficulty in persuading his partisans, the latin garrison, to surrender to john palæologus. this emperor then thought fit to weaken the defences of this citadel, but luckily left it strong enough to protect himself from the attacks of his rebellious son andronicus. good reason for strengthening the fort occurred when bajazet roamed at large in europe, and john palæologus set about doing so. the sultan, hearing of it, sent an order that those new defences should be at once pulled down again, and that non-compliance would mean the loss of eyesight to manuel, heir to the throne and at that time hostage in the turkish camp. standing on the ramparts of this ancient stronghold it is difficult to realize the old days of stress and storm. in the clear air and sunshine life seems too serene for the fierce passions that drove a swarm of saracens in repeated attacks against the grey walls. these fiery followers of the prophet came up from the south over that limpid sea. yet in the seventh century, forty-six years after the flight of mahomed from mecca, it was alive with the lateen sails of the swarthy marauders. caliph moawiyah had no sooner resumed the throne by suppressing his rivals than he decided to wipe away the bloodstains of civil strife by a holy war. a holy war, if it is to attain to the fullest perfection of sanctity, should also be profitable, and no richer prize offered than constantinople. the arabs, since they had issued from the desert, had found victory rapid and easy of achievement; so, having carried their triumphant ensign to the banks of the indus and the heights of the pyrenees, they had some reason to consider themselves invincible. not only was the capital of the eastern empire the richest prize, but its conquest seemed to present no great difficulties, as an unworthy emperor loosely held the reins of government at this time. heraclius had entered the golden gate in triumph after defeating the persians. constantine, his grandson, third of that name, was called upon to defend it against the saracens. these fierce warriors were allowed to pass unchallenged through the narrow channel of the dardanelles, where they might at least have been checked, and landed near the hebdomon. day by day, from dawn till sunset, the sons of the desert surged round the stately defences of the city, their main attack being directed against the golden gate. every attempt proved abortive, yet they held on with marvellous persistence. on the approach of winter they would retire to a base established on the isle of cysicus, where they stored their spoils and provisions. for six successive summers they kept up the attempt upon the city walls, their hope and vigour gradually fading, until shipwreck and disease, allied with sword and fire, the newly-invented greek fire, forced them to relinquish the fruitless enterprise. their losses are computed at 30,000 slain, and among these they bewailed the loss of abou eyub or tob. that venerable arab was one of the last-surviving companions of mahomed; he was numbered among the ansars or auxiliaries of medina, who sheltered the head of the fugitive prophet. eyub lies buried at a spot not far from the northern extremity of the land-walls on the shores of the golden horn, where a mosque, one of the most beautiful of all those that adorn constantinople, now enshrines his bones. it is at this mosque of eyub that the sultan, on his accession, is girded with the sacred sword of othmar, a ceremony that compares in religious importance with the coronation of a christian monarch. the unsuccessful issue of the saracen attacks upon constantinople cast a shadow upon the lustre of their army, and revived both in the east and west the prestige of the roman sword. a truce of thirty years was ratified at damascus in 677, and the majesty of the commander of the faithful was dimmed by the necessity of paying tribute, fifty horses of a noble breed, fifty slaves and three thousand pieces of gold. a yet more barbarous enemy appeared before this section of the city walls in leo the armenian's reign. rumours of their approach had reached the city, and it was heralded by vast clouds of dust raised by the feet of innumerable flocks of sheep and goats who accompanied these adventurers wherever they went. they pitched their leathern tents on the plain and heights outside the golden gate, where their strange aspect startled those who held watch and ward over the city. these barbarians were clad in furs, they shaved their heads and scarified their faces, of luxury they knew nothing, and their sole industries were violence and rapine. finding all his efforts against the stout walls of the city unavailing, king crum, the leader of these hordes, offered up human sacrifices under the golden gate. but this failed to propitiate his gods, and one day a receding cloud of dust announced the departure of these savage enemies. another foe knocked at the portal of the golden gate and tried his strength against the wall in vain, though sometimes more successful in the open field. a new power had arisen on the banks of the danube in the days of constantine iii--the bulgarians. whence they came and what their origin is still a matter of conjecture best left to those whose business it is to find out. suffice it to say that they appear from time to time and trouble the peace of the eastern empire, or on some rare occasions act as its allies. their history is strangely stirring. theodoric, in his march to italy, had trampled on them, and for a century and a half all traces of their name and nation disappear from the historian's ken. in the ninth century we hear of them again on the southern bank of the danube. their return to the north from whence they came was prevented by a stronger race that followed them, whilst their progress to the west was checked by more powerful nations in that quarter. they found some vent for their military ardour in opposing the inroads of the eastern emperors, and may lay claim to an honour till then appropriated only by the goths--that of having slain a roman emperor in battle. it came about in this fashion. the emperor nicephorus had advanced with boldness and success into the west of bulgaria and destroyed the royal court by fire. but while he lingered on in search of spoil, refusing all treaties, his enemies collected their forces and barred the passes of retreat. for two days the emperor waited in despair and inactivity, on the third the bulgarians surprised the camp and slew the emperor and great officers of the eastern empire. valens had, after the emperor's death at the hands of the goths, escaped from insult, but the skull of nicephorus i, encased with gold, served as a drinking vessel. before the end of the same century a better understanding had been established, and the sons of bulgarian nobles were educated in the schools and palaces of constantinople; among them was simeon, a youth of royal line, of whom luitprand the historian says: "simeon fortis bellator, bulgariæ proecrat; christianus sed vicinis græcis valde inimicus." many bulgarian youths are even now being educated at the robert college. simeon was intended for a religious life, but he abandoned it to take up arms; he inherited the crown of bulgaria and reigned over that country from the end of the ninth to well into the tenth century. his hostility to the greeks found frequent expression, and he and his host appeared before the walls of constantinople. on classic ground at achelous, the greeks were vanquished by the bulgarians, thereupon simeon hastened to besiege the emperor in his own strong city. simeon and the emperor met in conference--the bulgarians vying with the greeks in the splendour of their display, though combined with the most jealous precautions against unpleasant surprises, and their monarch dictated the terms on which he would agree to peace. "are you a christian?" asked the humbled emperor romanus i. "it is your duty to abstain from the blood of your fellow-christians. has the thirst for riches seduced you from the blessings of peace? sheath your sword, open your hand and i will give you the utmost measure of your desire." soon the successors of simeon by their jealousies undermined the strength of the kingdom, and when next they went forth to meet the greeks in battle basil ii found no great difficulty in defeating them. a terrible home-coming theirs; through snow and ice the remnant of bulgaria's manhood struggled on in little bands of a hundred at a time, following the voice, each company, of a single leader, as they groped their way through the darkness. for they were blinded. they had escaped from the clemency of a christian emperor, by whose orders only one man in a hundred retained the sight of one eye. the king of the bulgarians died of grief. his people lived on, contained within the limits of a narrow province, to wait in patience for revenge. the visitor to sofia, the new capital of a new bulgaria, should not fail to inspect the museum, carefully and skilfully arranged by king ferdinand. there he will find, among a host of interesting matter, pictures illustrating the history of the country. of these works none is more strikingly pathetic than one which represents the return of those sightless bulgarian warriors. as after the crushing defeat inflicted on the inhabitants of bulgaria by the goths, the country silently and forcefully waited to regain its strength. another century and a half elapsed after the victory of basil bulgaroktonos before the bulgarians regained offensive power. during this interval they existed as a province of the dominions of byzantium, and no attempts were made to impose roman laws and usage upon them. it was isaac angelus who lashed the bulgarians to desperation by driving away their only means of subsistence--their flocks and herds--to contribute to the extravagant splendour that was wasted on his nuptials. two powerful bulgarian chiefs--peter and asan--rose in revolt, asserted their own rights and the national freedom, and spread the fire of rebellion from the danube to the hills of macedonia and thrace. by the supineness of the emperor these proceedings were allowed to pass unchecked, a fact which added to the contempt felt for the greeks by their former subjects. asan addressed his troops in these words: "in all the greeks, the same climate and character and education will be productive of the same fruits. behold my lance and the long streamers that float in the wind. they differ only in colour, they are formed of the same silk and fashioned by the same workman, nor has the stripe that is stained in purple any superior price or value above its fellows." so after several faint efforts isaac and his brother, who usurped the throne, acquiesced in the independence of the bulgarians. john, or joannice, ascended the throne of a second kingdom of bulgaria, and submitted himself as a spiritual vassal to the pope, from whom he received a licence to coin money, a royal title and a latin archbishop. thus the vatican accomplished the spiritual conquest of bulgaria, the first object of the schism between the western and the eastern see when, after the disorders provoked by hopeless eastern emperors, such as alexius iv and v, and nicolas canabus, the latins gained possession of the throne of cæsar. calo-john, as he was called, king of bulgaria, sent friendly greetings to baldwin i, but these provoked an unexpected answer. the [illustration: theodosian wall and approach to belgrade kapoussi, second military state. these are the theodosian walls, the proudest and most lasting monument to that dynasty which was founded when gratian invested theodosius with the imperial purple.] latin emperor demanded that the rebel should deserve his pardon by touching with his forehead the footstool of the imperial throne. so trouble broke out again, again war was waged with all its attendant savagery, and calo-john reinforced his army by a body of 14,000 horsemen from the scythian deserts. a fierce battle at adrianople resulted in the total defeat of the emperor, and he himself was taken prisoner. his fate was for some years uncertain, and even the demands of the pope for the restitution of the emperor failed to elicit any other answer from king john, save that baldwin had died in prison. for years the conflict raged till henry, the second of the latin emperors, routed the bulgarians. calo-john was slain in his tent by night, and the deed was piously ascribed to the lance of st. demetrius. we have followed the sad fate of the crusade which pope urban proclaimed against the turks in a preceding chapter and seen how amurath, surprising the christian camp, drove his enemies before him "as flames driven before the wind, till plunging into the maritza they perished in its waters." sisvan the bulgarian king obtained a peace at the price of the marriage of his daughter to amurath in 1389, invaded the kingdom of bulgaria, making adrianople the base of operations; how sisvan the king fled to nicopolis, was there besieged by ali and surrendered. from that date till quite recent times bulgaria has been incorporated in the ottoman empire. now, after a lapse of over five centuries, she has again established her national identity and under an enlightened and progressive ruler gives promise of holding her own without experiencing another break in the history of the race. the golden gate and its romantic history has claimed a considerable portion of the travellers' and the author's time. the artist hopes his pencil has done sufficient justice to those glorious ruins, and for some time has turned eager eyes northward, where a line of stately towers and masses of ruined masonry offer fair prospect of enriching his store of sketches. the road that leads us onward may perhaps pass unrecognized as such by travellers who are used to the smooth surface over which the motor races in a cloud of dust in western countries. but let the author assure them that this broad track, one side supplied with rough stones picturesquely dispersed, the other chiefly consisting of ruts and holes, is indeed a road, and that, too, one whereon we have to travel. moving along we soon forget its shortcomings in the beauty of the scenery on either hand. to the left a gentle ridge, and everywhere, as far as eye can see, countless cypress-trees, some in stately groups, others in dark, jagged masses. beneath these rest faithful sons of islam, many of whom dashed out their souls against the walls that rise on our right hand. tier upon tier they rise--some almost intact, others battered beyond recognition, right away from the golden gate to within sight of the golden horn. these are the theodosian walls, the proudest and most lasting monument to that dynasty which was founded when gratian invested theodosius with the imperial purple. we watched the enceinte of the city of byzas grow, saw how the walls he built to landward could no longer contain the increasing population. the walls that byzas built have vanished, and those of constantine the great have served their purpose, and were dismantled, so that to theodosius ii was left the task of giving to the city its widest limits. historians of the time draw a pleasant picture of the scene when these walls were erected. the different factions all combined to help, and inscriptions, still to be seen, testify to this fact. all citizens were called upon to assist, so without waste of time these walls arose. misfortune visited them shortly after their completion, when an earthquake overthrew a great portion of the work, including fifty-seven towers. at an inopportune moment too, for the arms of theodosius had suffered defeat by attila in three successive engagements, and "the scourge of god," as he was pleased to call himself, having ravaged the provinces of macedonia and thrace with fire and sword, was drawing very near to constantinople. but two determined men--constantine, prætorian prefect of the east, and marcellius comes--called upon the patriotism of the populace, and in less than three months the damaged walls had been restored and even strengthened by their united efforts. an imposing prospect these walls still offer even in their present state; how much more formidable must they have appeared when all one hundred and ninety-two towers stood firm and unshaken and the walls between had not been broken by an enemy's artillery or dismantled by the tooth of time! their construction was a marvel of devotion, their plan the work of genius, for of its kind no defences better calculated to protect a city were ever devised by human ingenuity. let us move to the very edge of the road, where there is a slightly raised and extremely irregular footpath, and take a general and comprehensive glance at the walls of theodosius. at our feet the counterscarp which stayed the earth on the enemy's side from filling up the moat. there comes the moat over sixty feet in width. the depth when still in use is not known to us, but we know from our visit to the golden gate that it must have been considerable. the wall we see on the further side of the moat, taking the enemy's point of view, is the scarp. some of its battlements remain; they served to cover the movements of troops on the terrace between the scarp and the wall. this outer wall rises to about ten feet and tapers from a base of about six feet in thickness to two feet at the summit. from the remains of this wall we can gather that it contained a long series of vaulted chambers which offered shelter to the troops engaged in the defence, and there are loopholes facing west, through which their fire was directed. small towers, some round, others square, about thirty-five feet high, still further strengthened the position. but the main defence lay in the inner wall, separated from the outer one by a broad terrace of some fifty feet, which served as a parade-ground for the troops that garrisoned the chambers of the outer wall, when the city was invested by an enemy. this imposing mass of fortifications stands on a higher level than the others, and here the main strength of the defence was stationed. a chain of mighty towers composed it, and they are linked together by stout walls known as curtains to the expert. these towers, most of which are square, stand about one hundred and seventy feet apart, and rose, when in their completed state, to a height of sixty feet, standing out some twenty feet from the curtain. each tower contained, as a rule, two chambers, was built of carefully cut stone and vaulted inside with brick. many a broken tower shows on the outside some mark or inscription dating back to the distant days of the glory of old byzantium. on the city side of the inner wall may still be seen traces of stone steps that led up to the summit, whence other flights of steps led under cover of battlements to the roof of each tower. for ten centuries these walls defied all onslaughts of an enemy; the battle-cry of many strange races, some whose day is done, others who stand high in the history of civilization to-day, was answered by shouts of defiance from the defenders of the city. so let us cross over the moat and look into one of those huge towers, which with their attendant curtains gave the eastern capital its immunity from invasion for so many ages. though appearing to form one solid mass, they are in reality built separately, so as to allow for the different rate of sinking between buildings of different weight. we may enter one of these broken towers from the [illustration: theodosian wall.--a broken tower, outside. many a broken tower shows on the outside some mark or inscription dating back to the distant days of the glory of old byzantium.] inner terrace, by a gap in the strong stonework, caused probably by an earthquake. this opening takes us to a place half-way between the floor and ceiling of the lower chamber. the vaulting that supported the upper floor has fallen in, but we can trace it in the brickwork that here, as elsewhere amid these walls, recall in shape and colour the remains of the defences of imperial rome. and yet another likeness strikes us in the courses of brick, laid at intervals in the construction of walls and towers, which served to bind the mass of masonry yet more firmly. this lower chamber, all dismantled now, and overgrown with weeds, may in times of peace have served a peaceful purpose. access to it was from inside the walls, and the proprietor of the land on which it stood was permitted to use it for what purposes he chose. but when the fire signals that flared on the tops of convenient heights gave notice of an enemy's approach these vaults would ring with the sound of armour and the epithets wherewith soldiers of all ages are supposed to garnish their remarks. arms and their use, and armour to protect the warrior, knew but few changes during the centuries that these walls fulfilled their purpose. men went to war clad in armour more or less protected according to their rank and the weight they were able to sustain. their weapons were bow and arrow, sword, battle-axe and spear, and their tactics did not require a constant series of new regulations. even the invention of greek fire did not bring about a revolution in the methods of warfare, although it was used with deadly effect both in sieges and sea-fights. for many years the greek empire maintained the traditions of the roman legions, but the men were not of the same stern stuff. instead of accustoming their mercenaries to the weight of armour by constant use, they carried it after them in light chariots, until on the approach of an enemy it was resumed with haste and reluctance. the need of reviving the martial spirit was felt by many an emperor, and edicts were issued commanding all able-bodied males up to the age of forty, to make themselves proficient in the practice of the bow. but the greek populace resisted these commands, so when the time of trial came they were found wanting, and had to give up their possessions into the hands of a stronger, sterner race, with loftier conceptions of a citizen's duty. with these reflections we must turn away from the vaults of the ruined tower, and leave it as a symbol of the decay that eats out the heart of all nations who forget that their country's greatness was built up only [illustration: theodosian wall--a broken tower (inside). we must turn away from the vaults of the ruined tower, and leave it as a symbol of the decay that eats out the heart of all nations who forget that their country's greatness was built up only by the self-sacrifice of former generations.] by the self-sacrifice of former generations, and that patriotism requires deeds and not mere empty words to maintain the heirlooms of the past. there are a number of gates that pierce the theodosian walls. with some of them we have little concern. their purpose was to expedite the manning of the defences by former garrisons. we pass the second military gate, now known as belgrad kapoussi, all embowered in trees, the moat in front of it filled up to serve the peaceful purpose of a market-garden. our way leads on along the road, which makes a curve more to northward and rises slightly. on the higher ground groups of cypress rise in sharp outline against the sky. on our left hand is an historic spot, for here stood the church of st. mary of the pegé, the holy spring. a road led to this sanctuary through a gate still standing, called the gate of the pegé, now silivria kapoussi. numbers of pious pilgrims have passed this way barefooted, to test the healing qualities of the holy spring with the added strength of faith, and on the high festival of the ascension the emperor himself would visit here in solemn state. one of these emperors, of whom we have already heard so much, was stoned by the populace on his return, and only with difficulty regained his palace by the sea of marmora--the emperor nicephorus phocas. this gate contributed again to the history of the byzantine empire when alexius strategopoulos, general of michael palæologus, entered here in 1261, drove out the latin emperor and reinstated his imperial master. andronicus, that rebel, entered the city by this gate to usurp his father's throne. amurath ii camped here, in the grounds of the church of the holy spring, during the first half of the fifteenth century, and less than fifty years later, in the last scene of the eastern empire's romantic history, a battery of three guns attacked this point. a few hundred yards to northward of the historic portals of silivria is the third military gate, and at the northern tower that flanks it the inner wall recedes for a short space and then comes out again to continue in a straight line. this recess is called the sigma, and in the quarter that lies behind this section of the wall, dramatic events in the life of constantinople took place. our travellers must again return to those dim ages of turbulent history. constantine ix had died in 1028, the last of the macedonian dynasty founded by that basil whom we watched as he entered by the side entrance of the golden gate weary and travel-stained, [illustration: gate of rhegium, or yedi mevlevi haneh. the gate of rhegium--now known as yedi mevlevi haneh, kapoussi.] but later to rise to the imperial purple. of constantine's three daughters, eudoxia took the veil and theodora declined to marry. there remained zoe, who professed herself a willing sacrifice at the hymeneal altar. a bridegroom was found for her in one romanus orgyrus, a patrician, but he declined the honour on the sufficient ground of being already married. romanus was informed that blindness or death were the alternatives to a royal match, and his devoted wife sacrificed her happiness to her husband's safety and greatness by retiring into a convent and thus removing the only bar to the imperial nuptials. so romanus reigned as third emperor of that name, though not for long, for zoe found in her chamberlain, michael the paphlagonian, attractions superior to those of her lawful spouse. romanus died suddenly and zoe married michael immediately, and raised him to the throne as fourth emperor of that name. but he, too, proved disappointing, so yet another michael, a nephew, was introduced into the story by john the eunuch, brother of the emperor. michael iv died and michael v reigned in his stead, but only for a year. his first act was to disgrace his uncle john, his second was the exile of his adopted mother, the daughter of so many emperors. this roused the populace to fury. the emperor michael calaphates, as he was called after his father's trade, was dragged from the monastery of studius, where he had taken refuge, to the statue of theodosius iii in the quarter of the sigma. here he and his uncle constantine were deprived of their eyesight. our road leads on and, rising slightly, brings us to yet another gate, known to the chroniclers of byzantine history as the gate of rhegium, a town some twelve miles distant, now called kutchuk tchekmejdé. this gate was erected by the red faction, and was no doubt at one time a busy thoroughfare. now it is know as yedi mevlevi, haneh kapoussi. it is almost deserted; two slender cypress-trees guard the entrance, through which you may see a white-turbaned hodja pass on his way towards the mosque, whose tapering minaret gleams over the broken, ivy-clad battlements. rising higher as we go on, we pass stately groups of cypresses on our left, and before us, where the road bends slightly to the right, a very forest of those trees guarding a turkish cemetery where thousands of the faithful are interred. let us step on to one of those low walls that cross the moat; their original purpose has not yet been definitely ascertained; their summit used to taper to a sharp edge, but this has worn away and we find ample standing room. looking back the [illustration: top kapoussi, gate of st. romanus. the slight bend in the road takes us to the gate of st. romanus, now known as top kapoussi.] way we came, we see a double line of walls and towers, that for so many years guarded the city of constantine and allowed the nations of the west to evolve from chaos. the moat, once a serious obstacle to an assailant, now produces from its fertile soil the fruits of a gardener's labours. across the road the serried ranks of cypress-trees in their impenetrable gloom, and right away, over the ruins of yedi koulé, the deep blue sea of marmora merging into the clearer azure of a southern sky. the slight bend in the road takes us due north, though until now we have been holding a point or two to west, and across a worse pavement than before we search the gate of st. romanus, now known as top kapoussi. beyond the road this gate is guarded by an unnumbered multitude that rest here under the forest of cypress-trees. two roads converge upon this gate, so there is a stream of oriental life continually passing through it by day. troops marching out to field-drill in the morning, mules and ponies entering with baskets full of country produce, and perhaps a string of camels, laden with eastern goods, setting out for the western provinces. and in the gateway you may see signs of commercial enterprise, small booths and stalls doing trade in a dignified and oriental way, while a cobbler sits in the sunshine mending shoes, the wearer of which waits barefooted and deep in contemplation. from sunrise to sunset this place is full of the sounds and sights that travellers in the east are wont to enjoy, but at night it is given over to haunting memories. entering this gate one afternoon, the artist had an experience which he is burning to relate. a tram-line leads from here into the heart of the city; a car was about to start and the artist boarded it. drawn by a horse with no ambition to break records, the journey proceeded. the other passengers were two armenians, army doctors, and a turk, a young man of independent habits and picturesquely clad. all paid their fare to the conductor, a venerable turk with a long grey beard. all but the young man--he declined emphatically. "but it is usual to pay," protested the conductor--"every one pays who travels by this tram; those effendi there have paid." no! the young man would not unbend--he still more resolutely refused. so in despair the old conductor turned to the other passengers and asked: "may this be?" "is this the will of allah?" the doctors shook their heads and answered nothing; the artist, usually so well informed, held his peace, for he is no authority on the view that allah may take of tram-fares. so the [illustration: third military gate. in the gateway you may see signs of commercial enterprise. from sunrise to sunset this place is full of the sounds and sights that travellers in the east are wont to enjoy.] journey proceeded, but not for long. the road being up, the passengers alighted, though they had paid a fare entitling them to travel to the end. this no doubt was kismet--but it affords a striking instance of the way in which the rain of allah falls on just and unjust without preference or distinction. chapter ix the valley of the lycus the sun is declining towards the west, and the tall cypresses cast lengthening shadows across our road. we may linger no longer at the gate of st. romanus, for we have much to see before the day draws to a close. so let us go forward along the road again. before we leave the shade of the cypress groves the road begins to descend. here to our left the conqueror, sultan mahomed, pitched his tent where he could survey the warlike operations carried on against the city in the valley below. to our right the moat deepens, and the enormous strength of the position chosen for the walls of theodosius becomes more apparent here than anywhere. below us lies a deep valley--the valley of the lycus, the spot which the genius of mahomed chose for the final assault upon the city of constantine, and here it was that the history of the byzantine empire was brought to an abrupt conclusion. by the golden light of the afternoon sun this valley [illustration: the valley of the lycus, looking north. the road leads up to the ridge on the other side like a white band, strongly contrasting with the deep tone of the cypresses that crown the height.] looks wonderfully peaceful. the road leads up to the ridge on the other side like a white band, strongly contrasting with the deep tone of the cypresses that crown the height. beyond them again you see the further side of the golden horn, serene and beautiful, while a faint haze rising from the water speaks of industry, and shimmers in the last rays of the sun. we enter the gate of st. romanus for a minute and note the strength of the remaining towers of the inner hall. a few steps further, turning to the left, gives us a comprehensive view of that historic spot, the valley of the lycus, seen from within the walls. at our feet down in the valley, clusters of little wooden houses cling to the old walls and are shaded by acacia-trees. this is a bohemian settlement, where you may see women unveiled and dressed in tattered garments of bright colours, and little brown children wearing nothing but a coat of dust acquired in their researches on the road. to the left the massive inner wall descends and shows a forest of cypress-trees upon the northern bank of the lycus. the wall rises again and reaches the highest ground covered by the fortifications of theodosius. here stands the mosque of mihrimah upon the site of a church dedicated to st. george. but that chaotic mass of ruin at our feet has yet a stormy tale to tell, so we descend into the valley of the lycus. the memories of those last years of the byzantine empire, of the days when the proud towers and stout walls of theodosius tottered and fell before the black powder invented by a german monk but used by a ruthless eastern warrior with such disastrous effect, hang so thick that former events are almost lost in obscurity. before the city extended as far as these walls, and ere there was occasion for them, the valley of the lycus was a pleasant place to see. the stream had not sunk into insignificance, but still watered fair meadows. here 3000 white-robed catechumens were assembled one easter morn awaiting baptism at the hands of st. john chrysostom. as we have already heard, he had just been deprived of his high office by the intrigue of the empress eudoxia. yet he meant to perform the ceremony, and would have done so but for arcadius, who happened to pass that way and ordered his guard of goths to disperse the crowd. then some years later, when these proud walls were newly built, their founder, theodosius ii, rode down from the heights without the walls. he fell from his horse and died a few days later from the injury caused to his spine. let us now turn to the history of that race that overthrew the last remains of the roman power. the race [illustration: the valley of the lycus, from inside the walls. before the city extended as far as these walls, and ere there was occasion for them, the valley of the lycus was a pleasant place to see.] that in this valley wrested the ancient bulwark of europe from the weak hands of the last byzantine emperor--the turks. to do this we must go back into the records of the sixth century and notice the state of asia and its relation to europe at that time. in the sixth century there appeared out of the east a race destined to overthrow byzantine civilization and persian splendour, a power destined to stretch its conquering arms from the euphrates to the pyrenees, and from the red to the black sea. the nomad races of arabia had never played an important part in the history of the world. they lived a patriarchal existence in their rocky fastnesses or desolate plains. their system did not encourage national unity, concentration of strength on consolidation of resources. they had never engaged in agriculture nor practised any handicraft; their sole employments were the chase and the care of sheep and goats. it seemed that these dwellers in tents would never know anything better than the nomadic life. but a great force arose which united the groups of tribes into a nation--mahomed the prophet--and having conquered and converted to his faith the whole arabian peninsula, made ready with the forces under his control to spread his creed into all lands. mahomed's general, khaled, called the "sword of god," in a very short time after the prophet's death subdued the persian army and gained its empire for his master, the caliph abu bekr, mahomed's successor as commander of the faithful. in the same reign syria was conquered from heraclius, ecbatana and damascus became mahomedan towns like mecca and medina. amron the general of omar, the third caliph, added egypt to the new empire, and in less than eighty years the arabs had conquered every foe they encountered. but their power fell as quickly as it had risen. the empire was divided into independent caliphates, spain, egypt and africa, but with the fate of these the traveller is well acquainted. damascus became the capital of calipha, and legend and history make much mention of the men who ruled there: haroun-al-rashid, the contemporary of charlemagne, al-mamoon and others of his line. but the days of the arab empire were numbered, another race appeared in asia minor, coming from their hunting-grounds in tartary--the turks. the origin of this newly-arrived people is obscure--they are said to claim descent from japhet, and no doubt he will serve the purpose as well as any other of the sons of noah. an english historian of the seventeenth century (knolles) took sufficient interest in the turks to write their history, and he begins with these remarks: "the glorious empire of the turks, the present terrour of the world, hath amongst other things nothing in it more wonderful or strange than the poor beginning of itselfe, so small and obscure as that it is not well knowne unto themselves, or agreed upon even among the best writers of their histories; from whence this barbarous nation that now so triumpheth over the best part of the world, first crept out or took their beginning. some (after the manner of most nations) derive them from the trojans, led thereunto by the affinity of the word turci and teucri; supposing (but with what probability i know not) the word turci, or turks, to have been made of the corruption of the word teucri, the common name of the trojans." the "ten tribes" have also been called upon to act as ancestry to the turkish nation, but have not as yet responded to the call. it is to be presumed that the turks are a mixed race, at least a study of the various and very different types you see leads to that conclusion. at any rate the turks were there, there's no denying it, and made their power felt. from tartary, where in the fifth century bertezena established a short-lived turkish empire, this race spread in successive waves over the whole of asia. one wave overran china, which remained for two hundred years under the tartar sway. another wave achieved the conquest of bokhara and samarkand, and gradually drew nearer to the western part of asia, where they first heard of the splendours of the empire of constantinople. in the sixth century they sent an ambassador to justinian, entered into alliance with him, and engaged to rout the abari and protect the frontiers of the empire from their inroads. they also defended it against the persians, and defeated them on the oxus. by degrees they became formidable to the eastern empire, but their progress was checked by the arabs, who in the eighth century overran their country and compelled them to embrace the mahomedan faith. soon the young race recovered its strength, and came to the assistance of the caliph motassem, whose nation was then on the down grade, and no longer supplied the men whose victorious arms had carried the crescent triumphant to so many countries. fifty thousand turkish mercenaries were taken into the service of the caliph, and, like the prætorian cohort of rome, the janissaries of constantinople and the mamelukes of egypt, they in time assumed decisive voice in the government. a turkish dynasty, that of the samanians, ruled over most of the territories formerly possessed by the arab caliphs. of this, mahmud was the most famous; in the twelfth century he conquered delhi, multan and lahore, and his victorious career was only checked by the waters of the ganges; he was the first to bear the title of sultan. another turkish dynasty, the house of seljuk, sprang up and dispossessed both sultan and caliph of the territories they had obtained. the dominions thus acquired were increased until the greater part of asia minor had gone to form the turkish empire. the city of nice was captured to become the turkish capital, and the eastern emperor alexander comnenus was forced to acknowledge suleiman as master of asia minor. but reverses were in store for the young empire of the turks; the eastern emperor gathered together an immense army of macedonians, bulgarians and moldavians. he solicited the aid of the crusaders, and bands of french and norman knights, headed by ursel baliol, whom gibbon calls "the kinsman," or "father of the scottish kings." the turks were everywhere defeated. nice and the western portions of asia minor were regained, and iconium became the turkish capital. yet more trouble came to the house of seljuk, and this time from the east, where jenghiz jehan with his fierce mongols was abroad, under whose attacks the dynasty of seljuk fell. the bearer of a romantic name, and one known to all true moslems, now appears upon the scene. ertoghrul, the son of suleiman, who had been accidentally drowned in the euphrates, was marching with a portion of his tribe, 444 horsemen, who chose him for their leader, towards iconium, the seljukian kingdom. he accidentally met the forces of ala-ed-din flying before a host of mongols. joining forces with the sultan he changed the fortunes of the day and routed the enemy. the grateful sultan rewarded him with the principality of sultan oeni or sultan's front, on the western border of the iconian kingdom. here ertoghrul settled as warden of the marches. in his new office ertoghrul enhanced the reputation he had already earned as faithful vassal of the sultan. he carried his victorious arms further afield, and at broussa defeated the combined forces of greeks and mongols. the territory he had thus gained was conferred upon him, his power grew, and with it that of his race; he died in 1288, and othman, his son, was chosen as his successor. this, the progenitor of those who in unbroken succession have ruled over the destinies of the turkish empire, and whose descendant occupies the throne of the eastern empire to-day, was twenty-four years old when he succeeded to the government of his tribe. to great strength and beauty (he was called kara, from the jet-black colour of his hair and beard) he added courage and energy; and, like all great conquerors, had the gift of reading the characters of men. this enabled him to make wise and fortunate selections of those whom he employed to carry out his designs. othman's long and prosperous reign laid the foundation of the present turkish empire. his campaigns were victorious, the territory of neighbouring turkish tribes was incorporated in his dominions, and the greek empire was forced to contribute to the aggrandizement of his realm. during an interval of peace, from 1291 to 1298, othman devoted his energies to the internal government of his dominions and became famous for the toleration which he exercised towards his christian subjects. not till the death of ala-ed-din, the seljukian sultan, did othman declare himself independent. he did not even then assume the full title of sultan or emperor, but with his two next successors reigned only as emirs or governors. when, after several years of peace, othman had consolidated his resources, he went to war again, and in order to give his followers greater zest and increase their zeal, proclaimed himself the chosen defender of the moslem faith and declared that he had a direct mission from heaven. he thus infected them with a fanaticism to the full as fierce and effective as that which had urged mahomed's hordes on their career of conquest. the only evil deed which may be attributed to this great ruler was committed in a fit of rage. his venerable uncle dundar, who, seventy years before, had been one of the four hundred and forty-four horsemen who followed the banner of ertoghrul, endeavoured to dissuade him from an attempt on the greek fortress of koepri hissar. othman, observing that some of his officers agreed with dundar, raised his bow and shot his uncle dead. thus the commencement of ottoman sway was marked by the murder of an uncle, even as the foundation of rome began with fratricide. koepri hissar fell before othman's fanatic onslaught at houyon hissar, where he for the first time encountered a regular greek army in the field. again he conquered. in the beginning of the fourteenth century othman fought his way to the black sea, leaving behind him several towns unsubdued, amongst these broussa. othman's body was failing fast from old age, and he had to send his son orchan against a mongolian army, which the greek emperor, unable to stem the tide of turkish conquest, had incited to attack the enemy's southern frontier. orchan beat them, then returned to besiege broussa, and in 1326 took it. othman only survived to hear the joyful news. bestowing his blessing on his son, he said: "my son, i am dying, and i die without regret, because i leave such a good successor as thou. be just, love goodness and show mercy. give the same protection to all thy subjects, and extend the faith of the prophet." orchan buried his father at broussa, and erected a splendid mausoleum over his remains. acting on his father's advice he made broussa his capital, and it remained so until the fall of constantine's city. the standard and scimitar of othman are still preserved as objects of veneration. as we have said before, the sword of othman is girded on each succeeding sultan amid the prayers of his people: "may he be as good as othman." the romantic history of the kingdom built up by othman was worthily continued by his sons. orchan was proclaimed emir and urged his brother to share the throne. but ala-ed-din declined, asking only the revenues of a single village for his maintenance. orchan then said, "since, brother, you will not accept the flocks and herds i offer you, be the shepherd of my people--be my vizier." and so this high office was instituted. ala-ed-din devoted himself to the domestic policy of the state and undertook the first steps towards military organization. the troops that had followed othman to victory were the same men who fed the flocks on the banks of the euphrates and sakaria. they formed loose squadrons of irregular cavalry, and after the war returned to their peaceful avocation and, in the main, the mass of the nation continued to be the source whence in the time of war the ottoman troops were drawn. but ala-ed-din saw the need of a standing army who should make war their sole business and profession, and first raised a body of infantry called jaza or piade. the next corps raised were the famous janissaries. they were entirely composed of christian children taken in battle or in sieges and compelled to embrace the mahomedan faith. a thousand recruits were added yearly to their numbers, and they were called jeni iskeri, or new troops, from which is derived the european corruption janissaries. these janissaries were trained to warlike exercises from their youth, and subjected to the strictest discipline. they were not allowed to form any territorial connection with the land that had adopted them, their prospects of advancement depended entirely on their skill in the profession of arms, and the highest posts in that profession only were open to them. their isolated position and the complete community of interest which united them prevented the degeneracy and enervation which so speedily settled upon every eastern empire when once the fire of conquest had died down. ala-ed-din further extended the military organization of the othman crown, and in a manner that rendered the fighting forces readily adaptable to every exigency. a _corps-d'élite_ was formed of specially chosen horsemen. these were called spahis. then further corps were organized, the silihdars, or vassal cavalry; ouloufedji, or paid horsemen; ghoureha, or foreign horse; azabs, or light infantry; and the akindji, or irregular light horse. we have met these latter before, when describing battles in which turks and franks were opposed to each other. the akindji gathered together in irregular hordes to accompany every military enterprise, they foraged for the regular troops and swarmed round them to cover a retreat or harass a retiring enemy, they received no pay like the janissaries nor lands like the piade, and were entirely dependent on plunder. the story of a clever ruse is told of one of orchan's campaigns against the greeks. othman had left nice and nicomedia untaken. orchan took the latter town and invested nice. andronicus, the greek emperor, crossed the hellespont with a hastily-raised levy to raise the siege of nice, but orchan met and defeated him with a portion of his army. now the garrison of nice had been advised of the emperor's intention and daily expected his arrival. so orchan disguised 800 of his followers as greek soldiers and directed them against the fortress. these pseudo-greeks, to give the ruse a yet greater semblance of reality, were harassed by mock encounters with turkish regular horse. the disguised turks appeared to have routed the enemy, and headed for the city gate. the garrison had been watching the proceedings, were thoroughly deceived and threw open the gate. an assault by the besieging army, assisted by the force that had gained ingress, brought the city into orchan's possession. by 1336 orchan had included all north-western asia minor in the ottoman empire, and the next twenty years of peace he devoted to the work of perfecting the military organization and consolidating the resources of his newly-acquired territories; in this his brother ala-ed-din loyally supported him. thus in the middle of the fourteenth century we find two empires face to face, separated only by the narrow channel of the bosphorus. on the asiatic side the ottoman empire, homogeneous, for all its subjects were of the same race, strong and united; on the other side the greek empire, distracted by constant feud and domestic disturbance. it is not to be wondered at that under such conditions occasion should have arisen for turkish interference in the affairs of the eastern empire, and a feud between the genoese and the venetians offered a suitable excuse. the genoese were in possession of galata; their commercial rivals, the venetians, sought them out and attacked them on the bosphorus. now orchan hated the venetians, for they had arrogantly refused to receive an ambassador whom he sent to venice. the venetians were the allies of the empire, and orchan had only a few years before married the daughter of cantacuzene, the greek emperor. desire to be avenged prompted orchan to ally himself with the genoese, against the empire and the venetians. his son solyman crossed the hellespont by night with a handful of faithful followers and took koiridocastron, or "hog's castle." no attempt was made to regain the castle, as the emperor was fully occupied not only with the armies of his rebel son-in-law palæologus, but with the genoese fleet. the greek emperor found himself in sore straits and implored the aid of orchan. this orchan readily granted and sent ten thousand troops over to europe, who, after beating the slavonic army of palæologus, did not return to asia, but took a firm footing under solyman, upon the european mainland. before long the turkish empire had acquired a number of strong places, and it was evident that they had come to stay. soon after these events solyman, when engaged in his favourite sport of falconry, was thrown from his horse and killed. he was buried on the spot at which he had led his soldiers into europe. his father orchan died the same year, after a reign of thirty-five years. we may date the actual foundation of turkish greatness in asia and its effect on the history of europe, and more especially of constantinople, from the reign of this able and enlightened monarch and his loyal brother ala-ed-din. the endless possibilities contained in that strong and single-minded race of turks were concentrated on the banks of the bosphorus, their advanced guard had crossed into europe and had there secured a firm foothold. the turks were knocking at the gates of constantinople. our travellers have heard already how amurath i, the youngest son of orchan, inherited his father's throne. we have followed amurath's romantic career, how he restored the empire his father left him, after subduing the prince of carmania, who with some other turkish emirs rose against the house of othman. amurath's rule was extended yet further in europe at the cost of the greek empire, and in the middle of the fourteenth century he made adrianople his european capital. under amurath the ottomans first encountered those slavonic races with whom they were for centuries after so frequently engaged in hostilities. following the fortunes of amurath, we heard the din of battle when the western chivalry was opposed to the dashing valour of the turk, and saw the crescent victorious when the turmoil subsided on the banks of the maritza. the warlike host of the slavonic confederacy passed in pageant before us, to meet its fate at kossova, where amurath, the conqueror, perished in the fight. the victorious son of amurath, bajazet, who first of the house of othman assumed the title of sultan, has been presented to our travellers. with those who took their walks on the atrium down by the sea of marmora, we watched the events that marked the reign of bajazet and felt the increasing pressure to which the failing greek empire was submitted. if we wish to gain some idea of the terror that was felt, let us imagine london slowly isolated by an irresistible host of the chinese and trying hard to secure the spiritual sanction and material protection of her old enemy, the pope of rome. we heard the ringing blows dealt by the turks as they hammered at the walls of constantine's city, and breathed again when tamerlane and his savage hordes threatened the eastern provinces of bajazet's asiatic empire. when bajazet was slain at angora we saw how the imperial city revived, and how hope lingered during the years that mahomed i employed in putting his asiatic house in order. but shortly after, yet another amurath appeared in europe and laid siege to constantinople; but the time was not yet come, and he was compelled to withdraw to his carmanian frontier. nevertheless, the turks were even then virtual masters of the situation; thessalonica had fallen, sacked by amurath ii, and nothing but the imperial city and a small tract of country round it was left to the eastern empire. the travellers have witnessed the growth of the city which byzas founded, and seen how, according to the utterance of the oracle, it prospered. they have watched the city expand under the fostering care of the earlier emperors, and have noted how the security its walls afforded led to a mode of life which unfitted the populace for their own defence. but for the stoutness of these walls the city might have fallen long before the advent of mahomed the conqueror, and europe therefore is deeply indebted to these, the monuments of the theodosian dynasty. but the day was drawing near when even this massive chain of masonry should prove of no avail to check the onrush of a vigorous enemy; the encircling walls and sentinel towers had almost accomplished their task of ten centuries, and behind them a nervous, faint-hearted populace awaited the end of all things. what rumours spread throughout the city of that fiendish invention of the latins--the black powder. reports came in of how that foreign inventor, who had deserted to the turks on account of ill-usage by the greeks, had built a foundry under mahomed's eye at adrianople and cast a cannon of vast destructive power, a cannon with a bore of twelve palms' breadth, which could contain a charge that drove a stone ball of six hundred pounds weight a distance of a mile, to bury it in the ground to the depth of a furlong. then frenzy seized the city, and constantine, the last emperor of that name, endeavoured to renew communion between the greek church and the see of rome. so cardinal isidore of russia entered the city as the legate of pope nicholas v, and with him came a retinue of priests and soldiers. the union of the churches was solemnized at st. sophia, and immediately gave rise to more disorder in the streets. this was the state of constantine's imperial city when mahomed ii encamped outside the walls and planted his victorious standard before the gate of st. romanus. though the walls of the city were stout and true, the power of the defenders was not equal to that of the hosts arrayed against them. the store of gunpowder, which by this time had found its way into use in the greek army, was not adequate for a protracted siege, and though the emperor constantine comported himself as a hero should, the spirit of his people had long been divorced from military valour. the formidable array of mahomed's army stretched all along the land-walls, from the sea of marmora to the golden horn, and, as we have related, the upper reaches of that harbour were held by the galleys he had transported overland. in the first days of the siege the greek garrison made frequent sorties to destroy the earthworks behind which the aggressors planned their mines, and made much progress in the art of countermining. but the serious losses such operations entailed, and the dwindling store of powder, put an end to these enterprises. so from april till may of 1453 the siege of constantinople continued. the emperor and his brave ally giustiniani, commander of a genoese contingent, held the foe at bay, and encouraged the defenders by their example. engines of war, ancient and modern, the newly-invented cannon, and the towers of offence well known as far back as the early wars of rome, took their places side by side for the first and last time in the annals of military history. let us look down upon the valley of the lycus, a scene of desolation to-day, and fill in the gaps that turkish arms have made. let us people the reconstructed bulwarks with defenders, while in the valley below and on all the ground before the walls swarm the hosts of mahomed. here round the imperial standard of the sultan are camped his best troops, those formidable janissaries who are kept in leash until the last decisive charge. meanwhile, the lighter irregular forces skirmish about the moat and ramparts. down in the valley and opposite the fifth military gate the famous gun is placed--a mighty engine of war for those early days of artillery; it fired seven times a day, and for its conveyance a carriage of thirty waggons, drawn by a team of sixty oxen, was required. other lighter artillery was placed here, all thundering at the tower that flanks the military gate to northward. above the roar of cannon and the din of battle we may hear the sound of falling masonry, and when the smoke fades away the ruins of that tower strew the terrace. all the small towers of the outer wall and their connecting curtains have been laid low, the _débris_ fills the moat, and every sign points out that the time for the final assault has arrived. it is daybreak on may 29, 1453, and we resume our place, looking down into the valley of the lycus. the hostile leaders had spent the preceding night each in a characteristic manner. mohamed had assembled his chiefs and issued final orders; he dispatched crowds of dervishes to visit the tents of his troops to inflame their fanaticism and promise them great rewards--double pay, captives and spoil, gold and beauty, while to the first man who should ascend the walls the sultan pledged the government of the fairest province of his dominions. the emperor constantine likewise assembled his nobles and the bravest of his allies; he adjured them to make the most strenuous efforts in the defence, and to encourage the troops to do their utmost. he had no rewards to offer, but the example of their prince infused the courage of despair into the leaders of his despondent troops. a pathetic scene this, as described by the historian phranza, who assisted at it. when the emperor had delivered his last speech he and his followers embraced and wept. then each went his way, the leaders to hold watch at their posts, the emperor to a solemn mass at st. sophia, where for the last time in the history of that sacred shrine the mysteries of the christian faith were adored by any christian worshipper. constantine then returned to the palace and asked forgiveness of any of his servants whom he might have wronged. he then rode round the ramparts to inspect his troops and utter a last word of hope and encouragement. without the customary signal of the morning gun the assailants rose with the sun and dashed in successive waves against the walls of theodosius. time after time they were repulsed. the sultan on horseback, his iron mace in his hand, watched the tide that hurled itself against the walls and towers of constantinople, to surge back, and again to be reinforced by others who met the same fate. around the sultan ten thousand of his chosen troops impatiently awaited the signal for attack. meanwhile the courage and numbers of the defenders ebbed away. giustiniani, wounded in the hand, withdrew, and with him the genoese. a rumour spread that the turks had forced an entrance at the kerko porta. constantine, who, mounted on a white arab, was directing operations from the inner terrace by the fifth military gate, dashed along the rampart to help if help were needed. indeed the turks had gained admittance, but had again been speedily expelled. so constantine returned the way he came, and resumed his position by a small postern-gate that gave from the inner wall on to the terrace by the fifth military gate. when he arrived there the fighting masses of the sultan's bodyguard and janissaries were surging over the ruins of the outer wall and over the corpses of their predecessors on to the inner wall. the fury of their onslaught beat down all resistance, and the numbers of the christians were now but one to fifty of the ottomans. a gigantic janissary hassan was first upon the walls, he and those with him were thrown back; they charged again, and fell to make way for others. in swarms they came, those fiery janissaries, under the weight of whose tumultuous onslaught the christian garrison was overpowered. the victorious turks rushed in at the breaches in the wall, others had forced the gate of the phanar on the golden horn, and constantine's fair city was given over to the sword. thus after a siege of fifty-three days constantinople fell before the scimitar of othman, whose descendant reigns here to this day. and what of constantine ix, the last, perhaps the bravest, and certainly the most unfortunate bearer of an illustrious name? he was seen at his post by the postern-gate, bearing his part as a soldier in the defence of his city. he had laid aside the purple, and the nobles who fought around his person fell at his feet, until he too was cut down by an unknown hand, his body buried under a mountain of the slain. we may with gibbon apply those noble lines of dryden- "as to sebastian--let them search the field; and where they find a mountain of the slain, there they will find him at his manly length, with his face up to heaven, in that red monument which his good sword had digged." so, gentle travellers, ere we turn away from this historic spot, let us stand here a moment, here where the great cannon hurled missiles against the walls of theodosius. the lycus, now an insignificant stream, but yet so old and memorable in history, trickles away gently towards the ruined ramparts. it finds ingress under one of the ruined towers to our right. in front of us rise the remains of those walls that guarded the city through many centuries. there is the built-up entrance of what was once the fifth military gate, beside it the jagged ruins of the flanking tower, the gate of which we witnessed as the drama of the last siege was played before us. in front and all along to either hand the outer wall and moat are but a mass of ruins, and from the heights to north and south those solemn cypresses that guard the graves of the warriors who fell here, look down upon a scene of desolation. one more look upon the ruined curtain through which the built-up arch gave ingress to retreating greeks and ottoman assailants on that 29th of may, there in the angle caused by the wall and its southern flanking tower you may faintly see the remains of a postern-gate. there fell constantine, the last of the emperors of the east. [illustration: the valley of the lycus, showing where the last emperor fell. one more look upon the ruined curtain through which the built-up arch gave ingress to retreating greeks and ottoman assailants on that 29th of may, there in the angle caused by the wall and its southern flanking tower you may faintly see the remains of a postern-gate. there fell constantine, the last of the emperors of the east.] chapter x from the gate of edirné to the golden horn our travellers are approaching their journey's end. the road leads on northward up a steeper incline than that which took us to the gate of st. romanus. under the shade of cypress-trees, for here too they stand in dense and sombre gloom, we pass the edirné kapoussi, known before the turkish conquest as the gate of charisius. here the walls of theodosius recede towards the city. to reach them again we enter a little wooden gate into a greek cemetery. an attendant greek springs up out of the long grass with a hungry leer, and though we may not understand his speech, his hand extended to us, palm upwards, makes his meaning clear. the artist proudly points out that on all three occasions he knows of, the palm of that hand returned empty to the suppliant's trouser-pocket. a few paces due west take us again to the edge of the moat, out of the rank grass where a few goats are browsing, and from among the brambles that spring out of the crannies in the ruined scarp and counterscarp, rise sturdy fig-trees. their grey stems, the twisted branches and deep grey foliage form a sympathetic foreground to the mass of ruins that rise beyond them, bathed in the waning light. this is the palace of the porphyrogenitus, of him born in the purple. a flanking tower almost hides the west front of the palace from our view, the curtain that connects this tower with the next one to the south-west has a romantic history. the wall was formerly much higher, and was pierced by a small gate, known as the kerko porta, or circus gate. we well remember the name of this gate as it played its part on that dread day when the glory of the eastern empire subsided into a heap of smouldering ruins. a rumour arose during the last day of the siege, and ran like a heath-fire along the lines to the defence, that the turks had gained admission to the city by this gate. they did, but whether by treachery or their own valour no one knows. they were driven out again, and for a short time longer the emperor's heroism delayed the inevitable. in time a remarkable tradition attached itself to this small gate. the greeks believed that when the city should again be captured, it would be by christians, the first of whom would enter by this postern. the turks, of course, had heard of this tradition, so when [illustration: the palace of the porphyrogenitus, from the fosse. this is the palace of the porphyrogenitus, of him born in the purple.] a northern enemy came down upon them, when the slavs rose in their strength and forced the passes of the balkans, they took such precautions as their ardent faith in such superstitions suggested. they pulled down the curtain so that the russians might not enter through the kerko porta, and replaced it by a smaller wall. before we enter by a little doorway through the turkish wall, we will walk along what was once the terrace, and look up at the ruins of this historic palace. there are traces of an archway that seem to have connected the palace with its western flanking tower. it is said that on this archway a balcony rested. possibly a doorway led from the purple chamber on to this balcony, for here the infant prince for whose birth arrangements had been made in that chamber, was held up to overlook the country stretching away into the western provinces, and solemnly proclaimed "cæsar orbi." entering by the doorway in the turkish wall we get a view of this imposing ruin from the foot of a stout tower, the last of that chain of defences built in the theodosian era. the majestic proportions of this building, despite the irregularity of the window openings, are best seen from here; and here again we may notice the remains of yet another balcony and in continuation of the legend, gather that the infant prince took his first view of the city from here, and on this spot was proclaimed "cæsar urbis." to enter the palace of the porphyrogenitus we must walk along a narrow street with the usual little wooden houses on either side. through a narrow entrance and across a yard, which is by some described as a glass factory, because attempts are made here to manufacture bottles out of broken window-panes, a footpath through rank growth leads to our goal. where we are passing was a courtyard which never echoed to the ring of an armed heel, for it was forbidden to awake the daughter of the arch, as echo was picturesquely called by eastern courtiers. historians do not say for certain who it was that built this palace. most of them inclined to the belief that it derived its name and origin from constantine porphyrogenitus, a builder of many castles, and thus would put its date in the tenth century. we would like to reconstruct this oblong building, to rebuild the arches that supported its three storeys, and fill up the gaps that time and impious hands had torn in the mosaic patterns of brick and stone that decorated the exterior. by the aid of imagination we may succeed in this, but not in giving to the interior its former splendour. all we may safely do is to go back [illustration: the palace of the porphyrogenitus, from within the walls. the majestic proportions of this building are best seen from here; and here again we may notice the remains of yet another balcony and, in continuation of the legend, gather that the infant prince took his first view of the city from here, and on this spot was proclaimed "cæsar urbis."] to those days when history was made here, take up a strand or two of the city's and the empire's skein of destiny. near here and separated from this palace only by a courtyard stood yet another, a lordlier one, that of blachernæ. this was the usual residence of the imperial family in the fourteenth century, so andronicus iii found the palace of the porphyrogenitus convenient quarters when he came to wrest the sceptre from his grandfather, andronicus ii. the history of this revolt gives some insight into the state of affairs that reigned in the imperial city. andronicus the elder had devoted the best part of his reign to an absorbing interest in the disputes of the greek church. on this account, perhaps, he had failed to appreciate the rising power of the ottoman empire. according to the custom of the palæologi, andronicus associated his son michael with the honours of the purple. michael proved an exemplary cæsar in every respect, and his son, also andronicus, was in time admitted to the dignity of augustus. so there was a triumvirate of cæsars in the imperial purple. but andronicus the younger turned out a spendthrift and a profligate, and matters came to a head when one night he shot his brother manuel in the street. the details of this unsavoury adventure are of no moment, suffice it to relate that the shock of his son's iniquity brought about the death of michael, already ailing, within eight days of the unhappy occurrence. andronicus the elder dispossessed his unruly grandson, who, however, escaped from confinement under pretext of hunting, and raised the standard of revolt in the provinces. during a ruinous period of seven years the quarrel between grandfather and grandson was protracted, till in 1328 andronicus the younger effected his entry into the city by surprise, forced his aged grandfather to retire, and as third monarch of that name usurped the throne. four years after his abdication andronicus the elder died, known to his monastery as monk authoy. another figure played a prominent part within these roofless halls. we have met him before, john cantacuzene, of whom his enemies confessed that of all the public robbers he alone was moderate and abstemious. he resisted all the attempts of andronicus iii to raise him to a seat beside him on the throne, and at that emperor's death became guardian of his infant son, john palæologus. in those days internal peace was not the empire's lot for long, and soon a conspiracy was formed against cantacuzene. anne of savoy, the dowager empress, was persuaded to assert the tutelage of her son, and her female court was bribed to support this claim by the admiral apocaucus. the patriarch, john of apri, a proud and weak old man, joined the conspiracy, and even assumed the claims to temporal power of a roman pontiff; he invaded the royal privilege of red shoes or buskins, placed on his head a mitre of silk or gold, and signed his epistles with hyacinth or green ink. while john cantacuzene was abroad on public service, the conspirators convicted him of treason, proscribed him as an enemy of the church, deprived him of all his fortune, and even cast his aged mother into prison. he was forced to assume the purple, and as rebel emperor endeavoured to resume the charge entrusted to him, the guardianship of john palæologus. but civil war devastated the provinces that yet remained to the empire, and not till apocaucus was murdered by some nobles whom he had imprisoned was peace restored. the negotiations to this end were carried on between the palace of the porphyrogenitus, where cantacuzene had taken up his abode, and the neighbouring residence of empress anne, the palace of blachernæ. the proceedings ended in peace, and the marriage of cantacuzene's daughter to john palæologus. but the sword did not long rust in its sheath. civil war broke out again, and finally john cantacuzene sought refuge in a monastery, where he spent his declining years in a lengthy, if somewhat unprofitable, treatise on the divine light of mount tabor. we must retrace our steps, and, leaving by the doorway we entered, let us cast a glance to northward. the moat ends abruptly, and a curtain projects towards the north-west flanked by towers. this is the wall of manuel comnenus, and so dates from the middle of the twelfth century. other fortifications must have stood here before that time to guard the palace of blachernæ, but little trace remains either of these or of the palace itself. yet here behind these walls, or those that they replaced, the dynasty of the comnenians lived out their day, and they deserve a word or two of recognition if only on account of anne, the daughter of the first alexius, and manuel the builder of this wall. of these, the former aspired to fame as historian of her father's reign, but the modicum of truth which is contained in the voluminous records she compiled is much obscured by elaborate affectations of windy rhetoric. no doubt the description of her father's character was dictated by filial piety--it stands in sharp contrast to the last words that that emperor heard from his wife irene: "you die as you have lived--a hypocrite!" [illustration: tower of manuel comenus. this is the wall of manuel comnenus, and so dates from the middle of the twelfth century.] the empress irene tried to exclude her surviving sons, and to place the power of government in the fair hands of anne, but the order of male succession was asserted by those able to enforce it. the fair historian, anne comnena, no doubt in order to add one more elaborate chapter to the high-sounding verbiage with which she had clothed the history of her time, conspired to poison her brother john; her husband, bryennius, prevented the design and john comnenus reigned in his father's stead. he generously forgave his sister, and no doubt much to the edification of future generations her momentous work continued. in all the history that is recorded by the grim walls that sheltered the city of constantine, there are but few events that leave a pleasant memory, few rays of gladdening light that pierce the turmoil of angry passions, the darkness of sordid details, the strife and anguish that largely composed the life of the city byzas founded. and, alas! these rare events serve but to make the contrast stronger and to intensify the shadows that hang about these ruined palaces and ramparts. we have traced the history of constantinople through its walls up to the time when they could no longer hold out against the assaults of those who now carry on the imperial traditions. but there are yet places left for us to visit--they have their tales to tell, and of all that remains to-day, the story of the reign of john comnenus is the pleasantest. in him the empire found a ruler whose days were never darkened by conspiracy or rebellion, save for that one instance already mentioned. his nobles feared him, his people loved him, and he had no need to punish or forgive any personal enemy. in his private life he emulated marcus aurelius: he was frugal and abstemious, severe with himself and indulgent to others. he proved successful in his warlike measures against the turks, and astonished his latin allies by the skill and prowess of the greeks when engaged in a holy war. he led his troops from constantinople to antioch and aleppo, there a slight wound in his hand, received when hunting, proved fatal, and cut short his prosperous reign. the imposing towers before us stand in their great strength as a monument to one of whose bodily strength romantic tales are told. manuel, the youngest son, succeeded his father, john comnenus, and was acclaimed victorious by the veteran troops that followed him from the turkish wars back to constantinople. his reign of thirty-seven years is a record of warfare in many distant lands. by land and sea, against the turks on the plains of hungary and along the coasts of italy and egypt, this emperor led his troops to victory. on one occasion when marching against the turks, he posted an ambuscade in a wood, and then rode boldly forward in search of perilous adventure, accompanied only by his brother isaac and the faithful axuch. he routed eighteen horsemen, but the numbers of the enemy increased, and manuel to rejoin his army had to cut his way through 500 turkish horsemen. of his exploits at sea mention may be made of an incident in the siege of corfu. manuel's ship towing a captured galley passed through the enemy's fleet. the emperor stood on the high poop, opposing a large buckler to the volley of darts and stones, and could not have escaped death had not the sicilian admiral enjoined his men to respect the person of a hero. many and remarkable are the stories of the emperor manuel's exploits, but the end of his career saw his fortunes wane, his last campaign against the turks ended in disaster, he lost his army in the mountains of pisidia, and owed his own safety only to the generosity of the sultan. the wall that manuel comnenus built stands high, and from its lofty battlements the sentries who held their watch here must have seen many strange and stirring sights. one day in the year 1203, when alexius iii angelus was emperor, the watchers on the tower looked down upon a host of glittering lances and waving pennants, on white tents and the pavilions of haughty nobles, for the chivalry of the west was encamped before the city walls, and these were the hosts of the fourth crusade. the re-conquest of jerusalem and the safety of the holy places were the motives that impelled this army towards the east, and no doubt many of them were as sincere in their desire to attain beatitude in this manner as their precursors on similar expeditions had been. an illiterate priest, fulk de neuilly, followed in the footsteps of peter the hermit, and roamed over europe inciting kings, princes and knights to arm for a holy war and march in their strength to redeem the sacred places of their creed. his success was nearly as great as that of the first missioner to the crusades, and innocent iii as soon as he ascended to the chair of st. peter, supported fulk de neuilly, and proclaimed the obligation of a new crusade in italy, france and germany. fulk paid a visit to richard of england to induce him to join in the adventure. that gallant monarch declined, no doubt quite satisfied with the glory gained in his first crusade, and possibly still reminiscent of its many misfortunes; in fact, the meeting seems to have ended in an unseemly wrangle. at any rate richard of england was not to be moved, and in the light of his former experiences we cannot altogether blame him. the propaganda met with considerable success elsewhere in europe, princes and knights flocked to the standard of the cross on its eastward march. a valiant noble, jeffrey of villehardouin, marshal of champagne, who wielded the pen as well as the sword, has left on record the names of those that followed this adventure; there was thibaut, count of champagne, with his hardy bands of saracens from navarre; louis, count of blois and chartres, like thibaut, a nephew of the kings of england and of france. simon de montfort, who had already expressed his devotion to the roman church by cruelly persecuting the albigenses, also joined the host, and a brother-in-law of thibaut, baldwin, count of flanders, with his brother henry and many knights assumed the cross at bruges. the leaders of this fourth crusade, unlike their predecessors, gave evidence of some consideration for the minor details of a campaign. instead of rolling like a vast stream across europe, helping themselves to what they wanted in the name of the cross, gathering strength in numbers and losing it in cohesion, these new crusaders held a counsel. between the solemn ratification of vows offered by these pious warrior pilgrims before the altar and the jousts and tournaments which were never wanting when two or three knights were gathered together, time was actually found to consider ways and means and debate on the many details that the planning of a big campaign entails. as a result of these deliberations, six deputies, the historian villehardouin among them, proceeded to venice, then the strongest maritime power in the mediterranean sea, to solicit her assistance in providing sea transport. the six ambassadors were hospitably received by dandolo, the aged doge whom we have seen before, standing in full armour on the high poop of his galley in the sea of marmora. negotiations proceeded with all the gravity warranted by the occasion, and before long the doge was entitled by the representatives of the republic to make known the terms under which venetian aid could be secured. the crusaders should assemble at venice on the feast of st. john in the following year. preparations could by then have been made for the conveyance of 4,500 knights and their squires and horses along with 20,000 infantry, and during a term of nine months they should be supplied with provisions, and transported to whatsoever coast "the service of god and christendom" should require. the pilgrims should pay a sum of 85,000 marks of silver before their departure, and all conquests by sea and land were to be equally divided between the confederates. the republic agreed to join the armament with a squadron of fifty galleys, and how valiantly they bore themselves was revealed to us when we watched the naval pageant from the asiatic coast of the sea of marmora. notwithstanding the liberality displayed by the leaders of the crusade, the full amount due by agreement to the venetians could not be raised, so that astute republic requisitioned the services of the crusaders in their own interests to reduce some revolted cities in dalmatia. the crusaders sailed for zara and regained that city for the venetian republic. this led to some serious disagreement between the venetians and their pilgrim allies, and the pope even went to the length of excommunicating the victors of zara. pope innocent had designs of his own, only remotely connected with the object of the crusade, and this movement gave him a welcome opportunity of furthering his plans. he intended to re-establish the power of the vatican at constantinople, and fortune had placed a useful instrument in his power. in the camp of the crusaders was young alexius, son of isaac angelus. alexius iii, when he had deposed his brother isaac, and deprived him of his eyesight, allowed young alexius to escape unharmed. the catholic princes, the leaders of the crusade, espoused the cause of the lawful heir to the eastern empire, and as a reward for their services alexius had promised that he and his father would restore the supremacy of rome over the eastern church. the crusaders landed at chalcedon, and from scutari sailed into the golden horn. the sentries on the wall saw these steel-clad warriors land their gaily-caparisoned steeds from the flat-bottomed boats in which they had crossed. what were their feelings when they saw 70,000 of their own troops turn and flee, led by their emperor, before the invaders had found time to mount or couch their lances? then followed lengthy negotiations between the latin camp and the palace of blachernæ, then a siege, and swarms of franks scaling the walls that manuel comnenus built--and in the silence of the night that followed, when the assailants had been beaten back, a whispered rumour ran along the ramparts and grew into a sullen roar--the emperor alexius had fled. the distance of time dims the awful realities that shook the foundations of the imperial city during the few centuries that passed before the turks made their [illustration: gate of the bootmakers, or the crooked gate. egri kapoussi, formerly the gate of kaligaria--the bootmakers' quarter. to-day this quaint old gateway is seldom used, the industry that gave it a name is dead; dead warriors rest under the cypress-trees that throw their slender shadows over the tortuous uneven path.] victorious entry. as in a glass darkly we see the blind and aged emperor isaac taken from his prison to occupy the throne for a short space, the pathetic figure of his son alexius, fourth of that name, who reigned not a year, to die by the hand of an assassin. a shorter reign followed, that of another alexius, called ducas, who in his turn made way for the crusaders, and a latin dynasty ruled over the destinies of constantinople. six latin and four nicæan emperors occupied the throne of cæsar for the brief period of sixty years, until in 1260 michael palæologus restored the empire of the greeks. two gates pierce these walls, egri kapoussi, formerly the gate of kaligaria--the bootmakers' quarter. no doubt in former days this gate, so near the palace walls of blachernæ, was much frequented. the walls here were submitted to a determined attack during the last siege, but the ordnance of that day was not able to effect a breach, and the guns were removed to batter against the gate of st. romanus. to-day this quaint old gateway is seldom used, the industry that gave it a name is dead; dead warriors rest under the cypress-trees that throw their slender shadows over the tortuous, uneven path that leads to this once populous quarter. the high walls and towers that guarded this place have seen other watchers, who, with heavy hearts and weary, straining eyes, gazed out into the darkness. for here constantine ix and phrantzes the historian, his friend, saw the dawn creep up out of the east, lighting up the turkish camps and revealing the reason of those ominous sounds that had disturbed the stillness of the night. one of those watchers never lived to see another sunrise. passing fair is the view from this point. from immediately before the walls the country fades away into the west in easy undulations, the gentle curves of a distant ridge broken here and there by a cypress taller than his upstanding fellows. away where the golden horn, now gleaming silver in the fading light, turns to northward to merge into the sweet waters of europe, the banks are dedicated to the dead, and here again the sombre cypress keeps his watch. at the foot of the hill, only its tapering minarets showing above the dense mass of foliage, is a holy place of islam, the mosque and sanctuary of eyub occupying the site of a church and monastery dedicated to ss. cosmos and damianus. bohemund, the italo-norman count of tarentum, lodged here while the crusaders negotiated with alexius i. a gate led to this sanctuary and it was named after a sheet of water by the golden horn, called the silver lake. the watchers on the tower above saw young andronicus go forth with hounds and falcons, to return with a rebel army behind him, and to fill up that dark page of history we have already quoted. from here, again, the sentinel would have reported the advent of john cantacuzene with an army, to reason sternly with the empress anna and the admiral apocaucus. a plain, now overbuilt, stretched from the foot of these walls along the golden horn. here crum, the bulgarian king, whose barbaric rites we witnessed at the golden gate, was asked to confer with the emperor leo, the armenian. the monarchs agreed to meet unarmed, but leo intended treachery, which crum suspected, and he hastily withdrew; and though pursued by the arrows of the ambushed archers, he escaped, wounded in several places. another bulgarian king, of whom mention has been made, met the eastern emperor on this plain when simeon and romanus lecapenus concluded peace. now let us proceed on the last stage of our journey down by these walls of manuel comnenus into the plain. high and of enormous strength they are still, for they form here the single line of defence; the ground offered too many obstacles for the erection of an outer rampart, and the highest point of which we are leaving behind us not even a moat was possible. some doubt exists as to whether the wall that leads down towards the golden horn is of a piece with that of manuel comnenus. it differs in construction, and bears many inscriptions relating to the repairs which it needed. thus the money which irene, wife of andronicus ii, left at her death, was devoted to these walls by the emperor. john vii palæologus is responsible for other repairs, according to an inscription, which reads as follows (being interpreted)- john palæologus faithful king and emperor of the romans in christ, god, on the second of the month of august of the year 6949 (1441) perchance this was the last occasion on which the walls of constantinople were repaired, until the final siege of the city, when johannes grant, a german engineer in the service of the greeks, under cover of darkness directed his workers to secure the portions of the wall that had suffered most heavily under the fire of turkish ordnance, by such devices as were known in his day, and by the best of all defensive methods, counter attack. we reach the plain below, and find our attention [illustration: wall of palæologian repair. let us proceed--down by these walls. high and of enormous strength they are still, for they form here the single line of defence; the ground offered too many obstacles for the erection of an outer rampart, and at the highest point which we are leaving behind us, not even a moat was possible.] drawn to yet another sombre mass of masonry, peculiar in design, for it has the appearance of two towers joined together. they differ in structure, for whereas one is built of carefully cut stones, and shows courses of brickwork, the other is less regular, and from it here and there marble pillars project like cannon. these are the towers of anemas and isaac angelus, and a counterfort, corresponding in structure to that of the twin towers, juts out in front of them amid the long grass and tangled undergrowth. isaac angelus and his pathetic history are already known to us. anemas gave his name to the second tower because he is said to have been the first prisoner confined within these gloomy walls. he was the descendant of a saracen emir, who defended crete against nicephorus phocas, and was taken prisoner. treated with unusual leniency for those times, he was granted large estates in the neighbourhood of the capital. his son, anemas, was converted to christianity, and distinguished himself in the campaign of john zimisces against the russians, to fall in a personal encounter with swiatoslav, the russian king. but michael anemas, a scion of this family, was drawn into a conspiracy against the emperor alexius comnenus, and imprisoned in this tower. anne comnenus the historian, and her mother, induced alexius to remit the sentence which condemned michael anemas and his brother to loss of eyesight, and after some years they regained their liberty. a formidable dungeon, this tower of anemas, with its narrow, vaulted cells of enormous strength and its narrower passages. others whom we know languished here in chains, among these the emperor andronicus comnenus, who left this prison to die at the hands of his infuriated subjects. another whom we have met, andronicus, the son of john vi palæologus, was confined here by his father. he effected his escape, and in turn imprisoned his father and his brothers manuel and theodore. perhaps the best that can be said of this rebellious son is that he did not act on the advice of bajazet and put his prisoners to death. a gloomy history this strong tower of anemas tells us. a tale of civil war, of tyranny, of deadly family feuds and the endless misery of human weakness when it is invested with some transient semblance of external power. in strong contrast stands out that more rugged tower of isaac angelus. here it is said the varangians, cæsar's bodyguard, had their head-quarters, and through all the gloom that envelopes the history of the later greek empire, the conduct of those troops [illustration: towers of isaac angelus and anemas. a gloomy history this strong tower of anemas tells us. in strong contrast stands out that more rugged tower of isaac angelus.] shines like a beacon light; the race these men sprang from was in its infancy, and they brought to the service of the eastern emperor the unspoilt faith and valour of a youthful nation. the origin of the first varangians is obscure; the name is derived from a teutonic source, fortganger, forthgoers, men who had left their country in quest of adventure. there is reason to suppose that the first varangians to take service with the eastern cæsar were of that norman race who, so long hidden in the darkness of their northern home, suddenly burst forth upon the world as pirates. their sharp-prowed ships first scoured the baltic sea, and landed these adventurous spirits on the shores inhabited by fennic and slavonic races. their arms and discipline commanded respect, and by helping these slavs against their enemies inland, the varangians obtained the mastery over a weaker race, and gave it a succession of strong rulers. these in their turn adapted themselves to their changed circumstances, and finally a scandinavian chief, rurik, established a dynasty that ruled over the northern slavs for many centuries. his descendants in time became one with their subjects and sought to check the recurring inroads of fresh varangians. the sword of these corsairs had raised vladimir to the throne; the riches he had to offer in return for their services proved insufficient, so they accepted his advice and sailed back the way they came. they sallied forth out into the north sea, and made their way to warmer climates. after many encounters with the moors and others who followed the profitable calling of piracy, they found their way to the city of byzas and took service with the emperors of the east. in time the fame of this warrior's eldorado reached other northern countries, and they too sent recruits to fill the gaps that constant warfare had torn in the ranks of the eastern empire's vanguard, the varangians. so from england, so little known to the eastern contemporaries of william the norman that it was held to be the mythical island of thule, came strong-limbed saxons driven from their homes. danes, too, were found amongst this trusted body, and their weighty battle-axes and stout hearts defended the declining roman empire until its death agony on that fateful 29th of may, 1453. the shadows of night are closing upon us, and here and there a light shines out through latticed windows as we turn in towards the town. the day's work is done, and here and there a figure moves silently along to disappear down some dark alley. the narrow streets are almost deserted. this is the quarter of the phanar that we are now approaching. in former days a lighthouse [illustration: old house in the phanar. here and there we may see an old house whose stout walls have resisted all attempts at destruction.] stood some way further on and guided the ships that had found their way into the golden horn after sunset. here and there we may see an old house whose stout walls have resisted all attempts at destruction, perhaps dating back to those days when the now ruined palace of blachernæ was a royal residence. perhaps courtiers or high officers of state lived here, but the barred window openings and grim-visaged walls will not reveal their secrets. we have come to our journey's end and must leave these lonely quarters for those haunts frequented by foreigners. so we will walk down to the shore of the golden horn. a caique is in readiness to carry us onward to the bridge of galata. beyond it ships ride at anchor in the stream, or are moored along-side the deserted quays. one or other of those ships will carry our travellers back into the western seas, back to those countries which owe their political existence to the walls that still encircle the city of constantine. the city looms black against the clear sky of a southern night, and the crescent moon draws pale glints of light from the pinnacles of slender minarets. stamboul is wrapt in darkness. on our left the lights of galata and pera shine out, where the western races take their pleasure after the day's work. behind us, by those frowning walls, a slight sound is borne upon the night wind. its voice whispers through the branches of the many cypress-trees. it calls in gentle, insistent tones, and thousands answer by obeying it. they come from out the shadows of the broken walls, they move silently among the tumbled tombstones. silently they mount the ramparts and gaze with serene, far-seeing eyes, out over the sleeping city. greeks of all ages, turks who fell before them, fearless franks, brave normans, and stout-hearted saxons, hold their nocturnal watch. "the oracle spoke true--the city prospers," whispers byzas the founder. "it is well!" "the descendants of the people that i loved are happy and at peace," comes from john comnenus. "it is well!" "the crescent shines upon the capital of a strong empire--the sons of othman rule wisely," murmurs the conqueror mahomed. "it is well!" the frank looks back upon the part he played in the history of this sleeping city. his deeds were not done in vain. "it is well." a silent group looks out over the city. britons who followed as captives in the train of theodosius, normans who had camped outside the city walls under the banner of the cross, saxons and danes who had met them in the field and on the ramparts with their battle-axes. they have followed with eager eyes the history of those that came after them. they saw the red cross of st. george's ensign float above the first ships that queen elizabeth had sent here. they saw that flag extended to denote the union of races that make up their nation, and watched it sail away up the narrow channel of the bosphorus to the crimea. these shades of departed varangians, who fought till their last breath for an expiring cause, for an empire whose sons had lost the art of war, have watched the rise of yet another empire in the west in that dear land they sailed from. they have followed closely the history of that empire, and a sigh goes from them, "is it well?" envoi gentle travellers! our journey is at an end, and nothing remains to author and artist but the pleasant recollection of your company and the kindly interest you were pleased to show. the sun has risen upon another day, but that is no reason why the doings of a previous one should be forgotten. the ships that bear our travellers to sea, or maybe the train on the roumelian railway, will soon break up a very pleasant party. so before we go let us ask you to retain a kindly memory of this journey, and of the city walls that suggested it. we ask it for a particular reason. a rumour is afloat, and has not as yet been contradicted, that these old walls are doomed, behind whose sheltering care europe and the different nations to which you belong worked out their destiny. but for these walls what might the state of europe be to-day? wave after wave of asiatic aggression here spent its fury, until in time the nation that grew up within them lost the power of defence, and accordingly ceased to be. but these walls still stand, if only as relics of an historic and romantic past. and they are doomed. already the pick is at work upon the theodosian walls, near the palace of the porphyrogenitus. the object is to sell the material in order to provide the army of the new turkish empire with means of defence and offence. but these walls have served their purpose, their stones have now no value but that to which their history entitles them. fellow-travellers--it may not be too late, it may yet be possible to save these landmarks that have led us through the maze of history and romance to the present day, where with the best intentions a vigorous young government intends to inaugurate a new era by an act of vandalism. the power of public opinion is great. author and artist suggest it as a means of saving the walls of an imperial city to their friends and fellow-travellers--and so farewell! appendix chronological table [author's note.] in this table are set forth only the dates of events recorded while glancing at the history of the "walls of constantinople." as the book does not profess to be an exhaustive history of constantinople, but rather a reflection of the historic happenings these walls have witnessed--so this table aspires to do no more than guide the reader through past ages with here and there a date as milestone. b.c. 658. byzas founded the city. 479. pausanias defeated the persians at platæa. 450 (about). xenophon born. a.d. 306-337. constantine i, the great, to whom the city owes its present name. 364-378. valens, whose aqueduct still stands. 378-395. theodosius i, the great, who divided the roman empire between his sons arcadius and honorius. 395-408. arcadius, in whose reign the goths laid waste greece. 404. eudoxia, wife of arcadius, died. 408-450. theodosius ii, in whose reign the theodosian walls were built. the greeks fought with success against persians and varani. attila appeared before the walls of constantinople and forced the emperor to pay him tribute. 457-474. leo i. 518-527. justin. 527-565. justinian i, the great. theodora, his wife. 545. bertezena established empire of turks in tartary. 558. turkish embassy to justinian. 610-641. heraclius (who executed phocas and succeeded him). 622. heraclius distinguished himself in the persian war. 626. unsuccessful attempt of the avari on constantinople. 631-641. arabs conquered phoenicia, euphrates countries, judæa, syria, and all egypt. 642. constans obtains the throne. 650. constans murders his brother theodosius. 653. arabs conquered part of africa, cyprus and rhodes. 668. constans died at syracuse. 669. arabs attacked constantinople. 685-695. justinian ii. 695-697. leontius. 597-705. tiberius (apsimar). 705-711. justinian ii (restored by bulgarians). 711-713. phillipicus (bardanes). 717-740. leo iii (the isaurian). 740-775. constantine v (copronymus) wrested part of syria and armenia from the arabs; overcame the bulgarians. 779-797. constantine vi. 797-802. irene. 802-811. nicephorus i forced to pay tribute to the arabs; fell in the war against the bulgarians. 811-813. michael i (rhangabe). 813-820. leo v (the armenian). 820-829. michael ii (put leo v to death, 826). under his reign the arabs conquered sicily and crete. 842-867. michael iii (confined his mother theodora in a convent); he left the government in the hands of his uncle bordas, and was killed by 867-886. basil i (the macedonian). 886-912. leo vi (the wise). 912-958. constantine porphyrogenitus (his mother zoe). 919. romanus lecapenus obliged him to share the throne. 944. constantine and stephanus, sons of romanus i. 958-963. romanus ii. 963. nicephorus ii (phocas) put to death 970. by john zimisces, who carried on an unsuccessful war against the russians. 963-1025. basil ii (bulgaroktonos) vanquished the bulgarians. 1025. romanus iii married zoe and became emperor; she had him executed, and raised 1034. michael iv to the throne. 1041. michael v. 1042. constantine x. 1042. zoe and theodora. 1056-1057. michael vi, dethroned by 1057-1059. isaac comnenus, who became a monk. 1059-1067. constantine xi (ducas), who fought successfully against the uzes; eudocia, his wife, entrusted with the administration 1067-1078. married romanus iv. 1081-1118. alexius (comnenus); crusades commenced in his reign. 1118-1143. john ii (comnenus). 1143-1180. manuel i (comnenus). 1180-1183. alexius ii (comnenus), dethroned by andronicus. 1183-1185. andronicus i, dethroned by his guardian, 1185-1195. isaac angelus; in turn dethroned by his brother. 1195-1203. alexius iii. 1203-1204. alexius iv and his father isaac restored by crusaders. 1204. alexius v (ducas)put alexius iv to death. isaac died at the same time. 1204. the latins conquer the city. 1204-1260. latin emperors (baldwin i died in captivity in bulgaria). 1204-1260. nicæan emperors (they reigned at nicæa as constantinople was in the hands of the latins). 1260-1282. michael viii (palæologus) on restoration of the greek empire. 1282-1328. andronicus ii, who denounced connection with the latin church, which michael viii had restored. 1288. ertoghrul succeeded by othman. 1341-1391. john vi (palæologus). 1342-1355. john v (cantacuzene). 1361. sultan amurath took adrianople. 1376-1379. andronicus iv (palæologus) usurped the throne. 1391-1425. manuel ii. 1396. bajazet besieged constantinople, and defeated an army of western warriors under sigismund near nicopolis. 1402. tamerlane's invasion of turkish provinces in asia saved constantinople. 1425-1448. john vii (palæologus). 1444. amurath ii extorted tribute from john vii 1451. and died at adrianople. 1448-1453. constantine xii (palæologus). 1451-1453. siege of constantinople. 1451-1481. mahomed the conqueror of constantinople. 1481-1512. bajazet ii resigned in favour of 1512-1520. selim i, who murdered his brothers, proclaimed himself champion of orthodoxy and became the first caliph. 1520-1566. solyman i, the great, contemporary of francis i of france, charles v, german emperor. 1526. campaigns against the western nations; hungarians beaten at mohacz. 1529. buda-pesth taken; siege of vienna. 1537. barbarossa, solyman's admiral, conquered combined fleet of emperor, pope and venetians off prevesa. 1553. mustapha, son of solyman, executed in presence and by order of his father, through roxalana's instigation. 1566-1574. selim ii. 1574-1604. mahomed iii; first english embassy sent to the porte. 1617. achmet i sends embassy to france. 1618. mustapha i reigned six months and was deposed. 1644. sir thomas bendish, english ambassador in reign of ibrahim, obtained justice by means of a drastic measure. 1683. sultan mahomed iv; siege of vienna raised by sobieski. 1702. turkey admitted into the european system. 1707. achmet iii allied himself with charles xii of sweden. 1769-1774. panslavism. 1774-1792. mustapha iii. war with catherine of russia. suvarrov defeated the turks--azov, trebizona, silistria and shumea taken by russia. the crimea taken by prince potemkin. 1792-1815. turkey involved in napoleonic wars. 1815-1840. greek rebellion. battle of navarino. czar nicholas waged war with turkey, kars and the dobrutsha taken. 1854-1856. crimean war. 1879. russo-turkish war. 1909. abdul hamid deposed and constitutional government introduced. _richard clay & sons, limited london and bungay._ * * * * * typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: theodosias=> theodosius {pg 49} comunenus=> comnenus {pg 107} encounted=> encountered {pg 208} prevosa=> prevesa {pg 95} transcriber's note: inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved. obvious typographical errors have been corrected. italic text is denoted by _underscores_. the book uses both palæologus and palælogus. the book uses both destreeses and de streeses. in both cases, both spellings have been retained as printed. page 304: ramedan should possibly be ramadan. "_your swarthy hero scanderbeg, gauntlet on hand and boot on leg, and skilled in every warlike art, riding through his albanian lands, and following the auspicious star that shone for him o'er ak-hissar._" longfellow the captain of the janizaries _a story of the times of scanderbeg and the fall of constantinople_ by james m. ludlow, d.d. litt.d eleventh edition new york and london harper & brothers publishers copyright, 1886, by dodd, mead & co. copyright, 1890, by james m. ludlow. _electrotyped by dodd, mead & co._ preface. the story of the captain of the janizaries originated, not in the author's desire to write a book, but in the fascinating interest of the times and characters he has attempted to depict. it seems strange that the world should have so generally forgotten george castriot, or scanderbeg, as the turks named him, whose career was as romantic as it was significant in the history of the eastern mediterranean. gibbon assigns to him but a few brief pages, just enough to make us wonder that he did not write more of the man who, he confessed, "with unequal arms resisted twenty-three years the powers of the ottoman empire." creasy, in his history of the turks, devotes less than a page to the exploits of one who "possessed strength and activity such as rarely fall to the lot of man," "humbled the pride of amurath and baffled the skill and power of his successor mahomet." history, as we make it in events, is an ever-widening river, but, as remembered, it is like a stream bursting eastward from the lebanons, growing less as it flows until it is drained away in the desert. though our story is in the form of romance, it is more than "founded upon fact." the details are drawn from historical records, such as the chronicles of the monk barletius--a contemporary, though perhaps a prejudiced admirer, of scanderbeg--the later byzantine annals, the customs of the albanian people, and scenes observed while travelling in the east. the author takes the occasion of the publication of a new edition to gratefully acknowledge many letters from scholars, as well as notices from the press, which have expressed appreciation of this attempt to revive popular interest in lands and peoples that are to reappear in the drama of the ottoman expulsion from europe, upon which the curtain is now rising. the captain of the janizaries. chapter i from the centre of the old town of brousa, in asia minor--old even at the time of our story, about the middle of the fifteenth century--rises an immense plateau of rock, crowned with the fortress whose battlements and towers cut their clear outlines high against the sky. an officer of noble rank in the ottoman service stood leaning upon the parapet, apparently regaling himself with the marvellous panorama of natural beauty and historic interest which lay before him. the vast plain, undulating down to the distant sea of marmora, was mottled with fields of grain, gardens enclosed in hedges of cactus, orchards in which the light green of the fig-trees blended with the duskier hues of the olive, and dense forests of oak plumed with the light yellow blooms of the chestnut. here and there writhed the heavy vapors of the hot sulphurous streams springing out of the base of the phrygian olympus, which reared its snow-clad peak seven thousand feet above. the lower stones of the fortress of brousa were the mementoes of twenty centuries which had drifted by them since they were laid by the old phrygian kings. the flags of many empires had floated from those walls, not the least significant of which was that of the ottoman, who, a hundred years before, had consecrated brousa as his capital by burying in yonder mausoleum the body of othman, the founder of the ottoman dynasty of the sultans. but the turkish officer was thinking of neither the beauty of the scene nor the historic impressiveness of the place. his face, shaded by the folds of his enormous turban, wore deeper shadows which were flung upon it from within. he was talking to himself. "the padishah[1] has a nobler capital now than this,--across the sea there in christian europe. but by whose hands was it conquered? by christian hands! by janizaries! renegades! ay, this hand!"--he stripped his arm bare to the shoulder and looked upon its gnarled muscles as he hissed the words through his teeth--"this hand has cut a wider swathe through the enemies of the ottoman than any other man's; a swathe down which the padishah can walk without tripping his feet. and this was a christian's hand once! well may i believe the story my old nurse so often told me,--that, when the priest was dropping the water of baptism upon my baby brow, this hand seized the sacred vessel, and it fell shattered upon the pavement. ah, well have i fulfilled that omen!" the man walked to and fro on the platform with quick and jarring step, as if to shake off the grip of unwelcome thoughts. there was a majesty in his mien which did not need the play of his partially suppressed fury to fascinate the attention of any who might have beheld him at the moment. he was tall of stature, immensely broad at the shoulders, deep lunged, comparatively light and trim in the loins, as the close drawn sash beneath the embroidered jacket revealed: arms long; hands large. he looked as if he might wrestle with a bear without a weapon. his features were not less notable than his form. his forehead was high and square, with such fulness at the corners as to leave two cross valleys in the middle. deep-set eyes gleamed from beneath broad and heavy brows. the lips were firm, as if they had grown rigid from the habit of concealing, rather than expressing, thought, except in the briefest words of authority,--cæsar-lips to summarize a campaign in a sentence. the chin was heavy, and would have unduly protruded were it not that there were needed bulk and strength to stand as the base of such prominent upper features. altogether his face would have been pronounced hard and forbidding, had it not been relieved as remarkably by that strange radiance with which strong intelligence and greatness of soul sometimes transfigure the coarsest features. these peculiarities of the man were observed and commented upon by two officers who were sitting in the embrasure of the parapet at the farther end of the battlement. the elder of the two, who had grown gray in the service, addressed his comrade, a young man, though wearing the insignia of rank equal to that of the other. "yes, bashaw,[2] he is not only the right hand of the padishah, but the army has not seen an abler soldier since the ottoman entered europe. you know his history?" "only as every one knows it, for in recent years he has written it with his cimeter flashing through battle dust as the lightning through clouds," replied the young officer. the veteran warmed with enthusiasm as he narrated, "i well remember him as a lad when he was brought from the arnaout's[3] country. he was not over nine years of age when sultan mahomet conquered the lands of epirus, where our general's father, john castriot, was duke. as a hostage young george castriot was brought with his three brothers to adrianople." "are his brothers of the same metal?" asked the listener. "allah only knows what they would have been had not state necessity----" the narrator completed the sentence by a significant gesture, imitating the swirl of the executioner's sword as he takes off the head of an offender. "but george castriot was a favorite of the sultan, who fondled him as the roman hadrian did his beautiful page, antinous. and well he might, for a lad more lithe of limb and of wit never walked the ground since allah bade the angels worship the goodly form of adam.[4] once when a prize was offered for the best display of armor, and the provinces were represented by their different champions in novel helmets and corselets and shields, none of which pleased the imperial taste, it was the whim of the padishah to have young castriot parade before the judges panoplied only in his naked muscle, and to order that the prize should be given to him, together with the title iscanderbeg.[5] and well he won it. in the after wrestling matches he put upon his hip the best of them, turcomans from asia, and moors from africa, and giaours[6] from the west. and he was as skilful on a horse's legs as he was on his own. his namesake, alexander, could not have managed bucephalus better than he. i well remember his game with the two scythians. they came from far to have a joust with the best of the padishah's court. they were to fight singly: if one were overthrown, the other, after the victor had breathed himself, was to redeem the honor of his comrade. scanderbeg sent his spear-head into the throat of his antagonist at the first encounter, when the second barbarian villain treacherously set upon him from the rear. the young champion wheeled his horse as quickly as a dervish twists his body, and with one blow of his sword, clove him in twain from skull to saddle." "bravo!" cried the listener, "i believe it, for look at the arm that he has uncovered now." "it is a custom he has," continued the narrator. "he always fights with his sword-arm bared to the shoulder. when he was scarce nineteen years old he was at the siege of constantinople, in 800 of the hegira,[7] with sultan amurath. his skill there won him a sanjak.[8] since that time you know his career." "ay! his squadrons have shaken the world." "he has changed of late, however; grown heavy at the brows. but he comes this way." as the general approached, the two bashaws bowed low to the ground, and then stood in the attitude of profound obeisance until he addressed them. his face gleamed with frank and genial familiarity as he exchanged with them a few words; but it was again masked in sombre thoughtfulness as he passed on. near the gate by which the fortress was entered from the lower town was gathered a group of soldiers who were bantering a strange looking creature with hands tied behind him--evidently some captive. "what have you here?" said scanderbeg, approaching them. "that we cannot tell. it is a secret," replied the subaltern officer in charge of the squad, making a low salâm, and with a twinkle in his eyes which took from his reply all semblance of disrespect. "but i must have your secret," said the general good-naturedly. "it is not our secret, sire," replied the man, "but his. he will not tell us who he is." "where does he belong? what tongue has he, aladdin? you who were once interpreter to the bey of anatolia should know any man by his tongue." "he has no tongue, sire. he is dumb as a toad. his beard has gone untrimmed so long that it has sewed fast his jaws. he has not performed his ablutions since the last shower washed him, and his ears are so filled with dirt plugs that he could not hear a thunder clap." the face of the captive seemed to strangely interest the general, who said as he turned away, "send him to our quarters. the padishah has taken a fancy to deaf mutes of late. they overhear no secrets and tell no tales. we will scrape him deep enough to find if he has a soul. if he knows his foot from his buttocks he will be as valued a present to his majesty as a fifth wife.[9] send him to our quarters." the general soon returned to the fortress. a room dimly lighted through two narrow windows that opened into a small inner court, and contained a divan or couch, a table, and a motley collection of arms, was the residence of the commandant. a soldier stood by the entrance guarding the unfortunate captive. "you may leave him with me," said scanderbeg approaching. the man was thrust into the apartment, and stood with head bowed until the guard withdrew. the general turned quickly upon him as soon as they were alone. "if i mistake not, man, though your tongue be tied, your eye spake to me by the gate." "it was heaven's blessing upon my errand reflected there," replied the man in the albanian language. "i bear thee a message from moses goleme, of lower dibria, and from all the provinces of albania, from every valley and every heart." "let me hear it, for i love the very flints on the mountains and every pebble on the shore of old albania," replied scanderbeg eagerly. "heaven be praised! were my ears dull as the stones they would open to hear such words," said the man with suppressed emotion. "for since the death of thy noble father--" "my father's death! i had not heard it. when?" exclaimed the general. "it is four moons since we buried him beneath the holy stones of the church at croia, and the sultan sent us general sebaly to govern in his stead." "do you speak true?" cried scanderbeg, laying his hand upon the man's shoulder and glaring into his face. "my father dead? and a stranger appointed in his stead? and sultan amurath has not even told me! beware, man, lest you mistake." "i cannot mistake, sire, for these hands closed the eyes of john castriot after he had breathed a prayer for his land and for his son--one prayer for both. moses goleme was with us, for you know he was thy father's dearest friend and wisest counsellor, and to him thy father gave charge that word should be sent thee that to thee he bequeathed his lands." "stop! stop!" said scanderbeg, pacing the little room like a caged lion. "let me think. but go on. he did not curse me, then? swear to me,"--and he turned facing the man--"swear to me that my father did not curse me with his dying breath! swear it!" "i swear it," said the man, "and that all albania prays to-day for george castriot. these are the tidings which the noble moses bade me bring thee, though i found thee at the indus or under the throne of the sultan himself. i have no other message. that i might tell thee this in the free speech of albania i have kept dumb to all others. if it be treason to the sultan for thee to hear it, let my head pay the penalty. but know, sire, that our land will rest under no other rule than that of a castriot." "a castriot!" soliloquized the general. "well, it is a better name than scanderbeg. ho, guard! take this fellow! let him share your mess!" when alone the general threw himself upon the divan for a moment, then paced again the apartment, and muttered to himself---"and for what has a castriot given himself to the turk! yet i did not betray my land and myself. they stole me. they seduced my judgment as a child. they flattered my conceit as a man. like a leopard i have fought in the padishah's arena, and for a leopard's pay--the meat that makes him strong, and the gilded cage that sets off his spots. i have led his armies, for what? for glory. but whose glory? the padishah cries in every emergency, 'where is _my_ scanderbeg? scanderbeg to the rescue!' but it means, 'slave, do my bidding!' and i, the tinselled slave, bow my head to the neck of my steed, and the empire rings with the tramp of my squadrons, and the praise of scanderbeg's loyalty! pshaw! he calls me his lightning, but he is honored as the invisible jove who hurls it. and i am a castriot! a christian! ay, a christian dog,[10] indeed, to fawn and lick the hands of one who would despise me were he not afraid of my teeth. he takes my father's lands and gives them to another; and i--i am of too little account to be even told 'thy father is dead.'" scanderbeg paused in the light that streamed through the western window. it was near sunset, and a ruddy gleam shot across the room. "this light comes from the direction of albania, and so there comes a red gleam--blood red--from albania into my soul." he drew the sleeve of the left arm and gazed at a small round spot tattooed just above the elbow--the indelible mark of the janizary. "they that put it there said that by it i should remember my vow to the padishah. and, since i cannot get thee out, my little talisman, i swear by thee that i shall never forget my vow; no, nor them that made my child-lips take it, and taught me to abjure my father's name, my country's faith, and broke my will to the bit and rein of their caprice. it may be that some day i shall wash thee out in damned moslem blood. but hold! that would be treason. scanderbeg a traitor? how they will hiss it from brousa to adrianople; from the lips of vizier and pot-carrier! but is it treason to betray treason? but patience! bide thy time, castriot!" a slight commotion in the court drew the attention of scanderbeg. in a moment the sentry announced: "a courier from his majesty!" the message told that the ottoman forces had been defeated in europe--the noted bashaw, schehadeddin, having been utterly routed by hunyades. the missive called the sultan's "always liege and invincible servant, scanderbeg, to the rescue!" within an hour a splendid suite of officers, mounted on swift and gaily caparisoned steeds, gathered about the great general, and at the raising of the horse-tail upon the spear-head, dashed along the road to the coast of marmora where vessels were in waiting to convey them across to the european side. scanderbeg had but a moment's interview with the dumb captive, sufficient to whisper, "return our salutation to the noble moses goleme; and say that george castriot will honor his confidence better in deeds than he could in words. i know not the future, my brave fellow, and might not tell it if i did, even to ears as deaf as yours. but say to goleme that castriot swears by his beard--by the beard of moses--that brighter days shall come for albania even if they must be flashed from our swords. farewell!" the man fell at the general's feet and embraced them. then rising he raised his hand, "by the beard of moses! let that be the watchword between our people and our rightful prince. brave men scattered from adria to hæmus will listen for that watchword. farewell, sire. by the beard of moses!" scanderbeg summoned a soldier and said sternly, "take this fellow away. he is daft as well as dumb and deaf. yet treat him well. such creatures are the special care of allah. take him to the bosphorus that he may cross over to his kin, the greeks, at constantinople." footnotes: [1] a title of the sultan. [2] bashaw; an old name for pasha. [3] arnaout; turkish for albanian, a corruption of the old byzantine word arvanitæ. [4] koran, chap. ii. [5] iscander-beg; or the lord alexander. [6] giaours; a term of reproach by which the turks designate the unbelievers in mahomet, especially christians. [7] 800 of the hegira; 1422 of the christian era. [8] sanjak; a military and administrative authority giving the possessor command of 5,000 horse. [9] the moslems are allowed four wives. beyond this number their women can be only concubines. [10] the moslems call christians dogs. chapter ii. a little hamlet lay, like an eagle's nest, high on the southern slope of the balkan mountains. the half dozen huts of which it consisted were made of rough stones, daubed within and without thick with clay. the roofs were of logs, overlaid with mats of brushwood woven together by flexible withes, and plastered heavily. the inhabitants were goatherds. their lives were simple. if they were denied indulgence in luxuries, they were also removed from that contact with them which excites desire, and so were contented. they seldom saw the faces of any from the great world, upon so large a portion of which they looked down. their absorbing occupation was in summer to watch the flocks which strolled far away among the cliffs, and in winter to keep them close to the hamlet, for then terrific storms swept the mountains and filled the ravines with impassable snow. milosch and his good wife, helena--maika helena, good mother helena, all the hamlet called her--were blessed with two boys. their faces were as bright as the sky in which, from their lofty lodgings, they might be said to have made their morning ablutions for the eleven and twelve years of their respective lives. yet they were not children of the cherubic type; rather tough little knots of humanity, with big bullet-heads thatched over with heavy growths of hair, which would have been red, had it not been bleached to a light yellow by sunshine and cloud-mists. instead of the toys and indolent pastimes of the nursery they had only the steep rocks, the thick copse, the gnarled trees, and the wild game of the mountains for their play-things. they thus developed compactly knit muscles, depth of lung and thickness of frame, which gave agility and endurance. at the same time, the associations of their daily lives, the precipitous cliff, the trembling edge of the avalanche, the caves of strange beasts, the wild roaring of the winds, the awful grandeur of the storms, the impressive solitude which filled the intervals of their play like untranslatable but mighty whispers from the unknown world taking the place of the prattle of this,--these fostered intrepidity, self-reliance, and balance of disposition, if not of character. for religious discipline they had the occasional ministrations of a greek priest or missionary monk from the rilo monastir, many leagues to the west of them. they knew the creed of nicæa, the names of some of the saints; but of truly divine things they had only such impressions as they caught from the great vault of the universal temple above them, and from the suggestions of living nature at their feet. by the side of milosch's house ran--or rather climbed and tumbled, so steep was it--that road over the balkans, through the pass of slatiza, by which alexander the great, nearly two thousand years before, had burst upon the moesians. again, within their father's memory, bajazet, the "turkish lightning" as he was called because of the celerity of his movements, had flashed his arms through this pass, and sent the bolts of death down upon wallachia, and poured terror even to the distant gates of vienna. often had milosch rehearsed the story of the terrible days when he himself had been a soldier in the army of the wallachian prince myrtche; and showed the scar of the cut he had received from the cimeter of a turkish janizary, whom he slew not far from the site of their home. their neighbor, kabilovitsch, a man well weighted with years, not only listened to these tales, but added marvellous ones of his own; sometimes relating to the wars of king sigismund of hungary, who, after prince myrtche, had tried to regain this country from the cruel rule of the moslems; more frequently, however, his stories were of exploits of anonymous heroes. these were told with so much enthusiasm as to create the belief that the narrator had himself been the actor in most of them. for kabilovitsch was a strange character in the little settlement; though not the less confided in because of the mystery of his previous life. he had come to this out-of-the-way place, as he said, to escape with his little daughter the incessant raids and counter-raids of turks and christians, which kept the adjacent country in alarm. good uncle kabilovitsch--as all the children of the hamlet called him--named his daughter, a lass of ten summers, morsinia, after the famous peasant beauty, elizabeth morsiney, who had so fascinated king sigismund. morsinia often braided her hair, and sat beneath her canopy of blossoming laurel, while constantine, the younger of milosch's boys, dismounted from the back of his trained goat at the mimic threshold, and wooed her on bended knee, as the good king wooed the beautiful peasant. michael, the elder boy, was not less ardent, though less poetic, in the display of his passion for morsinia. a necklace of bear's claws cut with his own hand from a monster beast his father had killed; a crown made of porcupine quills which he had picked up among the rocks; anklets of striped snake skin--these were the pledges of his love, which he declared he would one day redeem with those made of gems and gold--that is, when he should have become a princely warrior. to constantine, however, the little maiden was most gracious. it was a custom in the balkan villages for the young people, on the monday after easter, to twist together bunches of evergreens, and for each young swain to kiss through the loops the maid he loved the best. with adults this was regarded as a probationary agreement to marry. if the affection were mutually as full flamed the following easter, the kiss through the loop was the formal betrothal. constantine's impatience wreathed the evergreens almost daily, and, as every kiss stood for a year, there was awaiting them--if the good fairies would only make it true--some centuries of nuptial bliss. the little lover had built for himself a booth against the steep rocks. into this morsinia would enter with bread and water, and placing them upon the stone which answered for a table, say, in imitation of older maidens assuming the care of husbands, "so will i always and faithfully provide for thee." then she would touch the sides of the miniature house with a twig, which she called her distaff, saying, "i will weave for thee, my lord, goodly garments and gay." she would also sit down and undress and redress her doll, which constantine had carved from wood, and which they said would do for the real baby that the bride was expected to array, in the ceremony by which she acknowledged the obligations of wifehood.[11] but michael was not at all disconsolate at this preference shown his brother; for he knew that morsinia would prefer him to all the world when she heard what a great soldier he had become. indeed, on some days michael was lord of the little booth; and more than once the fair enchantress put the evergreen loop around both the boys in as sincere indecision as has sometimes vexed older hearts than hers. footnote: [11] these are still servian customs. chapter iii. in the winter of 1443--a few months subsequent to the events with which our story begins--the pass of slatiza echoed other sounds than the cry of the eagle, the bleating of the flocks, and the songs and halloos of the mountaineers. distant bugle calls floated between the cliffs. at night a fire would flash from a peak, and be suddenly extinguished, as another gleamed from a peak beyond. strange men had gone up and down the road. with one of these uncle kabilovitsch had wandered off, and been absent several days. great was the excitement of the little folks when milosch told them that a real army was not far off, coming from the christian country to the north of them, and that its general was no other than the great hunyades, the white knight of wallachia--called so because he wore white armor--the son of that same king sigismund and the fair elizabeth morsiney. how little morsinia's cheeks paled, while those of the boys burned, and their eyes flashed, as their father told them, by the fire-light in the centre of their cabin, that the white knight had already conquered the turks at hermanstadt and at vasag and on the banks of the morava, and was--if the story which milosch had heard from some scouts were true--preparing to burst through the balkan mountains, and descend upon the homes of the turk on the southern plains. little did they sleep at night, in the excitement of the belief that, at any day, they might see the soldiers--real soldiers, just like those of alexander, and those of bajazet--tramping through the pass. the tremor of the earth, occasioned by some distant landslide, in their excited imagination was thought to be due to the tramp of a myriad feet. the hoot of the owl became the trumpet call for the onset: and the sharp whistle of the wind, between leafless trees and along the ice-covered rocks, seemed like the whizzing flight of the souls of the slain. once, just as the gray dawn appeared, kabilovitsch, who had been absent for several days, came hurriedly with the alarming news that the turks, steadily retiring before the christians, would soon occupy the pass. they were already coming up the defiles, as the mists rise along the sides of the mountains, in dense masses, hoping to gain such vantage ground that they could hurl the troops of hunyades down the almost perpendicular slopes before they could effect a secure lodgment on the summit. the children and women must leave herds and homes, and fly instantly. the only safe retreat was the great cave, which the mountaineers knew of, lying off towards the other pass, that of soulourderbend. the fugitives were scarcely gone when the mountain swarmed with moslems. the mighty mass of humanity crowded the cliffs like bees preparing to swarm. they fringed the breastworks of native rock with abattis made of huge trunks of trees. during the day the turks had diverted a mountain stream, so that, leaving its bed, it poured a thin sheet of water over the steepest part of the road the christians were to ascend. this, freezing during the night, made a wall of ice. the christians were thus forced to leave the highway and attempt to scale the crags far and near; a movement which the turks met by spreading themselves everywhere above them. upon ledges and into crevices which had never before felt the pressure of human feet clambered the contestants. every rock was empurpled with gore. turkish turban and hungarian helmet were caught upon the same thorny bush; while the heads which had worn them rolled together in the same gully, and stared their deathless hatred from their dead eyes. the turks in falling back discovered the mouth of the cave in which the peasants had taken refuge. as the moslem bugles sounded the retreat, lest they should be cut off by the christians who had scaled the heights on their flanks, they seized the women and children, who soon were lost to each other's sight in the skurry of the retiring host. the hands of constantine were tied about the neck, and his legs about the loins, of a huge moslem, to whose keeping he had been committed. an arrow pierced the soldier to the heart. it seemed as if more than keenness of eye--some inspiration of his fatherly instinct--led kabilovitsch on through the vast confusion, far down the slope, outrunning the fugitives and their pursuers, avoiding contact with any one by leaping from rock to rock and darting like a serpent through secret by-paths, until he reached the horsemen of the turks, who had not been able to follow the foot-soldiers up the steep ascent. he knew that his little girl would be given in charge to some one of these. he, therefore, concealed himself in the growing darkness behind a clump of evergreen trees, close to which one must pass in order to reach the horses. a moment later, with the stealth and the strength of a panther, he leaped upon a turk. the man let go the tiny form of the girl he was carrying; but, before he could assume an attitude of defence, the iron grip of kabilovitsch was upon his throat, and the steel of the infuriated old man in his heart. under the sheltering darkness, carrying his rescued child, kabilovitsch threaded his way along ledges and balconies of rock projecting so slightly from the precipitous mountain that they would have been discerned, even in daylight, by no eye less expert than his own. at one place his way was blocked by a dead body which had fallen from the ledge above, and been caught by the tangled limbs of the mountain laurel. without relinquishing his load, he pushed with his foot the lifeless mass down through the entanglement, and listened to the snapping of the bushes and the crashing of loosened stones, until the heavy thud announced that it had found a resting place. "so god rest his soul, be he christian or paynim!" muttered the old man. "and now, my child, are you frighted?" "no, father, not when you are with me," said morsinia. "could you stand close to the rock, and hold very tight to the bush, if i leave you a moment?" "yes, father, i will hold to the bush as tight as it holds to the rock." kabilovitsch grasped a root of laurel, and, testing it with main strength, swung clear of the ledge, until his foot rested upon another ledge nearly the length of his body below. bracing himself so that he spanned the interval with the strength of a granite pillar, he bade the child crawl cautiously in the direction of his voice. as she touched his hands, he lifted her with perfect poise, and placed her feet beside his own on a broad table rock. "now, blessed be jesu, we are safe! did i not tell you i would some day take you to a cavern which no one but milosch and i had ever seen? here it is. unless sultan amurath hires the eagles to be his spies--as they say he does--no eye but god's will see us here even when the sun rises. you did not know, my little princess, what a coward your old father had become, to run away from a battle. did you, my darling?" said he kissing her. "never did i dream that ar----, that kabilovitsch would fly like a frightened partridge through the bushes. but my girl's heart has taken the place of my own to-night." as he spoke he slipped from his shoulders the rough cape, or armless jacket, of bear-skin, and wrapped the girl closely in it. he then carried her beneath the roof of a little cave, where he enfolded her in his arms, making his own back a barrier against the cutting night wind and the whirling snow. the cold was intense. thinking only of the danger to the already half-benumbed and wearied body of the child, he took off his conical cap, and unwound the many folds of coarse woollen cloth of which it was made, and with it wrapped her limbs and feet. thus the night was passed. with the first streak of the dawn kabilovitsch crept cautiously from the ledge, and soon returned with the news that the turks had vanished, swept away by the tide of christian soldiers which was still pouring over and down the mountain in pursuit. horrible was the scene which everywhere greeted them as they clambered back toward the road. the dead were piled upon the dying in every ravine. red streaks seamed the white snow--channels in which the current of many a life had drained away. the road was choked with the hurrying victors. but the old man's familiarity with the ground found paths which the nimble feet of the maid could climb; so that the day was not far advanced when they stood on the site of their home. scarcely a trace of the little hamlet remained. whatever could be burned had fed the camp-fires of the preceding night. the houses had been thrown down by the soldiers in rifling the grain bins which were built between their outer and inner walls. the old man sat down upon the door-stone of what had been his home. his head dropped upon his bosom. morsinia stood by his side, her arm about his neck, and her cheek pressed close to his, so that her bright golden hair mingled with his gray beard--as in certain mediæval pictures the artist expresses a pleasing fancy in hammered work of silver and gold. they scarcely noticed that a group of horsemen, more gaily uniformed than the ordinary soldiers, had halted and were looking at them. "by the eleven thousand virgins of coln! i never saw a more unique picture than that," said one who wore a skull cap of scarlet, while an attendant carried his heavy helmet. "if masaccio were with us i would have him paint that scene for our new cathedral at milano, as an allegory of the captivity in babylon." "rather of the captivity in avignon. it would be a capital representation of the holy father and his daughter the church," replied a companion laughing. "only i would have the painter insert the portrait of your eminence, cardinal julian, as delivering them both." "that would not be altogether unhistoric; for the deliverance was not wholly wrought until our time," replied the cardinal, evidently gratified with the flattering addition which his comrade, king vladislaus, had made to his pleasing conceit. "but if to-day's victory be as thorough as it now looks, and we drive the turks out of europe, it would serve as a picture of the captivity in which the haughty, half-infidel emperor of the greeks and his daughter, byzantium, will soon be to rome." "but, by my crown," said vladislaus, "and with due reverence for the great cardinal under whose cap is all the brain that rome can now boast of--i think the greeks will find as much spiritual desolation in mother church as these worthy people have about them here." "i can pardon that speech to the newly baptized king of half-barbarian hungary, when i would not shrive another for it," replied julian petulantly. "the son of a pagan may be allowed much ignorance regarding the mystery of the holy see. but a truce to our badgering! let us speak to this old fellow. good man, is this your house? by saint catherine! the girl is beautiful, your highness." "it was my home, sire, yesterday, but now it is his that wants it," replied kabilovitsch. "and where do you go now?" asked the cardinal. "towards god's gate, sire; and i wish i might see it soon, but for this little one," said the old man, rising. "holy peter let you in when you get there," rejoined his eminence, turning his horse away. "hold! cardinal," replied the king. "i am surprised at that speech from you. you have tried to teach me by lectures for a fortnight past that rome has temporal as well as spiritual authority, all power on earth as well as in heaven. now, by our lady! you ought to help this good man over his earthly way towards god's gate, as well as wish him luck when he gets there. but the priest preaches, and leaves the laity to do the duties of religion. credit me with a good christian deed to balance the many bad ones you remember against me, cardinal, and i will help the man. the golden hair of the child against the old man's head were as good an aureole as ever a saint wore. and that holy peter knows, if the cardinal does not. ho, olgard! take the lass on the saddle with you. and, old man, if you will keep close with your daughter, you will find as good provision behind the gate of philippopolis as that in heaven, if report be true. and, by saint michael! if we go dashing down the mountain at this rate we will vault the walls of that rich moslem town as easily as the devil jumped the gate of paradise." kabilovitsch trudged by the side of olgard, who held morsinia before him. it was hard for the old man to keep from under the hoofs of the horses as the attendant knights crowded together down the narrow and tortuous descent. suddenly the girl uttered a cry, and, clapping her hands, called, "constantine, constantine!" the missing lad, emerging from a copse, stood for an instant in amazement at the apparition of his little playmate; then dashed among the crowd toward her. "drat the witch!" said a knight--between the legs of whose horse the boy had gone--aiming at him a blow with his iron mace. constantine would have been trampled by the crowding cavalcade, had not the strong hand of a trooper seized him by his ragged jacket and lifted him to the horse's crupper. "so may somebody save my own lad in the mountains of carpathia!" said the rough, but kindly soldier. "ay, the angels will bear him up in their hands, lest he even dash his foot against a stone, for thy good deed," exclaimed a monk, who, with hood thrown back, and almost breathless with the effort to rescue the lad himself, had reached him at the same moment. "good father, pray for me!" said the trooper, crossing himself. "ay, with grace," replied the monk, extricating himself from the crowd, and hasting back to the side of a wounded man, whom his comrades were carrying on a stretcher which had been extemporized with an old cloak tied securely between two stout saplings. as night darkened down, the plain at the base of the mountain burst into weird magnificence with a thousand campfires. the turks were in full retreat toward adrianople, and joy reigned among the christians. it was the eve of christmas. the stars shone with rare brilliancy through the cold clear atmosphere. "the very heavens return the salutation of our beacons," said king vladislaus. a trumpet sounded its shrill and jubilant note, which was caught up by others, until the woods and fields and the mountain sides were flooded with the inarticulate song, as quickly as the first note of a bird awakens the whole matin chorus of the summer time. cardinal julian, reining his horse at the entrance to the camp, listened as he gazed-"'and with the angel there was a multitude of the heavenly host praising god!' let us accept the joy of this eve of the birth of our lord as an omen of the birth of christian power to these lands, which have so long lain in the shadow of moslem infidelity and greek heresy. our camps yonder flash as the sparks which flew from the apron of the infant jesu and terrified the devil.[12] sultan amurath has been scorched this day, though the infernal fiend lodge in his skin, as i verily believe he does." "amurath was not in personal command to-day. at least so i am told," replied vladislaus. "he is occupied with a rebellion of the caramanians in asia. carambey, the sultan's sister's husband, led the forces at the beginning of the fight. he was captured in the bog, and is now in safe custody with the servian despot, george brankovich. hunyades and the despot have been bargaining for his possession. but the real commandant, as i have learned from prisoners--at least he was present at the beginning of the fight--was scanderbeg." "scanderbeg?" exclaimed julian with great alarm. "what! the albanian traitor, castriot?--iscariot, rather, should be his name--this then, your majesty, is no night for revelry; but for watching. the flight of the enemy, if scanderbeg leads them, is only to draw us into a net. what if before morning, with the balkans behind us, we should be assaulted with fresh corps of turks on the front? there is no fathoming the devices of scanderbeg's wily brain. and never yet has he been defeated, except to wrest the better victory out of seeming disaster. does general hunyades know the antagonist he is dealing with? that it is not some bey or pasha, nor even the sultan himself, but scanderbeg? i have heard hunyades say that since the days of saladin, the moslems have not had a leader so skilful as that albanian renegade: that a glance of his eye has more sagacity in it than the deliberations of a divan:[13] and that not a score of knights could stand against his bare arm. we must see hunyades." "i confess," replied king vladislaus, "that i liked not the easy victory we have had. i would have sworn to prevent a myriad foes climbing the ice road we travelled yesterday, if i had but a company of pikemen; yet ten thousand turkish veterans kept us not back; and they were led by scanderbeg! there is mystery here. jesu prevent it should be the mystery of death to us all! let's to hunyades! if only your wisdom or prayers, cardinal, could reclaim scanderbeg to his christian allegiance, i would not fear sultan amurath, though he were the devil's pope, with the keys of death and hell in his girdle." hunyades was found with the advance corps of the christians. but for his white armor he could scarcely be distinguished from some subaltern officer, as he moved among the men, inspecting the details of their encampment. the contrast of the commander-in-chief with the kingly and the ecclesiastical soldier was striking. he listened quietly to their surmises and fears, and replied with as little of their excitement as if he spoke of a new armor-cleaner: "yes! we shall probably have a raid from scanderbeg before morning. but we are ready for him. do you look well to the rear, king vladislaus! and do you, cardinal, marshal a host of fresh latin prayers for the dying; for, if scanderbeg gets among your italians, their saffron skins will bleach into ghosts for fright of him." the cardinal's face grew as red as his cap, as he replied: "but for loyalty to our common christian cause, and the example of subordination to our chief, i would answer that taunt as it deserves." footnotes: [12] vide apochryphal gospels. [13] divan; the turkish council of state. chapter iv. the company which kabilovitsch and the children had joined was halted at the edge of the great camp. other peasants and non-combatants crowded in from their desolated homes; but neither milosch's face, nor helena's, nor yet little michael's, were among those they anxiously scanned. the command of king vladislaus secured for the three favored refugees every comfort which the rude soldiers could furnish. the boy and girl were soon asleep by a fire, while the old man lay close beside them, that no one could approach without arousing him. he, however, could not sleep. on the one side was the noisy revelry of the victors; on the other, the darkness of the plain. here and there were groups of soldiers, and beyond them an occasional gleam of the spear-head of some sentinel, who, saluting his comrade, turned at the end of his beat. the dusky form of a huge man attracted kabilovitsch's eye. as the stranger drew near, his long bear-skin cape terminating above in a rough and ungraceful hood, and his long pointed shoes with blocks of wood for their soles, indicated that he was some peasant. he seemed to be wandering about with no other aim than to keep himself warm. yet kabilovitsch noted that he lingered as he passed by the various groups, as if to scan the faces of his fellow-sufferers. "heaven grant that all his kids be safe to-night!" muttered the old man. as the walking figure passed across the line of a fagot fire, he revealed a splendid form; too straight for one accustomed to bend at his daily toil. "a mountaineer? a hunter?" thought kabilovitsch, "for the field-tillers are all round of shoulder, and bow-backed. but no! his tread is too firm and heavy for that sort of life. one's limbs are springy, agile, who climbs the crags. a hunter will use the toes more in stepping." kabilovitsch's curiosity could not keep his eyes from growing heavy with the cold and the flicker of the fire light, when they were forced wide open again by the approach of the stranger. the old man felt, rather than saw, that he was being closely studied from behind the folds of the hood which the wanderer drew close over his face, to keep out the cutting wind which swept in gusts down from the mountains. he passed very near, and was talking to himself, as is apt to be the custom of men who lead lonely lives. "it is bitter cold," he said, with chattering teeth, "bitter cold, by the beard of moses!" the last words startled kabilovitsch so that he gave a sudden motion. the stranger noticed it and paused. gazing intently upon the old man, who had now assumed a sitting posture, he addressed him-"by the beard of moses! it's an awful night, neighbor." "ay, by the beard of moses! it is; and one could wear the beard of aaron, too, with comfort--aaron's beard was longer than moses' beard; is not that what the priest says?" said kabilovitsch, veiling his excitement under forced indifference of manner, at the same time making room for the visitor, who, without ceremony stretched himself by his side, bringing his face close to that of the old man, and glaring into it. kabilovitsch returned his gaze with equal sharpness. "what know you of the beard of moses?" said the stranger. "was it gray or black?" "black," said kabilovitsch, studying the other's face with suspicion and surprise. "black as an albanian thunder cloud, and his eye was as undimmed by age as that of the eagle that flies over the lake of ochrida."[14] "you speak well," replied the stranger, pushing back his hood. his face was massive and strong. no peasant was he, but one born to command and accustomed to it. "you are----drakul?" asked the man. "no." "harion?" "no." "kabilovitsch?" "ay, and you?" "castriot." kabilovitsch sprang to his feet. "lie down! lie down! let me share your blanket," said the visitor. "this air is too crisp and resonant for us to speak aloud in it; and waking ears at night-time are over quick to hear what does not concern them. we can muffle our speech beneath the blanket." kabilovitsch felt the hesitation of reverence in assuming a proximity of such intimacy with his guest; but also felt the authority of the command and the wisdom of the precaution. he obeyed. "i feared that i should find no one who recognized our password. i must see general hunyades to-night; yet must not approach his quarters. can you get to his tent?" "readily," said kabilovitsch. "during the day my little lass yonder won the attention of king vladislaus, and he gave me the password of the camp to-night for her safety. '_christus natus est_'." "you must go to him at once, and say that i would see him here. you will trust me to keep guard over these two kids while you are away? i will not wolf them." "heaven grant that you may shepherd all albania,"--and the old man was off. "i knew that the prodigal prince george would come back some day," said he to himself. "many a year have i kept my watch in the pass, and among the mountains of albania. and many a service have i rendered as a simple goatherd which i could not have done had i worn my country's colors anywhere except in my heart. and, 'by the beard of moses!' during some weeks now i have carried many a message, had some fighting and hard scratching which i did not understand, except that it was 'by the beard of moses!' and now moses has come; refused at last to be called the son of pharaoh's daughter, and will free his people. god will it! and george castriot has lain under my blanket! i will hang that blanket in the church at croia as an offering to the holy virgin.--but no, it belongs to the trooper. heaven keep me discreet, or, for the joy of it, i cannot do my errand safely. i'll draw my hood close, lest the moon yonder should guess my secret." kabilovitsch was challenged at every turn as he wound between the hundreds of camp-fires and tents; but the magic words, "christus natus est," opened the way. a circle of splendid tents told him he drew near to headquarters. in the midst of them blazed an immense fire. camp-tables, gleaming with tankards and goblets of silver, were ranged beneath gorgeous canopies of flaxen canvas, which were lined with blue and purple tapestries. a multitude of gaily dressed servitors thronged into and out of them. here was the royal splendor of hungary and poland; there the pavilion of the despot of servia; there the glittering cross of rome; and, at the extreme end of this extemporized array of palatial and courtly pride, the more modest, but still rich, banner of the white knight. kabilovitsch approached the latter. "your errand, man?" said the guard, holding his spear across the flapping doorway of the tent. "christus natus est!" was the response. "that will do elsewhere, but not here," rejoined the guard. "my business is solely with general hunyades," said kabilovitsch. "it cannot be," said the spearman. "he has no business with any one but himself. if you are a shepherd of bethlehem come to adore the infant jesu--as you look to be--you must wait until the morning." "my message is as important to him as that of the angels on that blessed night," said the goatherd, making a deep obeisance and looking up to heaven as if in prayer, as he spoke. "then proclaim your message, old crook-staff! we have had glad tidings to-day, but can endure to hear more," said the guard, pushing him away. "no ear on earth shall hear mine but the general's," cried the old man, raising his voice: "no! by the beard of moses! it shall not." "a strange swear that, old leather-skin! did you keep your sheep in midian, where moses did, that you know he had a beard. your cloak is ragged enough to have belonged to father jethro; and i warrant it is as full of vermin as were those of the egyptians after the plague that moses sent on them. but the ten plagues take you! get away!" "no, by the beard of moses!" shouted kabilovitsch. "let him pass!" said a voice from deep within the tent. "let him pass!" said another nearer. "let him pass!" repeated one just inside the outer curtain. the goatherd passed between a line of sentinels, closely watched by each. the tent was a double one, composing a room or pavilion, enclosed by the great tent; so that there was a large space around the private apartment of the general, allowing the sentinels to patrol entirely about it without passing into the outer air. at the entrance of the inner tent hunyades appeared. he was of light build but compactly knit, with ample forehead and generous, but scarred face; which, however, was more significantly seamed with the lines that denote thought and courage. he was wrapped in a loose robe of costly furs. he waved his hand for kabilovitsch to enter, and bade the guards retire. throwing himself on a plain soldier's couch, he drew close to it a camp seat, and motioned his visitor to sit. "you have news from the albanians, by the beard of moses?" said hunyades inquiringly. a moment or two sufficed for the delivery of kabilovitsch's message. "ho, guard! when this old man goes, let no one enter until he comes back; then admit him without the pass, instantly," said hunyades, springing from the couch. "now, old man, give me your bear skin--now your shoes--your cap. here, wrap yourself in mine. you need not shrink from occupying hunyades' skin for a while, since you have had to-night a more princely soldier under your blanket. did you say to the north? on the edge of the camp? a boy and a girl by the fire; and he?" the disguised general passed out. footnote: [14] a lake in albania. chapter v. "by the beard of moses! i'll break your head with my stick if you come stumbling over me in that way," growled scanderbeg from beneath his blanket, as a peasant-clad man tripped against his huge form extended by the camp fire. "then let the cold shrink your hulk to its proper size," replied the stranger. "but you should thank me, instead of cursing me, for waking you up; for your fire is dying out, and you would perish, sleeping in the blanket that exposes your feet that it may cover your nose. but i'll stir your fire and put some sticks on it, if i may sit by it and melt the frost from my beard and the aches from my toes. but whom have you here?" the man stooped down and eagerly removed the blanket from the partially covered faces of the children. "constantine!" he exclaimed, "god be praised! and kabilovitsch's girl,--or the starlight mocks me!" "father!" cried the boy, waking and throwing his arms about the neck of the man who stooped to embrace him. "and michael? is he here, too?" asked milosch. "no, father," said the child. "we were parted at the cave, and i have not seen him except in my dream." "in your dream, my child? in your dream? jesu grant he be not killed, that his angel spirit came to you in your dream! did he seem bright and beautiful--more beautiful than you ever saw him before--as if he had come to you from paradise? no? then he is living yet on the earth; and by all the devils in hell and adrianople! i shall find him, though i tear him from the dead arms of the traitor castriot himself, as i was near to taking you, my boy, from the grip of the turk whose heart i pierced with an arrow the day of the fight;--but i was set upon and nigh killed myself by a score of the infidels." "and our mother dear?" asked constantine. "she is safe?" "ay! ay! safe in heaven, i fear, but we will not give up hope until we have searched our camps to-morrow; nor then, until we have burned every seraglio of the turks from the mountains to the sea. but who brought you and the lass here?" asked milosch, eyeing the form of the surly man beside him. "why, good uncle kabilovitsch did," said the boy, staring in amazement at the spot now usurped by the strange figure of scanderbeg. "kabilovitsch went to fetch some fire-peat from the gully i told him of," muttered scanderbeg. "yes, he is coming yonder," said milosch, as kabilovitsch's well-known hood and cape were outlined against the white background of a snow-covered fir tree a short distance off. "but he has found no fuel. wrap close, my hearties: you will have no more blaze to-night. ha! kabilovitsch!" said he, raising his voice, as the familiar form seemed about to pass by. "has the fire in your eye been put out by the cold, that you cannot find your own place, neighbor? i would have sworn that, if kabilovitsch were blind, he could find a lost kid on the mountains; and now he hardly knows his own nest." the assumed kabilovitsch came near, and gave an awkward salute, which, while intended to be familiar, was not sufficiently unlimbered of the habit of authority to avoid giving the impression that its familiarity was only assumed. "by the beard of moses! i had almost mistook my own camp, now the fires are smouldering," said he, approaching. "he is not kabilovitsch," said milosch, half to himself and half aloud. "no," replied scanderbeg. "but i'll go and find kabilovitsch. perhaps he has more peat than he can carry. and, stranger, i'll help you find what you are seeking--for you seem daft with the cold--if you will help me find him i am to look for. by the beard of moses! that's a fair agreement; is it not?" "a strange swear, that!" said milosch, looking after the two forms vanishing among the fir trees. "it is some watchword, and i like it not among these camp prowlers. i fear for kabilovitsch. the newcomer wore his clothes, which i would know if i saw them on the back of the cardinal; for good helena cut the hood for our neighbor as she cut the skirt for his motherless child, little morsinia there. some mischief is brewing. i shall watch and not sleep a wink." had one been lurking in the copse of evergreens to which the men withdrew, he would have overheard conversation of which these sentences are parts. "yes, general hunyades, the time has come. i can endure the service of the sultan no longer. but for what i am about to do i alone am responsible, and must decline to share that responsibility with any other, either moslem or christian. i believe, sire, that i am in this directed by some higher power than my own caprice. i am compelled to it by invisible forces, as really as the stars are dragged by them through the sky yonder." "no star," replied hunyades, "has purer lustre than that of your noble purpose, and none are led by the invisible forces to a brighter destiny than is scanderbeg." "let not your christian lips call me scanderbeg, but castriot," said his companion. "yes, i believe that my new purpose comes from the inbreathing of some celestial spirit, from some mysterious hearing the soul has of the inarticulate voice of god. else why should the thought of it so strangely satisfy me? i cast myself down from the highest pinnacle of honor and power and riches with which the moslem service can reward one;--for i am at the head of the army, and even the vizier has not more respect at adrianople than have i wherever the soldiers of the sultan spread themselves throughout the world. to leave the padishah will be to leave every thing for an uncertain future. yet i am more than content to do it." "not for an uncertain future, noble castriot," replied hunyades warmly, grasping his hand. "the highest position in the armies of christian europe is yours. my own chieftaincy i could demit without regret, knowing that it would fall into your hands. the army of italy you can take command of to-morrow if you will; for that scarlet-knobbed coxcomb of an ecclesiastic, julian, is not fitted for it. or brankovitch, the servian despot, will hail you as chief voivode.[15] you have but to choose from our armies, and put yourself at the head of whatever nation you will: for the legions will follow the pointing of your invincible sword as bravely as if it were the sword of michael, the archangel." "no! no! these things tempt me not," said scanderbeg. "i must live only for albania. that strange spirit which counsels me comes into my soul like a pure blast from off my albanian hills. the voices that call me are like the dying voice of my father, the sainted duke john, who prayed then for his land and for his son--for both in the one breath that floated his soul to god. let me look again upon the rocky fastnesses of the vitzi, the waters of little ochrida and skidar, and call them mine; i shall then not envy even the plume on your helmet, generous hunyades; nor regret what i forsake among the moslems, though my estate were that of the entire empire which the padishah sees in his dreams, when, not the city of adrian, but the city of constantine shall have become his capital." "christendom will hardly forgive the slight you put upon it, noble castriot, by declining some general command, and will soon grow jealous of your exclusive devotion to little albania," said hunyades, with evident candor. "christendom will not lose, but gain, thereby," replied scanderbeg. "for is not albania, after all, a key point in the mighty battle which is still to be waged with the turk over these eastern countries of europe, from adria to the euxine?" "how so?" asked hunyades. "have we not this day broken the power of the turk in europe? and is he not now in headlong haste to the sea of marmora?" scanderbeg replied with slow, but ominous, words: "general hunyades, the moslem power was not this day broken. trust not the semblance. my arm could have hurled your soldiers down the northern declivities of yonder mountains with as much ease as yours shattered the turkish ranks at vasag and hermannstadt. the armies still in front of you wait but the word to assail your camp with dire vengeance for their mysterious defeat--ay, mysterious to them. and the padishah is hasting with the hordes released by his victories over the caramanians, to join them. no, sire, the battle for empire on these plains, and in macedonia, and along the danube, has not ended: it has but just begun. and albania will be the key spot for a generation to come. no ottoman wave can strike central europe but over the albanian hills. a christian power entrenched there will be a counter menace to every invasion from the side of the moslem, and a tremendous auxiliary in any movement from the side of christendom. my military judgment concurs with the voice of that spirit which speaks within me, and bids me as a christian to live for albania." "i see in your plan," replied hunyades, "a gleam of that far wisdom that won for you the title of 'the eye of the ottoman,' as your valor made you the 'right hand of the sultan.' while my view of the relative power of the two civilizations now fronting each other on our battle-lines might be different from yours, and i should place the key point in the great field rather on the lower danube than so far to the west, i yet submit my judgment to yours. assign to me my part in the affair you would execute, and, my word as a soldier and a christian, you shall have my help." "nay," replied scanderbeg. "as i said, i can share the responsibility of my action with no one. grave charges will ring against my name. my old comrades will scorn my deed as treacherous. even history will fail to understand me. let me act alone; obeying that strange voice which will justify me, if not before men, at least at the last day of the world's judgment. the moslem has wronged me; outraged my humanity; slit the tongue of my conscience that it should not speak to me of my duty; and tried to put out the eyes of my faith. the divinity bids me avenge myself. but the vengeance is only mine, and god's. no other hand must be stained with the blood of it, least of all thine, noble hunyades. my plan must be all my own. i only ask that, when i have extricated myself from moslem ties, i may have the friendship of hunyades. especially that the way may be left open for my passing through the places now held by your troops, without challenge and delay. all else has been arranged by a handful of faithful albanian patriots." "it shall be as you desire, general castriot. choose your password, and it shall open the way for you though it were through the back door of the vatican." "let then the 'beard of moses' be respected. my trusty albanians are accustomed to it." "good!" replied hunyades. "and i will seal our compact by taking adrianople in honor of the departure of its only defender." "nay," said scanderbeg. "it will not be wise to press upon the capital. every approach is guarded more securely than were those at vienna by the christians. the padishah's engineers are more skilful than any in the land of the frank or german. the new compound of saltpetre and sulphur, of which you hardly know the use, is buried beneath every gate; and a spark will burst it as ætna or vesuvius.[16] even the valor of the white knight cannot conquer the soulless element. the black grains never blanch with fear. no panic can divert a stone ball hurled from cannon so that it shall not find the heart of the bravest. i advise that your armies pause awhile with the prestige of having scaled the balkans. in a few months opportunities may have ripened. once i am in albania, sultan amurath shall know that the name of scanderbeg--the lord alexander--was not his, but fate's entitling; for, unless my destiny is misread, the macedonian legions of the great alexander were not swifter than my new macedonian braves shall be. this will encourage the venetians and genoese; and with their navies on the hellespont, the timid palælogus pressing out from his covert of constantinople, and insurrection everywhere from the crimea to peloponnesus, there will not, a generation hence, be left a turban in europe. believe me, general, the turk's grip of nearly a century, since he pinched the continent at gallipoli, cannot be loosened in a day." "to no other than castriot would i yield my judgment; and not to him, but that his words are as convincing as his sword. then so let it be," was the reply of the christian leader. the albanian disappeared. footnotes: [15] voivode; a servian and albanian term for general. [16] gunpowder was at this time coming into general use. chapter vi. hunyades, closely muffled in his bear-skin disguise, returned to the camp. "a desperate adventure that of castriot," thought he. "it is well that he permits no voice but his own to speak his plans, and no ear but mine to hear them. "hist! "no; it is but the ice crackling from the balsams. yet who knows what interlopers there may have been? and if the brave scanderbeg may not be hamstrung before he reaches his own camp? the ride will be long and rattling after he enters the turkish lines. will it excite no suspicion? nor his absence? heaven guard the brave heart, for the very mole holes in the ground are the sultan's ears, into which he drinks the secrets of his soldiers. by the way, i must lift the dirty cap from the fellow who called me kabilovitsch at the herdsman's fire; for the messenger who brought me word surely said that only castriot and the two children were there. who may this other one be? i must discover; and if he knows aught he should not, he shall know no more this side of hell-gate, or my dagger's point has grown so honest that it has forgotten the way to a knave's heart." approaching the little group, hunyades went behind them, that, if possible, he might overhear some words before any persons there knew of his presence. milosch had been ill at ease through the continued absence of his friend kabilovitsch, the peculiar action of the strange man who had taken his place beneath the blanket, and the apparition of the one who wore the cap and cape which he thought he could not mistake. there had always been a mystery about kabilovitsch's early life, which their long and close neighborly relations upon the mountain had not enabled him to solve. the girl, he often thought, was of too light a build and too fair featured to be the child of the mountaineer. the story kabilovitsch often told about the early death of the child's mother, milosch's wife never heard without impatience and a shrug of the shoulders. who was the child? could there be any plot to carry her away among persons who knew the secret of her birth? milosch could reach one definite conclusion about the matter, and that was that he ought to guard the child just now. so, with senses made alert by suspicion, he heard the soft footfall of hunyades through the crust-broken snow; and though with head averted, noted his stealthy approach. the caution observed by the stranger made milosch feel certain of the intended treachery. loosening the short sheath-knife, which hung by the ring in its bone handle from his girdle, he grasped it tightly, and with a sudden bound faced the intruder. "your business, man?" said he, eyeing him as a hunter eyes a wolf to anticipate the spring of the brute, that the knife may enter his throat before the fangs strike. "a rude greeting to a neighbor, that," was the quiet reply. "a fair enough greeting to one who wears a neighbor's fleece, and prowls by night about his flock. stop! not a step nearer! or, by the soul of kabilovitsch, whom, for aught i know, you have murdered, i will send you to meet him!" a motion of the stranger toward his weapon was anticipated by the mountaineer, who gripped the intruder with the strength of a bear, pinioning his arms by his sides, and falling with him to the ground. in an instant more, however, the dagger point of his antagonist began to penetrate milosch's thigh. clenching tighter to prevent a more deadly thrust, he felt beneath his opponent's rough outer robe the hard corselet woven with links of iron--not the coarse fabric such as was worn by common soldiers, but the lighter steel-tempered underwear of knights and nobles. "you have murdered another better than yourself, damned villain, and have stolen his shirt. but it shall not save you this time." as he let out these words one by one and breath by breath, milosch worked the knife into such a hold that he could press it into the back of his antagonist. slowly but surely the stout point made its way between the hard links until the man's flesh quivered with the pain. then milosch hissed through his clenched teeth:-"who are you? if you speak not, you die. if you lie, let the devil shrive your black soul! for i'll send you to him on the knife point. speak!" "i am general hunyades," replied the almost breathless man. the words relieved him from the pressure of the knife, but not from the crunching hug of his captor. "prove it!" hissed milosch. "i have heard that hunyades has a scar on the left side of the neck. uncover your neck!" milosch released hunyades' left hand sufficiently to allow him to reach upward. in an instant the leathern string which bound the bear-skin cape about his neck was broken, the lacings of a velvet jacket loosened, and the fingers of milosch led over the roughened surface of the scarred skin. the herdsman rose to his knees, and kissed the hand of the general. "strike thy dagger into me! for i have raised my hand against the lord's anointed," cried he in shame and fear. "nay, friend," said the chief; "the fault was mine, and yours shall be the reward of the only man who ever conquered hunyades. your name, my good fellow?" "milosch!" "milosch, the goatherd of the pass? i have heard tell of your strength; how you could out-crunch a bear; i believe it. you have been faithful to your absent friend, as you have been severe with me." "but what of my friend kabilovitsch? you surely wear his gear," said milosch. "yes, i borrowed these of a passing stranger--i know not that he be kabilovitsch--with which i might pass disguised among the guards. the owner of this cape and hood is keeping warm in a tent hard by until i return. but whom have you here?" "the lad is mine. the lass is my neighbor's. he calls her morsinia, in honor of your fair mother," replied milosch. "then i must see her face. she should be fair with such a name." as he raised the coarse-knit hood which closely wrapped her, a flicker of the dying fire-light illumined for an instant the features of the child. the uncombed mass of golden hair made a natural pillow in which lay a face unsurpassed in balance of proportion and delicacy of detail by any sculptor's art. her forehead was high and full, but apparently diminished by the wealth of curling locks that nestled upon brow and temples; her nose straight and thin, typically greek; her lips firm, but arched, as with some abiding and happy dream; her skin, purest white, tinged with the glow of youthful health, as the snow on the balkans under the first roseate gleam of the morning sun. "a peasant's child?" asked the general. but without waiting for reply, continued, "no, by the cheek of venus! it took more than one generation of noble culture, high thoughts and purest blood, to mould such a face as that. she was not born in your neighbor's cot on the mountains? will you swear that she was? no? then i will swear that she was not. and the boy? ah!" said he, scanning constantine's face. "i know his stock. he is a sprig of the same rough thorn-tree that came near to tearing me to pieces just now. but his face is gentler than yours. yet, it is a strong one; very bold; broad-thoughted; deep-souled; a sprig that may bear even better fruit than the old one." "heaven grant it may!" said milosch, fervently. "yes, if you will let me transplant it from these barren mountains to the gardens of buda and the banks of the drave, it will get better shelter than you can give it. the boy shall be my protégé for to-night's adventure, if his father will enter my personal service. you see, you gave me so warm a welcome that i am loath to part company with you, my good fellow." "heaven bless you, sire!" replied milosch; "but my heart will cling to these cliffs until i know that my faithful wife and other boy are no longer among them." "i shall give orders that the camp be searched," promised hunyades. "if they live, and have not been carried away by the turks, they must have sought refuge somewhere in the host. farewell! when you will, hunyades shall stand the friend of milosch." the apparent old herdsman returned through the heart of the camp to headquarters. "methinks, comrade, that you bandied words with a greater than you knew, when you teased the old goatherd awhile ago," said a sentinel, thrusting his thumb into the side of the spearman at the entrance to the general's hut. "do you note his mien as he comes yonder? that crumpled old bear skin cannot hide his straight back; nor those shoes, as big as spanish galleons, break the firmness of his tread. if the gust of wind should lift his cape you would see at least a golden cross on his shoulders. you cannot hide a true soldier." the bear-skin passed between the fluttering canvas without challenge. hunyades made a playful salute to kabilovitsch, who rose to meet him. "i found your camp. i have looked into the face of your little daughter." "mary save her!" said the old man with gratified look. "i say i saw your daughter, your _daughter_, you know," said the general again, quizzing kabilovitsch with his eyes. "ay, my daughter! and the virgin mother never sent a fairer child, save jesu himself, to prince or peasant." "come, now," said the general, "tell me, did the holy virgin send this child to prince _or_ peasant?" "why?" said kabilovitsch, "these horny hands should tell thee, sire, that i was not royal born." "but the girl may be, if you were not. is she your child?" "yes, my child, if heaven ever sent one to man." "but, tell me," probed the general, "how did heaven send you the maiden? did the mother bring her, or did the angels drop her at your door? for, if that girl be your child, heaven did not know you even by sight; since it put not a freckle of your dark skin upon her fair face, nor one of your bristles into her hair. the stars are not begotten of storm-clouds; nor do i think she is your daughter." to this the old man replied, more to himself than to his interrogator, "if she is not mine by gift of nature, she is mine by gift of him who is above nature." "i will not steal your secret," said hunyades. "her name has excited my interest in her and her heaven-given or heaven-lent father. she needs better protection than you can give her in the camp. i will send her to headquarters." "i would gratefully put her under your protection for a few days," said kabilovitsch. "my duty takes me away from her for a while; dangerous duty, sire, and if i should fall--" "if kabilovitsch falls, hunyades will be as true father to the lass. have you any special desire regarding her or yourself, my brave man? you have but to name it." "but one, sire," replied kabilovitsch. "that i may see her safely conditioned at once. for it may be that before the day dawns i shall be summoned. i serve a cause as mysterious as the providence which watches over it." "an albanian mystery? they are generally as inscrutable as a thunder cloud; but are revealed when its lightning strikes!" replied hunyades, dismissing the old man, accompanied by two guards, who were commissioned to obey implicitly any orders the herdsman might give regarding the party of refugees by his camp-fire. chapter vii. the christian host prolonged the festival of the nativity from day to day, until the mustering forces of the ottomans summoned them from dangerous inactivity again to the march and the battle. the latter they found at mount cunobizza, where the enemy had massed an enormous force. the christian army, with its splendid corps of hungary, poland, bosnia, servia, wallachia, italy and germany, was not a more magnificent array than that of their moslem opponents. for the most part of the day the field was equally held, but in the afternoon the turkish left seemed to have become inspired with a strange fury. the janizaries, at the time renowned as the best disciplined and most desperate foot-soldiers in the world, were rivalled in celerity and intrepidity, in skilful manoeuvring and the tremendous momentum with which they struck the foe, by other moslem corps; such as the squadrons of cavalry collected from distant military provinces, each under its spahi or fief-holder; and the irregular bashi-bazouks, who seemed to have sprung from the ground in orderly array. their diverse accoutrements, complexions, and movements suggested the hundred arms of some martial briareus, all animated by a single brain. the war cry of "the prophet!" was mingled with that of "iscanderbeg!" in the thickest of the fight appeared the gigantic form of the circumcised albanian, his gaudy armor flashing with jewels,[17] his right arm bared to the shoulder, his cimeter glancing as the lightning. the italian legions opposite him, upon the christian left, were hurled back again and again from their onslaught, and were pressed mile after mile from the original battle site. hunyades inflicted a compensatory punishment upon the moslem left, shattering its depleted ranks as a battering ram crashes through the tottering walls of a citadel. the chief of the christians saw clearly scanderbeg's plan[18] to leave the victory in his hands, and at the opportune moment he wheeled his squadrons to the assistance of king vladislaus, thus combining in overwhelming odds against the enemy's centre, which scanderbeg had effectually drained of its proper strength. as soon, however, as it was evident that the christians were the victors, scanderbeg, by superb generalship, interposed the janizaries between the enemy and the turbaned heads that, but for this, were being whirled in full flight from the field. the rout was changed into orderly retreat. hunyades found it impossible to press the pursuit, and muttered, "scanderbeg commands both our armies to-day. we can only take what he is minded to give." at length night looked down upon the camps. few tents were erected. hunyades sat for hours beneath a tree, waiting for he knew not what developments. on the turkish side even the beyler beys, the highest commanders, were content to stretch their limbs with no other canopy than the three horse-tails at the spear-head, the symbol of their rank and authority. far in the rear were the few pavilions of the suite of the grand vizier, who represented the absent sultan amurath. late into the night the vizier sat in counsel with the sultan's reis effendi or chief secretary, to whom was entrusted the seal of the empire. he was enstamping the many despatches which fleetest horsemen carried to distant spahis, summoning them with their reserves to rally for the defence of adrianople. just before the dawn the secretary was left alone. even he, and, in his person, the empire, must catch an hour's sleep before the exciting and exacting duties of the new day. he reclined among his papers. but a summons awakened him: the messenger announcing scanderbeg. the guards withdrew to a respectful distance from the outside of the tent. "do not rise," said the general, gently pressing the secretary back to his reclining posture. "i only need the imperial seal to this order." the secretary scanned the paper with incredulous eyes. it was a firman, or decree of the sultan, passing the government of albania from general sebaly to scanderbeg, with absolute powers, and ordering the commandant of the strong fortress of croia to place all its armament and that of adjacent strongholds in scanderbeg's hand as the viceroy of the sultan. as the secretary lifted his face to utter an inquiry for the relief of his amazement, knowing that the sultan, then absent in asia, could not have ordered such a document, the strong hand of scanderbeg gripped his throat, and his poniard threatened his heart. "the mark!" whispered the assailant. the terrified man tremblingly reached the seal, and pressed it against the wax. the weapon then did its work, and so suddenly that the secretary had no time for even an outcry. then silently, so that the guards, who were but a few paces distant, heard no commotion, he laid the lifeless form on the divan, and covered it with the embroidered cloak it had worn when living.[19] passing out, scanderbeg gave orders that the tent should not be entered by the guards until morning, that the secretary might rest. he gave the password, "the kaaba," as sharply as if his lips would take vengeance on the once sacred, but now hated sound. his military staff joined him at a little distance. vaulting into the saddle he led the way toward the north. at the edge of the camp by a rude bridge he halted, and said to his attendants, "i meet at this point the beyler bey of anatolia, whose staff will be my escort to his camp. the padishah's cause needs closest conference of all the commanders; for treason is abroad. ah! i hear the escort. return to quarters, gentlemen!" riding forward alone in the direction of the noise, he cried, "who comes?" "the kaaba at mecca," was the response. "well, if the kaaba takes the trouble to come to me it is a good omen, by the beard of moses!" "by the beard of moses!" murmured a group of horsemen, bowing their turbaned heads in the first gray light of the approaching day. the cavalcade closed around the fugitive chieftain, and moved along in silence, except to respond to the sentinels. as they passed the extreme picket of the turks they halted. a wardrobe had been secreted in a cave beyond a copse near the road. dismounting, the men exchanged their turbans for caps of wolf or beaver skin. their gaily trimmed jackets, such as were worn by the turkish foot-soldiers, gave place to short fur sacks. their flowing, bag-bottomed trousers were kicked off, leaving abbreviated breeches of leather. in a few moments the splendidly uniformed suite of a moslem bey was transformed into a rough, but exceedingly unique-looking, band of albanian guerillas. scanderbeg assumed a helmet, the summit of which carried as a device the head and shoulders of a goat--since the times of alexander the great the symbol of the powers in, or bordering upon, macedonia. the turkish uniforms were bundled upon the cruppers for future use. the men stood for a moment, each by the side of his horse. at a motion of the officer in charge they gave the salute; touching their bared foreheads, and bowing to the ground. the officer then approached scanderbeg, and, presenting his sword, said: "sire! to thee, as the son of our duke john, we give our swords together with our hearts and our lives." instantly every sword was laid upon the ground; and the crisp air rattled with the cry, "long live duke george! a castriot forever!" scanderbeg gazed silently for a moment upon the faithful group. there was no doubt of their loyalty: for they had proved it by an adventure of rare daring in penetrating the turkish camp. the face of the great general, usually masking so completely his strongest feelings, lost now its rigidity. his eyes were moist; his lips trembled; every lineament was eloquent with the emotion he could neither conceal nor tell in words. after a few moments' impressive silence, he returned the sword to the officer, and, pointing westward, cried, "forward to albania!" footnotes: [17] the old chronicles admit, as one weakness of scanderbeg, a fondness for personal decoration. [18] the author adds these lines to the meagre details of this battle as known, for the purpose of accounting for its immediate issue, and for the subsequent events. [19] some historians represent scanderbeg as having had albanian accomplices in this murder. chapter viii. "thank heaven! the plan did not fail," said the chief officer, riding by the side of the fugitive general. "in no particular has it failed, colonel," replied scanderbeg. "and for this every praise is due your wise precautions. i have never known better work of brain or nerve. with such grand soldiers as you and your men, i fear nothing for albania. but your name, colonel?" "moses goleme," replied the officer courteously. scanderbeg reined his horse, and gave him his hand heartily. "a man as grand as he is brave! and do i really look into the face of him whom i was to have sought out in dibria, that i might tell him his words had been to me like a voice from heaven? heaven reward you, good moses! but you must vow to stand by me yet as patiently as you have done hitherto--during my apostasy. i shall need your charity still; for i am but a returning prodigal; a half-christian; a man of strange ways; of a temper which i understand not myself, and which will disappoint you. pledge me that you will be my good angel. counsel me frankly, fearlessly, as a man should always counsel a man. rebuke me freely: but bear with me in your heart, as you would with a child." "i may not advise the most capable general in the world," replied moses goleme. "i vow to obey. let that be my part. as i have already imperilled my estates by open opposition to the turkish rule, and given my life to the liberty of my country, so i offer all to thee, sire, the sovereign of my heart, until you shall be acknowledged the sovereign of albania, and a new empire be founded on the east of the adriatic which shall take the place of the decaying powers of italy on the west." "the task your patriotism proposes is vast," replied scanderbeg; "too vast for one man and one lifetime." "too great for any but the great castriot!" was the answer, evidently as honest as it was reverent. "but you do me too much honor, general, in praising my plan of meeting you. i was ably seconded by my men, and especially by two of them. one of them was wounded." "i trust you speak not of a brave fellow who brought me the time and place of the rendezvous: for i never saw such strength and daring in my life." "the same, i fear," said moses. "a servian, whom i had not known before yesterday. but he was boiling over with rage for the slaughter of his family, and commended to me by our most trusted scout." "did he tell you how he found me out, and communicated your plan to me?" "no, for he was too severely hurt to speak much." "i will tell that part for him, then," said scanderbeg. "it was in the hottest of the fight. my own body-guard was thrown into confusion. a fellow, clad like one of my own staff, crowded close to my side. his horse actually rested against my own, and i would have severed his head from his shoulders for his impudent valor, had not his oath at his beast been 'by the beard of moses!' seeing that i observed it he grunted, 'at the brook to the north!' as he dodged the circles of the cimeters; and 'near the roman road!' he hissed as he pared the cap from a christian's head with his sword; and 'at the ninth hour to-night!' he shouted as he parried a thrust. before i had breathing space--for i was closely beset at the time--he had gone; borne back by a spahi,[20] who envied him his place and emulated his valor. but he was not skilful in using his weapon or managing his horse. i am grieved, but not surprised, at his receiving hurt. i thought he must have fallen. but who was the other?" "yonder old fellow with a huge green turban on the saddle before him. if his brain were as big as his head-piece, he could not have planned better. he has dwelt about here lately." "i must thank him in person," said scanderbeg, riding back toward him. "what!" he exclaimed as the full daylight fell upon the man's features, "kabilovitsch?" the old man diverted scanderbeg's compliments by an expression of solicitude for milosch, whom he had permitted to undertake the desperate venture already narrated, although until a few days before he, being a servian, had no knowledge of the project of the albanians. "we must haste, sire," said moses. "it is advised that you cross to the north of the pass in the balkans, and take thence the valley way between caratova and the egrisu. a message from general hunyades informs me that relays can be provided along the road, and that every facility shall be given us." "kabilovitsch will accompany us?" asked scanderbeg. "on one condition, sire," replied the old man. "my little daughter must go with me: a lass of ten spring tides--" "impossible! for our ride must be night and day." "then i may follow, but cannot accompany you," said kabilovitsch. "i need such men as you with me. no true albanian will delay for a child. country must be child and mother to us all," said the general. the cheeks of kabilovitsch whitened; his eyes flashed. looking scanderbeg squarely in the face, he said quietly, but putting intention into every word, "george castriot may lead, but may not rebuke the patriots who have watched for albania with sacrifices he knows not of, while he has been among our country's enemies. an old man, thy father's friend before thou wast born, may say that, sire." scanderbeg grew pale in turn. he had been unaccustomed to brook insubordination, however righteous. who had dared to question him? who to fling the taunt into his face? the hot words were upon his lips. but he paused, at first from the mere habit of self-restraint. then, because he was a wise man, and realized that he was no longer the tyrant, with power of life and death over his soldiers--men who had been hired, stolen, impressed into the service, and transformed into mere machinery of flesh and blood--but was to be the public liberator of a people every man of whom was already as free as he. then, he had become a just man. strange and sanguinary as had been the events accompanying his desertion of the turks, he had taken this step only after a deep moral struggle. he had revolted from his own past life; and felt an inward disgrace for what had been his outward glory--the service of the moslem; he despised himself more than any other person could. it was this sense of the justice of kabilovitsch's rebuke that checked the rage which had blanched his face, and sent the flush to his temples, as he slowly, replied, "i bow to the merited chastisement of your words. your years and your better life give you license to utter them. my future shall atone for the past. but cannot your child be left safely where she is?" "she is safe where she is; but i may not leave her without providing for her future. milosch is lying in a cottage but a little before us. if his wounds are not fatal--as i believe they are not, though the leech thought otherwise--i may bring the girl to him, and still overtake you before you come in sight of the black mountains. i can cross this country by paths through which i could not direct you. during many years, for justice's sake and our country's, i have wandered over these mountains where only the eagle's shadow has fallen." "i will stop with you at the cottage," said scanderbeg, "for, though the moments are precious, i would bless the brave fellow for his work yesterday." there were several wounded christian soldiers at the little hovel. a greek monk was administering both spiritual and physical comfort; for rilo monastir had sent its inmates along the track of the christian army in spite of the insults of the latin soldiers, who, though in sight of the common enemy of their faith, could not repress the meanness of their sectarian jealousy and hatred. milosch was doing well. his wounds were, one in the fleshy part of the shoulder, the other a contusion on the head, from a blow which had stunned him. a few weeks would put him again upon his feet, though perhaps his fighting days were over; for the flesh wound lay across an important muscle, and would permanently destroy the strength of the right arm. milosch fell in with the proposition of kabilovitsch regarding morsinia. though a servian, he had lost interest in his own country because of the vacillating course of the despot, george brankovitch, who was half christian and half moslem, according to the policy of the moment. milosch would identify himself with the cause of albania, for which he had already done and suffered so much. the two men entered into what is known among the servians and albanians as "brotherhood in god," covenanting in the name of god and st. john to devote their lives, each to the other, and both to their common cause. the compact was sealed by each putting the left hand upon the other's heart, and holding up the right hand in invocation of the divine witness. kabilovitsch said: "my brother, i commit to thy keeping our daughter, morsinia, thine and mine, from henceforth. she is all i have but life to share with thee, which also i freely give." to this milosch replied: "my brother, i commit to thy keeping our boy, constantine, thine and mine from henceforth. he is all i have that i wot of to share with thee, but my life which--god spare it--i freely give." "bismallah!"[21] said scanderbeg. "and if the girl and the boy were the ones i saw asleep in each other's arms by the fire the other night, the compact is good for two generations at least." it was agreed that, upon his sufficient recovery, milosch should bring the children from the camp of hunyades to albania. the ride by the vitosh and rilo mountains where the mighty ranges of the balkans, the upper moesian, and the rhodope are thrown close together, was sufficiently grand to engross the eye and mind of the dashing riders. thus most of the day was passed in silence, broken only by the clatter of the horses' hoofs against the rocks; the roar of cascades making their awful plunge hundreds of feet from the precipices; the complaint of rivers far down at the bottom of ravines, fretting beneath the prison roof of ice and snow; and glorious pines, pluming the brow of crag and ledge, through which the everlasting winds breathed the dirge over fallen empires of men. as they forced their way up a long and tedious ascent, scanderbeg joined kabilovitsch and said: "to relieve the tedium of this slow part of the journey you must tell me about that lass you would not leave for the love of albania. a sweet face as i saw it. i could have run off with it myself, had i not other business on hand. and i can pardon a father's heart for clinging very closely to such a child. you will forget my rude speech a while ago. i played with a little lass like that when i was a boy. the face of your child, that night i watched for you, carried me back to those happy days. i could see my little sweet-heart in her; though thirty years have thrown their shadows of dark events across my memory." kabilovitsch turned familiarly to scanderbeg with the query, "may i read your thoughts, sire?" "yes, he is welcome to do so who can find my soul beneath this battered face." "that child was the fair mara, the daughter of the noble george cernoviche, whose castle ruins lie now by the shore of ochrida. am i not right?" "right! but i knew not of the fall of her father's house. can you tell me aught of the history of my little maiden. if she lives, she must be a goodly matron now." "yes, i can tell her story and more. she married the noble musache de streeses, whose castle once stood near the skadar."[22] "ah! i have heard of his sad fate," replied the general. "oh, for vengeance on these villains who have despoiled the land! musache de streeses was the richest of all the land-owners on the coast of adria, the soul of honor, a genuine patriot, with whom my father held confidential intercourse. his purse and sword were freely offered for service against the turk. it was a favorite scheme of my father to some day unite our families. i hear that my nephew, amesa, has become possessed of those estates, being also nephew to de streeses, who was slain by the turks. but my fairy, mara, you said was married to de streeses. it was she, then, who, with her infant child, was killed by the turks during the raid?" "noble castriot! de streeses and the lady mara were murdered, foully, treacherously," said the old man, reining his horse, and speaking with terrible passion. "oh, to take vengeance!" exclaimed scanderbeg. "by the fair face of mara! this, with the thousand other murders of these years, shall be washed out, if my sword drains a myriad veins of turkish blood to make sure of his who struck so brutal a blow!" "your sword need not search so wide as that," said kabilovitsch. "the family of de streeses were murdered by hands we both know but too well." "how know you, kabilovitsch?" the man removed his cap as if inviting the inspection of his face, and, lowering his voice, replied, "i am not kabilovitsch, i am arnaud." "arnaud, the forester of de streeses? arnaud, whose shoulders i bestrode before i ever mounted a steed?" exclaimed scanderbeg, turning his horse and stopping, but at his companion's motion indicating caution, lowering his tone, and moving close beside him. "the same, sire. and the turks who murdered the nobleman and his beautiful wife were not such turks as you have been accustomed to command. too white of skin and too black of heart were they. i would not say this, but that i give you also my reasons for so grave an accusation. turks in raiding do not discriminate in their depredations; but these harmed not a leaf beyond the castle of de streeses. nor do turks swear by st. john, as i heard one of them do as he cursed a fellow villain for some slip in the plan. nor again would turks, seeking only for plunder, have shown as much eagerness to kill the little babe as they did to slay its father; and this they did, searching even among the ashes for evidence that the tiny bones had been sufficiently charred to prevent their recognition. but the child was not in the castle at the time. my good wife was suckling it--the lady mara being of delicate condition--and that night the babe was at the lodge. as soon as the commotion was heard at the castle the child was hidden in the copse." "but where is this child now?" asked scanderbeg eagerly. "you have gazed upon her by my camp-fire, sire; and your soul saw in her face that of the sainted mara, though your eyes detected her not." "and you know the perpetrator of this damnable deed?" asked scanderbeg. "i may not say i know, since your noble father refused to believe that any other than turkish hands did it. but he who possesses the estate now knows too much of this affair to thank god in his prayers for his inheritance. i saved the child; yet lord amesa has sworn that once a turk who fell beneath his sword in a private brawl confessed to him that his hands had strangled the infant on the night of the raid. some one interested had suspicion of where the truth lay, for my own cot was raided, and my wife slain one night during my absence. but the child was safe elsewhere. since then, knowing that her life was secure only through her being secreted, i have been a wanderer. a price was secretly set upon my head by amesa. in the mountains of macedonia, in the pass of the balkans, have i kept watch over my sacred charge. i want not to see albania, but as i can see justice done in albania. therefore i said i would go only if the lass might go with me, and under the strong protection of a castriot who knows the truth, whose very soul recognized the child of mara." "the child's life shall be as sacred to me as if mara had become my wife as she vowed in her play, and the child were my own," said scanderbeg. "but this perplexes our cause. amesa is one of our bravest, wiliest voivodes. to antagonize him with this old charge would imperil my reception with the people and the liberty of our land. but i pledge you, my good arnaud, that though vengeance waits, it shall not sleep. in the time when it shall be most severe upon the offender, and most honorable to the name of albanian justice, the bolt shall fall." it was readily foreseen by both that only at the peril of her life could morsinia be allowed to accompany her foster father, arnaud or kabilovitsch, to the camp of castriot. the former forester would be recognized and suspicion at once excited as to the person of his ward. it was, therefore, determined that she should be domiciled safely in a little hamlet on the borders of albania, where her history was unknown; and that, to elude suspicion, milosch and the boy, constantine, should accompany her, as her father and brother, neither of whom knew her true history. the "brotherhood in god" between kabilovitsch and his old neighbor gave sufficient warrant for milosch's claim to paternity. footnotes: [20] spahi: master of cavalry. [21] bismallah; "please god," a turkish common exclamation. [22] lake scutari. chapter ix. but while these refugees from the little hamlet on the mountains were so favored of good providence, what of the others? our story must return to the day of the battle in the pass of slatiza. mother helena fell beneath the sword of a turk while defending herself from his insults. the boy, michael, with arms bound above the elbows and drawn back so that, while retaining the use of his hands, he could not free himself, was driven along with others under guard of several soldiers. as they descended the mountains the band of captives was steadily increased by contributions from the cottages and hiding places along the way. they were mostly boys and girls, the old men and women having been slain or left to perish in the utter desolation which marked the track of the army. some of the captives were children too young to endure the tramp, and were carried upon the horses of the mounted soldiers. no one was treated unkindly. after the first day their bands were untied so that they moved without weariness. they shared the best of the soldiers' rations--sometimes feasting while their captors fasted--and were snugly wrapped in the blankets by the camp-fires at night. the daily march, after the christian army had abandoned the pursuit, was of but a few miles, with long intervals for rest. indeed, michael thought that the troopers were more anxious about his being kept in good condition, even in fresh and comely appearance, than mother helena would have been. as they approached philippopolis they were all made to wash at a stream. their matted locks were combed:--a hard job with the mass of rebellious red bristles which stood about michael's head, like a nimbus on the wooden image of some romish saint. in some instances the captors went into the city and returned with pretty skirts of bright colored wool or silk, and caps made of shells and beads for the girls. fantastic enough were the costumes and toilets which the rough old troopers forced upon the little maidens; but if they were pleasing to the captors they would prove, perhaps, as pleasing to the rough slave buyers in the market square of philippopolis, who purchased the girls for disposal again at the harems of the capital. an officer of excise presided over these sales, and, before the property was delivered to the purchaser, retained one-fifth the price as the share of the sultan. if any of the girls were, in the judgment of the officer, of peculiar beauty or promise, they were reserved for the royal harem; the value of them being paid to their captors out of the tax levied upon the others. this gave occasion for the extravagant and often ludicrous costumes in which the diverse tastes of the soldiers arrayed their captives for the contest of beauty. the boys, however, were not sold. they were the special property of the sultan, to be trained as janizaries for military service, or employed in menial positions about the royal seraglio. the captors received rewards according to the number and goodly condition of the lads they brought in. the band of boys to which michael was attached was marched at once to adrianople. several hundreds were gathered in a great square court, which was surrounded by barracks on three sides, and on the fourth faced the river marissa. a great soup kettle, the emblem of the janizary corps, was mounted upon a pole in the centre of the square, and seemed to challenge the honors of the gilt star and crescent, the emblem of royalty, that gleamed from the tall staff in an adjacent court of the seraglio. there were scattered about utensils for domestic use; the tools of carpenters, blacksmiths, armorers, harness-makers and horse-shoers; old swords, battered helmets, broken wagons, bow-guns, the figure heads of veteran battering rams; indeed all the used and disused evidences that within these walls lived a self-sustaining community, able to provide for themselves in war or in peace. for several days the new boys were fed with delicious milk and meats, prepared by skilful hands of old soldiers, who knew the art of nursing the sick almost as well as they knew that of making wounds. for a few nights the lads slept upon soft divans, until every trace of weariness from the journey had disappeared. they were then stripped naked and examined carefully by the surgeons. if one were deformed, or ill-proportioned, or failed to give promise of a strong constitution, he was taken away to be trained as a woinak or drudge of the camps. perhaps three-fourths of the entire number in michael's company were thus branded for life with an adverse destiny. the more favored lads were graded into ojaks, or messes; and among them were daily contests in running and wrestling, according to the results of which the ojaks were constantly changing their members; the strongest and most agile living together in honorary distinction from their fellows. the officers in charge of these janizary schools were old or crippled men, whom years or wounds had rendered unfit for service in the field, and who were assigned to the easier task in compensation for past fidelity. the spirit of the veterans was thus infused into the young recruits by constant contact and familiarity with them; and the rigid habits of the after service were acquired almost insensibly through the daily drill and discipline. michael's rugged health and mountain training enabled him to advance rapidly through the various grades. though almost the youngest in his company, he was the first in the race, and no one could take him from his feet in the wrestling match. "a sturdy little giaour," said old selim, a fat and gouty janizary, the creases of whose double chin were good companions to the sabre-scar across his cheek. "ay, tough and handy!" responded mustapha, an old captain of the corps, ogling michael with his widowed eye, and stroking his beard with his equally bereaved hand, as he watched the boy wriggling from beneath to the top of a companion nearly double his size. "if the little fellow is as agile in wit as he is in limb he will not long be among the agiamoglans.[23] a splendid build! broad in the shoulders; deep-chested, but not flat; narrow loins; compact hips--just the make of a lion. as lithe a lad as you were once, my now elephantine selim, when bajazet stole you from your hungarian home. ah! you have changed somewhat since the old padishah had you for his page. i remember when your waist was as trim as a squirrel's--but now--from the look of your paunch i would think you were the soldier who drank up the poor woman's supper of goat's milk, and had his belly ripped open by the padishah to discover his guilt.[24] only goat's milk swells like that. let us see if some of the butter sticks not yet to your ribs," said the old soldier, making a pass at his comrade's middle. "that's not a true soldier's pass, to strike so low," said selim, laughing. "but you, mustapha, were once a better runner than yon lad will ever be." "i was as good with my legs as with my arms," replied the veteran, pleased with the compliment, and fondling his bare calves with his hand. "but at what match did you see me run?" "i only saw you run once," said selim, "and that was at angora, when timour the lame[25] was after you to get your ugly head for the pyramid of skulls he left there as a monument. but see the lad! he tosses the big one as a panther topples an ox. we have not had his match in the school since scanderbeg was a boy." "poor scanderbeg!" said mustapha. "how now!" inquired selim, "is there any news from him?" "yes. he has met his first defeat. he was in command at the last battle under the balkans. carambey got fast in a bog, in the first battle, and scanderbeg was unable to redeem the defeat in the second. but he lived not to know it. he sent a host of gibbering giaour ghosts to hell while on his way to heaven. 'in the crossing of the cimeters there is the gate of paradise,' says the koran; and, though his body could not be found, he went through the gate, beyond a doubt." "that is a loss, comrade, the padishah can never make good with any man in the service. but have you not noted, mustapha, that scanderbeg never fought so well against christians as against the caramanians, the kermians and rebellious turks. in anatolia i have seen his lips burst with blood,[26] through sheer rage of fight; but in servia he seemed listless and without heart for the fray. the grand vizier has noted it, and twitted him with remembering too well that he was christian born." "and how did he take that?" "why, the color came to his face; his lips swelled; his whole body shook;--just as i have seen him when compelled to restrain himself from heading a charge, because the best moment for it had not arrived." "did the vizier take note of his manner?" "yes, and spoke of it to the padishah. amurath looked troubled, and i overheard him say, 'i must not believe it, for i need him. no other general can match hunyades.' and the padishah said well; and he had done well if he had taken the vizier's head from his shoulders for such an insinuation. for scanderbeg only half loyal were better than all the rest of the generals licking the padishah's feet. but, mustapha, we must train the little devil yonder to forget that he ever heard the name of jesu, son of mary, except from the koran." "let us see if he has as much courage as he has cartilage," said mustapha. "the day is one fit for the water test. let us have the squad on the river's bank. if you will bring them, i will go and arrange the test." "it is too cold, and besides i do not like it," said selim. "i have known some of the best and hottest blood that ever boiled in a child's veins to be chilled forever by it. it is too severe, except for trout." "but it is commanded. and to-day is as mild as we shall have for a whole moon yet," was the reply, as mustapha moved toward the water. the river marissa was covered with thin ice, not strong enough to bear the weight of a person. a young woinak had attached a small red flag to a block of wood, and whirled it out over the slippery surface some three rods from the shore. the boys gathered naked and shivering at the barrack doors, and, at a signal were to dash after the flag. all hesitated at the strange and cruel command, until a whip, snapping close to their bare backs, started them. some slipped and fell upon the rough and icy stones of the paving in the court. others halted at the river's edge. only a few ventured upon the brittle ice; and they, as it broke beneath them, scrambled back to the shore. one or two fainted in the shock of the cold plunge, and were drawn in by the woinaks. but three pressed on, breaking the ice before them with their arms, or with the whole weight of their bodies, as they climbed upon its brittle edge. soon they were beyond their depth; one dared to go no further, and, blue and bleeding, gave up the chase. the prize lay between michael and his companion. this boy was larger and older than he; and finding that the ice would sustain his weight, stretched himself on it, and crawled forward until he grasped the flag. but the momentary pause, as he detached it from the wooden block and put it between his teeth, was sufficient to allow the crackling bridge to break beneath him; and he sunk out of sight. at the same instant michael disappeared. though several yards from his companion, he plunged beneath the ice, and reappeared carrying the flag in his teeth and holding his comrade's head above the water until the woinaks could reach and rescue them both. "bravo!" shouted the attendants. the boys were hurried into the barracks, and given a hot drink made from a decoction of strong mints; while the woinaks smeared their bodies with the same, and rubbed them until the shock of their exposure was counteracted by the generous return of the natural heat. "i thought," said old mustapha, "that we would have drowned some to-day. it is a cruel custom; but it is worth months of other practices to find out a lad's clear grit and power of endurance. the two boys who got the flag will some day become as valiant as ourselves, eh, selim?" and the living eye of the veteran nodded to the empty socket across his nose--the nearest approach to a wink he was capable of. "as the boys were floundering in the water," said selim, "i thought of a scene which i saw about at the same spot--now three score years have gone since it--for it was just after i was brought into the janizary's school. our padishah's great grandfather, the first amurath, had erected a high seat or throne on the river's bank yonder. you know that saoudji, the padishah's son, had joined the greeks; but the young traitor was captured. well! old amurath bade the executioner pass the red hot iron before his son's eyes until the sight was dried up in them. then, while the blind prince was groping about and begging for mercy, the padishah, his father, commanded a circle of swordsmen to be formed about him, swinging their cimeters, so that his head would fall by the hand of him whom he chanced to approach. thus it might be said, that since he was a king's son, he had used the princely privilege of selecting his own executioner. and having thus set them an example of paternal duty, amurath commanded the fathers of the greek youths, whom he had captured, to cut off the heads each of his own son. those whose fathers were not known or could not be found, were tied together in groups and thrown into the stream; the padishah betting heavily with the grand vizier upon those who should float the longest. so, cruel though our customs are, you see, mustapha, we are not so barbaric as our ancestors." "nor so abominably vicious as the greeks," said mustapha. "with them the loving mothers put out the eyes of their children.[27] no, we are quite gentle nurses of the lads committed to our charge, though sometimes our tiger claws will prick through the velvet." "come, help me up! good mustapha," said selim, trying to rise from a bench in the sunshine of the court where they were sitting. "the cold stiffens my bones." "bah! comrade, you have no bones, only flesh and belly. how will you balance your fat hulk on the bridge that is finer than a hair and sharper than the edge of a sword that takes you over hell into paradise? i fear me, selim, that i shall have to content myself with the company of the prophet and the houris in heaven, for you will never get there, unless i give you a lift across al sirat,"[28] said mustapha, giving his comrade a jerk which sent him far out into the court, where with difficulty he kept his feet upon the slippery stones. the old fellow took the rough play good-naturedly, and replied, "you will never see paradise, mustapha. the houris will have nought to do with so ugly a face as yours. it will turn them all squint-eyed to look at you." "do you think i know not the art of love-making?" said mustapha, striking the attitude of a fashionable young man of the day. selim roared with laughter. "mustapha making love? the thing is impossible; since, if the houri be in the sunshine of your good eye, you have no arm on that side to embrace her; and if you embrace her with the arm you have got, you have no eye on that side to look upon her beauty. trust me, you old moulted peacock, that i shall get over al sirat before mustapha has found a houri----" "hist!" said mustapha, pointing to the entrance of the square from the seraglio court adjoining, and assuming an attitude of the gravest dignity. in a moment more the two officers knelt, and resting their foreheads on the ground, remained in that position until a lad of some twelve years approached them and touched the head of each with his foot, bidding them rise. "i have come, good selim, to see what new hounds you have for me," said the young prince mahomet.[29] "ah! my little hoonkeawr![30] the prophet, your namesake, has sent you a fine one; as lithe as a greyhound and as strong as a mastiff; and, if i mistake not, already trained for the game; for he came from the balkans, where foxes run wild when and where they will." "that is capital. i shall like him," cried the prince, with delight. "i must see him." "not to-day, your highness; for the boys are under the leech's charge. they have been put to the water-test, and are all packed snugly in their beds." "the water-test, selim, and you called me not?" said the boy, looking furious in his rage. "you knew i wanted to see it; and you told me not for spite. you will pay for this one day, you fat villain! and i want the hunt now. i came for it; did i not, yusef?" addressing a eunuch, an old man with ashen face and decrepit body, but gorgeously arrayed, who accompanied the prince as his constant attendant. "we must wait, i suppose," said the man, with a supercilious tone and toss of his head, as if to even speak in the presence of the soldiers were a degradation to his dignity. "to-morrow we will have the hunt in better style than we could arrange it now were the boys able," said selim, endeavoring to appease the young tyrant. the prince and his escort moved away without deigning a reply "it is best not to insist," said the eunuch. "a wise maxim i will give thee, my prince:--beware of demanding the impossible--check back even the desire of it. the rule of the janizary school is that the boys have rest after the water-test, and the padishah would not allow even his own son to break it. i would train thee to self-command; for the time may come when thou shalt command the empire. your brother, aladdin, is mortal." "so you always interfere with me. you hate me, yusef; i know you do. i wish the boys had all been drowned in the river, and old selim, and you too," cried the royal lad, giving way to an outburst of childish rage. "wait until thou canst get the bit between thy teeth before attempting to run thine own gait," coolly replied the old eunuch. footnotes: [23] the inexpert, or lower grade of janizaries. [24] an incident narrated in turkish history. [25] timour-lenk or timourlane; timour the lame. [26] see old annals. [27] vide, the greek empress irene and her son constantine. [28] the bridge over hell mentioned above. [29] afterward sultan mahomet ii. [30] literally, man of blood, a title of the sultan. chapter x. beyond the walls of the seraglio lay the royal hunting grounds. many acres of the city were enclosed within high walls of clayey earth, packed into huge square blocks and dried in the sun; on the top and outside of which bristled a miniature abattis of prickly vines. some parts of this park were adorned with every elegance that the art of landscape gardening could devise. in the summer season these portions were covered with floral beauties, interspersed with water-jets, which tossed the light silver balls like fairy jugglers; broad basins sparkling with gold fish; and walks leading to little kiosks and arbors. even its winter shroud could not conceal from the imagination what must have been its living beauty in summer. the greater part of this reserve was, however, left in its natural state. gnarled old olive trees twisted themselves like huge serpents above the dense copses of elder and hazel bushes. dusky balsams rose in pyramids, overtopped by the pines, which spread their branches like umbrellas. here and there were open fields, encumbered with stinted underbrush, and either broken with out-cropping rocks, or smooth with strips of meadow land now white and glistening under the snow. this section of the park presented a fascinating appearance on the day of the fox-hunt. scores of lads from the janizary school were there, dressed in all shades of bright-colored jackets, and short trousers bagged at the knees; the lower part of the limbs being protected with close-fitting stockings of leather, terminating in light, but strong, sandals. each wore a skull cap or fez of red flannel, from the top of which and down the back hung a tassel, that, by its length and richness, indicated some prize won by its wearer in previous games. old soldiers gathered here and there in groups; some, the janizaries, wearing tall sugar-loaf-shaped hats of gray; others, white turbans, or green ones, indicating that their possessors had made a holy pilgrimage to mecca. elegant burnooses, or sleeveless cloaks, of white, black, orange and yellow silks, fluttered in the wind or were gathered at the waist by rich sashes, from which hung great cimeters. near an open spot was a stand, or running gallery, enclosed in lattice-work, from behind which the ladies of the harem could witness the sports, themselves unseen. the presence of these invisible beauties was indicated by the stiff, straight forms of the black eunuchs, whose faces appeared above their white cloaks like heads of ebony on statues of alabaster. prince mahomet rode a horse, small but compactly built, with head and mane suggestive of the power of his well-rounded muscles; slim ankles, seemingly better adapted to carry the lighter form of a deer; jet black, in strongest contrast with the white tunic and gaily embroidered jacket of the little prince, as well as with the saddle-cloth of purple silk, in which the star and crescent were wrought with threads of gold. with merry shout the young tyrant chased the boys, who, carrying wands decorated with ribbons, ran ahead of him to clear the way. "so it will be if he ever comes to the throne," said selim to a comrade. "mahomet ii. would follow no one. there would be no use of viziers and generals, and he would even attempt to drive the janizaries like his sheep. it is well that aladdin is the elder." "but woe to aladdin if mahomet lives after his brother comes to the throne," said the man addressed. "with such fire-boxes about him one could justify the practice of a sovereign inaugurating his reign by the slaughter of his next of kin."[31] the woinaks brought in several crates, with latticed sides, containing the foxes, which, one by one, were to be let loose for the chase; the boys to act the part of hounds, and drive the game from the thickets, in which they would naturally take refuge, out into the open space, and within arrow range of the prince. mahomet, by constant practice, had acquired great dexterity in managing his steed, and almost unerring aim in using the bow from the horse's back. a splendid red fox was thrust out of the crate. for a moment he remained crouching and trembling in his fright at the crowd; then darted suddenly for the underbrush. the boys, imitating the sharp cry or prolonged baying of a pack of hounds, scattered in different directions; some disappearing in the copse; others stationing themselves at the openings or run-ways where they thought the animal would appear. the bugle of the white eunuch, who was constantly near the prince, kept all informed of his position, so that reynard might be driven toward him. in a few moments the arrow of mahomet laid him low. a second fox was liberated--like many of the sultan's nobler creatures--only to fly to his speedy execution. the third animal was an old one, who persisted in taking the direction opposite to that in which the chasers would drive him. again and again, as the boys closed about him, he dashed through the thickest of their legs, leaving them tumbled together in a heap. at one time he sprang through the opening at which michael, studying the tricks of the quick-witted brute, had stationed himself. sudden as were his movements, the young mountaineer's were not less so; for, like a veritable hound, he threw himself bodily upon the prey. passing his right hand beneath the entire length of the animal's body from the rear, he grasped his front leg and bent it back beneath him; at the same time using his whole weight to keep the animal's head close to the ground, so as to escape his fangs. he had taken more than one beast in a similar way from the holes in the old mountain pass. in the excitement of the sport he now forgot that he was merely to enable another to get the game without effort or danger. prince mahomet rode to the spot toward which the fox had turned, and, in a sudden outburst of anger at this interference with his shot, drove the arrow at the two as they were struggling on the ground. the whirring barb cut the arm of michael before it entered the heart of the prey. the sharp cry of pain uttered by the lad recalled mahomet from his insane rage. the rushing attendants showed pity for michael, but no one ventured a remonstrance against this act of imperial cowardice and cruelty. a moment's examination showed that the lad's wound was not serious, being only a cut through the flesh. but as the pallor of his fright died away from his face, it was followed by a deep flush of anger. tears of vexation filled his eyes. his glance of scorn was hardly swifter than his leap: for, with a bound, his arms were around the prince's body, while his weight dragged him from the saddle to the ground. mahomet, rising, drew a jeweled dagger, and made several hasty passes at his assailant, who, however, dextrously avoided them. the posing of the lads would have done justice to the fame of professional gladiators. the prince pressed upon his antagonist with incessant thrusts, which, by skilful retreating and parries with his bare arm, michael avoided; until, with a ringing blow upon mahomet's wrist, he sent the weapon from his hand, and closed with him; the prince falling to the ground beneath the greater strength of michael. the spectators at this point interfered. as they rose the eunuch grasped the little victor, and shaking him, cried: "i will cut the throat of the giaour cub of hell." but the one hand of old mustapha was upon the eunuch's throat, and his one eye flashed like a discharging culverin, as he cried, "had i another hand to do it with, i would cut yours, you white-faced imbecile! don't you know that the boy belongs to the janizaries? and woe to him who is not a janizary that lays a hand on him!" "the prince's honor must be avenged," wheezed out the eunuch between the finger grips of the old soldier. "i care not for the janizary, though you were the aga[32] himself, instead of a mutilated slave." the eunuch had drawn his dagger, and was working his hand into a position whence he could strike, when old selim's hand grasped his. "none of that treachery, or we will let out of your leprous skin what manhood is left in you, you blotch on your race! touch one hair of black khalil's[33] children and you die like the dog you are. let him go, mustapha! his coward throat is no place for you to soil a brave hand. we will get a snake to strangle him; a buzzard to pick his grain of a soul out of his vile carcass;[34] an ass to kick him to death. we must observe the proprieties." "pardon my heat!" said the eunuch. "my zeal for my prince has led me too far." "not at all!" said selim. "it is pleasant to see that you have some heat in your cold blooded toad nature." "it is better for us to retire," said the eunuch to mahomet. "i shall sound the signal for the close of the games." mahomet stood stubbornly for awhile; then turning to michael said in a tone which was strangely without a shade of anger or petulance in it: "say, young giaour, you and i must have this out some day." michael could not help a half-smiling recognition of the boyish challenge, and replied: "i have seen more foxes than you have, and know some tricks i didn't show you to-day." as they moved out of the park, yusef delivered a brief lecture to his princely pupil. "hark thee, my master. i warn thee, that thou have an eye always open and a hand always closed to the janizaries. they have grown from being the heel to think that they are the head of the state. they dictate to thy father, the padishah, and snub the very vizier. i would have killed both those old imbeciles, but that it would not have been politic. i am glad, too, that thou didst not let thy dagger find the heart of the balkan boy. that would not have been politic. for, allah grant! thou mayest one day be padishah. then this day would be remembered against us." "but, yusef, i did not spare the boy. i think he spared me; and if i ever get to be padishah, i will make him my vizier, for his cleverness. it would be a pity that so brave a man were elsewhere than at my right hand. though he angered me awfully at the moment, i shall like that fellow. did you see how he gripped the fox with his bare arms? he must teach me how to do that. was it between the hind legs he thrust his hand, or across the beast's body? i could not see for my being so mad because he spoiled for me a fine running shot." "thou art a strange child, mahomet. thou seemest to have forgotten that the boy leaped at thy throat, and would have torn out thine eyes, but that thou wast more valiant than he." "well, i should despise him as white-livered and milk-galled if he had not sprung at me," said mahomet. "has not every noble fellow quick blood, as well as a prince, yusef? that boy shall be mine. he shall teach me his tricks, and i shall give him all my sweetmeats; for they get none of such things in the school." "ah! my little prince, thy head is as full of wit as a fig is of seeds. thou art gifted to know and use men. one that is born to rule must make his passion bend to policy. he must not allow himself the pleasure of hating those whom he can use. but take heed of this:--whom he cannot use he must not love." "but i was not born to rule, yusef. if so, i would have been born earlier, before my brother aladdin cried in his nurse's arms, and would not be comforted until they had covered the soft spot on his bare head with a paper crown. do you believe in omens, yusef?" "not in such; only in dreams," said the eunuch. "well; i dreamed that our two heads--yours and mine, yusef--were together on a pike-staff, grinning at aladdin's coronation." "nonsense, child!" said the eunuch, his white face bleaching a shade whiter under the thought, as they passed through the gateway into the seraglio grounds. footnotes: [31] the custom also in other oriental nations than the turkish. [32] aga; commander. [33] kara khalil tschendereli, the founder of the janizaries in the time of sultan orchan. [34] according to a moslem tradition the beautiful birds of paradise hold in their crops the souls of holy martyrs until the resurrection. chapter xi. the physical training of the young janizaries consisted in such daily exercises as would develop strength and tirelessness of muscle, steadiness of nerve, keenness and accuracy of eye, as well as grace of mien. they were also taught by expert workmen all the arts of daily need; to make as well as to use the bow; to trim and balance the arrow; to forge, temper, and sharpen the sword; to shoe the horse; to make and mend their clothing and the entire trappings of their steeds; to build and manage the keelless kaiks[35] which darted like fishes through the surface of the river; to bind rafts into pontoons for the crossing of streams; to reap and grind the grain, and cook their food. any special talent or adaptability was noted by the instructors, and the janizaries encouraged to attain to rare expertness in single arts. the training in arms was especially severe, and under masters in fencing, archery, riding, swimming, marching, deploying--the ablest tacticians, whose wounds or age permitted their absence from active campaigns, being found always at the head of the various departments. the janizary, while a mere lad in years, was often more than a match in single combat for the most stalwart men in other corps, such as the piadé and azabs among footmen, the ouloufedji and akindji among troopers. but, notwithstanding this individual prowess and ambition were stimulated to the highest degree, they were disciplined to abject obedience within the corps. each one was as a part of some intricate mechanism, all moved by one spring, which was the will of the chief aga. at a moment's notice they must start, in companies or alone; on military expeditions, or secret service as spies and scouts; it might be to the recesses of asia or the upper danube; to assail forts or to conduct intrigues; having always but one incentive, that of the common service and the common glory. to develop in the same person these two seemingly antagonistic qualities--of intensest individuality and abject subserviency to their order--required the shrewdest manipulation of the mind and will of the cadet from his earliest enrollment in childhood. as certain expert horse-trainers control the spirit of noble steeds, without extinguishing any of their fiery ardor, and tell the secret of their power to those who come after them in the guild, so from the days of black khalil this marvellous system of discipline had been perpetuated among the corps, producing but rarely a weakling and as rarely a rebel. michael learned his first lesson in subordination upon the return from the hunt. while the janizary officers were not displeased with the prowess the little fellow had shown, even against the prince, it was foreseen that such an impetuous nature needed the curb. for three days he was confined to a room in solitude and silence. no one spoke or listened to him. his only attendant was an old man, both deaf and dumb, who evidently knew nothing and cared nothing for michael's offence or its punishment. during this time the lad's suspense was terrible. was he to be killed for having assaulted the prince? would they take him to the torture? perhaps this old man had been guilty of some such offence, and they had cut his tongue and bored out his ears! he had heard of the searing iron passed before the eyes, and then the life-long darkness. when he slept his overwrought imagination fabricated horrid dreams in which he was the victim of every species of cruelty. he fancied that he was being eaten by a kennel of foxes, to whom he is given every day until their hunger shall be satisfied; then taken away and reserved for their next meal. he tried to compute how many days he would last. sometimes he imagined that he was exposed naked in the cold, and made to stand day and night on the ice of the marissa, until he should be frozen: but his heart is so hot with his rebel spirit that it will not freeze. once he thought that prince mahomet came each day and stabbed him with that pearl-set dagger he drew on him at the hunt. his dreams were too frightful to allow him to sleep long at a time; yet, when awake, his fears were such that he longed to get back again among the terrible creatures of his fancy. oh, that some one would speak to him, and tell him his fate! he would welcome the worst torture, if only he could be allowed to talk to the torturer. after a while rage took the place of, or at least began to alternate with, fear. he regretted that he had not killed the impudent prince. "there stands his horse," he would say to himself--marking a line on the wall--"now i leap; seize his dagger; strike him to the heart; and, before they can stop me, plunge it into my own heart, so! ah! when i am out of this place i will kill him! i will! and go down to hell with him!" and the little frame would swell, and the eyes gleam with demoniacal light through the dusky chamber. there are deep places even in a child's soul--ay, bottomless depths--which, when unfretted by temptation, are so tranquil and clear that the kindliness and joy of heaven are reflected in them, warranting the saying of the old jewish rabbis, "every child is a prophet of the pure and loving god." but when disturbed by a sense of wrong and injury, these depths in a child's heart may rage as a caldron hot with the fires of hell; as a geyser pouring out the wrath and hatred which we conceive to be born only in the nether world. after a time michael's fury died away. another feeling took its place--the crushing sense of his impotence. his will seemed to be broken by the violence of its own spasm. he was stunned by his realization of weakness. he fell with his face to the cold stones of the floor, moaning at first, but soon passing into a waking stupor in which only consciousness remained: hopeless, purposeless, without energy to strive, and without strength to cry--a perfectly passive spirit. the centipede that crawled from the dusty crevice of the walls, and raised half his body to look at the strange figure lying there, might have commanded him. the spider might have captured him, and spun about his soul a web of destiny, if only he could have conveyed a thought of it from his tiny eyes. for, as the body faints, so also does the spirit under the pressure of woe. the old mute brought in the meal on the third day, placed it beside him, and retired. an hour later he returned and found the bread untasted; the child in the same attitude, but not asleep. he touched him with his foot, but evoked no sign that his presence was recognized. he gazed for a few moments; then shook his head like an artisan who, upon inspecting some piece of work he has been making, is not satisfied with it. he summoned selim. the old soldier, finding that his entrance did not arouse the lad, crossed his legs upon the floor beside him, and waited. the light from the high window of the room fell upon selim's wrinkled face. but it seemed as if another light, one from within, blended with it. his harsh features were permeated by a glow and softness, as he gazed upon the exhausted child. his eyes filled with tears; but they were speedily dried by the stare with which he turned and looked first at the blank walls, and then, following back the ray of light, to the window and beyond; his soul transported far away over lands, through years, to a cottage on the banks of the grau. he saw there a face so beautiful! was it really of one he once called "mother?" or a dim and hazy recollection of a painting of the christian madonna he had seen in his childhood? happy groups of village children were playing down among the lilies by the water's edge, and over the hills gently sloping back from the river's bank. their faces were as clear cut there against the blue sky beyond the window, as once--sixty years ago--they were against the green grass of the meadow. he heard again the sweet ring of the chapel bell echoing back from the ragged rocks of the opposite shore. and now the midnight alarm! a fight with strange looking turbaned men! flames bursting from the houses of the hamlet! men shrieking with wounds, and women struggling in the arms of captors! and a little child, ah, so lonely and tired with a long march! and that child--himself!--his eyes rested as fondly upon michael as did ever a father's upon his boy. but as the wind extinguishes a candle, a movement of michael sent all the gleams gathered out of former days from old selim's features. severity, almost savageness, took the place of kindliness among the wrinkles of his countenance, as naturally as the waters of a rivulet, held back for a moment by a child's hand, fill again their channels. the boy raised his head. his face was pale; the eyes sunken; their natural brilliance deepened, but as that of the flashing waters is deepened when it is frozen into the glistening icicle. or shall we say that the dancing flames of the child's eyes had become the steady glow of embered coals;--their life gone out, but the hot core left there, not to cheer, only to burn. those three days of silence, with their successive dramas of mystery, terror, rage and depression, had wrought more changes in him than many years of merely external discipline would have done. the close searching glance of selim detected all this; and also that the child was in a critical condition. the will was broken, but it was not certain that this had not been accomplished by the breaking of the entire spirit; instead of curbing, destroying it: not taming the tiger's daring, but converting it into the sluggishness and timidity of the cat. "michael!" cried he. there was no response except the slight inclination of the head indicating that the word had been heard. "follow me!" the lad rose mechanically, showing no interest or attention beyond that required for bodily obedience. pausing at the door-way the old man put his hand upon the boy's shoulder and said sternly, yet with a caution ready to change his tone-"do you know that we have power to more severely punish you?" the words made no impression upon the child. "the bastinado? the cage?" the boy raised his face, but upon it was no evidence of fear; perhaps of scorn. he had suffered so much that threats had no power over him. selim was alarmed at these symptoms. his experience with such cases taught him that this lethargic spell must be broken at whatever cost. feeling must be excited; and if an appeal to the child's imagination failed, physical pain must be inflicted. something must rouse him, or insanity might ensue. a peculiar instrument of torture was a frame set with needles pointing inwards. into this sometimes a culprit was placed, and the frame screwed so close about the person that he could not move from a fixed position without forcing the needles into his flesh. this frame was put about the boy. he stared stupidly at the approaching points, but did not shrink. selim pressed one of the needles quickly. instantly the boy uttered a cry of pain. his face blanched with fright. the tears sprang to his eyes, and through them came an agonizing look of entreaty. selim's whole manner changed as suddenly. schooled as he was to harshness; to strike one's head from his shoulders at the command of the aga without an instant's hesitation; to superintend the slow process of a "discipline" by torture, without a remorseful thought;--yet this was not his nature. and now that better, deeper, truer nature, hitherto unexercised for years, asserted itself. his heart went out to michael the instant there was no further necessity for its restraint. "bravo! my little hero," cried he, catching him to his arms. "you are of the metal of the invincibles, and henceforth only valiant deeds, bright honors and endless pleasures are to be yours. you shall lodge with me to-night." footnote: [35] kaiks or caiques; light row-boats. chapter xii. selim's apartment was off from the common barracks of the janizaries. it was luxuriantly furnished in its way. elegant rugs lay upon the marble floor. a divan, with silken covering, filled one end of the room. the walls were hung with a variety of richly wrought weapons and armor:--short swords, long crescent-shaped cimeters, spears of polished wood headed with glistening steel, helmets, breastplates, greaves. badges and honorary decorations shone among costly robes which had accumulated since the days when he had been a page to the sultan amurath i. upon a low table, reaching to the edge of the divan, had been placed salvers holding cups and open dishes of silver. a woinak entered with basins of scented water in which to wash the hands and bathe the face. selim placed his little guest by his side upon the divan. mustapha also appeared, and, removing his shoes, made a profound and dignified salâm--quite in contrast with his usual rough and badgering manner when with selim--then placed himself beside his comrade upon the cushions. an excellent repast was served. there was hare's flesh chopped and rolled with rice into balls, made more savory with curry sauce. sweet cakes, pastry of figs and candied orange blossoms excited a thirst for the sweetened water, which was so strongly flavored with the juices of fruits that the more scrupulous moslems refused to drink it, lest they should disobey the command of the koran prohibiting the use of wine. the two old men vied with each other in telling thrilling stories of adventure in battle and on secret service; of the romance of castles and courts; of how they won their honors and got their scars; of the favors of princes and princesses; and of exploits in which, though the rules of their order forbade their marrying, they retaliated the captivity of the maiden's eye by capturing her person. the burden of every story was the praise of the janizary organization, which alone enabled them to attain such glories and joys. the close brotherhood, which gave to each the help of all the ten thousand, was commended by incidents illustrating it. they told of their aga or chief, who was more powerful than the grand vizier--for sultans made these latter by a word, and unmade them with equal caprice, often with the stroke of the sword; but to touch a hair of the aga would be for the sultan to lose the favor of the entire band, whom he regarded as the main support of his throne, as their hands had won it for his fathers. did not the word of mustapha and selim, at the fox-hunt, cow the pride of yusef, who was next to the capee aga or chief of the white eunuchs? yet selim and mustapha were but captains in the janizaries. no general in any other arm of the service would have dared to antagonize the eunuch as they did. as michael listened, his cheeks flushed and chilled by turns with the excitement of his martial ambition. the dreams he used to have in his mountain home, of being a soldier and coming back covered with badges of honor to claim morsinia as his bride, seemed to be dissolving into the reality. nor was his ardor damped when he learned from selim that the first step toward all this was the total surrender of himself to the service of the brotherhood, in pledging and keeping obedience to its rules; as a part of the body, like the hand, must never be severed from the rest, but keep the contact perfect in every muscle and nerve, in order to have the strength which only the health of the whole body can give to it. selim explained to him how wrong it had been for him to seize the fox, no matter how excited he was, or how much daring it showed to do so, since he had not been ordered to seize, but only to turn the beast toward the prince. besides, to raise a hand against the prince was treason--unless it were ordered by the chief of the janizaries. therefore he had been punished according to the janizary discipline; though they would not have allowed any one else to touch him--no not even the padishah himself. michael's spirit was fully healed with such words. his depression gave way to a hotter ambition and pride of expectation than he had ever felt before, when selim put upon his head the whitish gray cap, like that worn by the dervishes, and differing from it only in having upon the back a strip of wool which the old man thus explained, as he told the story of the organization of the janizary corps. "the death angel, azrael, has reaped the earth more than five times since the mighty othman,[36] who founded our empire, entered paradise. his queen, malkhatoon, the most beautiful of women, had given him two sons. never since khalif omar followed the prophet was nobler successor than would have been either alaeddin or orchan to othman. the stars shone not with deeper lustre than did the wisdom of alaeddin. the storm never burst more resistlessly on your balkan mountains than did the bravery and strength of orchan beat down the foe. to orchan the empire came by will of allah and othman. but to alaeddin the new king said, 'thou art wise, my brother, above all men. be thou the eyes of the throne, and i will be its arm!' so alaeddin was the great minister of the mighty orchan. to prince alaeddin we owe our best laws, our system of drilling and marching in all the ottoman armies. "but two lights are better known than one. and in a dream the angel gabriel, who knows the secrets of allah regarding men, said to alaeddin, 'go look into the eyes of kara khalil tschendereli. we have given him a thought for thee and thy people.' and kara khalil said, 'know, o wise and virtuous prince alaeddin, i have been permitted in my dreams to stand upon the wall al araf, that runs between paradise and hell. in the third story of the seven which divide perdition i saw the ghosts of the giaours. but while i watched their torments the spirit of othman, the blessed, came to me, and, pointing to a gate in the wall, said, in a voice so sweet that all the birds in paradise echoed it, but so strong that it shook the mighty wall al araf as if it would fall, "i charge thee, as thou art a true believer in mahomet, open that gate that some of the believers in jesu, son of mary, may escape into paradise." "'"what power have i for such a miracle, o othman," i cried. but othman said: "'"thou shalt save the souls of the boys among the captives allah gives thee in battle. is it not written in the koran that all the children are at their birth gifted with the true faith. believe this, and teach the captive boys to trust the prophet, to breathe the holy islam of father abraham, and to draw the sword for allah. so shalt thou be a saviour of many souls. and such valor will allah send these rescued ones, and such blessings shall follow them, that the giaour children shall conquer for thee the giaour nations."' "and so, michael," added selim, "the wisdom of earth and heaven appointed our order. we are still the yeni tscheri,[37] though a century has gone by since we were founded; for the vigor of perpetual youth is ours. "when orchan, at such advice of alaeddin and kara khalil enrolled the first of the new troop--bright christian boys like yourself, michael--they were led to the old dervish, hadji beytarch, whose sanctity was as the fragrance of paradise itself. the face of the holy man caught the lustre of the prophecy from heaven. as he drew the sleeve of his mantle over each bowed head--and the strip of wool on our cap is the sign of his sleeve--he uttered this benediction: 'thy face shall be white and shining; thy right arm shall be strong; thy sabre shall be keen; and thine arrows sharp. thou shalt be fortunate in fight, and thou shalt never leave the battle-field save as a conqueror.'" "and have they never been conquered?" asked michael with incredulity. "never!" cried selim. "except," added mustapha, "that they might prepare themselves for some greater victory. allah sometimes makes known to us his will that we should retreat; then we take up our kismet as joyfully as we would shout the advance. that we may make sure of allah's will, before retreating we always assault the enemy thrice. if at that sacred number we cannot conquer we know that the victory has been reserved, still held for us, but in the closed hand of fate." "but what of those who were killed? i certainly saw many janizaries lying dead in the snows of the balkans the day of the fight. are they not conquered?" asked the boy. "nay, more than conquerors," said mustapha. "if one falls in battle paradise flings wide its gates, and troops of angels and houris come to lead his soul in a triumphal procession into that beautiful land where the earth is like purest musk, and where the great tuba tree grows--a branch of which shades the kiosk of every believer, and bends down to place its luscious fruit into his hand, if he so much as desires it; where are grapes and pomegranates, and such as for spicy sweetness have never been tasted on earth; where are streams of water and milk and wine and honey, whose bottoms are pebbled with pearls and emeralds and rubies; where the houris, the fairest of maidens, dwell close beside the believer in pavilions of hollow pearls, and serve every wish of the faithful even before he can utter it."[38] but michael's eyes were heavy; and as the old veterans diverted the conversation to some matter of business between them, his excited imagination reproduced the description of paradise in his dreams. only, the pavilion of pearl was shaped like good uncle kabilovitsch's cot on the mountains, and the houris were all fair-haired morsinias. footnotes: [36] whence the word ottoman. also written osman, whence the osmanlis. [37] yeni tscheri; new troop; corrupted in janizary. [38] _vide_ koran. chapter xiii. weeks and months passed away, during which the physical exercises of the lads in the janizary school were varied with lessons in the turkish language; and, in the case of a select number, in the arabic, mastering it at least sufficiently to read the koran, large sections of which they were compelled to commit to memory. the teachers in the janizary schools were far from ordinary men. they were highly learned, and, like most orientals of education, gifted with great eloquence. after the daily tasks had been accomplished the boys were gathered in a semicircle upon the floor about the instructor, who sat cross-legged among them, and narrated in glowing language the history of the prophet and his successors in the khalifate; inflaming their young minds with the most heroic and romantic legends of arabia and egypt, algiers and granada, where the koran had conquered the faith of the people whom the swords of the true moslems had subdued. wild stories of the early days of the turks, before ertoghral,[39] "the right-hearted man," led the tribes from the banks of the euphrates; and earlier still when seljuk[40] led his people from north of the caspian; of the settlement of their remote ancestors in afghanistan, where the great chief was first called sultan;[41] of how they had once held the religious faith of zoroaster. indeed, myths from the very dawn of known history, when the turkius did all sorts of valiant deeds in far-off china.[42] the christian books were made to appear to the young proselyte as but imperfect suggestions of the completed teaching of the book of mahomet; while the peculiar dogmas of the christians were restated with such shrewd perversion that to the child's judgment they seemed puerile or untrue. "behold the sky!" one would exclaim. "is it not one dome, like the canopy of one mighty throne? behold the light! does it not pour from one sun and fill all space with one flood? breathe the air! is it not the same over all lands and in all lungs? do not all birds fly with one mechanism of wings? and all men live by the same beating of the heart? how then can there be three gods, allah, and jesu and mary, as the christians teach?[43] what does reason say? what does the universe testify? what says the true and wise believer?" "there is one god and mahomet is his prophet," would be the response of the pupils, bowing their heads to the floor. "can the less contain or give out the greater? can a stone bring forth the orange tree? can a stick give birth to the eagle? a worm be the father of a man? how, then, can we say with the christians, that mary of bethlehem is the mother of god? what says the faithful and wise believer?" "there is one god, and mahomet is his prophet," would be the choral response. "is god weak? can men thwart his plans? shall we then believe that the infidel jews crucified the son of god?" "god is great, and mahomet is his prophet," would roll up from the lips of the scholars. "shall we, then, kiss the toe of the pope because he calls himself the grand vizier of allah, when our janizaries can cut the throats of his soldiers, as our brethren of arabia destroyed the crusaders? or shall we kiss the hand of the patriarch of the greeks, who claims supremacy in the name of allah, when already our arms have shut up the whole greek empire within the walls of constantinople? what says the faithful and wise believer?" "god is great, and mahomet is his prophet," is the reply. "who would cringe and beg forgiveness at the feet of a dirty priest, when the sword of every janizary may open for him who holds it the gate of paradise?" not only such arguments, but every event of the day that could emphasize or illustrate the superiority of the moslem faith, was skilfully brought to bear upon the susceptible minds of the youths. and within the first year of michael's cadetship one such significant event occurred. in the year of the hegira 822,[44] six months after the flight of scanderbeg, it was solemnly agreed between christian and moslem that the sword should have rest for ten years. a stately ceremony was made to seal the compact. vladislaus of hungary represented in his person the pledge of kingly honor. hunyades gave the sanction of a soldier's word. and cardinal julian was supposed to have added to the treaty the confirmation of all that was sacred in the religion of which he was so exalted a representative. on behalf of the christians, the concord was signalized by an oath upon the gospels. on the other side, sultan amurath, in the presence of his generals and the holiest of the moslem dervishes, swore upon the koran. this compact, guarded by all that men hold to be honorable on earth and sacred in heaven, lulled the suspicions of the turks. the rigid drill, the alert espionage, the raids along the border gave way to the indolence of the barracks and the pastimes of the camp. thousands of horses and their riders were returned to till the fields in the timars, ziamets and beyliks[45] scattered throughout distant provinces. the sultan retired to meditate religion, or devise the things belonging to permanent peace, in his secluded palace at magnesia in asia minor. the death of his eldest son, prince aladdin, led him to put the crown of associate padishah upon the brow of the young mahomet that in these quiet times the prince might learn the minor lessons of the art of ruling. but this sense of security among the turks offered too strong a temptation to the cupidity of the christian leaders. king vladislaus opposed conscientious objections to any breach of the compact. hunyades maintained his personal honor by at first refusing to draw his sword. but cardinal julian stood sponsor to a breach of faith, and announced that principle which has, in the estimate of history, made his scarlet robe the symbol of his scarlet sin--that no faith need be kept with infidels; and, in the name of the holy father, granted absolution to the chief actors for what they were about to do. without warning, the tide of christian conquest poured from servia eastward until it was checked in that direction by the black sea. the hordes of europe then turned southward, seized upon varna, and pitched their camps amid the pennants of their ill-gotten victory near to its walls. to human sight no power could avert irrevocable disaster to the arms, if not the subversion of the entire empire of the ottomans in europe. in their extremity the lands of the moslem made their solemn appeal to allah. every mosque resounded with reiterated prayers. the camps echoed the pious invocations with loud curses and the rattle of the preparation of armor. scurrying messengers flew from the centre to the circumference of the ottoman domain, and hastily gathered legions concentrated for one supreme blow in retaliation for the grossness of the insult, and in vindication of what they believed to be the cause of honor and truth, which, in their minds, was one with that of allah and the prophet. the sultan hurried from his retreat, and with marvellous celerity marshalled the faithful against the invaders at varna. riding at the head of the janizaries, he caused the document of the violated treaty to be held aloft on a lance-head in the gaze of the two armies, and with a loud voice uttered this prayer--a strange one for a moslem's lips-"o, thou insulted jesu, revenge the wrong done unto thy good name, and show thy power upon thy perjured people!" victory hovered long between the contending hosts, but at last rested with the moslems. to make the intervention of allah more apparent, it was told everywhere, how, when amurath believed that he was defeated, and had given the order for retreat, a soldier seized the bridle of the sultan's horse and turned him back again toward the enemy. the very beast felt the inspiration of heaven, and led the assault upon the breaking columns of the christians, until the victors returned, bearing upon spear-points the heads of cardinal julian and king vladislaus; while hunyades fled in disgrace from the field. it is not to be wondered at that such an event, which led many whole communities to renounce their alliance with the christian powers, and many of the chiefs of bosnia and servia to accept the moslem faith, should have rooted that faith more deeply in the hearts of those who already held it. a flame of fanaticism ran throughout the mohammedan world. the most rabid sects increased in the number and fury of their devotees. many who were engaged in useful occupations left them to became moslem monks, spending their lives in meditation, if perchance they might receive more fully the blessings which heaven seemed ready to pour upon every true believer; or to become preachers of the jehad--the holy war against the infidels. in the schools of the janizaries the fanaticism was fed and fanned to a flame of utmost intensity. the square court within their barracks was transformed into a great prayer place of the dervishes. here the howlers formed their circles, and swaying backward and forward with flying hair and glaring eyes, grunted their talismanic words from the koran, until they fell in convulsions on the pavement. and the wheelers spun round and round in their mystic motions until, full of the spirit they sought, they dropped in the dizzying dance. learned sheiks preached the gospel of the sword, and the imams watered the seed thus sown with fervent prayers, until the ardent souls of the youth seemed to have lost their human identity, and to be transformed into sparks and flashes of some celestial fire which was to destroy the lands of the christians. michael's mind was not altogether unimpressed by the religious fanaticism that raged around him. while in quiet moments he was troubled with what he heard against the christian faith which he had been taught in his mountain home, at other times he was caught in the tide of the general enthusiasm and felt himself borne along with it, swirled around in the rings of the mad maelstrom; not unwilling to yield himself to the excitement, and yet by no definite purpose committing himself to it. if it requires all the strength of an adult mind, with convictions long held and character well formed, to maintain its faith and principles against the attrition of daily temptation in a christian land, we must not be surprised if the child gave way to the incessant appeal of the moslem belief, accompanied as it was by extravagant promises of secular pleasure, and counteracted by no word of christian counsel. but the spiritual impulse in michael was less active than the martial instinct; and this latter was stimulated to the utmost by the associations of every day and hour. the battles which were fought on the great fields were all refought in the vivid descriptions of the janizary teachers, and sometimes in the mimic rencounters of the playground. michael rebelled against his childish years which prevented his joining some of the great expeditions that were fitted out;--against the greeks of the peloponnesus, the giaour lands to the north, and the albanians on the west, who, under scanderbeg, had become the chief menace against the ottoman power. footnotes: [39] about 1280 a. d. [40] about the end of the tenth century. [41] between 997 and 1030 a. d. [42] tribes of turkius were mentioned by pliny. [43] this perversion of the christian dogma of the trinity was taught by heretical sects in the time of the prophet mahomet, and is embodied in the koran. [44] a. d., 1444. [45] fiefs or portions of conquered lands given to soldiers. chapter xiv. the career of scanderbeg, or castriot, as the albanians love to call their great national hero, makes one of the most illustrious pages in history, whether we look for the display of personal courage, astute generalship, or loftiest patriotism. his military renown, already so wide-spread as the commander of the turks, became universal through the almost incredible skill with which, for many years, his handful of patriots held the mountains of albania against the countless armies of the sultan. his superlative devotion to his country, was maintained with such sacrifices as few men have ever rendered to the holiest cause. he resisted the bribes of riches, power and splendor with which the sultan, baffled by his arms, attempted to seduce his honor. these things went far to atone for the treachery of his defection from the turkish service. upon his arrival in albania, the citadel of croia was given into his hands by the commandant, who was either unsuspicious of the false order that was sealed by the now dead hand of the sultan's secretary, or who had found that the wily albanians had already access to its gates. sfetigrade and other prominent fortresses fell rapidly, won by strategy or by the valorous assault of the patriots. the albanians had been almost instantaneously transformed into an invincible army by the electric thrill which the coming of castriot had sent everywhere, from the borders of macedonia to the western sea; and by the skill with which that great captain organized his bands of epirots and dibrians. an army of forty thousand turks was at one time divided by his masterly movements, and slain in detail. a second army met a similar fate. the great sultan himself attempted the capture of this arnaout "wild beast," as he had learned to call him. one hundred and fifty thousand men, supplied from the far-reaches of asia where the ottoman made most of his levies, swarmed like a plague of locusts through the valleys of epirus. by sheer momentum of numbers they pressed their way up to the fortress of sfetigrade. the defence of this place is one of the most heroic in the annals of war or patriotism. as the glacier melts at the touch of the warm earth in the alpine valleys so the mighty army of amurath dissolved in blood as it touched the beleaguered walls. at the same time scanderbeg, adopting some new expedient in every attack, made his almost nightly raids through the centre of the turkish host, like a panther through the folds of the sheep, until amurath cried in sheer vexation among the generals, "will none of you save us from the fury of that wild beast?" the incessant slaughter that broke the bewildered silence of the generals was the only response. thus passed some six years since the time when our story opens; years which, had they stood by themselves, and not been followed by fifteen years more of equal prowess, would have won for scanderbeg the unstinted praise of that distinguished writer who enrolls him among the seven greatest uncrowned men of the world's history.[46] during these years castriot had studied with closest scrutiny the character of his nephew, amesa. his natural discernment, aided by his long observation of human duplicity while among the turks--and, indeed by his own experience, as for many years he had masked his own discontent and ultimate purpose--gave him a power of estimating men which may be called a moral clairvoyance. he discovered that in his nephew which led him to credit the story of kabilovitsch--as the forester arnaud was still called, although some more than suspected his identity. the chief saw clearly that amesa's loyalty would be limited by his selfish interests. those interests now led him to most faithful and apparently patriotic devotion. besides, the loss or alienation of so influential a young voivode, involving a schism in the house of the castriots, might be fatal to the albanian cause. the general, therefore, fed the ambition of his relative, giving him honorable command, for which he was well fitted by reason of both courage and genius. nor did amesa disappoint this confidence. his sword was among the sharpest and his deeds most daring. the peasant soldiers often said that amesa was not unworthy the blood of the castriots. to sultan amurath's proposal of peace on condition of scanderbeg's simple recognition of the ottoman's nominal suzerainty, allowing him to retain the full actual possession of all his ancestral holdings, amesa's voice joined with that of moses goleme and the other allied nobles in commending the refusal of their chief. amesa's courage and zeal seemed at times to pass the control of his judgment. thus, in a sharp battle with the turks, during the temporary absence of castriot, who was resisting an encroachment of the venetians on the neighboring country of montenegro, the fiery young voivode was seized with such blind ferocity that he knew not where he was. he had engaged a group of his own countrymen, apparently not discerning his mistake until he had unhorsed one of them, whom he was on the point of sabering, when his arm was caught by a comrade. the endangered man was kabilovitsch, who saw that there was a method in amesa's madness which it behoved him to note. it was evident to kabilovitsch not only that he was recognized by amesa, but also that the young voivode was more than suspicious of the former forester's knowledge of the affair by which the magnificent estate of de streeses had passed into his hands. the good man's solicitude was intense through fear that amesa had become aware of the escape of the child heir, and might discover some clue to her whereabouts. several times milosch had visited the camp inquiring for kabilovitsch; and constantine had made frequent journeys carrying tidings of morsinia's welfare. had neither of these been spied upon? did no one ever pass the little hamlet where she was in covert who recognized in the now daily developing womanly features the likeness of her mother, mara de streeses? a little after this assault of amesa upon kabilovitsch, came news which startled the latter. to understand this the reader must penetrate a wild mountainous district a double score of miles from the camp of castriot. footnote: [46] sir william temple. chapter xv. out of a broad valley, through which lies the chief highway leading to the north-west of albania, there opens a narrow ravine which seems to end abruptly against the precipitous front of a mountain range. but, turning into this ravine, one is surprised to find that it winds sharply, following a swift stream, and climbing for many miles through the mountain, until it suddenly debouches into a picturesque valley, which affords grazing space for sheep and enough arable land to sustain the peasants who once dwelt there. a hamlet nestled in this secluded vale. no road led beyond it, and it was approached only by the narrow and tortuous path we have described. a rude mill sentineled a line of three houses. these dwellings, though simple in their construction, were quite commodious. a room of ample dimensions was enclosed with walls of stone and loam, supporting a conical roof of thatch. on three sides of this room and opening into it were smaller chambers, having detached roofs of their own. the central apartment was the common gathering place for quite an extensive community, consisting of a family in three or four generations; for each son upon marrying brought his wife to the paternal homestead, and built a new chamber connecting with the central one. the three houses contained altogether nearly a hundred souls. the last of these dwellings was of ampler proportions than the others, and was occupied by a branch of an ancient family to which the inhabitants of the other houses were all of kin. by reason of its antiquity as well as the comparative wealth of its occupants, it was regarded as the konak, or village mansion; and the senior member of its little community was recognized as the stargeshina, or chief of the village. it was the latter part of april; the day before that upon which from time immemorial the peasants among these mountains had observed the festival of saint george, which they devoted to ceremonies commemorative of the awakening summer life of the world. it was still early in the afternoon, though the high mountain wall on the west had shut out the sun, whose bright rays, however, still burning far overhead, dropped their benediction of roseate shadows into the valley they were not permitted to enter; loading the atmosphere with as many tints as there were in buddha's bowl when the poor man threw in the bud of genuine charity, and it burst into a thousand flowers. a group of maidens gathered at the little mill, each holding an earthen bowl to catch the glistening spray drops which danced from the edge of the clumsy water-wheel. when these were filled they cast into the "witching waters" the early spring flowers, anemones and violets and white coral arbutus, which they had picked during the day. it was a pleasing superstition that the water, having been beaten into spray, received life from the flowers which the renewed vitality of the awakening spring spirit had pressed up through the earth; and that, if one should bathe in this on st. george's day, health and happiness would attend him during the year. "what is it?" cried one as a crackling in the bushes far above their heads on a steep crag was followed in a moment by the beat of a pebble, as it glanced from ledge to ledge almost to their feet. "the sheep are not up there!" said another. "perhaps the vili!"[47] suggested a third, "for i am sure that i have seen one this very day." "what was he like?" exclaimed several at once, while all kept their eyes upon the cliff above. "there! there! did you see it?" several avowed that they saw it stealing along the very brow of the hill; but all agreed that it passed so swiftly that they could not tell just what they saw. "it was just so with the one i saw to-day," said the former speaker. "i was on the ledge by the old eagle's nest, gathering my flowers. a tall being passed below me on the path, dressed so beautifully that i know it was none of us, and had dealings with none of us. it seemed anxious not to be seen; for my little cry of surprise caused it to vanish as if it melted into the foam of the stream as it plunges into the pool." "that was just like the vili," interposed one. "they live under the river's bank. they talk in the murmur of the streams. old mirko, who used to work much in the mill, learned to understand what they said. did this one you saw have long hair? the vili, mirko said, always did." "i cannot say," replied the girl, "for its head was hidden in a blossoming laurel bush between it and me." "it was one," cried another, "for there are no blossoming laurels yet. it was its long white hair waving in the wind, that you saw." "let us go down to the pool!" proposed one, "maybe we can see it again." "no! no!" cried the others, in a chorus of tremulous voices. "no, indeed," said one of the larger girls, "for it might be they are eating, or they are dancing the kolo--which they always do as the sun goes down, and if any body sees them then they get angry, and will come to your house and look at you with the evil eye." hasting home with their bowls of water crowned with flowers, they told their story to the stargeshina. the old man laughed at their credulity:-"girls always see strange things on the eve of saint george." at the evening meal in the great room of the first house, the patriarch, taking his cue from the story the girls belonging to that household had told of their imagined vision, repeated legend after legend about those strange beings that people the unknown caverns in the mountains, and rise from the brooks, leaving the water-spiders to mark the spot where they emerged so that they may find their way back again, and of the wjeshtiges, who throw off their bodies as easily as others lay aside their clothes, flit through the fire, ride upon the sparks as horses, float on the threads of white smoke--all the time watching the persons gathered about the blazing logs, that they may mark the one who is first to die. "this doomed person," the old man said, "they visit when he has gone to sleep, and, with a magic rod, open his breast; utter in mystic words the day of his death; take out his heart and feast upon it. then they carefully close up the side, and, though the victim lives on, having no heart, no spring of life in him, sickens and droops until the fatal day; as the streams vanish when cut off from the fountains whence they start." these stories were followed by songs, the music of which was within a narrow range of notes, and sung to the accompaniment of the gusle--a rude sort of guitar with a single string. the subjects of these songs and the ideas they contained were as limited in their range as the notes by which they were rendered; such as the impossible exploits of heroes, and improbable romances of love. the merit of the singing generally consisted in the additions or variations with which the genius of the performer enabled him to adorn the hackneyed music or original narrative. "let constantine take the gusle, and sing us the song about the peasant maid who conquered the heart of the king," said the stargeshina. "constantine is not here," replied a clear and sweet, but commanding sort of voice. "he went out as it began to darken, and has not returned." the speaker rose as she said it, and went toward the large door of the room to look out. she was a young woman of slender, but superb form, which the costume of the country did not altogether conceal. she was tall and straight, but moved with the graceful freedom of a child, for her straightness was not that of an arrow--rather of the unstrung bow, whose beauty is revealed by its flexibility. her limbs were rounded perfectly to the feminine model, but were evidently possessed of muscular strength developed by daily exercise incident to her mountain life. a glance at her would disprove that western theory which associates the ideal of female beauty only with softness of fleshly texture and lack of sinew. her face was commanding, brow high, eyes rather deep-set and blue, mouth small--perhaps too straight for the best expression of amiability--chin full, and suggestive of firmness and courage. as she gazed through the doorway into the night a troubled look knit her features--just enough, however, to make one notice rather the strong, steady and heroic purpose which conquered it. when she turned again to the company the firelight revealed only a girlish sweetness and gentleness of face and manner. she took the gusle and sang a pretty song about the dancing of the witches; her merry voice starting a score of other voices in the simple chorus. then followed a war song, in which the daughter of a murdered chieftain calls upon the clan to avenge her father, and save their land from an insulting foe. it was largely recitative, and rendered with so much of the realistic in her tones and manner as to draw even the old men to their feet, while, with waving hands and marching stamp, they started the company in the refrain. milosch set the example of retiring when the evening was well advanced. though constantine was still absent, it gave his father no anxiety, for the boy was accustomed to have his own private business with coons in the forest, and the eels in the pool, and, indeed, with the stars too--for often he would lie for hours looking at them, only morsinia being allowed to interrupt his conference with the bright-eyed watchers above. footnote: [47] still a servian and albanian superstition. chapter xvi. constantine, who was now a manly fellow of nearly eighteen years, had left the house when it grew dark. the night was thick, for heavy clouds had spread their pall over the sky. a little space from the house was the kennel. a deep growl greeted his approach to it. "still, balk!" muttered he, as he loosed an enormous mastiff, and led the brute toward the side of the house on which the clijet, or chamber, occupied by morsinia was located. "down, balk!" he said, as again and again the huge beast rose and placed his paws upon his master's shoulders. balk was tied within a clump of elder-bushes a little way from the house, and at the opening of a foot-path ascending the mountain. the young man lay down with his head upon the mastiff. nearly an hour passed; the silence unbroken except by a querulous whine of the dog as his comrade refused to indulge his playful spirit. suddenly balk threw up his head and sniffed the air nervously. yet no sound was heard, but the soughing of the winds through the budding trees, and the murmur of the brook. the animal became restless and would not lie down except at the sternly whispered command. leaving him, constantine opened the shutter of the clijet occupied by his father and himself, and quietly entered. though in the dark, he strung a strong bow, balanced several arrows in his hand to determine the best, saying to himself as he did so, "i can send these straight in the direction of a sound, thanks to my night hunting!" a dagger was thrust into the top of his leather hose. he wound his head in the strooka--the cloth which answers for both cap and pillow to those who are journeying among those mountains and liable to exposure without bed or roof at night. the noise though slight awakened milosch, who had fallen into a light sleep. "where now, my boy? no coon will come to you such a night as this." "father, i did not tell you, because you laugh at my fears," said constantine in a low tone. "but the anxiety of uncle kabilovitsch and the great captain, too, when i went to camp last week, makes me more cautious about morsinia. the vili are about, as the girls said." "nonsense, you child! it's a shame that a boy of your years should believe such stuff. besides what have the vili to do with our daughter?" "look here, father; when i was searching for a rabbit's burrow this afternoon i saw the footprint of one of them, and it wore a soldier's shoe too. that is the sort of vili i believe in." "why, boy!" said milosch, "your head is so full of soldiering that rabbits' burrows look like soldiers' feet. or your head is so turned with love for our girl, that you must imitate the latin knights, and go watch beneath the shutter of your lady's castle. go, along, then, and let the night dews take the folly out of you. foolish boy!" added he, as he turned toward the wall. constantine went back to the dog. the huge beast had thrust himself as far as the cord would allow him in the direction away from the house, and stood trembling with excitement as he peered into the black shadows which lay against the mountain. constantine could detect no unusual sound save the creaking of the gigantic limbs of the trees as they rubbed against each other in the rising wind, the sharpening whistle of the breeze, and the crackle of the dead brushwood. yet the mastiff's excitement increased. he strained the rope with his utmost strength, but the hand of his master upon his neck checked the whining growl. a branch snapped on the hillside in the direction of the path. "no wind did that," muttered he. a stone rolled down the declivity. "no foot familiar with that path did that. you are right, balk!" and by main strength he pressed the mastiff's head to the ground, and, with his arm about his neck, kept him crouching and silent. stealthy steps were heard. "one! two!" counted the boy. "you and i are enough for them, eh, balk?" the dog licked the face of his master in token that he understood, and would take his man if constantine would do equally well. "three! four! five! a large band! too many for us, balk! we must rouse the village----" but at the moment he would have started, his attention was arrested by low voices almost at his side. "the clijet nearest. when she is taken i will sound the bugle call--the turkish call, so that your dash through the village will be thought to be one of their dashes. do as little real damage as you can, keeping the appearance of a genuine raid; but no matter if you have to cut the throats of a half-dozen or more; especially the red-headed fellow you have seen in camp, and the old devil with the paralyzed arm. i and waldy will carry the girl, and wait for you by the horses on the open road. let's inspect!" two dusky outlines moved toward the house. constantine cut the rope, and, at a push of his hand the dog crawled a few feet until he was clear of the copse; then sprang into the air. there was a hardly audible exclamation of surprise and terror; a low growl of satisfied rage, as when a tiger seizes the food thrown to him in his cage. one man is down in death grapple with his strange assailant whose teeth are at his throat. a sharp whiz and a cry of pain tell that the arrow of constantine has not missed its mark. a second whiz, and the form topples! the boy stood stupefied with the reaction of the moment. but the multiplying footfalls along the ledge aroused him. he darted into the house, swinging the great bar that turned on a peg in the door post across the entrance, and thus securing it behind him. to arouse the household was the work of a moment. a word explained all. arms were seized, not only by the men, but also by the women: for even to this day a marauder will meet no more skilful and brave defenders of the villages of albania than the wives and daughters who encourage the men by their example as well as by their words. their hands are trained to use the sword, the axe, the dagger; and the cry of danger transforms the most domestic scene into an exhibition of amazons. the expected attack was delayed. fears were excited lest the raiders were about to set fire to the house. if such were the case, the policy of the inmates was to sally forth and cut their way through the assailants, at whatever cost. some one must go out. it might be to meet death at the door. standing in a circle they hastily repeated the pater noster, each one giving a word in turn; the one to whom the "amen" came accepting the appointment as directly from god. with drawn weapons they gathered at the door, which was opened suddenly. no enemy appearing, it was closed, leaving the new sentinel without. after going a few paces the guard stumbled over the dead body of the dog, by the side of which a man was vainly struggling to rise. drawing his dagger he would have completed the work of the mastiff's fangs,--when he checked the impulse by better judgment-"no, it's better to have him along with us. he'll come handy before we get through this job!" so, grasping the two arms of the wounded man in such a way as to prevent his using a weapon, if strength enough should remain, he swung the helpless hulk upon his back, as he had often carried the carcass of a wolf down the mountain; and, giving the preconcerted signal at the door, was instantly re-admitted. the wounded man wore the turkish uniform, and was evidently the officer in charge of the raiding party. this fact sufficiently explained the delay in following up the attack, for doubtless his men were still waiting for the order which he would never give. "we must rouse our neighbors," said the old man, who was recognized as the commandant of the dwelling, and obeyed as such with that reverence for seniority which is to this day a beautiful characteristic of the albanian people. constantine held a hurried, but confidential talk with milosch, who proposed that constantine and his sister should undertake the hazardous venture of alarming the next house. all remonstrated against morsinia's venturing, the patriarch refusing to allow it. milosch persuaded him with these words, which were not overheard by the others-"she is the chief object of attack; this i have discovered. if she remains in the house she will be captured. her only safety is to leave it, and disappear in the darkness. once out there she can hide near by, or can thread her way up among the crags, where no stranger's foot will ever come. she knows every stone and tree in the dark as well as a mole knows the twists and turns of his burrow." morsinia caught at once the spirit of the adventure, and in her eagerness preceded constantine to the doorway. the thrill of fear on her account gave way to a thrill of applause for her as she stood in readiness. she had donned a helmet of thick half-tanned hides, and a corsage of light iron links, looped together and tied with leathern thongs, about her person. her arms were left free for the use of the bow and stock which swung from her shoulder, and the klaptigan, or short dagger, which hung in the plaits of her kilt. "the holy virgin protect her!" was the prayer which came from all sides as she flung her arms about the neck of milosch, and as she afterward bowed her head to receive the kiss of the patriarch upon her forehead. the light in the room was extinguished that their exit might not be noted by any without when the door should open. for a moment constantine and morsinia stood close to the door which had closed behind them. their keen hearing detected the fact that the house was surrounded, though by persons stationed at a distance, chiefly upon the higher slopes of the hills. the road to the next house was evidently guarded. constantine insisted upon morsinia's concealing herself rather than attempting to go with him to the neighbors; but only after remonstrance with him did she consent to his plan. silently crossing the road, and without so much as breaking a stick or rustling a dead leaf beneath her feet--a dexterity acquired in approaching the timid game with which the mountains abounded, and which she had often hunted--she disappeared in the dense copse. constantine moved cautiously by the wayside, easily eluding the notice of the men whose dark outlines were discerned by him as they stood on guard at intervals along the road. he had nearly approached the neighboring house when the still night air was rent with the shrill note of a turkish bugle call from the direction of the dwelling they had left. "could it be that the captured officer had recovered sufficient reason and strength to break from his captors and give the signal?" thought constantine. the call sounded again--it was evidently from a distance, beyond the village. a score or more dim forms at the sound gathered in the road; some emerging from the bushes near, others descending from points high up the slopes on either side--their hurried but muffled conversation showed that they were about to make the appointed dash upon the doomed dwelling. but a second blare of trumpets sounded far down toward the entrance of the valley, followed by a clanging of armor and clatter of horses' feet. torches glared far away. a party was evidently just winding out of the defile into the open space where the hamlet stood. rescuers doubtless! for the first party of raiders scattered to right and left, and were heard climbing again up the wooded slopes. morsinia hastened to constantine, and together they hurried to meet the new comers. but they were not rescuers. they attacked the house with shouts of "allah! allah!" they fired it with their torches. some poured along the road toward the next house. they were genuine turks. unable to conquer scanderbeg in battle, the great army had spread everywhere to lay waste the country. in fertile meadows, along every stream, wherever a castle or chalet was known to be, raged the numberless soldiers, who, beaten in nobler fight, sought vengeance by becoming murderers of the more helpless, and kidnappers of women and children to fill their harems. with flying feet constantine and morsinia outstripped the riders, alarmed the second house, and ran to the third. behind them the crackling flames told that it was too late to return. all who could escape gathered at the great konak. since a similar raid, some years before, this building had been converted into a rude fortification. the wall which surrounded it, as an enclosure for sheep and cattle, had been built up high and strong enough to prevent any approach to the main structure by an anticipated foe, except as the scalers of the wall should be exposed to the missiles of those within. the konak proper was pierced with loop-holes, through which a shower of arrows could be poured by unseen archers. the court was already filled with the fugitives, while some had entered the building, when it was surrounded by the turks. constantine had gained from morsinia a promise to avoid exposure; and had agreed upon a place of meeting on the mountain, in the event of their both surviving the conflict. but the eagerness of constantine overcame his discretion, and, heading a group of peasants who had not been able to enter the konak, he mingled in a hand-to-hand fight with the assailants. morsinia's interest led her to closely watch the fray from the bordering thicket, changing her position from time to time that she might not lose sight of the well-known form of her foster-brother. seeing him endangered, she could not resist the vain impulse to fly to his assistance; as if her arms could stay those of the stout troopers who surrounded him; or as if a turk could have respect for a woman's presence. scarcely had she moved from her covert when strong hands seized her, and, by a quick movement, pinioned her arms behind her back. "ho! man, guard this girl! if my houri escapes, your head shall be forfeit," cried her captor, an officer, to a common soldier who was holding his horse. in a moment he was lost to sight in the struggling throng. the wall was carried, and, though many a turban had rolled from the lifeless head of its wearer, the building was finally fired--life being promised to the women who should surrender. some of these, who were young, were thrust from the door by their kindred, who preferred for them the chances of miserable existence as turkish prey, to seeing them perish with themselves. most, however, fought to the last by the side of their husbands and fathers, and were slain in the desperate attempt to make their way from the flames which drove them out. constantine, by strange strength and skill, extricated himself from the mêlée. a sharp flesh wound cooled his blind rage; and, realizing that another's life, as dear to him as his own, was involved in his safety, he withdrew from the danger, and sought morsinia. not finding her during the night, he returned in the earliest dawn to the konak. the building was in ruins; the ground strewn with dead and wounded. with broken hearts the few who had escaped were bewailing their loved ones killed or missing. but there was no tidings of morsinia. in vain the woods were searched; every old trysting place sacred to some happy memory of the years they had spent together--the eagle's crag, the cave in the ravine, the dense copse. but only memories were there. imagination supplied the rest--a horrid imagination! the poor boy was maddened and crushed; at one moment a fiend; at the next almost lifeless with grief. an examination at the lower house discovered the body of his father, milosch. he had been killed outside the house; for his body, though terribly gashed, was not burned, as were those found within the walls of the building. constantine had, up to this time, regarded himself as a boy; now he felt that he was a man, with more of life in its desirableness behind than ahead of him: a desperate man, with but a single object to live for, vengeance upon the turk, and upon those who, worse than turks, of albanian blood, had first attempted morsinia's capture. yet there was another thing to live for. perhaps she might be recaptured. improbable, but not impossible! that, then, should be his waking dream. such a hope--hope against hope--was all that could make life endurable, except it were to drain the blood of her captors. he was driven by the poignancy of his grief and the hot fury of his rage, to make this double object an immediate pursuit. he felt that he could not sleep again until he had tasted some of the vengeance for which he thirsted. but how could he accomplish it? he must lay his plan, for it were worse than useless to start single-handed without one. he must plot his tragedy before he began to execute it. he sat down amid the ruins of the hamlet--amid the ruins of his happiness and hopes--to plot. but he could devise nothing. his attempts were like writing on the air. he sat in half stupor; his power to think crushed by the dead weight of mingled grief and the sense of impotency. but suddenly he started---"fool! fool, that i am, to waste the moments! this very night it may be done." he hastily stripped the body of a dead turkish soldier, and, rolling the uniform into a compact bundle, plunged with it through the thicket and up the steep mountain side. chapter xvii. the valley in which the little hamlet lay, as well as the ravine by which it was approached, was exceedingly tortuous. the stream which seemed to have made these in its ceaseless windings, sometimes almost doubled upon itself, as if the spirit of the waters were the prey of the spirit of the hills that closed in upon its path, and thus it sought to elude its pursuer. though it was fully twenty miles from the demolished konak to where the narrow valley debouched into the open plain, it was not more than a quarter of this distance in a straight line between those points. the interjacent space was, however, impassable to any except those familiar with its trackless rocks. from a distance the mountain lying between seemed a sheer precipice. but constantine knew every crevice up which a man could climb; the various ledges that were connected, if not by balconies broad enough for the foot, at least by contiguous trunks of trees, balustrades of tough mountain laurel, or ropes of wild vine. he could cross this wall of rock in an hour or two, but the turkish raiders would occupy the bulk of the day in making the circuit of the road. indeed they would in all probability not leave the security of the great ravine, and strike the highway, until night-fall; for the terror of scanderbeg's ubiquity was always before the turks. it was this thought that had prompted constantine's sudden action when he started up from his despairing reverie amid the embers of his home. it was still early in the afternoon when, having passed with the celerity of a goat among the crags, he looked down from the further side of the great barrier upon the turkish company. he stood upon a ledge almost above their heads; and never did an eagle's eye take in a brood upon which he was about to swoop, more sharply than did constantine's observe the details of the camp below him. there were the horses tethered. yonder was a group of officers playing at dice. in a circle of guards beyond, a few women and children; and among them--could he mistake that form? the soldiers were preparing their mess. some were picking the feathers from fowls; others building fires. then his surmise had been correct, that they would not leave the valley until night. constantine donned the turkish uniform he had brought with him, and climbed down the mountain. sentinels were posted here and there upon bold points from which they might get a view of the great plain beyond. toward this they kept a constant watch, as one of them remarked to his comrade upon a neighboring pinnacle of rock: "lest some of scanderbeg's lightning might be lying about loose." posing like a sentinel whenever he was likely to be observed, constantine passed through their lines, the guards being too far apart to detect one another's faces. hailed by a sentinel, he gave back the playful salute with a wave of his hand. emboldened by the success of his disguise, he descended to a ledge so near the group of officers that he could easily hear their conversation. they did not use the pure turkish speech, but sometimes interspersed it with servian, for many of the officers, as well as the men, in the sultan's armies were from the provinces where the turkish tongue was hardly known. the common soldiers in this group constantine observed used the servian altogether. "good!" said he to himself, "point number one in my plot." "the highest throw wins the choice of the captives," cried one of the officers. "what say you, oski?" "agreed," replied the one addressed, "but she will never be your houri in paradise, lovitsch?" "why not?" "because the koran forbids casting lots?" "well," replied his comrade. "i will take my beauty now, in this world, rather than wait for the next. so here goes!" "by khalif omar's big toe! you have won, oski. which will you take?" "the little one with the bright black eyes," replied oski; "unless you can prevail upon captain ballaban to give me his. the man who owns that girl will never have any houris in paradise. they would all die for jealousy." "captain ballaban is his name," murmured constantine to himself. "good! point number two in my plot." "i would not have her for a gift," said lovitsch, "for she has a strange eye--the evil eye perhaps--at least there is something in it i cannot fathom. she looks straight through a man. i touched her under the chin, when those gentle blue orbs burst with fire. there was as much of a change in her as there is in one of our new-fashioned cannon when it is touched off; quiet one moment, and sending a bullet through you the next. she's the daughter of the devil, sure." "you are a bold soldier, lovitsch, to be afraid of a girl," laughed his comrade. "i would like the chance of owning that beauty. if i could not manage her i could sell her. she would bring a bag of gold at adrianople. captain ballaban will probably give her as a present to prince mahomet. he can afford to do so, for the prince has shown him wonderful favors. think of a young janizary, who has not seen nineteen summers, with a captain's rank, and commanding such greybeards as we!" "no doubt the prince favors him," replied lovitsch, "but that will not account for his advance in the janizary's corps. nothing but real grit and genius gets ahead among those fellows. the prince can give his jewels and gold, but he could not secure a janizary's promotion to a soldier any more than he could bring him to disgrace without the consent of the aga. no, comrade, ballaban was born a soldier, and has won every thread in his captain's badge by some exploit or sage counsel. but i wish he was back with us. i like not being left in charge of such a motley troop as this. if scanderbeg should close up the mouth of this ravine with a few score of his spavined cavalry, we would be like so many eggs in a bag, to be smashed together, without ballaban's wit to get us out." "i think the captain has returned, for, if i mistake not, i saw his red head a little while ago glowing like a sunset on the crag yonder," replied oski, looking up toward the spot where constantine was sitting. ----"good! said constantine, holding his council of war with his own thoughts. "the captain looks like me before sunset. perhaps i can look like him after sunset. one advantage of having a head tiled in red! but i will not show it again. point number three in my plot."---"quite likely the captain has returned, and is prowling about, inspecting everything, from the horses'-tails to our very faces, that he may read our thoughts. that is his way," said lovitsch, glancing around. "which way did he go?" "you might as well ask which track the prophet's horse took through the air when he carried his rider on the night journey to heaven. a messenger from the chief aga met him just as we were finishing the fight last night, and, with a word turning over the command to me, he mounted his horse and was off. perhaps he heads some other raid to-night; or, for aught i know, may be conferring with scanderbeg in the disguise of a frankish general; for that ballaban's brain is as prolific of schemes and tricks as this ant's nest is full of eggs"--turning over a stone as he spoke. the afternoon waned, and, as the night fell, preparations were made for the march. when it was dark a light bugle note called in the sentinels, and the company moved forward. chapter xviii. in the gathering gloom constantine approached the extreme edge of the camp, where those who were to bring up the rear had just mounted. a soldier, somewhat separated from the others, was leading several horses; either a relay in case of accident to the others, or those animals whose saddles had been emptied during the fight at the konak. constantine's appearance was evidently a surprise to the soldier, who eyed him closely, but made no movement indicating suspicion beyond that of a rather pleased curiosity. the man made a low salâm, bowing his turban to the saddle bow, and addressed him-"will you not mount, sire?" without responding constantine leaped into a saddle. "you will pardon me, captain," continued the soldier. "you are welcome back, for we are in better heart when you are with us." "thanks, good fellow," said constantine, "but i have not returned yet--at least my return must not be known to the troops until the morning. we will take your tongue out if you tell any one i am back without bidding." the man gave a quick glance as if perplexed. constantine's hand was upon his dagger. but the soldier's doubt was relieved as he seemed to be confident of the familiar form of his captain; and he explained his apparent suspicion by quickly adding-"you speak the servian excellent well, captain." "one must get used to it, and every other tongue, in commanding such a mixed crew as the sultan gathers into his army," said constantine. "you janizaries are wonderful men," replied the soldier. "you know all languages. there was the little aga i once"-"no matter about that now," said constantine, interrupting him. "i want you for a special duty. can i trust you to do me an errand? if you do it well you will be glad of it hereafter." "ay, ay, sire! with my life; and my lips as mute as the horse's." "i captured a girl last night. she knows something i would find out by close questioning. i must have her brought to the rear." "ay! the girl koremi holds?" "yes, tell koremi to loiter a little with her until i come up. we must not go far from this defile before i find out what she knows, if i have to discover it with my dagger in her heart; for there are traitors among us. last night there were arnaouts dressed as moslems in the fight." "that i know," said the soldier, "for i tripped over a fellow myself, hiding in the bushes, who swore at me in as good round arnaout tongue as they speak in hell. i ran him through and found a giaour corslet under his jacket. if there are traitors among us we will broil them over our first camp-fire, that they may scent hell before they get there." "you see then why i must find out what i can at once," said the assumed captain. "some of our men are in league with the arnaouts. i can find out from that girl every one of them. impress this upon koremi; and if he hesitates to let the girl drift to the rear, you can tell him that he will be suspected of being in league with the rascals." constantine took the ropes which held the horses the man was leading; and, bidding him to haste, but be cautious that no one but koremi should know the message, followed slowly behind. it was nearly an hour later when the form of the soldier appeared in the road just before him. "right!" said constantine. "right!" was the response, first to the assumed captain, then repeated to some one behind him. two other forms appeared; one of them a woman. anticipating his orders, the second trooper untied a rope from about his own waist, and handed it, together with the rein of the horse the woman rode, to constantine. then, making a low obeisance, the two troopers withdrew a little distance to the rear. the other end of the rope which constantine held was about the waist of the captive. drawing the led horse close to his own, and dropping his turban more over his face, constantine closely scrutinized the features of the woman. she was morsinia. it was difficult for him to repress the excitement and delay the revelation of his true person, but the hazard of the least cry of surprise or recognition on her part nerved him to coolness. "where are you taking me? if you have the courage, kill me," said the girl. constantine replied only by whistling a snatch of an albanian air. "are you an albanian renegade?" continued the girl. "could you not be content to sell yourself to fight for the turk against other enemies, but must be a double traitor, and kill and kidnap your own kind?" the whistling continued. but as the soldiers were a little removed, he said in a low voice, disguising his natural tones: "i am an albanian, and if you will not speak, but only obey, i can save you." "jesu grant you are true!" was the tremulous response. "this will prove it," muttered he, reaching toward her, and with his knife cutting a broad strap which bound her limbs to the saddle. "if tied elsewhere, here is the knife." the way, which had been narrowed by the projection of the mountains on either side, now widened a little. constantine knew the spot well. there had once been a mill and peasant's hut there, and now quite a plat of grass was growing from the soft soil. the eye could not discern it, for the darkness was rayless. but constantine remembered the grassy stretch was just round the point of rock they were passing. the horses were walking slowly, being allowed by their riders to pick their way along the stony road. as they turned the rock a strong wind rushed through the ravine, wailing a requiem over the now deserted settlement and the dead leaves of last year, which it whirled in eddies; and singing a lullaby through the trees to the new-born leaves of the spring time, which were rocked on the cradling branches. this, together with the clatter of the horses' feet before and behind them, enabled constantine to draw the captive's horse and his own upon the soft turf without being heard. halting them at a few yards' distance, they allowed the men who had followed them to pass by, and sat in silence until the lessening sound told them that the soldiers had made another turn in the road. then, wheeling the horses, constantine gave loose rein back over the track they had come. after a short ride he dismounted, and closely examining the way, led the horses to one side, up a path, and down again to a little plateau, perhaps a furlong from the main road, where a grazing patch would keep them from being betrayed by the neighing. he dreaded the fatigue of further journey to his comrade; for even his own ordinarily tireless frame was beginning to feel the drain of the terrible night and day they had passed through. constantine threw off his turban and stretched his strong arms to lift the captive from her horse, exclaiming with delight in his own familiar tones,-"i am no albanian, dear morsinia, but--" "constantine!" she cried. he laid an almost lifeless form upon the turf, for the shock of the revelation had been too much for her jaded nerves and excited brain. unrolling the cloth of his turban he spread it over her person, while his own breast was her pillow. slowly she recovered strength and self-command. in a few words the mutual stories of the hours of their separation were told. morsinia had been treated with exceeding kindness and respect, as the captive of the chief officer of the expedition, who seemed to be a person of some distinction, though she had not seen him. constantine insisted upon his companion's seeking sleep, but by his inquiries, did as much as her own thoughts to keep her awake; so that at the dawn they confessed that the eyes of neither had been closed. the necessity of procuring food led them to start at daybreak for the nearest settlement. they descended to the road and retraced the course of the preceding night; for it was useless to return to the wrecked hamlet. they had gone but a short distance when they heard the sound of a body of cavalry directly in front of them, riding rapidly up the valley. there was no time to avoid the approaching riders either by flight or concealment. constantine said hastily, "remember, if they are turks, i too am a turk, and you are my captive. if they are friends, all is well. stay where you are, and i will ride forward to meet them." chapter xix. the newcomers proved to be a detachment of albanians. constantine was instantly captured notwithstanding his declaration that his dress was only assumed. "aha! you are a christian now in a turk's skin, are you? but yesterday you were a turk in a christian's feathers," was the taunt with which he was greeted by one of the foremost riders, who continued his bantering. "your face is honest, if your heart is not, you moslem devil; for your ugly features will not lie though your tongue does. i would know that square jaw and red head equally well now, were it under the tiara of the pope instead of under the turban; and i would cut your throat if you carried st. peter's key in your girdle; you change-skinned lizard!" "who is he?" cried the horsemen, gathering about. "why! the very knave who escaped us about sundown yesterday, after spying our camp; and he has the impudence to ask us to take him prisoner that he may spy us again." "let us hamstring him!" cried another, "and, unless st. christopher has turned moslem in paradise and helps the rascal, he will find no legs to run away with again." "set him up for a mark when we halt," proposed a third. "a ducat to him whose arrow can split his ear without tearing the cheek at forty paces!" constantine was helpless as they adjusted a halter about his neck, with which to lead him at the side of a horseman, the butt of the scurrilous wit and sharper spear-points of his half mad and half merry captors. they had gone but a few paces when the colonel commanding the detachment made his way through the troopers to the front. he was a venerable man with long flowing white beard. his bodily strength seemed to come solely from the vitality of nerve and the dominance of his spirit; for he was well worn with years. "what is this noise about?" he asked sternly. before any could reply he stared with a moment's incredulity and wonder at constantine, who relieved his doubts by recognizing him. "colonel kabilovitsch!" cried he, doffing his turban as if it had been a christian cap.[48] "your men are playful fellows, as frolicksome as a cat with a mole." "but why are you here, my boy? and why this disguise?" interrupted kabilovitsch. the explanation was given in a few words;--on the one side the story of the slaughter at the village, and the adventures of morsinia and constantine; on the other of how the news of the turkish raid reached the camp at sfetigrade about noon, and the rescuing party had started at once under kabilovitsch's command, and ridden at breakneck speed during the entire night in the hope of meeting the turks before they emerged from the narrow valley. learning now that they were too late for this, kabilovitsch halted his command, and with constantine sought the place where morsinia was in waiting. when the old man heard that the first assailants of the hamlet had been albanians in disguise his rage was furious; and through his incautious words morsinia learned more of her relation to the voivode amesa than her reputed father had ever told her; for the mystery of her family had never been fully explained in her hearing. it had heretofore been deemed best that the girl should not be made the custodian of her own secret, lest her childish prattle might reveal it to others. yet she had guessed the greater part of the problem of her identity. but kabilovitsch was now led by the new curiosity which his inadvertent expressions had awakened in her, as well as by the remarkably discreet and cautious judgment she had displayed, to tell her the entire story of her own life. this was not, however, until orders had been passed through the troop for rest, and the fires hastily kindled along the roadside had prepared their refreshing breakfasts. removed from the hearing of all others, kabilovitsch rehearsed to morsinia and constantine what the reader already knows of her extraction and early residence in albania. he advised her to extreme caution against the slightest reference to herself as the young mara de streeses, and that she should insist upon her identity as the daughter of the servian peasant milosch and the sister of constantine. morsinia buried her fair face in the gray beard of the old man, as years ago she had done when they sat upon the door-stone of their balkan home, and sobbed as if his words had orphaned her. in a few moments she looked up into his fine but wrinkled face, and drawing it down to hers, kissed him as she used to do, and said lovingly, "i must believe your words; but my heart holds you as my father: for father you have been to me, and child i shall be to you so long as god gives us to one another." the old man pressed her temples between his rough hands, and looked long into her deep blue eyes, as he said slowly, "ay, father and mother both was i to thee, my child, from that terrible night, sixteen years ago. my rough arms have often cradled thee. but now you have a nobler and stronger protector in our country's father, the great castriot. to him you must go; for it is no longer safe in these lonely valleys. under his strong arm and all-watchful eye you will be amply protected. there are nameless enemies of the old house of de streeses whom we must avoid as vigilantly as we avoid the turks." it was determined that constantine should make a detour with her, and approach sfetigrade from the south, giving out that they were fugitives from the lower country, which the enemy had also been raiding. the colonel stated to his under officers, in hearing of the men, that the young turk was really one of castriot's scouts, and that the young woman was an accomplice. borrowing from one and another sufficient albanian costumes to substitute for constantine's disguise, kabilovitsch dismissed the couple. there was no end to the badgering the officious soldier who had first arrested the scout received at the hands of his comrades. they jeered at his double mistake in taking the fellow yesterday as a turkish spy in albanian uniform, because he had slipped away so shrewdly, and now again being duped by him a real albanian in turkish disguise. some threw the halter over the fellow's neck; others made mimic preparation for hamstringing him; while one presented him with an immense scroll of bark purporting to be his commission as chief of the department of secret service, finishing the mock presentation by shivering the bark over the fellow's head. the unhappy man contented himself philosophically:-"no wonder general castriot baffles the enemy when his own men cannot understand him. you were all as badly twisted by that fellow's tricks as i was. but i will never interfere with that red head again, though he wears a turban and is cutting the throat of the general himself." two days later a beautiful girl accompanied by her brother--who was as unlike her as the thorn bush is unlike the graceful flowering clematis that festoons its limbs, both of them in apparent destitution, refugees from near the greek border--entered the town of sfetigrade. by order of the general, to whom their piteous story was told by kabilovitsch--for he had chanced, so he said, to come upon them as they were inquiring their way to the town--they were quartered with a family whose house was not far from the citadel. for some weeks the girl was an invalid. a raging fever had been induced by over excitement and the subsequent fatigue of the long journey. colonel kabilovitsch could not refrain from expressing his interest in the young woman by almost daily calls at the cottage where she lay. one day, when it was supposed by the surgeon that she might not live, the old man was observed to stand long at the cot upon which the sick girl was lying. a look of agony overspread his features when the surgeon, who had been feeling her pulse, laid her almost nerveless hand beneath the blanket. "dear, good old man," said the housewife. "i warrant he has laid some pretty one of his own in the ground. maybe a child, or a lover, sometime back in the years. these things do come to us over and over again." the brother of the sick girl scarcely noticed the visits of colonel kabilovitsch, except to respond to his questions when no one but himself could give the exact information about the patient's condition; for none watched with her so incessantly. but her marvellous natural vitality enabled the sufferer to outlive the fever; and, as she became convalescent, the old colonel seemed to forget her. his interest was apparently in her suffering rather than in herself. footnote: [48] moslems do not remove the hat in making salutation. chapter xx. the battlements of sfetigrade lay, like a ruffled collar, upon enormous shoulders of rock rising high above the surrounding country. over them rose, like a massive head, the citadel with its bartizans projecting as a crown about the brow. the rock upon which the fortification stood was scarped toward the valley, so that it could be climbed only with the help of ladders, even though the assailants were unresisted by its defenders. the few spots which nature had left unguarded were now choked with abattis, or overlooked by bastions so skilfully constructed as to need far less courage and strength for their defence than were possessed by the bands of dibrian and epirot patriots who fought from behind them. the assaults which sultan amurath launched against the place had been as frequent as the early summer showers, and his armies were beaten to pieces as the rain rebounded in spray and ran in streams from the rocks. the chagrin of the baffled sultan reflected itself in the discouragement of his generals and the demoralization of their men. the presence of his majesty could not silence the mutual recriminations, the loud and rancorous strife with which brave officers sought to lay upon one another the responsibility for their defeat, rather than confess that the daily disasters were due to the superior genius commanding among their foes. especially was the envy of the leaders of the other corps and branches of the service excited against the janizaries, to whose unrivalled training and daring were due whatever minor victories had been won, and whatever exploits worthy of mention had been performed. a lofty tent, whose projecting centre-pole bore the glittering brass crescent and star, and before the entrance to which a single horse-tail hung from the long spear, denoted the headquarters of a sanjak bey. in front of the tent walked two men in eager, and not altogether amiable, conversation. the one was the bey, whose huge turban of white, inwound with green, indicated that his martial zeal was supplemented by equal enthusiasm for his faith; and that he had added to the fatigue of many campaigns against the infidels the toil of a more monotonous, though more satisfactory, pilgrimage to mecca. his companion was an aga of the janizaries, second only in rank to the chief aga. the latter was speaking with a wrath which his courteous words but ill concealed-"i do not impugn your honor or the sincerity of your motives, caraza-bey, in making your accusation against our captain ballaban; but the well-known jealousy which is everywhere manifested against our corps compels me to believe not a single word to the discredit of him or any of the yeni-tscheri without indubitable proof. i would allow the word of captain ballaban--knowing him so well as i do--to outweigh the oaths on the koran of a score of those who, like yourself, have reason to be jealous of his superior courage." "but your upstart captain's guilt can be proved, if not to your personal satisfaction, at least before those who will not care to ask your assent to their judgment," replied the other, not attempting to veil his hatred of the aga, any more than his purpose of crushing the one of whom they were speaking. "what will the lies of a whole sanjak of your hirelings avail against the honor of a janizary?" replied the aga. "if two horse-tails[49] hung from the standard yonder, i would not publicly disgrace captain ballaban by so much as ordering an inquiry at your demand. the janizaries will take no suggestion from any but the padishah." "a curse on the brag of the janizaries! the arrogancy of the christian renegades needs better warrant than ballaban can give it," sneered the bey. "if you like, let the matter rest as it is. the whole army believes that one of your dervish-capped heroes--the best of the brood, i imagine--deserted his comrades in battle, and all for the sake of a captive girl." "it is a lie!" shouted the aga, drawing his sword upon him. the attitude of the two officers drew a crowd, who rushed from all sides to witness the duel. both were masters of sword play, so that neither obtained any sanguinary advantage before they were separated by the arrival of the chief aga, who forbade his subaltern to continue the conflict. upon hearing the occasion of the affray, the chief said: "the trial of captain ballaban shall be had, with the publication of the fact that caraza-bey has assumed the position of his accuser; and, in the event of his charge proving false, he shall atone for his malice by submitting to any punishment the captain may indicate; and the force of the janizaries shall execute it, though they cut the throats of his entire command in order to do it. we must first vindicate the honor of the corps, and then take vengeance upon its detractors. i demand that caraza-bey make good his charge to-morrow at the sixth hour, or accept the judgment of coward and vilifier, which our court shall then proclaim to the army." at the appointed time on the day following, the tent of the chief aga was the gathering place of the notable officers of the corps. without, it differed from hundreds of other tents only in its size, and in the pennant indicating the rank of its occupant. within, it was lined with a canopy of finest silk and woollen tapestries, on the blue background of which crescents and stars, cimeters and lance-heads, battle-axes, shields, turbans and dervish caps were artistically grouped with texts from the koran, and skilfully wrought in braids and threads of gold. the canvas sides of the tent were now removed, making it an open pavilion, and inviting inspection and audience from any who desired to approach. a divan was at one side, and made a semicircle of about half the tent. upon this sat the chief aga, his cushion slightly raised above those at his side, which were occupied by the agas of lower rank. a group of officers filled the space beneath the tent; and soldiers of all grades made a dense crowd for several rods beyond into the open air. the chief aga waved his hand to an attendant, and the military court was formally opened. several cases were disposed of before that of captain ballaban was called. there was led in a stalwart soldier of middle age. two witnesses deposed that, in a recent assault upon the enemy's works at sfetigrade, when there was poured upon the assailants a shower of arrows and stones from the battlements above, this man, without orders from his officer, had cried, "give way! give way!" and that to this cry and his example were due the confusion of ranks and the retreat which followed. the chief aga turned and looked silently upon the man, awaiting his reply to the accusation. the accused was speechless. the chief then turned to the aga to whose division the culprit belonged, that he might hear any plea that he should be pleased to offer for the soldier; but the aga's face was stolid with indifference. the chief, without raising his head, sat in silence for a moment, as in solemn act of weighing the case. he then muttered an invocation of allah as the supreme judge. he paused. a gleam of light circled above the man; a hissing sound of the cimeter and a thud were heard. the culprit's head rolled to the ground. his trunk swayed for an instant and fell. this scene was apparently of little interest to the spectators. a second case only tested their patience. one was charged with having failed to deliver an order from the colonel of his orta, or regiment, to a captain of one of the odas, or companies. both these officers testified, the one to having sent the order, the other to not having received it, and on this account to have failed to occupy a certain position with his men in a recent engagement with the enemy. the culprit alleged that it was impossible to deliver the order because of the enemy's movements at the time. the aga of the division, being appealed to by the silent gaze of the judge, simply said: "the man is brave;" when, by a motion of the hand, the judge dismissed the soldier together with the case. the expectation not only of common soldiers, but also of officials, led them to crane their necks to look at the next comer. even the ordinarily immobile features of the chief relaxed into an expression of anxiety as a young man walked down the aisle made by the reverent receding of the crowd to either side. he was not graceful in form. his body was beyond the proportion of his legs; though his arms compensated for any lack in the length of his lower limbs. his neck was thick, the head round, with full development of forehead, though that portion of his face was somewhat concealed by the short, bushy masses of red hair which protruded beneath his rimless janizary cap. his face was homely, but strongly marked, evincing force of character as clearly as the convolutions of his muscles evinced animal strength and endurance. the brightness of his eye atoned for any lack of beauty in his features; as did his free and manly bearing make ample amends for deficiency in grace of form. altogether he was a man to attract one's attention and hold it pleasantly. though he bent low to the earth in his obeisance to the chief officer of his troop, it was without the suggestion of obsequiousness, with that dignity which betokens real reverence and crowns itself with the honor it would give to another. the chief aga announced that, although the witnesses in this case were not of the order of the yeni-tscheri, and, therefore, had no claim to the consideration of the court, yet it pleased him in this peculiar case to waive the right to try the matter exclusively among themselves, that the good name of the yeni-tscheri might suffer no reproach. "caraza-bey," added the chief, "for some reason best known to himself does not accept the privilege we have extended him, to speak in our official presence what he has freely spoken elsewhere. we shall, therefore, hear any witnesses he may have sent." one lovitsch, belonging to the irregular auxiliary troops, testified that captain ballaban had organized a raid upon an albanian village, and engaged himself and company for the venture; but had left them in the heat of the fight, not rejoining them until the second day. a common soldier deposed that the captain returned to the company early in the second evening, and induced him, the witness, and koremi, to whom the captain had entrusted a beautiful captive, to bring the girl to the rear, under plea of getting from her information regarding the enemy; and had then mysteriously disappeared with her. koremi corroborated this testimony. captain ballaban gave a look of puzzled curiosity as he heard this; but otherwise evinced not the slightest emotion. the crowd gazed upon the young captain with disappointment while testimony was being given. the agas present being unable to conceal the deep anxiety depicted upon their countenances, as they leaned forward with impatience to hear from his lips some exonerating statement, which, however, they feared could not be given. a few faces wore a look of contemptuous triumph. but two persons maintained composure. it might be expected that the chief aga, from his familiarity with such scenes, if not from the propriety of his being the formal embodiment of the rigid and remorseless court of the janizaries, whose decrees he was to announce, would show no emotion, however strong his sympathy with the prisoner. the endangered man answered his gaze with equal stolidity when the judge turned to him for his defence; but he remained speechless. a shudder of horror ran through the crowd. the executioner stepped forward to the side of the apparently convicted person. a slight ringing sound, as the long curve of the well-tempered blade grazed the ground, sent to every heart the chilling announcement of his readiness. the chief aga turned to the others, but sought in vain any palliatory suggestion or appeal for mercy, except in the mute agony of their looks. the chief then raised his eyes as if for the invocation of allah's confirmation of the sentence as just. but his prayer was a strange one:--"oh, allah! thou hast given a wondrous spirit to this man; a courage worthy of the soul of othman himself!" then rising with excitement he addressed the throng in rapid speech. "look upon this man, my brothers of the shining face![50] "did he quail at the ring of the executioner's sword? did he even change color when he heard the damning testimony? a true son of kara khalif is he. a word from his lips would have exonerated him, yet he would not speak it lest it should reveal the secrets of our service, which he would keep with dead lips rather than live to tell them. but i shall be his witness; and you, my brothers, shall be his judges. captain ballaban was recalled from the raid by our brother sinam, aga of the division to which the captain belongs. but, alas! the sword of scanderbeg has loosed sinam's soul for flight to paradise, and he could not testify to this man's fidelity. but i know the order of sinam; in this very tent it was written. and though the faithful messenger who carried it was slain in after conflict, the order was executed by captain ballaban to every letter: every moment of his absence from the raid is accounted for on my tablets"--tapping his forehead as he spoke. a loud shout burst from the crowd which made the tent shake as if filled with a rising wind. "ballaban! ballaban!" cried the multitude, lifting the brave fellow upon their shoulders. "take that for your grin when you thought he was guilty!" shouted one, as he delivered a tremendous blow upon the face of another. "death to caraza-bey! down with the lying villain!" rose the cry, the crowd beginning to move, as if animated by a common spirit, to seek the envious commandant of the neighboring corps. but they halted at the tent side waiting for the sign of permission from their chief, who, by the motion of his hand forbade the assault which would have brought on a terrific battle between the janizaries and their rivals throughout the army. "we shall deal with caraza-bey hereafter, if his shame does not send him skulking from the camps," said the chief, resuming his sitting posture, and restoring order about him. "summon the witnesses again," he proceeded. "you lovitsch testified truly as to captain ballaban's absence, and may go. but you twin rascals who swore to his escape with the girl, your heads shall go to caraza-bey, and your black souls to the seventh hell.[51] executioner, do your office!" "hold!" cried ballaban, as the man drew his cimeter. "upon my return to the company i found my fair captive gone, and under such strange circumstances that i can see that these good fellows may be honest in what they have stated. i bespeak thy mercy, sire, for them." "captain ballaban's will shall be ours," replied the chief, with a wave of his hand dismissing the assemblage. as the crowd withdrew, he said, "my brothers, the agas, will remain, and captain ballaban." the sides of the tent were put up. the guard patrolled without at a distance of sixty paces, that no one might overhear the conversation in the council. footnotes: [49] two horse-tails; the symbol of a beyler bey, a chief bey of europe or asia. [50] a title of janizaries given them by the dervish who blessed the order at its institution in the days of orchan. [51] according to the moslems, hell is divided into seven stories or cellars, the lowest being reserved for hypocrites. chapter xxi. "has captain ballaban any explanation of this conspiracy against him?" asked one. "none!" was the laconic reply. but after a moment's pause he added: "perhaps there was no conspiracy, except as our jealous neighbors are willing to take advantage of every unseemly circumstance that can be twisted to point against any of the yeni-tscheri. this may explain something. the girl that i captured at the giaour village was no common peasant, by the cheek of ayesha! her face, as lit by the blazing konak, was of such beauty as i have never seen except in some dreams of my childhood. her voice and manner in commanding me to liberate her were those of one well-born or used to authority. it was well that i bethought me to give her into the keeping of that dull-headed koremi, or she might have bewitched me into obeying her and letting her go. my belief is that the girl was rescued. it may be that our men were heavily bribed to give her up, or that some one personated myself and demanded her, and that the story of my return may be thus accounted for, but i cannot see any treachery in koremi's manner. if she was of any special value to scanderbeg he would find some way of running her off, though he had to make a league with the devil and assume my shape to do it. the arnaouts, you know, believe that the vili are in collusion with scanderbeg, and that one of them, a he-vili, radisha, or some such sprite, is his body servant. that will account for it all," added he, laughing at the conceit. "but," said the second aga, "caraza-bey's insult was none the less, if your surmise be true. we must wash it out in the blood of a hundred or so of his hirelings to-morrow." the chief shook his head. "but," continued the second aga, "the jealousy of our corps must be punished. you see how near it came to losing for us the life of one of our bravest. caraza-bey must fight me to-morrow." "bravo!" cried all; while one added, "and let the challenge be public, that the entire force of the yeni-tscheri be on hand and all the troops of the beyler bey of anatolia, and--" lowering his voice-"we can manage it so that the fight become general, and teach these reptiles of asiatics that the yeni-tscheri are the right hand and the brain of the empire." "ay, _are_ the empire!" said another. "let us have a scrimmage that will be interesting. the war with scanderbeg is getting monotonous. one day he comes into our camp, like a butcher into a slaughter pen, and the next day we are marched out to him, to be slaughtered elsewhere. it requires one to be full of islam, the holy resignation, to stand this sort of life. yes! let's do a little fighting in our own way and get rid of some of this soldier spawn which the padishah has brought with him from across the bosphorus!" "but you forget, my brothers," said ballaban, "that this fight with the sanjak bey does not belong to any one beside myself. his lie was about me. i then am the man to take off his head; and i think i can do it with as good grace as the executioner was nigh to taking off mine just now." "no, captain!" said the chief. "your rank is as yet below the bey's, and he would make that an excuse for declining the gage. besides," said he, lowering his voice, "i have special service for you elsewhere, which cannot be delayed." when the agas, making the low courtesy, retired, the chief walked with ballaban. "captain, i have heard no report of the errand upon which you were sent." "no, sire, i was arrested the moment i returned to camp." "you succeeded, i know, from the movements of the enemy: although the slowness of the padishah in ordering an advance, when scanderbeg was diverted by your ruse, prevented our taking advantage of it." "yes," said ballaban, "i succeeded as well as any one could, not being seconded from headquarters. but i did some service incidentally, and picked up some helpful information. the night after leaving the hamlet we fired, i fell in with a company of arnaouts who were coming to the rescue. they would have got into the narrow valley before our men got out, had i not managed to trick them. i was in disguise and readily passed for an arnaout lout, giving them false information about the direction our party had taken, and so lost them an hour or two, and saved the throats of lovitsch's fellows, a mere rabble, good enough for a raid, but not to be depended upon for a square fight. but we must have no more raids. scanderbeg has means of communication as quick and subtle as if the clouds were his signals and the stars were his beacons. "i then came upon a dibrian settlement, pretending to be a fugitive from the valleys to the north; and entertained the villagers with bug-a-boo stories about the hosts of men with turbans on their heads and little devils on their shoulders who had destroyed all that country, and were now pouring down toward the south. "by the way," continued ballaban laughing, "there was an old fellow there, very lame, with a patch over one eye, who could hardly stand leaning on his staff, he was so palsied with age. but the one eye that was open was altogether too bright for his years; and his legs didn't shake enough for one who rattled his staff so much. so i put him down as one of scanderbeg's lynxes--they are everywhere. i described to him the moslem movements in such a way as to let a trained soldier believe that we had entirely changed front, with the prospective raising of the siege of sfetigrade and alliance with the venetians for carrying the war farther to the north. the old codger took the bait, and asked fifty questions in the tone of a fellow whose head had been used for a mush-pot instead of a brain-holder; but every question was in its meaning as keen as a dagger-thrust into the very ribs of the military situation. well! i helped him to all the information he wanted; when with a twinkle in his eye, he hobbled away, as wise as an owl when a fresh streak of day-light has struck him: and before night the whole country to the borders of sternogovia was alive with scanderbeg's scouts; and every cross-path was a rendezvous of his broken-winded cavalry. "i saw one thing which gave me a hint i may use some day. at a village the women were carrying water from a spring far down in a ravine, though there was a fine flowing fountain quite near them. it seems that a dog had got into the fountain about a month before, and was drowned. these dibrians believe that, if any one should drink the water of such a spring before as many days have passed as the dog has hairs on his tail, the water will make his bowels rot, and his soul go into a dog's body when he dies. "the next night i spent inside the walls of sfetigrade." "no!" cried the chief. "why, man, you must fly the air with the witches!" "not at all, i have some acquaintances in that snug little place; and when they go to bed they hang the key of the town on a moonbeam for me. if it is not there, i have only to vault over the walls, or sail over them on the clouds, or burrow under them with the moles, or hold my breath until i turn into a sprite, like the wizards on the ganges, and lo! i am in. well! that night i lodged with a worthy family of sfetigrade, pretending that i was a poor fugitive from the very town we had raided a few nights before. and, by the hair of the beautiful malkhatoon![52] i saw there the very captive i had taken. she lay asleep on a cot just within a doorway--unless i was asleep myself and dreaming, as i half believe i was." "yes, it was a dream of yours, no doubt, captain," said the chief, "for when a young fellow like you once gets a fair woman in his arms, as you say you had her in yours the night of the raid, she never gets out of the embrace of his imagination. he will see her everywhere, and go about trying to hug her shadow. beware illusions, captain! they use up a fellow's thoughts, make him too meek-eyed to see things as a soldier should. the love passion will take the energy out of the best of us, as quickly as the fire takes the temper out of the best damascene blade." "i thank you for your counsel, aga," replied ballaban, his face coloring as deep as his hair. "but there was one thing i saw with a waking eye." "and what was that?" "that there was but one well of water in the town of sfetigrade; the one in the citadel court. but another thing i didn't see, though i searched the place for it;--and that was a dog to throw into the well; or i would have thirsted the superstitious garrison out. they have eaten up the last cur." "then the surrender must come soon," said the aga. "no," replied ballaban, "for the voivode moses goleme came into the town as i was leaving, driving a flock of sheep which he had stolen from us; for he had cut off an entire train of provisions which had been sent to our camp from adrianople." "then i must have you off at once on another errand, captain. you see yonder line of mountains off to the northwest. it may be necessary to shift the war to that region for a while. ivan beg,[53] the brother-in-law of scanderbeg, has raised a pack of wild fiends among those hills of his, and is driving out all our friends. nothing can stand against him unless it be the breasts of the yeni-tscheri. scanderbeg may compel us to raise the siege of sfetigrade, for he bleeds us daily like a leech. a diversion after ivan beg will at least be more honorable than a return to adrianople. now i would know exactly the passes and best places for fortification in ivan's country; and you, captain, are the man to find them out. you should be off at once. take your time and spy thoroughly, making a map and transmitting to me your notes. and while there feel the people. it is rumored that the young voivode, amesa, is restless under the leadership of scanderbeg. if a dissension could be created among these arnaouts, it would be well. amesa has a large personal following in that north country; for his castle is just on the border of it." "but," replied ballaban, "i must first pluck the beard of that cowardly caraza-bey!" "no! i forbid it. your blood is worth more in your own veins than anywhere else. i should not consent to your risking a drop of it in personal combat with any one except scanderbeg himself." the fight between the second aga and caraza-bey did not take place. that worthy was conveniently sent by sultan amurath, who had learned of the feud, to look after certain turbulent caramanians; and leaving behind him a wake of curses upon all janizaries from the chief to the pot-scourers, he took his departure for the asiatic provinces. had he remained, the turks would have had enough to occupy them without this gratuitous mêlée. for during the night scouts brought word that scanderbeg had massed all his forces, that were not behind the walls of sfetigrade, at a point to the right of the turkish lines. hardly had the army been faced to meet this attack, when scouts came from the left, reporting serious depredations on that flank. amurath, in the uncertainty of the enemy's movement, divided his host. the asiatics were given the northern and the janizaries the southern defence; either of them outnumbering any force scanderbeg could send against them. but, as a tornado cuts its broad swath through a forest, uprooting or snapping the gigantic trees, showing its direction only by the after track of desolation, which it cuts in almost unvarying width, while beyond its well defined lines scarcely a branch is broken or a nest overturned among the swaying foliage--so scanderbeg swooped from east to west through the very centre of the turkish encampment, gathering up arms and provisions, and strewing his track with the bodies of the slain. by the time that the moslems were sufficiently concentrated to offer effective resistance the assailants were gone. at the head of the victorious band scanderbeg rode a small and ungainly, but tough and tireless animal--like most of the albanian horses, which were better adapted to threading their way down the pathless mountain sides, than to curveting in military parade--their lack of natural ballast being made up by the enormous burdens they were trained to carry. the figure and bearing of scanderbeg, however, amply compensated the lack of martial picturesqueness in his steed. he was in full armor, except that his sword arm was bared. his beard of commingled yellow and gray fell far down upon the steel plates of his corselet. a helmet stuck far back upon his head, showed the massive brow which seemed of ampler height, from the albanian custom of clipping short, or shaving the hair off from the upper forehead. wheeling his horse, he engaged in conversation with a stout, but awkward soldier. "you and your beast are well matched, constantine. you both need better training before you are fit to parade as prisoners of amurath. you sit your horse as a cat rides a dog, though you do hold on as well with your heel as she with her claws. your short legs would do better to clamp the belly of a crocodile." "yes, we are both accustomed to marching and fighting in our own way, rather than in company," replied constantine. "but the beast has not failed me by a false step; not when we leaped the fallen oak and landed in the gulch back yonder. the beast came down as safely and softly as on the training lawn." "and you have done as well yourself," replied the general. "that was a bad play though you had with the turk as we cut our way through the last knot of them. but for a side thrust which i had time to give at your antagonist, while waiting for the slow motions of my own, i fear that your animal would be lighter now by just your weight. you strike powerfully, but you do not recover yourself skilfully. a good swordsman would get a response into your ribs before you could deal him a second. here, i will show you! now thrust! strike! no, not so; but hard, villainously, at me, as if i were the turk who stole your girl! so! again! again!--now learn this movement"--pressing his own sword steadily against his companion's, and bending him back until he was almost off his horse. "and this," dealing so tremendous a slash with the back of the sword that constantine's arm was almost numbed by the effort to resist it.--"and this!" transmitting a twisting motion from his own to his opponent's weapon, so that for one instant they seemed like two serpents writhing together; but at the next constantine's sword was twirled out his hand. "you will make a capital swordsman with practice, my boy. and the girl? keep a sharpened eye for her; and tell me if so much as a new spider's web be woven at her door." a peasant woman stood by the path as they proceeded, holding out her hand for alms, as she ran beside the general's horse. he leaned toward her to give something; but, as his hand touched hers, she slipped a bit of white rag into it: "the map of the roads, sire, twixt this and monastir!" "and your son, my good woman?" inquired the general kindly. "ah! the virgin pity me, sire, for he died. we could not stop the bleeding, for the lance's point had cut a vein. but i have a daughter who can take his place. she knows the signals--for he taught them to her--and can make the beacon as well as he; and is as nimble of foot to climb the crag. but please, sire, the child did not remember if the enemy going west was to be signalled by lighting the beacon before or after the bright star's setting." "just after, good mother. if they go to the east and cross the mountain, fire the beacon just before the star sets. and the brightest of all stars be for your own hope and comfort!" "and for dear albania's and thine own!" replied the woman, disappearing in the crowd, as a man dashed close to scanderbeg on a well-jaded steed. "the turkish auxiliaries will be at the entrance to the defile in thirty hours." "your estimate of their number, neighbor stephen?" "from three to five thousand." "not more?" "not more in the first detachment. a second of equal size follows, but a day in the rear." "good! take with you our nephew, musache de angeline, and five hundred epirots each. this will be sufficient to prevent the first detachment getting out of the pass. i will strike the second from the rear as soon as they enter the pass. they can not manoeuvre in that crooked and narrow defile, and we will destroy them at our leisure. strike promptly. farewell!" "miserable sheep!" he muttered, "why will these turks so tempt me to slaughter them?" footnotes: [52] bride of othman. [53] ivo, the black, or tsernoi, from whom the mountain country to the north of albania was called tsernogorki, or, in its latinized form, montenegro. chapter xxii. upon the southern slope of the black mountain--that is, on the rising uplands which lead from albania to montenegro--lay the ancient and princely estates of the de streeses. a dense forest of pines spread for miles, like a myriad gigantic pillars in some vast temple. they seemed to support, as it were, some titanic dome surrounded with pinnacles and turrets, a huge cluster of jagged rocks, which was called by those who gazed upon it from leagues away "the eyrie." in the midst of these great monoliths, and hardly distinguishable from them, rose the walls of the new castle which the voivode amesa had built upon the ruins of that destroyed at the time of the massacre of its former possessor. the horse of the voivode stood within the court, his head drooping, and the white sweat-foam drying upon his heated flanks. his master paced up and down the enclosure, engaged in low but excited conversation with a soldier. the voivode was of princely mien; tall, but compactly built; face full in its lower development, and somewhat sensual; eyes gray and restless, which gave one at first a sharp, penetrating glance, and then seemed to hide behind the half-closed lids, like some wild animal that inspects the hunter hastily, then takes to covert. "you are sure, drakul, that the party which drove you from the hamlet were turks, and not arnaouts in disguise, like yourselves?" "i could not mistake," said drakul, a hard-faced man, one of whose eyebrows was arched higher than the other, and whose entire countenance was distorted from the symmetrical balance of its two sides, giving an expression of duplicity and cruelty. "i could not mistake, noble amesa, for i have too often eyed those rascals over the point of my sword not to know a turk in the dark. but all the fiends combined against us that night. we left our two best men dead, and the two we wanted, the boy and the girl, escaped us. the she-witch did not come back to the village the next day; but the red-headed imp did, and raved like a hyena when he found the girl missing. i watched him as he suddenly went off, doubtless, to some spot they both knew of. the young thief stole the clothes off a dead turk. the next day we spied him again; this time with that arnaud-kabilovitsch, albanian-servian, forester-colonel, or whatever he may be, who came back when castriot did. the fellow escaped us a second time." "track him! track him!" cried amesa spitefully. "i will make you rich, drakul, the day you bring me that fox's brush of red hair from his head." "i have tracked him and could take you to the very spot where he and the girl are to-day," said the man. "come this way, my noble amesa,"--leading him to the side of the court commanding a far stretch of country to the north-west. "now let your eye follow skadar[54] along the left shore: then up the great river.[55] not two leagues from the mountain spur that bends the stream out of your sight, at the hamlet just off the road into your uncle ivan's country--" "the stargeshina has a red goitre like a turkey cock? i know every hut in the hamlet," interrupted amesa. "but why think you she is there?" "why? i have seen her, and him with her. i followed the fellow day after day. once i saw him yonder on the spur. he clipped the bark of a tree, and in the smoothed spot cut a line. a little beyond he did the same thing again. he spied this way and that way with all the pains one would take to pick a way for an army. then he took a roll of paper from his bosom, and marked down something for every mark he had made upon the trees. and when he was out of sight i took the range of his marks, and by st. theckla! they pointed straight to a path which led down the mountain to the ford in the great river that is opposite the old turkey cock's konak." "but you may have mistaken the man," suggested amesa. "not i, sire. i know his head as well as a bull knows a red rag; and his duck legs, and his walk like an ambling horse." "it is he," submitted amesa. "but how know you that the girl was there in the hamlet?" "did i not see her, my noble amesa? and could i not know her from the look of her father? if i could forget him living, i have never passed a night without seeing his face as it was dead, when we dragged him to the burning beams of the old house that stood on this----" "silence!" cried amesa in a sudden burst of rage. "how dare you allude to my uncle's death without my bidding?" there was a pause for a few moments, during which amesa stamped heavily upon the stone pavement of the court as he walked, like one endeavoring to shake off from his person some noisome thing that troubled him. the man resumed-"besides, the children of the village said she was a stray kid there, and not of kin to anybody. and while i was there the same stump-headed fellow who marked the direction came to the hamlet." "be ready to accompany me to-morrow, drakul. you can say that we are scouting." footnotes: [54] lake scadar or scutari. [55] the tsernoyevitcha, the great river of montenegro which empties into lake scutari. chapter xxiii. the lake of skadar lay like an immense _lapis lazuli_ within its setting of mountains, which, on the east, were golden with the rays of the declining sun, and on the west, enameled in emerald with the dense shadows their summits dropped upon them. the surface of the water was unbroken, save here and there by black spots where a pair of loons shrieked their marital unhappiness, or a flock of wild ducks floated, like a miniature fleet, about the reed-fringed shores of some little island. had there been watchers on the fortress of obod, which lay on the cliff just above where the tsernoyevitcha enters skadar, they would have espied a light shallop gliding along the eastern bank of the lake. this contained the voivode amesa and his attendant. just at night-fall they reached the cavern, whose hidden recesses begot a hundred legends which the weird shadows of the cave clothed in forms as fantastic as their own, and which still flit among the hamlets of montenegro. it was said that whoever should sleep within the cave would rest his head on the bosoms of the nymphs:--only let him take care that their love does not prevent his ever waking. amesa and his companion were courageous, but discretion led them to wind the strooka about their heads, and seek without a couch of pine needles between the enormous roots of the trees which had dropped them. the dawn had just silvered the east, and the coming sun transformed the cold blue tints of skadar into amber, when they entered the river. the great stream wound through the broad lowlands of tsetinie, girdled with rocky hills. then it dashed in impetuous floods between more straightened banks, or lingered, as if the river spirit would bathe himself in the deep pools that were cooled by the springs at their bottoms. though familiar with the phenomenon, they loitered that they might watch the schools of fish which were so dense in places as to impede the stroke of the oar blade, and tint the entire stream with their dull silvery gleam.[56] emerging from a tortuous channel, through which the river twisted itself like a vast shining serpent, they came to a cluster of houses that nestled in a gorge. these houses were made of stone, and so covered with vines as to be hardly distinguishable from the dense shrubbery that clambered over the rocks about them. amesa was warmly greeted by the stargeshina who occupied the konak, or principal house. the older people remembered the visitor as the comely lad who, before the return of george castriot, was almost the only male representative of that noble family left in the land. the voivode was honored with every evidence that the villagers felt themselves complimented by the visit of their guest, whatever business or caprice might have brought him thither. a simple repast was provided, in which the courtesy of the service on the part of the stargeshina more than compensated any poverty in the display of viands;--though there were set forth meats dried in strips in the smoke of an open fire; eggs; sweet, though black bread; and wine pressed from various mountain berries, and allowed to ferment in skins. as they sat beside a low table at the doorway of the konak, the stargeshina offered a formal salâm, the zdravitsa, which was half a toast and half a prayer, and extended his hand to amesa in the protestation of personal friendship. at the meal the glories of castriot and ivan beg--or ivo, as the peasants called him--were duly recited. "but why," said the old man, rising to his feet with the enthusiasm of the sentiment--"why should the country sing the praises of george castriot, who for thirty years was willing to be a turk and fight for an alien faith? your shoulders, noble amesa--prince amesa, my loyal heart would call you--could as well have borne the burden of the people's defence. your arm could strike as good a blow as his for albania. your blood is that of the castriots, and untainted by moslem touch. your estates, since you have become heir to the lands of de streeses, make you our richest and most influential voivode." these words made the eyes of amesa flash, not with any novel pleasure, rather with an ambition to which he was no stranger. but the flash was smothered at once by the half-closed eyelids, and he responded-"i ought not to hear such words, my good friend. my uncle george is the hero of the hour. the people need a hero in whom they believe; and the very mystery of his life for the thirty years among the turks, and the romance of his return, make him a convenient hero." "but sire, my noble--my prince amesa--do you not daily hear such words as i speak? the thought is as common as the pater noster, and echoes from skadar to ochrida. it was but a week since a young albanian passed through this border country, whispering everywhere that the land was ready to cry amesa's name rather than the reformed renegade, george castriot's; that scanderbeg, the lord alexander, the strutting title the turks gave him, was an offence to the free hearts of the people." "ah! and what sort of a man for look was this albanian?" asked amesa in surprise. "a sturdy youth of, say, twenty summers, with hair like a turban which had been worn by a dozen slaughtered turks, so blood red is it." amesa gave a puzzled look toward drakul, who was eating his meal at a little distance, but whose ears seemed to prick up like those of a horse at this description. "it is likely that he may be again in the village this very night. our neighbor next lodged him. i will ask him if he will return," said the stargeshina, leaving the konak for a little. "it is he; it's that constantine," said drakul, coming nearer to amesa. "the wily young devil is ready to betray your uncle george. that will make the matter easier." "the way is clear, then," replied amesa. "i am glad that the raid was not successful. it might have led to further blood. with this fellow in league with us, it is straight work and honorable." the stargeshina reported the man would probably be in again that very night, and added: "i would you could see him; for though he is fair spoken, there is some mystery in his going day after day among these mountains, like a hound who is looking for a lost scent." "perhaps he is attracted here by some of the fair maidens of the hamlets," suggested amesa, looking at drakul, who was tearing a bit of jerked meat in his teeth, apparently intent only upon that selfish occupation. "it may well be, for our neighbor here has harbored a bit of stray womanhood which might tempt a monk to lodge there rather than in his cell," said the old man. a shout from above them attracted their attention to a merry company which was coming down the mountain. it was the procession of the dodola. drought threatened to destroy the scanty grain growing in the narrow valleys, and the vines on the terraces cut out of the steep hills. according to an ancient custom, a young maiden had been taken by her companions into the woods, stripped of her usual garments, and reclothed in the leaves and flowers of the endangered vegetation. long grasses and stalks of grain were matted in many folds about her person, and served as a base for artistic decoration with every variety of floral beauty. her feet were buskined in clover blossoms. a kilt of broad-leaved ferns hung from her waist, which was belted with a broad zone of wild roses. white and pink laurel blossoms made her bodice. an ivy wreath upon her brows was starred with white daisies, and plumed with the stems and hanging bells of the columbine. the dodola thus appeared as the impersonation of floral nature athirst for the vivifying rains. her attendants, who led her in a leash of roses, chanted a hymn, the refrain of which was a prayer to elijah, who, since he brought the rain at carmel, is supposed by the peasants of albania to be that saint to whom providence has committed the shepherding of the clouds. as the procession wound down the terraced paths between the houses, the dodola was welcomed by the matrons of the hamlet, who stood each in her own doorway, with hair gathered beneath a cap of coins, teeth enameled in black, fingers tipped brownish-red with henna. the maidens sung a verse of their hymn at each cottage; and, at the refrain, the housewife poured upon the head of the leaf-clad dodola a cup of water; repeating the last line of the chorus, "good saint elias, so send the rain!" as the dodola paused before the konak, amesa said, quite enthusiastically, and designing to be overheard by the fair girl who took the part of thirsting nature, "if elias can refuse the prayer of so much womanly beauty, i swear, by jezebel, that i shall hereafter believe, with the turks, that the austere old prophet has become bewitched with the houris in paradise, and so does not care to look into the faces of earthly damsels." "you may still keep your christian faith, for the dodola has won the favor of the thunderer,"[57] replied the stargeshina. "listen to his love-making in response to the witchery of that wild dove! do you hear it?" the distant murmur of a coming shower confirmed the credulity of the peasants. "yes, soon the holy virgin will turn her bright glances upon us,"[58] said he looking at the sky. "who is that wild dove who acts the dodola?" inquired amesa. "the one i told you of, who has come into our neighbor's cot," replied the old man. "but only the sharp eyes of the crows saw where she came from. did she not speak our tongue and know our ways as well as any of us, i should say she was one of the tsigani who were driven out of the morning land by timour.[59] yet it may be that her own story is true. she says she had two lovers in her village; and these two were brothers in god, who had taken the vow before heaven and st. john to help and never to hinder each other in whatever adventure of love or brigandage, at cost of limb or life. but as the hot blood of neither of these lovers could endure to see this nymph in the arms of the other, it was determined that she should be slain by the hand of both, rather than that the sacred brotherhood should be broken. by her own father's hearth the two daggers were struck together at her heart. but the strong arms of the slayers collided, and both blows glanced. she escaped and fled, and came hither." "and you believe this story?" asked amesa, with a look of incredulity mingled with triumph, as of one who knew more than the narrator. "i believe her story, noble amesa, because--because no one has told me any other. but--" he shook his head. "does not the young stranger you spoke of know something of her, that he prowls about this neighborhood?" asked the guest. "it may be. i had not thought it, but it may well be! hist--!" the dodola passed by, returning to her own cottage. as she did so her bright black eyes glanced coquettishly at the stranger from beneath her disarranged chaplet of flowers and dishevelled hair. she soon returned, having assumed her garments as a peasant maid, but with evident effort to make this simple attire set off the great natural beauty of face and form, of which she was fully conscious. her forehead was too low; but pygmalion could not have chiselled a brow and temples upon which glossy black ringlets clustered more bewitchingly. her eyes flashed too cold a fire light to give one the impression of great amiability in their possessor; but the long lashes which drooped before them, partially veiled their stare so as to give the illusion of coyness, if not of maidenly modesty. her mouth was perhaps sensuously curved; but was one of those marvellously plastic ones which can tell by the slightest arching or compressing of the lips as much of purpose or feeling as most people can tell in words:--dangerous lips to the possessor, if she be guileless and unsuspicious, for they reveal too much of her soul to others who have no right to know its secrets; dangerous lips to others if she would deceive, for they can lie, consummately, wickedly, without uttering a word. her complexion was scarcely brunette; rather that indescribable fairness in which the whiteness of alabaster is tinged with the blood of perfect health, slightly bronzed by constant exposure to the sunshine and air--a complexion seldom seen except in syria, the greek islands, or wales. her form was faultless,--just at that stage of development when the grace and litheness of childhood are beginning to be lost in the statelier mysteries of womanly beauty; that transition state between two ideals of loveliness, which, from the days of phidias, has lured, but always eluded, the artist's skill to reproduce. the girl's face flushed with the consciousness of being gazed at approvingly by the courtly stranger. but the pretty toss of her head showed that the blush was due as much to the conceit of her beauty as to bashfulness. as she talked with the other maidens, she glanced furtively toward the door of the konak, where amesa sat. the young voivode foresaw that it would not be difficult to entice the girl herself to be the chief agent in any plan he might have for her abduction. he needed, however, to make more certain of her identity with the object of his search. he could discern no trace of mara de streeses in her face; much less in her manner. since drakul had suggested it, he imagined a resemblance to de streeses himself, whose bearing was haughty and his temperament fiery. the evening brought the young man of whom the stargeshina had spoken. his resemblance to the description given him of constantine left no doubt in amesa's mind of his being the mysterious custodian of the heiress to his estates. the young servian he supposed would at once recognize him as amesa; for, as a prominent officer in the army, his face would be well known to all who had been in castriot's camps, even if the gossip of the villagers did not at once inform him of his presence. it were best then, thought amesa, to boldly confront him; win him, if possible, to his service; if not, destroy him. the young stranger was at once on frolicksome terms with the village girls and lads; and amesa thought he observed that through it all the fellow kept a sharp, if not a suspicious, eye upon him. lest he should escape, the voivode invited him to walk beyond the houses of the village. when out of sight and hearing he suddenly turned upon the young man, and, laying a hand upon his shoulder, exclaimed, "you are known, man!" upon the instant the stranger was transformed from the sauntering peasant into a gladiator, with feet firmly planted, the left hand raised as a shield, and the right grasping a yataghan which had been concealed upon his person. amesa, though the aggressor, was thrown upon the defensive, and was compelled to retreat in order to gain time for the grip of his weapon. the two men stood glaring into each other's eyes as there each to read his antagonist's movement before his hand began to execute it. "i did not know that a servian peasant was so trained," said amesa, still retreating before the advance of his opponent, who gave him no opportunity to assume the offensive. "for whom do you take me that you dare to lay a rough hand on me?" said the man, half in menace, and yet apparently willing to discover if his assailant were right in his surmise. "arnaud's man and i need not be enemies," said amesa, seeing no chance of relieving himself from the advantage the other had gained in the sword play. "i can reward you better than he or castriot." a smile passed over the man's face, which amesa might have detected the meaning of had his mind been less occupied with thoughts about his personal safety from the yataghan, whose point was seeking his throat according to the most approved rules of single combat. "and what if i am arnaud's man?" as he said this the yataghan made a thorough reconnoissance of all the vulnerable parts of amesa's body from the fifth rib upwards, followed by amesa's dagger in ward. "you do not deny it?" said the albanian between breaths. "i deny nothing. nor need i confess anything, since you say i am known." "shall we be friends?" asked amesa, cautiously lowering his arm. "you made war, and can withdraw its declaration, or take the consequences," was the reply. the two men put up their weapons. "so good a soldier as you are should not be here guarding a girl," said amesa. "guarding a girl?" said the man in amazement, but, recollecting himself, added, "and why not guard a girl?" "come," replied amesa, "you and i can serve each other. you can do that for me which no other man can; and i can give to you more gold than any other albanian can." "and when you are king of albania, prince amesa, you can reward me with high appointment," said the stranger with a slight sneer, which, however, amesa did not notice, at the moment thinking of what the stargeshina had said of the man's interest in the movement against his uncle's leadership. "you have but to ask your reward when that event comes," he replied. "i will swear to serve amesa against scanderbeg to the death," said the man offering his hand. "you know the girl's true story?" asked amesa. "of course," was the cautious reply. "but of that i may not speak a word. i can leave his service whose man you say i am, but i cannot betray anything he may have told me. as you know the girl's story it is needless to tempt me to divulge it," added he, with shrewd non-committal of himself to any information that the other might recognize as erroneous. "you speak nobly for a servian," said the voivode. "how do you know i am a servian?" asked the stranger. "partly from your accent. you have not got our pure albanian tongue, though it is now six years you have been talking it. and then arnaud--colonel kabilovitsch--came back as a servian. is it not so?" asked amesa, noticing the surprised look which the mention of kabilovitsch's name brought to the man's face. for a while the stranger was lost in thought; but with an effort throwing off a sort of reverie, he said: "pardon my silence. i have been thinking of your proposal. may i follow you to the village after a little? i would think over how best i can meet your proposition, my prince amesa." "i will await you at the konak. but first let us swear friendship!" said the voivode. "heartily!" was the response. "with amesa as against scanderbeg." "you will induce the girl to go with me to my castle. she will fare better there than here, playing dodola to these ignorant peasants." "it is agreed." as amesa disappeared, the man sat down upon a huge root of a tree, which for lack of earth had twined itself over the rock. he buried his face in his hands-"strange! strange! is all this. kabilovitsch? the girl? not my little playmate on the balkans--sweet faced morsinia. the dodola here is not she. if uncle kabilovitsch is colonel kabilovitsch, or this arnaud he speaks of, then this treacherous amesa is on the wrong track. can it be that constantine--dear little constantine--is in albania, and that i am mistaken for him? no, this is impossible. but still i must be wary, and not do that which would harm a golden hair of morsinia's head, if she be living, or constantine's, or uncle kabilovitsch's. there's some mystery here. only one thing is certain--amesa mistakes this pretty impudent dodola girl for somebody else. to get her off with him may serve that somebody else: for the voivode is a villain: that much is sure. the cursed giaour serpent! i will help him to get this saucy belle of the hamlet, and so save somebody else, whoever she may be who is the game for which he lays his snares." an hour later the dodola, whose name was elissa, passed amesa and blushed deeply. the family at whose house the girl was living made no objection to amesa's request that she should be transferred to the protection of the voivode. the elders of the village acquiesced; for, said one, "we do not know who she is, and may get into difficulty through harboring her." another averred his belief that she was possessed of the evil eye; for he had observed her staring at the olive tree the day before it was struck by lightning; and he declared that half the young men of the hamlet were bewitched with her. a sharp-tongued dame remarked that some of the older men would rather listen to the merry tattle of the sprite than to the most serious and wholesome counsel of their own wives. footnotes: [56] still noted by travellers on this river. [57] an albanian title of elijah. [58] the albanians regard mary as the sender of lightning. [59] tsigani; a word by which slavic people designate the gypsies, who are supposed by them to have come from india in the time of tamerlane. chapter xxiv. "do you know the mind of gauton who commands at the citadel in sfetigrade?" asked amesa of his new confederate, as they parted. "i have talked with him," replied the man. "he is very cautious." "discover his opinion on the matter of my advancement," said amesa. "send him some gift," suggested the man, "i will take it to him. he is very fond of dogs, and i learn that he has just lost a valuable mastiff. could you replace it from your kennels at the castle?" "no, but i have a greyhound, of straight breed since his ancestors came out of the ark. his jaws are as slender as a heron's beak: chest deep as a lion's: belly thin as a weasel's: a double span of my arms from tip to tail. to-morrow night meet me at the castle. should i not have arrived, this will give you admission," presenting him with a small knife, on the bone handle of which was a rude carving of the crest of amesa. "give it to the warden. he will recognize it." long before the arrival of amesa and drakul at the castle in company with elissa, the stranger, whom the reader will recognize as captain ballaban dressed as an albanian peasant, had been admitted. he had wandered about the court, mounted the parapet, inspected the draw-bridge and portcullis, clambered down and up again the almost precipitous scarp of the rock, and asked a hundred questions of the servants regarding the paths by which the castle was approached. the old warden entertained him with stories of amesa's early life, his acquisition of the estate, and his prowess in battle; in all of which, while the warden intended only the praise of his master, he discovered to the attentive listener all the weaknesses of the voivode's character. upon amesa's arrival late in the day, ballaban avoided much intercourse with him, except in relation to the selection of the dog. to elissa he gave a few words of advice, to the effect that she was now the object of the young lord's adoration; and that, in order to secure her advantage, she should make as much as possible a mystery of her previous life. with this council--which was as much as he dared to venture upon in his own ignorance of the exact part he was playing--ballaban departed, leading a magnificent hound in leash. a little way from the castle he sat down, and drawing from his breast a roll of paper, added certain lines and comments, as he muttered to himself,-"i have made neater drawings than this for old bestorf in the school of the yeni-tscheri, but none that will please the aga more. there is not a goat path on the borders that i have not got. a sudden movement of our armies, occupying ground here and here and here, where i have blazed the trees, would hold this country against ivan beg and scanderbeg. and with this black-hearted traitor, amesa, in my fingers!--well! let's see! i will force him into open rebellion against scanderbeg, unless he is deeper witted than he seems. but which plan would be best in the long run?--to stir up a feud between him and scanderbeg, and let them cut each other's throats? or, inveigle him to open alliance with our side, under promise of being made king of albania? that last would settle all the moslem trouble with these giaours. and it could be done. the padishah offered scanderbeg the country on condition of paying a nominal tribute, and would offer the same to amesa. and amesa would take it, though he had to become moslem. i will leave these propositions with the aga," said he, folding up the papers, and putting them back into his bosom. "in either case i shall keep my vow with amesa to help him against scanderbeg. but the devil help them both!" whistling a snatch of a rude tune, part of which belonged to an albanian religious hymn he had heard in his rambles, and part to a turkish love song--swinging his long arms, and striding as far at each step as his short legs would allow him, he went down the mountain. chapter xxv. "who comes here?" cried the sentinel at the bottom of the steep road which led up to the gate at the rear of the town of sfetigrade. the man thus challenged made no reply except to speak sharply to a large hound he was leading, and which was struggling to break away from him. in his engrossment with the brute he did not seem to have heard the challenge. as he came nearer the sentinel eyed him with a puzzled, but half-comical look, as he soliloquized,-"ah, by the devil in the serpent's skin, i know him this time. he is the albanian turk we were nigh to hamstringing. if i mistake that red head again it will be when my own head has less brain in it than will balance it on a pike-staff, where colonel kabilovitsch would put it if i molested this fellow again. i'll give him the pass word, instead of taking it from him; that will make up for past mistakes." the sentinel saluted the new comer with a most profound courtesy, and, shouldering his spear, marched hastily past him, ogling him with a sidelong knowing look. "tako mi marie!"[60] "tako mi marie!" responded the man, adding to himself, "but this is fortunate; the fellow must be crazy. i thought i should have had to brain him at least." as he passed by, the sentinel stood still, watching him, and muttered, "how should i know but castriot himself is in that dog's hide." the dog turned and, attracted by the soldier's attitude, uttered a low growl. "tako mi marie! and all the other saints in heaven too, but i believe it is the general in disguise," said the sentinel. "tako mi marie!" said the stranger saluting the various guards, whom he passed without further challenge, through the town gates and up to the main street. the great well, from which the beleaguered inhabitants of sfetigrade drew the only water now accessible, since the turks had so closely invested the town, was not far from the citadel. it was very deep, having been cut through the great layers of rock upon which the upper town stood. above it was a great wheel, over the outer edge of which ran an endless band of leather; the lower end dipping into the water that gleamed faintly far below. leathern sockets attached to this belt answered for buckets, which, as the wheel was turned, lifted the water to the top, whence it ran into a great stone trough. the well was guarded by a curb of stones which had originally been laid compactly together; but many of them had been removed, and used to hurl down from the walls of the citadel upon the heads of the turks when they tried to scale them. the dog, panting with the heat, mounted one of the remaining stones, and stretched his long neck far down to sniff the cool water which glistened a hundred feet below him. the man shouted angrily to the beast, and so clumsily attempted to drag him away that both dog and stone were precipitated together into the well. "a grapple! a rope!" shouted the man to a crowd who had seen the accident from a distance. "will no one bring one?" he cried with apparent anger at their slow movements--"then i must get one myself." the crowd rushed toward the well. the man disappeared in the opposite direction. it was several hours before the dead dog was taken from the polluted water. the dibrian soldiers refused to drink from it. the superstition communicated itself like an epidemic, to the other inhabitants. for a day or two bands sallied from sfetigrade, and brought water from the plain: but it was paid for in blood, for the turkish armies, aware of the incident almost as soon as it occurred, drew closer their lines, and stationed heavy detachments of janizaries at the springs and streams for miles around. the horrors of a water-famine were upon the garrison. in vain did the officers rebuke the insane delusion. the common soldiers, not only would not touch the water, but regarded the accident as a direct admonition from heaven that the town must be surrendered. appeals to heroism, patriotism, honor, were less potent than a silly notion which had grown about the minds of an otherwise noble people--as certain tropical vines grow so tough and in such gradually lessening spirals about a stalwart tree that they choke the ascending sap and kill it. they who would have drunk were prevented by the others who covered the well with heavy pieces of timber, and stood guard about it. footnote: [60] help me, mary! chapter xxvi. in vain did castriot assault the turks who were intrenched about the wells and springs in the neighborhood. now and then a victory over them would be followed by a long procession from the town, rolling casks, carrying buckets, pitchers, leather bottles and dug-out troughs. the amount of water thus procured but scarcely sufficed to keep life in the veins of the defenders: it did not suffice to nourish heart and courage. it was foreseen that sfetigrade must fall. constantine was in the madness of despair about morsinia. her fate in the event of capture was simply horrible to contemplate. yet she could hardly hope to make her way through the turkish lines. constantine was at the camp with castriot when it was announced that the enemy had at length got possession of every approach to the town, so that there was no communication between the albanians within and those without, except by signaling over the heads of the turks. castriot determined upon a final attack, during which, if he should succeed in uncovering any of the gates of the town, the people might find egress. constantine begged to be allowed the hazardous duty of entering, by passing in disguise through the turkish army, and giving the endangered people the exact information of castriot's purpose. taking advantage of his former experience, he donned the uniform of a janizary, easily learned the enemy's password, and at the moment designated to the besieged by castriot's signal--just as the lower star of the great dipper disappeared behind the cliff--he emerged from the dense shadows of an angle of the wall. he was scarcely opposite the gate when the drawbridge lowered and rose quickly. the portcullis was raised and dropped an instant later, and he was within the town. throwing off his disguise, he went at once toward the commandant's quarters to deliver despatches from castriot. but a shout preceded him-"the destroyer! the destroyer! death to the destroyer!" multitudes, awakened by the shouting, came from the houses and soldiers' quarters. constantine was seized by the crowd, who yelled: "to the well with him! let the dog's soul come into him!" he was borne along as helplessly as a leaf in the foaming cataract. "to the well! to the well with the poisoner!" the cry grew louder and shriller; the multitude maddening under the intense fury of their mutual rage, as each coal is hotter when many glow with it in the fire. women mingled with soldiers, shrieking their insane vengeance, until the crowd surged with the victim around the well. the planks were torn off by strong hands. the horror of the deed they were about to commit made them pause. each waited for his neighbor to assume the desperate office of actually perpetrating what was in all their hearts to do. at length three of the more resolute stepped forward as executioners of the popular will. the struggling form of constantine was held erect that all might see him. torches waved above his head. one stood upon the well curb, and, dropping a torch into the dark abyss, cried with a loud voice-"so let his life be put out who destroys us all!" "so let it be!" moaned the crowd; the wildness of their wrath somewhat subdued by the impressiveness of the tragedy they were enacting. the well hissed back its curse as the burning brand sunk into the water. but a new apparition burst upon the scene. suddenly, as if it had risen from the well, a form draped in white stood upon the curb. her long golden hair floated in the strong wind. her face, from sickness white as her robe, had an unearthly pallor from the excitement, and seemed to be lit with the white heat of her soul. her sunken eyes gave back the flare of the torches, as if they gleamed with celestial reprobation. "the holy virgin!" cried some. "one of the vili!" cried others. the crowd surged back in ghostly fear. "neither saint nor sprite am i," cried morsinia. "your own wicked hearts make you fear me. it is your consciences that make you imagine a simple girl to be a vengeful spirit, and shrink from this horrid murder, to the very brink of which your ignorance and wretched superstition have led you. blessed mary need not come from heaven to tell you that a man--a man for whom her son jesu died--should not be made to die for the sake of a dead dog. i, a child, can tell you that." "but the well is accursed and the people die," said a monk, throwing back his cowl, and reaching out his hand to seize her. "and such words from you, a priest of jesu!" answered the woman, warding him off by the scathing scorn of her tones. "did not jesu say, 'come unto me and drink, drink out of my veins as ye do in holy sacrament?' will he curse and kill, then, for drinking the water which you need, because a dog has fallen into it?" these words, following the awe awakened by her unexpected appearance, stayed the rage of the crowd for a moment. but soon the murmur rose again-"to the well!" "he is a murderer!" "it is just to take vengeance on a murderer!" the woman raised her hand as if invoking the witness of heaven to her cause, and exclaimed-"but _i_ am not a murderer. a curse on him who slays the innocent. i will be the sacrifice. i fear not to drink of this well with my dying gasp. unhand the man, or, as sure as heaven sees me, i shall die for him!" a shudder of horror ran through the crowd as the light form of the young woman raised itself to the very brink of the well. it seemed as if a movement, or a cry, would precipitate her into the black abyss. the crowd was paralyzed. the silence of the dead fell upon them, as she leaned forward for the awful plunge. those holding constantine let go their grip. at this moment the commandant appeared. he had, indeed, been a silent witness of the scene, and was not unwilling that the superstition of the soldiers should thus have a vent, thinking that with the sacrifice of the supposed offender they might be satisfied, and led to believe that the spirit of the well was appeased. he hoped that thus they might be induced to drink the water. but he recoiled from permitting the sacrifice of this innocent person, lest it should blacken the curse already impending. "i will judge this case," he cried. "man, who are you?" "i bear you orders from general castriot," replied constantine, handing him a document. by the light of a torch the officer read, "in the event of being unable to hold out, signal and make a sally according to directions to be given verbally by the bearer. castriot." turning to the crowd, the commandant addressed them. "brave men! epirots and dibrians! we are being led into some mistake. my message makes it evident that on this man's life depends the life of every one of us----" his voice was drowned by wild cries that came from a distant part of the town. the cries were familiar enough to all their ears; but they had heretofore heard them only from beneath the walls without. they were the turkish cries of assault. "allah! allah! allah! allah!" rolled like a hurricane along the streets of sfetigrade. the gates had been thrown open by some dibrian, whom superstition and a thirst-fevered brain had transformed into a traitor. "quick!" cried constantine. "fire three powder flashes from the bastion, and follow me." "brave girl!" said he to morsinia, grasping her hand and drawing her toward the citadel. "it is too late!" replied the commandant. "all the ports are occupied by the enemy. we can but die in the streets." "to the north gate, then! burst it open, and cut your way to the east. castriot will meet you there. i will to the bastion." "we must go with them," said morsinia. "better die in the streets than be taken here." "no, you shall not die, my good angel. i have prepared for this. first, i will fire the signal." in a few seconds three flashes illumined the old battlements. returning to morsinia, he said quietly, "i have prepared for this," and unwound from about his body a strong cord, looped at intervals so that it could be used for a ladder. fastening this securely, he dropped the end over the wall. descending part way himself, he opened the loops one by one for the feet of his companion; and thus they reached a narrow ledge some twenty feet below the parapet. from this to the next projection broad enough to stand upon, the rock was steep but slanting; so that, while one could not rest upon it, it would largely overcome the momentum of the descent. fastening a cord securely beneath the arms of morsinia, he let her down the slope to the lower ledge. then, tying the rope to that above, he descended himself to her side. from this point the path was not dangerous to one possessed of perfect presence of mind, and accustomed to balance the body on one foot at a time. thanks to her mountain life, and the strong stimulus to brain and nerve acquired by her familiarity with danger, morsinia was undizzied by the elevation. thus they wound their way toward the east side of the wall; and, as they neared the base of the cliff, sat down to reconnoitre. above them frowned the walls of the citadel. just beneath them were many forms, moving like spectres in the darkness which was fast dissolving into the gray morning twilight. the voices which came up to their ears proved that they were turks. for morsinia to pass through them without detection would be impossible. to remain long where they were would be equally fatal. but their anxiety was relieved by a well known bugle-call. at first it sounded far away to the north. "iscanderbeg! iscanderbeg!" cried the turks, as they were deployed to face the threatening assault. but scarcely had they formed in their new lines when the sound, as of a storm bursting through a forest, indicated that the attack was from the south. taking the turks who were still outside the walls at a disadvantage, castriot's force made terrible havoc among them, sweeping them back pell-mell past the eastern front and around the northern, so as to leave the north gate clear for the escape of any who might emerge from it. but, alas, for the valor of the commandant and the noble men who followed him! few succeeded in cutting their way through the swarm of enemies that had already occupied the streets of sfetigrade. this movement, however, enabled constantine and morsinia to descend from their dangerous eyrie. the apparition of their approach from that direction was a surprise to the general. "why, man, do you ride upon bats and night-hawks, that you have flown from yonder crag? i shall henceforth believe in radisha and his beautiful demon. and may i pray thy care for myself in battle, my fair lady?" chapter xxvii. the fall of sfetigrade, while a material loss to the albanian cause, served rather to exalt than to diminish the prestige of their great general. the fame of scanderbeg brightened as the gloomy tidings of the fate of the stronghold spread; for that event, due to a circumstance which no human being could control, gave his enemies their first success, after nearly seven years of incessant effort, with measureless armaments, innumerable soldiery and exhaustless treasure. the adversity also developed in scanderbeg new qualities of greatness, both military and moral. as the effort to drain a natural spring only evokes its fuller and freer flow, so disappointment augmented his courage, impoverishment in resources enlarged the scheme of his projects, and the defeat of one plan by circumstances suggested other plans more novel and shrewd. the sight of the turkish ensign floating from the citadel of sfetigrade disheartened the patriots. the tramp of fresh legions from almost all parts of the moslem world was not so ominous of further disaster as were the whispers of discontent from more than one who, like amesa, had ambitions of their own, or, like brave moses goleme, were discouraged regarding ultimate success. but the great heart of castriot sustained the courage of his people, and his genius devised plans for the defence of his land which, for sixteen years yet, were to baffle the skill and weary the energies of the foe. the chief gave orders that morsinia, having eluded capture, should occupy for the day his own tent; for the albanian soldiers, as a rule, were destitute of the luxury of a canvas covering. returning toward the middle of the morning, and having need to enter, he bade constantine call her. no response being given, castriot raised the curtain of the tent. upon a rude matting, which was raised by rough boards a few inches from the earth, her limbs covered with an exquisitely embroidered turkish saddle cloth, morsinia lay asleep. her neck and shoulders were veiled with her hair, which, rich and abundant, fell in cascades of golden beauty upon the ground. the great man stood for a moment gazing upon the sleeping girl. his ordinarily immobile features relaxed. his face, generally passionless, unreadable as that of the sphinx, and impressive only for the mystery of the thoughts it concealed, now became suffused with kindly interest. his smile, as if he had been surprised by the fairness of the vision, was followed by a look of fatherly tenderness. the tears shot into his eyes; but with a deep breath he dropped the curtain, and turned away. of what was he thinking? of little mara cernoviche, his playmate far back in the years? or of himself during those years? strange that career among the turks! and equally strange all the years since he had looked upon the little child asleep by the camp fire at the foot of the balkans! one who gazed into his face at that moment would have discovered that the rough warrior spirit was an outer environment about a gentle and loving nature. he was interrupted by officers crowding about him, bringing intelligence of the enemy, or asking questions relative to the immediate movements of their own commands. these were answered in laconic sentences, each one a flash of strategic wisdom. in the first leisure he put his hand fondly upon constantine's head, and said quietly as he seated himself upon a rock near the tent door-"tell me of last night." as constantine narrated what the reader is already familiar with, dwelling especially upon morsinia's part in the scene at the well, and her courage in the descent from the wall, scanderbeg exclaimed eagerly-"a true daughter of musache de streeses and mara cernoviche! the very impersonation of our albania! her spirit is that of our heroic people, fair as our lakes and as noble as our mountains! but these scenes are too rough for her. her soul is strong enough to endure; but so is the diamond strong enough to keep its shape and lustre amid the stones which the freshet washes together. but it is not well that it should be left to do so. besides, the diamond's strength and inviolable purity will not prevent a robber from stealing it. there are envious eyes upon our treasure. we had better have our diamond cut and set and put away in a casket for a while. we will send her to constantinople. there she will have opportunity to gain in knowledge of the world, and in the courtly graces which fit her princely nature." "would not italy be better?" suggested constantine. "no," said scanderbeg. "the italians are uncertain allies. i know not whom to trust across the adriatic. but phranza, the chamberlain at constantinople, is a noble man. i knew him years ago when i was stationed across the bosphorus, and had committed to me nearly all the ottoman affairs, so far as they affected the greek capital. he is one of the few greeks we may implicitly trust. and, moreover, he agrees with me in seeking a closer alliance between our two peoples. if the christian power at constantinople could be roused against the turk on the east, while we are striking him on the west, we could make the moslem wish he were well out of europe. but italy will do nothing." "the holy father can help, can he not?" asked constantine. "the holy father does not to-day own himself. he is the mere foot-ball of the secular powers, who kick him against one another in their strife. no, our hope is in putting some life into the old greek empire at constantinople. the dolt of an emperor, john, is dead, thanks to azrael[61]! in constantine, who has come to the throne, christendom has hope of something better than to see the heir of the empire of the cæsars dancing attendance upon italian dukes; seeking agreement with the pope upon words of a creed which no one can understand; and demoralizing, with his uncurtained harem, the very turk. if the new emperor has the sense of a flea he will see that the moslem power will have constantinople within a decade, unless the nations can be united in its defence. i would send letters to phranza, and you must be my envoy. with morsinia there, we shall be free from anxiety regarding her; for no danger threatens her except here in her own land--to our shame i say it. a venetian galley touches weekly at durazzo, and sails through the corinthian gulf. you will embark upon that to-morrow night." "but colonel kabilovitsch?" inquired constantine. "he has already started for durazzo, and will make all arrangements. nothing is needed here but a comely garment for morsinia, who left sfetigrade with a briefer toilet than most handsome women are willing to make. colonel kabilovitsch will see that you are provided with money and detailed instructions for the journey." a soldier appeared with a bundle. "a rough lady's maid!" said the general, "but a useful one i will warrant." unrolling the bundle, it proved to be a rich, but plain, dress, donated from a neighboring castle. an hour later scanderbeg held morsinia by both hands, looking down into her eyes. it was a picture which should have become historic. the giant form of the grim old warrior contrasted fully with that of the maiden, as some gnarled oak with the flower that grows at its base. "keep good heart, my daughter," said the general, imprinting a kiss upon her fair brow. she replied with loving reverence in her tone and look, "i thank you, sire, for that title; for the father of his country has the keeping of the hearts of all the daughters of albania." it were difficult to say whether the sweet loveliness in the lines of her face, or the majesty of character and superb heroism that shone through them, gave her the greater fascination as she added, "if jesu wills that among strangers i can best serve my country, there shall be my home." "but you will not long be among strangers. your goodness will make them all friends. beside, god will keep such as you, for he loves the pure and beautiful." morsinia blushed as she answered, "and does god not love the true and the noble? so he will keep thee and albania. does not the sun send down her[62] beams as straight over constantinople as over croia? and does she not draw the mists by as short a cord of her twisted rays from the marmora as from the adriatic? then god can be as near us there as here; and our prayers for thee and our land will go as speedily to the great heart over all. the blessed mary keep you, sire!" "ay, the blessed mary spake the blessing through your lips, my child," responded scanderbeg as he lifted her to her horse. constantine released himself from the general's hearty embrace, and sprang into the saddle at her side. preceded and followed by a score of troopers they disappeared in the deep shadows of a mountain path. footnotes: [61] the death angel. [62] in albanian speech the sun is feminine. chapter xxviii. durazzo lies upon a promontory stretching out into the adriatic. the walls which surrounded it at the time of our story, told, by the weather-wear of their stones, the different ages during which they had guarded the little bay that lies at the promontory's base. a young monk,[63] barletius, to whom colonel kabilovitsch introduced the voyagers, as a travelling companion for a part of their journey, pointed out the great and rudely squared boulders in the lower course of masonry, as the work of the ancient corcyreans, centuries before the coming of christ. the upper courses, he said, were stained with the blood of the greek soldiers of alexius, when the norman robert guiscard assaulted the place, hundreds and hundreds of years ago. indeed, to the monk's historic imagination, the world seemed still wrapped in the mists of the older ages; and, just as the low lying haze, with its mirage effect, contorted the rocks along the shore into domes and pinnacles, so did his fancy invest every object with the greatness of the history with which the old manuscripts had made him familiar. while morsinia listened with a strange entertainment to his rhapsodic narrations, constantine was busy studying the graceful lines of the venetian half-galley that lay at the base of the cliff, and upon which they were to embark; her low deck, cut down in the centre nearly to the water's edge; her sharp, swan-necked prow raised high in air, and balanced by the broad elevation at the stern; the lateen sail that, furled on its boom, hung diagonally against the slender mast; the rows of holes at the side, through which in calm weather the oars were worked; the gay pennant from the mast-head, and the broad banner at the stern, which spread to the light breeze the lion of st. mark. they were soon gliding out of the harbor of durazzo, at first under the regularly timed stroke of a score of oarsmen. rounding the promontory, the west wind filled the sail; and, careening to the leeward, the galley danced toward the south through the light spray of the billows which sung beneath the prow like the strings of a zither. perhaps it was this music of the waves--or it may have been that the wind was blowing straight across from italy; or, possibly, it was the beauty of the maiden reclining upon the cushioned dais of the stern deck--that led the weather-beaten sailing master to take the zither, and sing one after another of petrarch's love songs to laura. though his voice was as hoarse as the wind that crooned through the cordage, and his language scarcely intelligible, the flow of the melody told the sentiment. constantine's eyes sought the face of his companion, as if for the first time he had detected that she was beautiful. and perhaps for the first time in her life morsinia felt conscious that constantine was looking at her;--for she generally withstood his gaze with as little thought of it as she did that of the sky, or of kabilovitsch. even the monk turned his eyes from the magnificent shores of albania, with their beetling headlands and receding bays, to cast furtive glances upon the maiden. the monk's face was a striking one. he was pale, if not from holy vigil, from pouring over musty secular tomes. he had caught the spirit of the revival of learning which, notwithstanding all the superstition of ecclesiastics, was first felt in the cloisters of the church. his forehead was high, but narrow; his eyes mild, yet lustrous; his lower features almost feminine. one familiar with men would have said, "here is a man of patient enthusiasm for things intellectual, a devotee to the ideal. he may be a philosopher, a poet, an artist; but he could never make a soldier, a diplomat, or even a lover, except of the most platonic sort. just the man for a monk. if all monks were like him, the church would be enriched indeed; but, if all like him were monks, the world would be the poorer." among other passengers was a greek monk, gennadius. this man's full beard and long curly forelocks hanging in front of his ears, were in odd contrast with the smooth face and shaven head of the latin monk. though strangers, they courteously saluted each other. however sharp might be the differences in their religious notions, they soon felt the fraternity such as cultured minds and great souls realize in the presence of the sublimities of nature. they studied each other's faces with agreeable surprise as the glories about them drew from their lips vivid outbursts of descriptive eloquence, in which, speaking the latin or greek with almost equal facility, they quoted from the classic poets with which they were equally familiar. as the galley turned eastward into the corinthian gulf there burst upon them a panorama of natural splendor combined with classic enchantment, such as no other spot on the earth presents. the mountainous shores lay about the long and narrow sea, like sleeping giants guarding the outflow of some sacred fountain. back of the northern coast rose, like waking sentinels, the helicon and parnassus, towering thousands of feet into the air; their tops helmeted in ice and plumed with fleecy clouds. the western sun poured upon the track of the voyagers floods of golden lustre which lingered on the still waters, flashed in rainbows from the splashing oars, gilded with glory the hither slope of every projection on either shore, and filled the great gorges beyond with dark purple shadows. as morsinia reclined with her head resting on constantine's shoulder, and drank in the gorgeous, yet quieting, scene, the two monks stood with uncovered heads and, half embracing, chanted together in greek one of the oldest known evening hymns of the christian church. in free translation, it ran thus:- "o jesu, the christ! glad light of the holy! the brightness of god, the father in heaven! at setting of sun, with hearts that are lowly, we praise thee for life this day thou hast given." "i love that hymn," said gennadius, "because it was written long before the schism which rent the holy church into latin and greek." "we will rejoice, then, that by the inspiration of the holy father, eugenius, and the assent of your patriarch, the wound in the body of christ has, after six centuries, at last been healed," replied barletius. "i fear that the healing is but seeming," said the greek. "i was a member of the council of florence, and know the motives of the men who composed it, and the exact meaning of the agreement--which means nothing. your pope cares not a scrap of tinsel from his back for the true christian dogma; and while his ambition led him to desire to become the uniter of christendom, his own bishops, who know him well, were gathered in synod at basil, and pronounced him heretic, perjurer and debauchee." "but you greeks were doubtless more honest," said barletius, with a tone and look of sarcasm. "humph!" grunted gennadius, walking away; but turning about quickly he added, "how could we be honest when, for the sake of the union, we assented to a denial of our most sacred dogmas by allowing the _filioque_?[64] it is not in the power of men living to change the truth as expressed through all past ages in the creed of the true church. our emperor yielded the points to the latins; but holy mark of ephesus and prince demetrius, our emperor's brother, did not. they retired in disgust from italy. why, the very dog of the emperor, that lay on his foot-cloth, scented the heresy to which his master was about to subscribe, and protested against the sacrilege by baying throughout the reading of the act of union. and i learn that the clergy and populace at byzantium are foaming with rage at this impiety of our latinizing emperor. i am hasting thither that i may utter my voice, too, in my cell in prayer, and from the pulpit of st. sophia, against the unholy alliance." "yet," said barletius, with scorn, "your emperor and church authorities subscribed. what sort of a divine spirit do you greeks possess, that prompts you to confess what you do not believe?" "i feel your taunt," replied gennadius. "it is both just and unjust. have not some of your own prelates lately taught that the end justifies the means? the union, though wrong in itself, was justified--according to latin ethics--by the result to be secured, the safety of both greek and latin churches from being conquered by the turks. our eastern empire, the glory of the later cæsars, has already become reduced to the suburbs of byzantium. the empire of justinian and theodosius has not to-day ten thousand soldiers to withstand the myriads of the sultan. there must be union. we must have soldiers, even if we buy them with the price of an article of the creed--nay the loan of the article--for the union will not stand when danger has passed. conscience alone is one thing: conscience under necessity--i speak the ethics of you latins--is another thing. but i abhor the deceit. your bishop, whom you call pope, has no reverence from our hearts, though we were to kiss his toe. you are idolaters with your images of mary and the saints. _filioque_ is a lie!" cried the greek, giving vent to his prejudice and spite. barletius in the meantime had felt other emotions than the holiest being kindled within him by these hot words of his companion; and when the greek had flashed his unseemly denunciation at _filioque_, the latin's soul burst in responsive rage. but he was not accustomed to harsh debate. words were consumed upon his hot lips, or choked in his fury-dried throat. his frame trembled with the pent wrath. his hands clenched until the nails cut into the flesh. but alas for the best saintship, if temptation comes before canonization! the thin hand was raised, and it fell upon the holy brother's face. the blow was returned. but neither of them had been trained to carnal strife, nor had they the skill and strength to do justice to their noble rage. constantine, who leaped forward to act as peace-maker, stopped to laugh at the strange pose of the antagonists; for the greek had valiantly seized the cowl of the latin, and drawn it down over his face; while barletius' thin fingers were wriggling through gennadius' beard, and both were prancing as awkwardly as one-day-old calves about the narrow deck, with the imminent prospect of cooling their spirits by immersion in the water. the presence of this danger led constantine to separate the scufflers; although his laughter at the contestants had made his limbs almost as limp as theirs. the ecclesiastical champions stood glaring their celestial resentment, the one white, the other red, like two statues of burlesque gladiators carved respectively in marble and porphyry. the conflict might have been renewed had not morsinia risen from her cushion, and approached them. but no sooner did gennadius realize the danger of having so much as his gown touched by a woman, than he bolted to the other end of the galley, and sat down, with fright and shame, upon a coil of ropes. the greek had been trained at the monastery on mount athos. from that masculine paradise the fair daughters of eve were as carefully excluded as if they were still the agents of satan, and sent by the devil to work the ruin of those who, by lofty meditation and unnatural asceticism, would return to the pre-marital adamic state of innocence. during the long twilight, and when the night left only the outlines of the mountains sharply defined high up against the star-lit sky, gennadius still sat motionless; his legs crossed beneath him; his head dropped upon his bosom. he gave no response to the salutation of the attendant who brought him the evening meal: nor would he touch it. when the sailors sung the songs whose melody floated over the sea, keeping time to the cadences of the light waves which bent but did not break the surface, the monk put his fingers into his ears. he tried to drive out worldly thoughts by recalling those precepts of an ancient saint which, for four hundred years, had been prescribed at mount athos for those who would quiet their perturbed souls and rise into the upper light of god. they were such as these. "seat thyself in a corner; raise thy mind above all things vain and transitory; recline thy beard and chin upon thy breast; turn thy eyes and thoughts toward the middle of thy belly, the region of the navel; and search the place of the heart, the seat of the soul, which when discovered will be involved in a mystic and ethereal light." barletius, equally chagrined by his display of temper before the laity, sought relief by inflicting upon himself a task of pater nosters, which he tallied off on his beads, made of olive-wood and sent him by a learned monk at bethlehem. when his punishment seemed accomplished, morsinia asked him, "good father, why did you quarrel with the stranger?" barletius entered into a long explanation of the faith of the roman church at the point challenged by the greek. "i understand your words," said morsinia, "but i do not understand their meaning." "it is not necessary that you should, my child. if holy church understands, it is enough. a child may not understand all that the mother knows; yet believes the mother's word. so should you believe what mother church says." "i would believe every word that mother church speaks, even though i do not understand why she speaks it," said morsinia reverently. "but how can one believe another's words when one does not know what they mean; when they give no thought? now what you say about the 'procession of the spirit,' and the 'begetting of the son,' i do not get any clear thought about; and how then can i believe it in my heart." the monk cast a troubled look upon the fair inquirer, and replied-"then you must simply believe in holy church which believes the truth." "and say i believe the creed, when i only believe that the church believes the creed?" queried the girl. "it is enough. happy are you if you seek to know no more. beware of an inquisitive mind. it leads one astray from truth, as a wayward disposition soon departs from virtue. credo! credo! credo! help thou mine unbelief! should be your prayer. restrain your thoughts as the helmsman yonder keeps our prow on the narrow way we are going. how soon you would perish if you should attempt to find your way alone out there on the deep! woe to those who, like these wretched greeks, depart from truth, and teach men so. anathema, maranatha!" "but, tell me, good father, can that be necessary to be believed, about which whole nations, like the greeks, differ from other nations, like the latins? i have seen greeks at their worship, and bowed with them, and felt that god was near and blessing us all. and i have heard them say, when they were dying, that they saw heaven open; and they reached out their arms to be taken by the angels. does not jesu save them, though they may err about that which we trust to be the truth?" "my child, you must not think of these things," said barletius kindly. "it is better that you sleep now. the air is growing chill. wrap your cloak closely even beneath the deck." he walked away, repeating a line from virgil as he scanned the star-gemmed heavens. "suadentque cadentia sidera somnos." wrapping his hood close over his face, he lay down upon the deck. footnotes: [63] marinus barletius, a latin monk of the time, has given us in his chronicles, the most extended account of scanderbeg. [64] filioque; "and the son." the latin church holds that the holy spirit proceeds from the father _and the son_. the greeks deny the latter part of the proposition. chapter xxix. two new comers joined the party at corinth, where, crossing the isthmus on horses, they re-embarked. one was giustiniani, a genoese, of commanding form and noble features, the very type of chivalric gentility, bronzed by journeyings under various skies, and scarred with the memorials of heroic soldiership on many fields. the other was a dacian, short of stature, with broad and square forehead, and a crooked neck which added to the sinister effect of his squinting eyes. "well, urban," said the genoese, "you still have confidence in your new ordnance, and think that saltpetre and charcoal are to take the place of the sword, and that every lout who can strike a fire will soon be a match for a band of archers:--eh!" "yes, sire, and if the emperor would only allow me a few hundred ducats, i would cast him a gun which, from yonder knoll, would heave a stone of five talents'[65] weight, and crash through any galley ever floated from the docks of genoa or venice. four such guns on either side would protect this isthmus from a fleet. but, i tell you, noble giustiniani, that without taking advantage of our new science, the emperor cannot hold out long against the turk. the turk is using gunpowder. he is willing to learn, and has already learned, what the emperor will find out to his cost, that the walls of constantinople itself cannot long endure the battering of heavy cannon." "you are right, urban," replied the genoese. "the turk is also ahead of us in the art of approaching citadels. i have no doubt that his zigzag trenches[66] give the assailant almost equality with the besieged in point of safety. i will gladly use my influence at the court of byzantium in behalf of your scheme for founding large cannon, urban; if, perchance, the defence of the empire may receive a tithe of the treasure now squandered in princely parades and useless embassages." the galley glided smoothly through the little gulf of ægina, with its historic bays of eleusis and salamis. giustiniani and urban discussed the disposition of the greek and persian fleets during the ancient fight at salamis, as they moved under the steep rocky hill on which xerxes sat to witness the battle. they soon rounded the headland, opposite the tomb of themistocles, and anchored in the harbor of the piræus. this port of athens was crowded with shipping. there were spanish galleasses like floating castles, with huge turrets at stem and stern, rowed by hundreds of galley slaves. other vessels of smaller size floated the standard of france. those of the maritime cities of italy vied with one another in the exquisite carving of their prows and the gaiety of their banners. the chief attention was centred upon a splendid galley of byzantium, whose deck was covered with silken awnings, beneath which a band of music floated sweet strains over the waters. this was the vessel of the imperial chamberlain, phranza, who, having been entertained in athens with honors befitting his dignity, was now about to return to constantinople. giustiniani ordered his galley alongside of that of the chamberlain, by whom he was received with distinguishing favors. constantine took this opportunity to deliver, through the genoese, scanderbeg's letters to phranza. they were read with evident gratification by the chamberlain. with a hearty welcome, not devoid of some curiosity on his part, as he scrutinized the appearance of the strangers, he invited constantine and his companion to complete their journey in his galley. morsinia was at first as much dazed by the splendor, as she was mortified by her ignorance of the formalities, with which she was received. but the natural dignity of her bearing stood her in good stead of more courtly graces: for these modern greeks emulated those of ancient times in the reverence they paid to womanly beauty. the chamberlain was somewhat past middle life. he was a man whose studious habits, as the great historian of his times, did not dull his brilliancy as the master of etiquette. nor had his astuteness as a statesman been acquired by any sacrifice of his taste for social intrigues. the diversions from the cares of state, which other great men have found at the gaming-table or in their cups, phranza sought in studying the mysteries of female character; admiring its virtues, and yet not averse to finding entertainment in its foibles. a true greek, he believed that physical beauty was the index of the rarer qualities of mind and heart. he would have been a consenting judge at the trial of that beautiful woman in the classic story, the perfection of whose unrobed form disproved the charge of her crime. he was such an ardent advocate of the absolute authority of the emperor that, though of decided aristocratic tendencies, he held that no marriage alliance, however high the rank of the bride, could add to the dignity of the throne: indeed, that beauty alone could grace the couch of a king; that the first of men should wed the fairest of women, and thus combine the aristocracy of rank with the aristocracy of nature. he had frequent opportunities to express his peculiar views on this subject; for, among the problems which then perplexed his statecraft, was that of the marriage of the emperor--that the succession might not be left to the hazard of strife among the families of the blood of the palæologi. had the choice of the royal spouse been left entirely in his hands, he would have made the selection on no other principle than that adopted by the purveyor of plumage for the court, who seeks the rarest colors without regard to the nesting-place of the bird. the genuine politeness of the courtier, together with morsinia's womanly tact in adapting herself to her new environment, soon relieved her from the feeling of restraint, and the hours of the voyage passed pleasantly. her conversation, which was free from the conventionalities of the day, was, for this very reason, as refreshing to phranza as the simple forms of nature--the mountain stream, the tangles of vines and wild flowers--are to the habitués of cities. there was a native poetry in her diction, an artlessness in her questions, and a transparent honesty in her responses. indeed, her very manner unveiled the features of so exalted and healthy a mind, of a disposition so frank and ingenuous, of a character so delicately pure and exquisitely beautiful, that they compensated many fold any lack of artificial culture. the great critic of woman forgot to study her face: he only gazed upon it. he ceased to analyze her character: he simply felt her worth. but no fairness of a maiden, be she albanian or greek, can long monopolize the attention of an elderly man whose swift vessel bears him through the clustering glories of the ægean. nor could any awe for his rank, or interest in his learned conversation, absorb morsinia from these splendors which glowed around her. they gazed in silence upon the smooth and scarcely bending sea, which, like a celestial mirror, reflected all the hues of the sky--steely blue dissolving into softest purple; white mists transfused by sunset's glow into billows of fire; monolithic islands flashing with the colors of mighty agates in the prismatic air; clouds white as snow and clear cut as diamonds, lifting themselves from the horizon like the "great white throne" that st. john saw from the cliffs of patmos yonder. crossing the ægean, the voyagers hugged the old trojan coast until off the straits of the hellespont. they lay during a day under the lee of yeni sheyr shoals, and at night ran the gauntlet of the new turkish forts, khanak-kalesi and khalid-bahar, at the entrance to the sea of marmora. two days later there broke upon the view that most queenly of cities, byzantium, reclining upon the tufted couch of her seven hills, by the most lovely of seas, like a nymph beside her favorite fountain. the galley glided swiftly by the "seven towers," which guard on marmora the southern end of the enormous triple wall. the bastions and towers of this famous line of defenses cut their bold profile against the sky for a distance of five or six miles in a straight line, until the wall met the extremity of the golden horn on the north; thus making the city in shape like a triangle--the base of gigantic masonry; the sides of protecting seas. gay barges and kaiks shot out from the shore to form a welcoming pageant to the returning chamberlain. with easy oars they drifted almost in the shadows of the cypress trees which lined the bank and hid the residences of wealthy greek merchants and the pavilions of princes. the lofty dome of st. sophia flashed its benediction upon the travelers, and its challenge of a better faith far across the bosphorus to the asiatic moslem, whose minarets gleamed like spear-heads from beside their mosques. from the point where the golden horn meets the strait of the bosphorus and the sea of marmora, rose the palace of the emperor, embowered in trees, and surrounded with gardens which loaded the air with the perfume of rarest flowers and the song of birds. rounding the point into the golden horn, the grim old genoese tower of galata, on the opposite bank, saluted them with its drooping banner. they dropped anchor in the lovely harbor. strong arms with a few strokes sent the tipsy kaiks from the galley through the rippling water to the landing. an elegant palanquin brought the wife of phranza to meet her lord. another, which was designed for the chamberlain, he courteously assigned to morsinia; while constantine and the gentlemen of the suite mounted the gaily caparisoned horses that were in readiness. the chamberlain insisted upon morsinia and constantine becoming his guests, at least until their familiarity with the city should make it convenient for them to reside elsewhere. footnotes: [65] a modern greek talent weighs 125 english pounds. [66] the present art of "slow approach" was an invention of the turks. chapter xxx. the house of phranza was rather a series of houses built about a square court, in which were parterres of rarest plants, divided from each other by walks of variegated marble, and moistened by the spray of fountains. morsinia's palanquin was let down just within the gateway. a young woman assisted her to alight, and conducted her to apartments elegantly furnished with all that could please a woman's eye, though she were the reigning beauty of a court, instead of one brought up as a peasant in a distant province, and largely ignorant of the arts of the toilet. she was bewildered with the strangeness of her surroundings, and sat down speechless upon the cushion to gaze about her. was she herself? it required the remembrance that constantine was somewhere near her to enable her to realize her own identity, and that she had not been changed by some fairy's wand into a real princess. "will my lady rest?" said the attendant, in softest greek. morsinia was familiar with this language, which was used more or less everywhere in servia and albania; but she had never heard it spoken with such sweetness. the words would have been restful to hear, though she had not understood their meaning. without hesitation she resigned herself to the hands of the servant, who relieved her of her outer apparel. another maiden brought a tray of delicate wafers of wheat, and flasks of light wine, with figs and dates. a curtain in the wall, being drawn, exposed the bath; a great basin of mottled marble, and a little fountain scattering a spray scented with roses. morsinia began to fear that she had been mistaken for some great lady, whose wardrobe was expected to be brought in massive chests, and whose personal ornaments would rival the toilet treasures of the queen of sheba. there entered opportunely several tire-women, laden with silks and linens, laces and shawls, every portion of female attire, in every variety of color and shape--from the strong buskin to the gauze veil so light that it will hide from the eye less than it reveals to the imagination. the guest was about to question her attendants, when one gave her a note, hastily written by constantine, and simply saying-"be surprised at nothing." phranza had expressed to constantine the deep interest of the emperor in the career of scanderbeg, and his plans for morsinia. "scanderbeg," said he, "is the one hero of our degenerate age; the only arm not beaten nerveless by the blows of the turk. i have asked nothing concerning yourself, my young man; nor need i know more than that such a chieftain is interested in you and your charge. your great captain informs me (reading from a letter), that any service we may render you here will be counted as service to albania; and that any favor we may bestow upon the lady will be as if shown to his own child. is she of any kin to him?" "i may not speak of that," replied the youth, "except to tell that her blood is noble, and that general castriot has made her safety his care. an albanian needs but to know that this is the will of our loving and wise chieftain, to defend morsinia with his life." "you speak her name with familiarity," said phranza. "it is the custom of our people," replied constantine, coloring. "the trials of our country have thrown nobles and peasants into more intimate relations than would perhaps be allowed in a settled condition. this, too, may have influenced general castriot in sending her here, where her life may be more suitable to her gentle blood." "it is enough!" exclaimed phranza. "if our distance from albania, and our own pressing difficulties and dangers do not allow us to send aid to your hero, we can show him our respect and gratitude by treating her, whom he would have as his child, as if she were our own. and now for yourself--well! you shall have what, if i mistake you not, your discreet mind and lusty muscles most crave--an opportunity 'to win your spurs,' as the western knights would say. events are thickening into a crash, the out-come of which no one can foresee, except that the moslem or the christian shall hold all from the euxine to the adriatic. this double empire cannot long exist. scanderbeg's arms alone are keeping the sultan from trying again the strength of our walls. a disaster there; an assault here! you serve the one cause whether here or there." "i give my fealty to the emperor as i would to my general," replied the young man warmly. constantine found himself arrayed before night in the costume of a subaltern officer of the imperial guard, and assigned to quarters at the barracks in the section of the city near to the house of the chamberlain. his brief training under the eye of castriot, and his hazardous service, had developed his great natural talent for soldiership into marvellous acquirements for one of his years. with the foils, in the saddle, in mastery of tactics, in engineering ability displayed at the walls--which were being constantly strengthened--he soon took rank with the most promising. by courtesy of the chamberlain he was allowed the freest communication with morsinia, and was often the guest of her host; especially upon excursions of pleasure up the golden horn to the "sweet waters," along the western shore of the bosphorus, to the princess island, and such other spots on the sea of marmora as were uninfested by piratical turks. morsinia became the favorite not only of the wife of phranza, but of the ladies of the court, and the object of especial devotion on the part of the nobles and officers of the emperor's suite. but it would have required more saintliness of female disposition than was ever found in the court of a byzantine emperor, to have smothered the fires of jealousy, when, at a banquet given at the palace, morsinia was placed at the emperor's right hand. it might not be just to phranza to say that to his suggestion was due the praise of morsinia's beauty and queenly bearing, which the emperor overheard from many of the courtiers' lips. perhaps the charms of her person forced this spontaneous commendation from them: as it was asserted by some of the more elderly of the ladies--whom long study had made proficient in the art of reading kings' hearts from their faces, that the monarch found an esther in the albanian. the reigning beauty at the court of constantine palælogus at this time was the daughter of a genoese admiral. though not reputed for amiability, she won the friendship of morsinia by many delicate attentions. gifts of articles of dress, ornaments and such souvenirs as only one woman can select for another, seemed to mark her increasing attachment. a box of ebony, richly inlaid with mother of pearl, and filled with delicious confections, was one day the offering upon the shrine of her sisterly regard. the wife of phranza, in whose presence the box was opened, on learning the name of the donor, besought morsinia not to taste the contents; and giving a candied fig to a pet ape, the brute sickened and died before the night. an event contributed to the rumors which associated the name of the fair albanian with the special favors of the emperor. an embassage from the doge of venice had brightened the harbor with their galleys. a gondola sheathed in silver, floated upon the waters of the golden horn, like a white swan, and was moored at the foot of the palace garden--the gift of the doge. another, its counterpart, was in the harbor of venice--the possession of the daughter of the doge; but waiting to join its companion, if the imperial heart could be persuaded to accept with it the person of its princely owner. better than the ideal marriage of venice with the sea--the ceremony of which was annually observed--would be the marriage of the two seas, the adriatic and the ægean; and the reunion of their families of confluent waters under the double banner of st. mark and byzantium. but the grand duke lucas notaris, who was also grand admiral of the empire, declared openly that he would sooner hold alliance with the turk than with a power representing that schismatic latin church. the hereditary nobles protested against such a menace to social order as, in their estimate, a recognition of a republic like venice would be. but it was believed that more potent in its influence over the emperor than these outcries, was the whisper of phranza that the silver gondola of venice was fairer than its possessor; and that queenly beauty awaited elsewhere the imperial embrace. no habitué of the court knew less of this gossip than morsinia herself; nor did she suspect any unusual attention paid her by the emperor to be other than an expression of regard for castriot, whose ward she was known to be. or if, when they were alone, his manner betrayed a fondness, she attributed it to his natural kindliness of disposition, or to that desire for recreation which persons in middle life, burdened with cares, find in the society of the young and beautiful; for no purpose of modesty could hide from morsinia the knowledge which her mirror revealed. she had, too, the highest respect for the piety of the emperor; the deepest sympathy with him in his distress for the evils which were swarming about his realm; and a true admiration for the courage of heart with which he bore up against them. it was therefore with a commingling of religious, patriotic, and personal interest that she gave herself up to his entertainment whenever he sought her society. that she might understand him the better, and be able to converse with him, she learned from phranza much of the history of recent movements, both without and within the empire. so expert had she become in these matters that the chamberlain playfully called her his prime minister. chapter xxxi. one evening the lower bosphorus and the golden horn were alive with barges and skiffs, which cut the glowing water with their spray-plumed prows and flashing blades. thus the tired day toilers were accustomed to seek rest, and the idlers of fashion endeavored to quicken their blood in the cool wind which, from the heights of the phrygian olympus, poured across the sea of marmora. the emperor, attended by one of his favorite pages, appeared upon the rocky slope which is now known as seraglio point. a number of boats, containing the ladies and gentlemen of the court, drew near to the shore. it was the custom of his majesty to accept the brief hospitality of one and another of these parties, and for the others to keep company with him; so that the evening sail was not unlike a saloon reception upon the water. the dais of phranza's boat was, on the evening to which we refer, occupied by morsinia alone; and, as the rowers raised the oars in salute of his majesty, he waved his hand playfully to the others, saying: "the chamberlain is so occupied to-day that he has no time to attend to his own household. i will take his place, with the permission of the dove of albania." "your majesty needs rest," said morsinia, making place for him at her side on the dais, which filled the stern of the barge, and over which hung a silken awning. "your face, sire, betokens too much thought to-day." throwing himself down, he replied lazily: "i would that our boat were seized by some sea sprite, and borne swift as the lightnings to where the sun yonder is making his rest, beyond the hellespont, beyond the pillars of hercules, beyond the world! but you shall be my sprite for the hour. your conversation, so different to that of the court, your charming arnaout accent, and thoughts as natural as your mountain flowers, always lead me away from myself." "i thank heaven, sire, if jesu gives to me that holy ministry," replied she blushing deeply and diverting the conversation. "but why are you so sad when everything is so beautiful about us? is it right to carry always the burden of empire upon your heart?" "alas!" replied he, "i must carry the burden while i can, for the time may not be far distant when i shall have no empire to burden me. events are untoward. while sultan amurath lives our treaty will prevent any attack upon the city. but if another should direct the moslem affairs, our walls yonder would soon shake with the assault of the enemy of christendom. nothing but the union of the christian powers can save us." "and you have the union with rome?" suggested morsinia. "a union of shadows to withstand an avalanche," replied the emperor. "the pope is impotent. he can only promise a score of galleys and his good offices with the powers. at the same time our monks have almost raised an insurrection against the throne for listening to the proposition of alliance to which my lamented brother subscribed during the last days of his reign." "but god," replied morsinia, "is wiser than we, and will not allow the throne of the righteous to be shaken. i have looked to-day at the marvellous dome of st. sophia. as i gazed into its mighty vault, and thought of the great weight of the stones which made it, i looked about to see upon what it rested. the light columns and walls, far spread, seemed all insufficient to support it. as i stood looking, i was at first so filled with fear that i dared not linger. but then i remembered that a great architect had made it; and that so it had stood for many centuries, and had trembled with songs of praise from millions upon millions of worshippers who in all these generations have gathered under it. then i stood as quietly beneath it as i am now under the great vault of the sky. and surely, sire, this christian empire was founded in deeper wisdom than that of the architect. are not the pillars of god's promises its sure support? have not holy men said that so long as the face of jesu[67] looks down from above the great altar, the sceptre shall not depart from him who worships before it?" "but," said palælogus, "god rejects his people for their sins. the empire's misfortunes have not been greater than its crimes. as the rising mists return in rain, so the sins of constantinople, rising for centuries, will return with storms of righteous retribution. and i fear it will be in our day; for the clouds hang low, and mutter ominously, and there is no bright spot within the horizon." "say not so, my emperor!" cried morsinia earnestly. "a breath of wind is now scattering yonder cloud over olympus; and the lightest moving of god's will can do more. do you not remember the words of a holy father, which i have often heard one of our latin priests repeat to those fearful because of their past lives;--'beware lest thou carry compunctions for the past after thou hast repented and prayed. that is to doubt god's grace.' but i am a child, sire, and should not speak thus to the emperor." "a child?" said his majesty, gazing upon her superb form and strong womanly features. "well! a child can see as far into the sky as the most learned and venerable; and your faith, my child, rests me more than all the earth-drawn assurances of my counsellors. where have you learned so to trust? i would willingly spend my days in the convent of athos or monastir to learn it! but i fear me the holy monks have it not of so strong and serene a sort as yours." "i have learned it, sire, as my heart has read it from my own life. my years are scarcely more numerous than my rescues have been, when to human sight there was no escape from death, or what i dreaded worse than death. i have learned to hold a hand that i see not; and it has never failed. nor will it fail the anointed of the lord; for such thou art. but see! yonder comes my brother constantine. i know him from his rowing. they who learn the oars on mountain lakes never get the stroke they have who learn it at the sea." the emperor turning in the direction indicated, frowned, and said angrily, "your brother has forgotten the regulations, and is in danger of discipline for rowing within the lines allowed only to the court." the boat came nearer; not steadily, but turning to right and left, stopping and starting as if directed by something at a distance which the rower was watching. the emperor's attention was turned almost at the same instant to a light boat shooting toward them from an opposite direction. the occupant of this was a monk. his black locks, mingled with his black beard, gave a wildness to his appearance, which was increased by the excited and rapid manner of his propelling the craft. "something unusual has occurred, or they would wait the finding of another messenger than he," said the emperor. the monk's boat glided swiftly. when within a few yards of the barge in which the emperor was the man stood up, his eyes flashing, and his whole attitude that of some vengeful fiend. "hold!" shouted the rowers of the royal barge, endeavoring to turn the craft so as to avoid a collision. "the man is crazed!" said morsinia. but at the instant when the two boats would have come together, another, that of constantine, shot between them and received the blow. its thin sides were broken by the shock. the monk who had come to the very prow, and drawn a knife from his bosom, cried out, "to the devil with the prince of the azymites."[68] he leaped upon constantine's boat in order to reach that containing the emperor: but was caught in the strong arms of constantine who fell with him into the water. the monk gripped with his antagonist so that they sank together. in a few seconds, however, constantine emerged. a thin streamer of blood floated from him. he was drawn upon the barge. morsinia's hand tore off the loose gold-laced jacket, and found the wound to be a deep, but not dangerous flesh cut across the shoulder. it was several moments before the monk appeared. he gasped and sank again forever. constantine stated that the day before, while aiding in the erection of a platform for some small culverin that urban had cast, the latter spoke to him of the marvellous mosaic ornamentation in the vestibule of the little church just beyond the walls, and took him thither. the monk was there, and passed in and out, evidently demented, and muttering to himself curses upon the latinizers. constantine thought little of this at the time; for a mad monk was not an uncommon sight in the city. but observing the same man at the quay hiring a boat, he determined to watch him. hence the sequel. footnotes: [67] a face of christ was wrought in mosaic in the wall above the chancel of st. sophia. the turks still have a traditional saying that the christian shall not again possess constantinople until the face of jesus appears visibly in st. sophia. at the time of its capture by the moslems this picture of christ was painted over. it is now again dimly discerned through the fading and scaling paint. [68] the "azymites" were those who used unleavened bread in the sacrament, and at the time of which we are writing the word was used among the greeks as a term of reproach to the latinizers, that is, those who favored union with the latin church. chapter xxxii. the members of phranza's family were dining, as was their custom on pleasant days, under the great fig tree in the garden; a favorite spot with the chamberlain when allowed that privacy of life and domestic retirement which were seldom enjoyed by one whose duty it was to show the courtesies of the empire to ambassadors and distinguished visitors from the ends of the earth. "i would willingly exchange conditions with old guerko, the gate keeper, to-day," said phranza, pushing from him the untasted viands. "the gate-keeper of an empire has less liberty and rest." "what new burden has the council put upon you, my lord?" said his wife. "remember that your little prime minister will help you," interposed morsinia playfully. phranza glanced with a kindly but troubled look at her---"the wheels of the public good grind up the hearts of individuals remorselessly," continued the good man. "here am i with a spouse as fair as juno; yet i must leave her for months, and maybe years, that i may seek a spouse for the emperor. i am to make a tour of all christian courts; sampling delicate bits of female loveliness, and weighing paternal purses. but sacred policy takes the place of holy matrimony among the great. an emperor and empress are not to be man and wife, but only the welding points of two kingdoms, though their hearts are burned and crushed in the nuptials. i had hoped that his majesty would assert his sovereignty sufficiently to declare that, in this matter, he would exercise the liberty which the commonest boor possesses, and choose who should share his couch, and be the mother of his children. but the very day after his escape from the mad monk, he put the keeping of his royal heart into the hands of his ministers. the shock of the attempt upon his life, or something else (glancing at morsinia), seems to have turned his head with fear for the succession. so, to-morrow i sail to the euxine to inspect the circassian beauties, who are said to bloom along its eastern shore. but my dear wife will be consoled for my absence by the return of our nephew alexis, who, i learn from my letters, is already at athens, having wearied of his sojourn among the italians, and will be with you before many days. heaven grant that he has not become tainted with the vices of the italians, which are even worse than those of the byzantines. i trust he will find his aunt's care, and the sisterly offices of our albanian daughter, more potently helpful than my counsel would have been." the magnificent retinue, the splendid galleys, the untold treasures scraped from the bottom of the imperial coffers, with which, on the following day, the chamberlain sailed away through the bosphorus to the euxine, were but poor compensation to his loving household for his prolonged absence. nor was his place adequately filled by alexis with his fine form and western elegance of manners. in one respect phranza's wish was met; for if the care of his aunt was not appreciated by the young man, the sisterly offices of the fair albanian were. morsinia's respect for the absent phranza led her to allow more attention from alexis than her heart, or even her judgment, would have suggested. the young nobleman soon entangled himself in the web of her unconscious fascination. it was not until with passionate ardor he told his love, that morsinia realized her fatal power over him. but with a true woman's frankness and firmness, she endeavored to dispel the illusion his ardent fancy had created. "if i have not yet won you," cried the impetuous youth, "do not tell me that my suit is hopeless. it was folly in me to dream that you would see in me anything worthy of your love, so soon as your transcendent beauty of face and soul made me feel that you were all worthy of mine. let me prove myself by months or years of devotion, if you will. if i do not now merit your esteem, surely the charm of daily looking upon you will make me better; the sweetness of your spirit will change mine; then as you see in me some impression of your own goodness, you will not scorn and repel me. i beg that you will make of me what you will, and love me as you can. i am not harder than the marble of which pygmalion made the statue he loved. mould me, morsinia!" "it is not that you are not worthy of me, alexis. the nephew of phranza need not humiliate himself at the feet of any king's daughter. but--but--it may not be! it cannot be!" and, gently releasing the hand she had allowed him to seize, she withdrew to her own chamber. alexis stood for a moment as if stupefied with his disappointment. this feeling was followed by a chagrin, which showed itself in the deep color mounting his haughty face. then rage ensued, and he stamped upon the ground as if crushing some helpless thing beneath his feet, and muttered to himself: "if not i, no man shall have her and live. can it be that albanian constantine? who is that vagrant? that menial? that hell-headed hireling who follows her? angels and toads do not brood together; and he is of no kin to her." chapter xxxiii. through a narrow street, lighted by the lanterns which hung before the doors of the few wine shops that were still open--for the hour was late--a man, wrapped in a hooded cloak, went stumbling over the dogs that were asleep in the middle of the way, and not unfrequently over the watchmen lying upon the mats before the closed entrances to the bazaars they were guarding. he entered one wine shop after another, muttering an oath of disappointment as he withdrew from each. at length he turned into an alley, which seemed like a mere crevice in the compact mass of houses, and threaded his way between windowless and doorless walls, until the passage widened into a small and filthy court. at the extreme rear of this a lamp was just flickering with its exhausted oil, and only sufficed to show him a doorway. rapping gently he called in italian: "pedro! giovan!" the door was opened by a short, stout man with bullet head, who spread himself across the entrance and peered into the face of the late comer. two villainous looking men stared through the lurid glare of a rush light on a low table, at which, squatted on the ground, they were playing dice. a purse or pouch of gold thread, decorated with some device wrought with pearls and various precious stones, lay beside them. "ah, the gentleman from genoa!" exclaimed one. "you are quite welcome to our castle. ricardo, where is the stool? well! if you can't find it, lie down, and let the gentleman sit on your head." "you appear to be in luck, pedro, if i am to judge from the purse yonder," said the visitor. "your lady has taken you back to her affection, and given you this as a love token, i suppose." "i'll tell you the secrets of my lady's chamber, signior, when you tell me those of yours," replied pedro. "perhaps," interposed giovan, "the gentleman would have us help him in to the secrets of his lady's chamber. how now, signior alexis, have you trapped a new beauty so soon in byzantium?" "let's throw for this before we talk," interposed ricardo, holding the purse in one hand and a dice cup in the other. "one business at a time." the three men threw. the stake fell to ricardo, who thrust the rich prize into his dirty pocket, where a third of the contents of the purse had previously been deposited. "may i see the little bag?" asked alexis. "no!" was the surly response. "you see, signior," interposed giovan, in an attempt to mitigate the rudeness of his comrade, "you see it was a trust from--from a dead man, who was afraid to take it with him to purgatory, lest the fire might tarnish it. so we keep it for him until he comes back. and we are still in the trust business, signior! our credit is without a stain. you know it was just a suspicion of our integrity--we would not have our honor even suspected by the police--that led us to leave genoa. will you trust us with any little business?" "do you know the albanian officer in the emperor's guards?" asked alexis. "no, and want to know nothing about officers of any sort," growled giovan. "ay!" interposed ricardo, "the red-topped fellow, with a body like giovan's, and the neck the right height to come under my sword arm?" making the gesture of cutting off one's head with a sabre. "does he disturb you?" "yes!" "it will be worth a hundred ducats," said giovan. "a hundred and fifty," said ricardo; and, lowering his voice to the others, added, "i need fifty, and i would take only my even share." "you shall have it," said alexis, counting out the gold. "if you deceive me, you know that one word from me here in byzantium will cost you your heads. good night!" when he had gone, giovan said in low voice: "i say, pedro, we will divide a thousand ducats out of this." "how?" exclaimed the two. "the young officer is brother to the lady at the grand chamberlain's. she will pay heavy ransom if we deliver him instead of--" drawing his finger across his throat. "of course we should have to leave byzantium. but ricardo and i have concluded that it were best to be gone anyhow; for the people here are so poor that our business does not thrive. this purse once held ducats, but when we took it, it had only silver bits. we pocket-bankers need better constituency." "yes, we had better get out of this," said pedro. "general giustiniani has come to live in galata.[69] he got his weasel-eyes on me yesterday as i was doing a little business by the old wharf. that man knows too much, he does. but he'll never get me on the galley benches again. i'd crawl like a mud turtle on the bottom of marmora before i'd go under the hatches a second time. i like freedom and fresh air, i do--" blowing out of his face the thick smoke emitted by the wick floating on the surface of a saucer of oil. "right!" said giovan. "let's get out of this if we can do so with enough gold to pay our royal travelling expenses. but if we spare the neck of that fellow who is in signior alexis' way, where will we keep him that alexis will not know it?" "our mansion here is hardly commodious enough for so distinguished and lively a guest as the young officer will be likely to be," said ricardo, scraping the spiders' webs from the low ceiling of the room with his cap. "try the old water vault," suggested pedro. "good!" said ricardo, "when the albanian goes to the walls, as he does every day, he will pass near to the opening." footnote: [69] a suburb of constantinople, occupied by the genoese. chapter xxxiv. the day following the three ruffians lingered about the site of the old hippodrome--through the open space of which the citizens passed in going from one part of the city to another. toward evening a stone was thrown against the bronze-sheathed column, or walled pyramid, which still held some of the great plates that in the palmy days of byzantium made it one of the wonders of the city. it was the signal for alertness. a short-bodied, long-armed, red-haired man, dressed in the white kilt and gold-embroidered jacket of a citizen, sauntered leisurely through the hippodrome. he measured with his eye the space which once blazed with the splendor of fashion, when, beneath the imperial eye of a justinian or theodosius, the horses of araby and thracia ran, and the factions of "the blues" and "the greens" shouted, and the whirling wheels of the golden chariots sprinkled the dust upon the multitudes. the man paused to gaze at the bronze column of three intertwined serpents, with silver-crested heads, which was believed to have been brought from the temple at delphi to his new city by the great constantine. he stood reverently before the tall egyptian obelisk of rose-granite, whose light red glowed with deeper hue in the eastern flush of the twilight sky; puzzled over its vertical lines of hieroglyphs which thirty centuries had not obliterated, and studied the figures on its marble base, representing the machines used by the engineers of theodosius in hoisting the great monolith to its place, a thousand years ago. broken statues--the spoil of conquered cities in generations of greek prowess which shamed the supineness of the present, stood or lay about the grand pillar of porphyry, which was once surmounted by the statue of apollo wrought by phidias. "shame for such neglect!" muttered the man. "a people that cannot keep its art from cracking to pieces with age, cannot long keep the old empire of the cæsars." the narrow street to the north of the hippodrome square shut out the remnant of daylight as the man turned into it. his attention was drawn by the groaning of some poor outcast crouching in the dark shadow of an angle in the wall. as he stooped to inspect this object a stunning blow fell upon his head. two stalwart men instantly pinioned his arms. they rolled his helpless body a few yards, and carried or slid it down a flight of steps into a dark cavern, whose sides echoed their footfalls and whispers, as if it were the place of the last judgment where the secrets of life are all to be proclaimed. reaching the bottom, one of the men produced a light. the glare seemed to excavate a hollow sphere out of the thick darkness, but revealed nothing, except the spectral flash of the bats flitting around the heads of the intruders, and the damp earthen floor upon which the men had thrown their victim. at length great forms rose through the gloom, like the trunks of a forest. the water of a subterranean lake gleamed from near their feet, but its smooth black sheen was soon lost in the darkness. a small boat, or raft, was near, into which the man was lifted; one of the ruffians sitting on his feet, the other by his head, while the third propelled the craft by pushing against great granite pillars between which they passed. after going some distance the boat ground its bottom against a mass of fallen masonry and dirt, which made a sort of island, perhaps twenty feet across. here they landed, and dragged their victim. "what would you have with me?" said the prostrate man. "it is enough that we have you," said pedro, in broken greek. "we want nothing more; not even to keep your miserable carcass, since we have already got our pay for burying it. i'll be your father-confessor and shrive you. if you like the latin--absolvo te! and away go your sins as easily as i can strip this gold-laced jacket off your back. or if you prefer the greek--by the horns of nebuchadnezzar, i've forgotten the priestly words! but i'll shrive you all the same without the holy mumble. and if you want to pray a bit yourself, why fold your feet in front of your nose and kneel on your back." "why do you kill me?" said the man. "i am nothing to you." "nothing to us, but something to him who has hired us. as honest men we must do what we were paid to do." "unless i can pay you more," said the man, instantly taking a hopeful hint. "do you wear the belt of phranza, that you think you can pay so much?" replied one of the ruffians, feeling about the person of the helpless man. "what i have i give--a hundred ducats." "a hundred! are you love-crossed that you value life so little? you'll skin well, my gentle lambkin; and as you are half tanned already, we will sell your hide to the buskin maker for almost that sum; and your fat (feeling his ribs) will grease a hundred galley masts. a thousand ducats is your value, you albanian imp!" "i do not possess so much," said the victim. "but your sister does," said the ruffian; and not noting the surprised look of the man, continued: "we have arranged for that. your life is worth to us just one thousand ducats of gold. sign this!" producing a bit of paper on which was something written. "i cannot read it in this light. you read it. i may trust such honest fellows as you are." the man read--"to my sister, the albanian, at the house of phranza. i am in danger from which i can escape only if you will give the bearer one thousand ducats. speak not to any one of it, or my life is forfeit. that you may know this is genuine the bearer will show you my ring and a clip of my hair." "give me your ring; and, comrade, warm the wax to seal the letter," said giovan. "but i am not the man you seek," said the victim. "and who in the devil's name are you then?" "a mere stranger." "prove it!" "take the ring, and the lady will not recognize it." "we shall see," said the ruffian, "but we will take the hundred ducats now to pay for any trouble you have put us to." his belt was stripped off, and its golden contents ripped out. the victim was untied, first having been completely disarmed. the three men entering the boat, pushed off in the direction from which they had entered. the island prisoner watched the receding light as it flashed its long rays on the water, illumined the arches of the roof, and lit the crouching figures in the boat. the multiplying pillars became like a solid wall as the light receded, until at length the darkness was complete. the sound of the boat as it scratched against the stone at the landing, gave place to the most oppressive silence. to attempt escape in the direction of the entrance would be folly. if he could find his way his captors would doubtless be on guard and easily overpower him, as he would have to wade or swim. but to remain where he was would be as hazardous, for the wretches would not risk exposure for the sake of the hundred ducats they had secured; but would probably return and put him out of the way of witnessing against them. as he meditated, a low rumble like distant thunder, ran along the arches. "some passing vehicle in the city above," he concluded. a light drip, as of a bat's wing touching the water! another! and another! "strange that they should be so regular!" thought the man. "there must be some inlet: i will explore." he walked cautiously into the water in the direction of the sound. soon he was beyond his depth; but, being an expert swimmer, kept on; his outstretched arms answering as antennæ of some huge water-spider, and guarding him from collision with the pillars. the dripping sound became louder. now it was just above his head. he felt his way with his hands until it became evident that he was at the end or side of the subterranean lake. but the shore was steep; indeed, a wall. fixing his fingers into the crevices between the stones, he was able to raise himself half out of the water. reaching up with one hand he felt the curved edge of a viaduct, by which the dark lake was evidently fed, or had been in earlier days. but, bah! the water now trickling through it was foul. the spring had been stopped, and the viaduct become a sewer; fed doubtless through its rents with the soakage of the city. but might there not be an opening into the upper air? if not, a great human mole--especially if, to blind scratching power, he adds the skill of one trained in the art of engineering--can possibly make an opening. the prisoner climbed into the viaduct. it was large enough to allow him to crawl a short distance. a faint glimmer of light proved the correctness of his surmise that it was connected with the surface. but fallen stones blocked his way. as he lay planning with fingers and brain for his further progress, voices sounded from the reservoir. they were those of two of the cut-throats returning. he pushed himself back to the opening. his captors had missed him at the island. if they knew of this sluice, or chanced to come upon it in their search, he was lost in his present position; for a pair of bare heels was the only weapon he could show against their sharp daggers. he let himself down into the water, and swam silently away. the light, however, from his captors' lamp came nearer. "hist!" said one. "he is yonder; perhaps by the devil's window." the boat pushed directly toward the viaduct he had left. while they explored the opening, which might well be called the window into the blackness of darkness of the nether world, their victim swam rapidly, keeping always in the shadow of the great pillars. but the boat was upon his track again. the fugitive now made a fortunate discovery. several feet below the surface of the water the base of each pillar projected far enough for standing room. this base had probably marked the height to which the water was originally allowed to rise. by standing upon one of these projections, he was able to move round the pillar, so as to keep its huge block between himself and his pursuers. thus they passed him. by the light in the boat he could discern the ground or shore near which was the entrance. returning to coast the other side of the cavern, they had passed close by him, when, his foot slipping, he was projected into the water. the wretches hailed with grim joy the splash, and turned the boat in the direction of the noise. but, dropping beneath the surface, the man swam to a pillar near by, from which he watched their baffled circuit of his former retreat. this chase could not be kept up endlessly. plunging again under the water, he swam directly to the boat. rising suddenly, he grasped its side with main weight and overturned it. the cries of the men and the splashing of the boat echoed a hundred times among the arches; while the hissing oil of the open lamp, which, poured on the surface of the water, blazed for a moment, made as near a representation of pandemonium as this world ever affords, except in the brain of the demented. though the captive had endeavored to keep his bearings, and had not lost for an instant his presence of mind, the swirling of the boat had destroyed all impression of the direction he should take. he remembered that on one of the pillars the projecting base was broken. it was that on which he had stood when he caught a glimpse of the ground near the entrance. if he could find that pillar again he could take his bearings as readily as if a star guided him. several pillars were tried before the talismanic one was discovered. feeling the broken place, and recalling the way in which he stood upon the narrow ledge when he saw the entrance, he took his course accordingly, and swam on. one of his pursuers had evidently found a lodgment somewhere, and was calling lustily to his comrade for help. but there came back no answer to his call. on went the swimmer until the light of the outer world gleamed through the crevice of the door, twenty or thirty feet above him, and he crawled upon the ground. squeezing the water from his garments, he climbed the stairway, and, opening the heavy and worm-eaten doors, peered out. the street was crowded with passers; for another day had come since his entrance to the old reservoir. in his half naked and bedrabbled condition he hesitated to make his exit, and returned to the bottom of the stairs. a hand on the door above made him leap to one side. giovan entered. peering intensely into the shadows, he descended the steps. pausing a moment he whistled through his teeth. there was no response. he whistled louder on his fingers. a shout came back. "help! giovan--help!" giovan's dagger protruded from his belt. another's hand suddenly drew it, and, before he had recovered from his surprise, it entered his neck to the haft. the italian's short breeches, velveteen jacket and skull cap were made to take the place of the remnant of the prisoner's once most reputable wardrobe, and he sallied forth. chapter xxxv. later in the day the gate keeper at phranza's mansion put into morsinia's hand a letter left with him by an italian laboring man. it was addressed--"to the albanian lady," and read thus: "your brother's life is threatened by some secret enemy. let him exercise an albanian's caution! this is the advice of a stranger." a little before this, as the "poor italian" was moving away from the gate of phranza, a gorgeous palanquin, with silken canopy and sides latticed with silver rods, was borne in by four stout and well-formed men, with bare legs and arms, purple short trousers, embroidered jackets, and jaunty red caps, whose long tassels hung far down their backs. the "italian" stepped into an angle that the palanquin might pass; and stood gazing a long time after it had disappeared. at length, turning away, he said to himself: "strange! it must be that my imagination has been disturbed by the scenes of last night. but the lady in yonder palanquin is my dream made real. the pretty face of the child with whom i once played on the mountains must have cut its outlines somewhere on my brain, for i seem to see it everywhere. my captive in the mountains of albania had the same features--though i saw them only under the flash of a torch. imagination that, surely! the girl at sfetigrade was similar. and now this one! the aga's advice to beware female illusions was good. but she may be the albanian lady after all. impossible! stupidity! perhaps my chosen houri in paradise is only flashing her beauty upon my soul from these fair earthly faces, and so training me first to love her as an ideal, that the joy of the realization may be perfect. but, tut! tut! silly boy that i am!" whistling monotonously he turned down a street. a short, crooked-necked officer passed along. his face at the moment was the picture of dissatisfaction. the "italian" stopped him, and, with a courtesy which belied his common apparel, addressed him:-"captain urban of the engineers, is it not?" "and who are you?" was the surly, yet half respectful, reply, as the one addressed glanced into the other's face. "one who knows that the cannon you are casting are not heavy enough to lodge a ball against the old tower of galata yonder across the golden horn, much less breach a fortification; and further, that all you can cast at this rate from now until the turks take byzantium would not enable you to throw ten shot an hour." "by the brass toe of st. peter! man, i was just saying the same thing to myself," replied urban. "and the emperor's treasury, when he has bought himself a wife, will not have enough left to buy saltpetre with which to fire the guns, if he should allow you brass enough for the casting," added the stranger. "true again, my man; and the emperor's service in the meantime does not yield stipend enough for an officer to live upon decently. if you were better dressed, my prince of lazaroni, i couldn't afford to ask you to drink with me; but this cheap shop will shame neither your looks nor my purse. come in." "who are you, my good fellow?" asked urban, as he drained a cup of mastic-flavored wine. "were not your voice different, and your pronunciation of greek rather provincial, with a slight servian brogue, i would take you for one of our young engineers. you are not an italian, spite of your garb." "no," was the reply, "i was once in the employ of the despot of servia, engineer and artillery-man; but i think of entering the service of the sultan. he pays finely, and gives one who loves the science of war a chance to use his genius." "for such a chance and good pay i would serve the devil," said urban. "the greek emperor here is no saint, and yet i have served him for a crust. i am not bound to him by any tie. if you find good quarters with the turks, give me a hint, and i will join you." the stranger eyed him closely as he said this, and replied in low tones--"captain urban, i am a moslem; captain ballaban of the janizary corps. and i bear you a commission from the padishah. to seek you is a part of my business in constantinople. i do not ask you to take my word for this, but if you will accompany me, i will give you proof of my authority. a thousand ducats i will put into your hand within an hour, with which you may taste the padishah's liberality and imagine what it shall be when you accompany me to adrianople." the two men left the wine shop together and entered a bazaar. the stranger whispered to the merchant who was nearly buried amid huge piles of goods of every antique description; strange patterned tapestries, rugs of all hues and sizes, ebony boxes inlaid with silver and ivory, shields bossed and graven, spear-heads, cimeters and daggers. the salesman made as low a salâm as his crowding wares would permit, and, opening a way through the heaps of merchandise, conducted the visitors into an inner room. chapter xxxvi. to better understand the events just recited, we must trace some scenes which had been enacted elsewhere. during the sojourn of constantine and morsinia in constantinople, the turks had made no progress toward the conquest of albania. the walls of croia, upon which they turned their thousands of men, and exhaustless resources of siege apparatus, served only to display the valor and skill of the assailants, the superior genius of castriot, and the endurance of his bands of patriots. the haughty sultan amurath, broken in health, more by the chagrin of his ill success than by exposures or casual disease, retired to adrianople, in company with his son, prince mahomet, who was satisfied with a few lessons in the science of military manoeuvering as taught by the dripping sword of castriot; and preferred to practice his acquirements upon other and less dangerous antagonists. prince mahomet had scarcely withdrawn to magnesia in asia minor, and celebrated his nuptials with the daughter of the turkoman emir, when news was brought of the death of his father. the prince was hardly twenty-one years of age; but his first act was ominous of the promptitude, self-assertion and diligence of the whole subsequent career of this man, whose success on the field and in the divan made him the foremost monarch of his age. on hearing the news he turned to captain ballaban, for whom the young padishah entertained the fondest affection, and who had accompanied him to magnesia in the capacity of kavass.-"i shall leave to you, captain, the duty of representing me at the burial of my royal father at brusa, after which meet me at adrianople." leaping into the saddle, he cried to the company about him, "let those who love me, follow me!" and spurred his arab steed to the hellespont. the magnificent cortege of the dead sultan moved rapidly from the european capital of the turks to their ancient one in asia minor. the thoughts of the attendants were more toward the new hand which would distribute the favors or terrors of empire, than toward the hand which was now cold. captain ballaban was in time to join the reverent circle which committed the royal body to its ancestral resting place. they buried it with simple sepulchral rites, in the open field, unshadowed by minaret or costly mosque or memorial column; that, as the dying padishah had said, "the mercy and blessing of god might come unto him by the shining of the sun and moon, and the falling of the rain and dew of heaven upon his grave." sultan mahomet ii. was scarcely within the seraglio at adrianople when captain ballaban reported for duty. passing through the outer or common court, he entered by the second gate into the square surrounded by the barracks of the janizaries, who, as the body guard of the monarch, occupied quarters abutting on those of the sultan. near the third gate was gathered a crowd of janizaries, in angry debate; for as soon as they realized that the firm and experienced hand of amurath was no longer on the helm, the pride and audacity of this corps inaugurated rebellion. "the janizaries have saved the empire, let them enjoy it," cried one. "our swords extended the moslem power, so will we have extension of privilege," cried another. "why should kalil pasha be grand vizier instead of our chief aga? kalil is one of the giaour ortachi.[70] "down with the vizier!" rang among the barracks. "a mere child is padishah! one of no judgment the hunkiar!" "my brothers," said captain ballaban. "you know not the new padishah. well might amurath have said to him what othman said to orchan: 'my son, i am dying: and i die without regret, because i leave such a successor as thou art.' believe me, my brothers, if mahomet is young, he is strong. if he is inexperienced in the methods of government, it is because heaven wills that he shall invent better ones." "your head is turned by the padishah's favors," muttered an old guardsman. "but am i not a janizary?" cried the captain, "and it is as a janizary that the padishah loves me, as he loves us all. i once heard him say that the white wool on a janizary's cap was more honorable than the horse tail on the tent spear of another. old selim here can tell you that, as a child, mahomet was fonder of the janizary's mess than of the feast in the harem." "yes," said old selim, with voice trembling through age, but loud with the enthusiasm excited by the captain's appeal. "my hands taught mahomet his first parries and thrusts; and he would sit by our fire to listen to the stories of the valor of our corps, and clap his hands, and cry 'good selim, i would rather be a janizary than be a prince.'" the old man's eyes filled with tears as he added, "and all the four thousand prophets bless the padishah!" while this scene was being enacted without, the young sultan was reclining, with the full sense of his new dignity, upon the sofa which had never been pressed except by the person of royalty. it was covered with a cloth of gold and crimson velvet, relieved by fringes of pearls. before it was spread a carpet of silk, an inch thick, whose softness, both of texture and tints, made a luxuriant contrast with its border, which was crocheted with cords of silver and gold. the walls of his chamber were enriched with tiles of alabaster, agate, and turquoise. the ceiling was plated with beaten silver, hatched at intervals with mouldings of gold; near to which were windows of stained glass made of hundreds of pieces closely joined to form transparent mosaic pictures, through which the variegated light flooded the apartment. mahomet was himself in striking contrast with his surroundings. he was dressed in négligé, with loose gown, large slippers, and white skull cap. before the sultan stood the grand vizier, kalil, bedizened in the costume of his office:--an enormous turban in whose twisted folds was a band of gold; a bournous of brocade, enlivened by flowers wrought upon it in green and red; and a cashmere sash gleaming with the jewelled handle of his yataghan. "they are even now in revolt, your majesty," said the vizier. "your safety will be best served by severe measures. they say the iron has not grown into your nerves yet." the sultan colored. after a moment's pause he replied. "when captain ballaban comes we will think of that matter." "the captain had just arrived as i entered, sire." "then announce to the janizaries that the seven thousand falconers and game keepers which my father allowed to eat up our revenue, as the bugs infest the trees, are abolished; and their income appropriated to the better equipment of the janizaries." "but, sire, would you sharpen the fangs of----" "silence! i have said it," said mahomet, striking his hand on his knee. "but what is this demand from constantinople?" "that the pay for the detention of your cousin orkran at constantinople shall be doubled, or the greeks will let him loose to contest the throne with your majesty." "assent to the demand," said the sultan. "the time will the sooner come to avenge the insult, if we seem not to see it." the vizier continued looking at his tablets. "maria sultana[71] asks, through the kislar aga, that she may be allowed, since the death of her lord, to return to her kindred." "let her go! she is a giaour whose cursed blood was not bettered by six and twenty years' habitation with my father. she is fair enough in her wrinkles for some christian prince, and george brankovitch needs to make new alliances." "hunyades"--said the vizier. "ay, make peace with him, and with scanderbeg, too, if that wild beast can be tamed, which i much doubt." the sultan rose from his cushion, his form animated with strong excitement, and, putting his hand upon the shoulders of the vizier--who drew back at the strange familiarity--and looking him fixedly in the face, he whispered: "everything must wait,"--and the words hissed in the hot eagerness with which he said them--"until--i have constantinople." turning upon his heel, he withdrew toward his private chamber. the sultan threw himself upon his bed. the capee aga, or chief of the white eunuchs, whose duty it was to act as valet-de-chambre, as well as to stand at the right hand of the sultan on state occasions, began to draw the curtains around the silver posts upon which the bed rested. "you may leave me," said his majesty. "nay, hold! send captain ballaban of the janizaries." as the young officer entered, the face of the sultan relaxed. "you make me a man again, comrade," said he, grasping his hand. "these few days playing sultan make me feel as old as the empire. i hate this parade of boring viziers and mincing eunuchs; and to be shut up here with these palace proprieties is as irksome to me as timour's iron cage was to my grandfather bajazet. i think i shall put my harem on horse-back, and take to the fields. scudding out of albania with scanderbeg at one's heels were preferable to this busy idleness. you have had a rapid ride to get from brusa so soon, and look winded. roll yourself on that wolf's skin. i killed that fellow in caramania. by the turban of abraham! your red head looks well against the black hide. but why don't you laugh? have they made a padishah of you, too, that you must mask your face with care?" "i have a care, sire," said the soldier. "tell me it," said the sultan, "and i'll make it fly away as fast as the prophet's horse took him to the seventh heaven." "the janizaries are restless, sire." "does not the donative i have announced pacify them?" "i have not heard of it," said the officer. "listen! is not that their shout?" shout after shout rent the air from the court without. the janizary turned pale; but in a moment said, "your donative has been announced. they are cheering your majesty." "long live the padishah!" "long life to mahomet!" rang again and again. "i thank you, sire," eagerly cried the young man, kissing the hand of the sultan. "what else would they have?" asked he. "nothing but chance to show their gratitude by valiant service," was the reply. "this they shall have, with you to lead them," putting his hand on the young officer's shoulder. "nay, sire, i may not supplant those who are my superiors by virtue of service already rendered." "but i command it. the corps shall to-morrow be put under your orders as their chief aga." "i beg your majesty to desist from this purpose," said ballaban. "the spirit of the corps, its efficiency, depends upon the strictest observance of the ancient rules of orchan and aladdin. by them we have been made what we are." "but," cried mahomet angrily, "there shall be no other will than mine throughout the army." "i would have no other will than thine, sire," was the response; "but it were well if your will should be to leave the janizaries' rule untouched." "you young rebel!" cried mahomet, half vexed yet half pleased as, bursting into a laugh, he dashed over the face of his friend a jar of iced sherbet which was upon a lacquered stand at his side. "you may thank the devil that it wasn't the arrow i once shot you with," said the playful tyrant, as ballaban jumped to his feet. "if you were not the sultan now, i would pull you from the bed, as i pulled you from your horse that day," replied the good-natured favorite, making a motion as if to execute the threat. "you are right," said mahomet rising. "i am sultan! sultan? pshaw! yet sultan, surely." he paced the floor in deep agitation, and at length said, "i have a duty to perform, than which i would rather cut off my arms." "let me do the deed, though it takes my arm and my life," said ballaban eagerly. "you know not what it is, my old comrade." "but i pledge before i know," was the response which came from stiffened lips and bowed head, as the captain made his obeisance. the sultan looked him in the face long and earnestly, and then, turning away, said: "no! no! there are hands less noble than yours." "but try me, sire." "you know the custom of our ancestors, approved by the wisdom of divans, as an expedient essential to the peace and safety of the empire, that--but i can not speak it: nor will i ask it of you. leave me, captain. come to-morrow at this hour. i shall need the relief of your company then, even more than to-day." footnotes: [70] brothers of the infidels. [71] one of the sultanas of amurath ii. and daughter of george brankovitch, despot of servia. chapter xxxvii. an hour later the kislar aga, chief of the black eunuchs in charge of the royal harem, was announced. "well, sinam, have any of your herd of gazelles escaped?" asked the sultan. "none. but mira sultana would pay her homage at your majesty's feet." "mira, the greek?" said mahomet, the deep color rising to his temples. lowering his tone to a whisper, he conversed for a few moments with the eunuch, who prostrated himself upon the ground, and with harsh, yet thin voice, said: "your majesty is wise, very wise. your will is that of allah, the great hunkiar. it shall be done." mira was a beautiful woman. the light texture of her robe revealed a perfect form; and the thin veil lent a charm to her face, such as shadows send across the landscape. mahomet shuddered, as the kneeling woman embraced his feet. the words of her congratulation to the young monarch, her protestation of devotion to him as to his father, though uttered with the sweetest voice he had ever heard, and with evident honesty, sent a visible tremor through the frame of her listener. and when she added, "my child, ahmed, the image of his noble father and thine, will serve thee with his life, and"-"it is well! it is well," interrupted the sultan. "be gone now!" the morning following was one in which the hearts of the citizens of adrianople stood almost throbless with horror. mothers clasped their babes with a shudder to their breasts; and fathers stroked the fair hair of their boys, and thanked allah that no tide of royal blood ran in their veins. a story afterward floated over the lands of moslem and christian, as terrible as a cloud of blood, dropping its shadow into palace and cottage, and dyeing that page of history on which mahomet's name is written with a damning blot. while mira sultana was bowing at the feet of the new monarch, congratulating him upon his accession to the throne, her infant son, ahmed, half brother to mahomet, was being strangled in the bath by his orders. another son of amurath, calapin, had, through his mother's timely suspicion, escaped to the land of the christians. it was late in the day when captain ballaban appeared for audience with the sultan. his majesty was apparently in the gayest of moods. "come, toss me the dice! we have not played since i laid aside my manhood and put on the padishah's cloak. come! what? have you no stake to put up? then i will stake for both. a turkoman, the father of my own bride, has sent me a bevy of women, georgians, with faces as fair as the shell of an ostrich's egg,[72] and voices as sweet as of the birds which sang to the harp of david.[73] the choice to him who wins! what! does not that tempt the cloud to drift off your face? then have your choice without the toss. what! still brooding?" added he, growing angry. "by the holy house at mecca! i'll make you laugh if i tickle your ribs with my dagger's point." "you made me promise that i would be true to you, my padishah, and if i should laugh to-day i would not be true," replied ballaban quietly. "my face wears the shadows which the people have thrown into it." "the people?" said mahomet growing pale. "ay, the people have heard the wailing of the sultana." "for what? tell me for what?" asked the sultan with feigned surprise. ballaban narrated the story which was on every one's lips. "it is treason against me," cried the monarch. summoning the capee aga he bade him call the divan. the great personages of the empire were speedily gathered in the audience room. at the right of the sultan stood the grand vizier and three subordinate viziers. on his left was the kadiasker, the chief of the judges, with other members of the ulema or guild of lawyers, constituting the high court. the reis-effendi, or clerk, stood with his tablets before the seat of the sultan. the rear of the room was filled with various princes and high officials. turning to the kadiasker, the sultan asked: "what is the denomination of the crime, and the penalty of him who, unbidden by the padishah, shall put to death a child of royal blood?" the kadiasker, after a moment's evident surprise at the question, pronounced slowly the following decision: "it were a double crime, sire, being both murder and treason. and if perchance the child were fatherless, let a triple curse come upon the slayer. for what saith the book of the prophet?[74] 'they who devour the possessions of orphans unjustly, shall swallow down nothing but fire into their bellies, and shall broil in raging flames.' if such be the curse of allah upon him who shall despoil the child of his rightful goods, much more does allah bid us visit with vengeance one who despoils the child of that chiefest possession--his life. such is the law, o zil ullah."[75] turning to the kislar aga, mahomet commanded him to give testimony. the nubian trembled as he looked into the blanched face of the sultan; but soon recovered his self possession sufficiently to read his master's thoughts, and said, "the child of mira sultana was found dead at the bath while in the hands of sayid." "was sayid the child's appointed attendant?" asked the kadiasker. "he was not," was the response. "let him die!" said the judge slowly. "let him die!" repeated the grand vizier. the sultan bowed in assent and withdrew. the swift vengeance of the padishah was hailed with applause by the officials, as if it had erased the blood guilt from the robe of royal honor; but the people shook their heads, and kept shadows on their faces for many days. "i tire of this life in the barracks," said captain ballaban to the sultan, shortly after this event. "speak honestly, man," was the reply. "you tire of me; my heart is not large enough to entertain one of such ambition." "nay, sire, but i would get nearer to the innermost core of your heart, into that which is your deepest desire." "and where, think you, is that spot?" said the sultan smiling. "constantinople," was the laconic response. "ah! true lover of mine art thou, if you would be there. until i put the mihrab[76] in the walls of st. sophia, i shall not sleep without the dream that i have done it. know you not the dream of othman? how the leaves of the tree which sprang from his bosom when the fair malkhatoon, the mother of all the padishahs, sank upon it, were shaped like cimeters, and every wind turned their points toward constantinople? my waking and sleeping thoughts are the leaves. the spirit of othman breathes through my soul and turns them thither. go! and prepare my coming. the walls withstood my father amurath. discover why? i hear that urban, the cannon founder, is in the pay of the greeks. he who discovered a way to turn the dibrians against sfetigrade can find a way to turn a foreigner's eyes from the battered crown of the cæsars to something brighter--go, and allah give you wisdom!" the reader is acquainted with the immediate sequel of captain ballaban's departure, his adventure with the italian desperadoes at the old reservoir, and his success with urban. footnotes: [72] the type of a beautiful complexion according to the koran, chap. xxxvii. [73] koran, chap. xxxiv. [74] koran, chap. iv. [75] shadow of god, one of the titles of the sultan. [76] the niche in mosques, on the side toward mecca, in the direction of which the moslems turn their faces to pray. chapter xxxviii. the siege and capture of constantinople by the turks in 1453, was, with the exception of the discovery of america, the most significant event of the fifteenth century. the eastern roman empire then perished, after eleven centuries of glory and shame; of heroic conquests, and pusillanimous compromises with other powers for the privilege of existence; exhibiting on its throne the virtues and wisdom of theodosius and justinian, and the vices and follies of emperors and empresses whose names it were well that the world should forget. but the historic importance of the siege was matched by the thrilling interest which attaches to its scenes. the last of the constantines, from whose hands the queenly city was wrested, was worthy the name borne by its great founder, not, perhaps, for his display of genius in government and command, but for the pious devotion and sacrificial courage with which he defended his trust. a band of less than ten thousand christians, mostly greeks, and a few latins whose love for the essential truth of their religion was stronger than their bigotry for sect, withstood for many weeks the horrors which were poured upon them by a quarter of a million moslems. these foes were made presumptuous by nearly a century of unchecked conquest; their hot blood boiled with fury and daring excited by the promises of their religion, which opened paradise to those that perished with the sword; and they were led by the first flashings of the startling genius and audacity of mahomet ii. the bosphorus was blockaded six miles above the city by the new fortress, rumili-hissar, the castle of europe; answering across the narrow strait to anadolu-hissari--the castles of asia. a fleet of three hundred moslem vessels crowded the entrance to the bosphorus, to resist any western ally of the christians that might have run the gauntlet of forts which guarded the lower entrance to marmora. at the same time this naval force threatened the long water front of the city with overwhelming assault. the wall which lay between the sea of marmora and the golden horn, and made the city a triangle, looked down upon armies gathered from the many lands between the euphrates and danube;--the feudal chivalry from their ziamets under magnificently accoutred beys; the terrible akindji, the mounted scourge of the borders of christendom; the motley hordes of azabs, light irregular foot-soldiers,--these filling the plains for miles away:--while about the tents of the sultan were the royal horse guards, the spahis, salihdars, ouloufedji and ghoureba, rivals for the applause of the nations, as the most daring of riders and most skilful of swordsmen: and the janizaries, who boasted that their tread was as resistless as the waves of an earthquake. miners from servia were ready to burrow beneath the walls. a great cannon cast by urban, the dacian, who had deserted from the christian to the moslem camp, gaped ready to hurl its stone balls of six hundred pounds weight. it was flanked by two almost equally enormous fire-vomiting dragons, as the new artillery was called: while fourteen other batteries of lesser ordnance were waiting to pour their still novel destruction upon the works. ancient art blended with modern science in the attack; for battering rams supplemented cannon, and trenches breast-deep completed the lines of shields. moving forts of wood antagonized, across the deep moat, the old stone towers, which during the centuries had hurled back their assailants in more than twenty sieges. the various hosts of besiegers in their daily movements were like the folds of an enormous serpent, writhing in ever contracting circles about the body of some helpless prey. from dawn to dark the walls crumbled beneath the pounding of the artillery; but from dark to dawn they rose again under the toil of the sleepless defenders. thousands, impelled by the commands of the sultan, and more, perhaps, by the prospect of reward in this world, and in another, out of which bright-eyed houris were watching their prospective lords, mounted the scaling ladders only to fill with their bodies the moat beneath. at the point of greatest danger the besieged were inspired with the courage of their emperor, and by the aid of the bands of italians whom the purse and the appeals of john giustiniani had brought as the last offering of the common faith of christendom upon the great altar already dripping with a nation's blood. sometimes when the christians, whose fewness compared with the assailants compelled them to serve both day and night, were discouraged by incessant danger and fatigue, a light form in helmet and breastplate moved among them, regardless of arrows and bullets of lead: now stooping to staunch the wounds of the fallen; now mounting the parapet, where scores of stout soldiers shielded her with their bodies, and hailed her presence with the shout of "the albanian! the albanian!" the reverence which the soldiers gave to the devoted nuns, who were incessant in their ministry of mercy, was surpassed by that with which they regarded morsinia. she had become in their eyes the impersonation of the cause for which they were struggling. the interruption by the war of the negotiations with the emir of trebizond, whose daughter had been selected as the imperial spouse, revived the rumors which had once associated the fair albanian's name with that of his majesty; and gave rise to a nick-name, "the little empress," which, among the soldiers, came to be spoken with almost as much loyalty of personal devotion, as if it had received the imperial sanction. constantine's solicitude led him to remonstrate with morsinia for the exposure of her person to the dangers of the wall: but she replied-"have you not said, my dear brother, that the defence is hopeless? that the city must fall? what fate then awaits me? the turks have service for men whom they capture, which, though hard, is not damning to body and soul. what if they send you to the mines, to the galleys? what if they slay you? you can endure that. yet i know that you yourself would perish in the fight before you would submit to even such a fate. but what is the destiny of a woman who shall fall into their hands? it is better to die than to be taken captive. and is not yonder breach where the men of the true god are giving their lives for their faith, as sacred as was ever an altar on earth? is not the crown of martyrdom better than a living death in the harem of the infidel? the arrow that finds me there on the wall shall be to me as an angel from heaven; and a death-wound received there will be as painless to my soul as the kiss of god." "but this must not be!" cried constantine. "our valor, if it does not save the city, may lead to surrender upon terms which shall save all the lives of the people." "it is impossible," replied she. "his majesty informed me yesterday that mahomet had pledged to his soldiers the spoil of the city, with unlimited license to pillage." constantine was silent, but at length added. "if worst comes, it will then be time enough to expose your life." "but the end is near, dear constantine. the city is badly provisioned. the poor are already starving. the garrison is on allowance which can sustain it but a few days. besides, as you have told me, the italians are at feud with the greeks, and ready to open the gates if famine presses upon them." "yes, curses on the head of that monk gennadius, who sends insult to our allies every day from his cell!" muttered constantine. "but i cannot see you in danger, morsinia. promise me--for your life is dearer to me than my own--that you will not go upon the walls. i need not the solemn oath to our brave castriot, and that to our father kabilovitsch, that i will guard you. but, if not for my sake, then for their sake, take my counsel. i know that you are under the special care of the blessed jesu. has he not shielded us both--me for your sake--many times before?" "your words are wise, my brother. you need not urge the will of castriot and father kabilovitsch, for your own wish is to me as sacred as that of any one on earth," said she, looking him in the eyes with the reverence of affection, and yielding to his embrace as he kissed her forehead. "but," added she, "i must exact of you one promise." "any thing, my darling, that is consistent with your safety," was the quick reply. "it is this. promise me, by the virgin mother of god, that you will not allow me to become a living captive to the turk." "not if my life can shield you. this you know!" "yes, i would not ask that, but something harder than that you should die for me." a pallor spread over the face of constantine, for he suspected her meaning, yet asked, "and what--what may that be?" "take my life with your own hand, rather than that a turk should touch me," said morsinia, without the slightest tremor in her voice. constantine stood aghast. morsinia continued, taking his strong right hand in hers, and raising it to her lips-"that were joy, indeed, if the hand of him who loves me, the hand which has saved me from danger so often--could redeem me from this which i fear more than a thousand deaths! promise me for love's sake!" "i may not promise such a thing," said the young lover, with a voice which showed that her request had cut him to the heart. "then you love me not," said the girl, turning away. but the look upon constantine's face showed the terrible tragedy which was in his soul, and that such an accusation brought it too near its culmination. instantly she threw herself into his arms. "forgive me! forgive me!" cried she. "i will not impugn that love which has proved itself too often. but let us speak calmly of it. why should you shrink from this?" she asked, leading him to a seat beside her. "because i love you. my hand would become paralyzed sooner than touch rudely a hair of your head." "nay, in that you do not know yourself," said morsinia. "would you not pluck a mole from my face if i was marred by it in your eyes!" "but that would be to perfect, not to harm you," said constantine. "and did you not hold the hand of the poor soldier to-day, while the leech was cutting him, lest the gangrene should infect his whole body with poison? and would you not have done so had he been your long lost brother, michael, whom you loved? and would you not have done it more willingly because you loved him?" "yes," said constantine, "but that would be to save life, not to destroy it." "but what, my brother dear, is the fairness of a face compared with the fairness of honor? what the breath of the body, when both the body and the soul in it are threatened with contamination of such an existence as every woman receives from the turk?" "i cannot argue with you, morsinia. my nature rebels against the deed you propose." "but," replied she, "is not love nobler, and should it not be stronger, than nature? if nature should rebel against love, let love crush the rebellion, and show its sovereignty. if my hand should tremble to do aught that your true service required, i would accuse my hand of lack of devotion. but i think that men do not know the fulness of love as women do." "let me ask the question of you, morsinia," replied the young lover after a pause. "could you take my life as i lie here? will your hand mix the poison to put to my lips in the event of the turk entering the city? my life will be worse than death in its bitterness if you are lost to me." morsinia pondered the question, growing pale with the fearfulness of the thought. for a while she was speechless. the imagination started by constantine's question seemed to stun her. she stared at the vague distance. at length she burst into tears, and laying her head upon her companion's shoulder, said: "i love you too dearly, constantine, to ask that of you which you shrink from doing. there is another who can render me the service." "who would dare?" said constantine, rising and gazing wildly at her. "who would dare to touch you, even at your own bidding?" "i would," said morsinia quietly. "and this i shall save for the moment when i need the last friend on earth," she added, drawing from her dress the bright blade of an italian stiletto. "perhaps, my heart would tremble, and my flesh shrink from the sharp point, though i love not myself as i love you." "let us talk no more of this," said constantine, "but leave it for the hour of necessity, which happily i think will not soon come. i must tell you now for what i sought you. i have been ordered this very night to aid in a venture which, heaven grant! shall re-provision the city. several large galleys, laden with corn and oil, are now coming up the sea from genoa. if they see the cordon of the enemy's ships drawn across the harbor, not knowing the extremity to which the city is reduced, they may return without venturing an encounter. i am to reach them, and, if possible, induce them to cut their way through. the great chain at the entrance to the golden horn will be lowered at the opportune moment, and all the shipping in the harbor will make an attack upon the enemy's fleet. of this our allies must be informed. as soon as it is dark i shall drift in a swift little skiff between these turkish boats; and before the dawn i shall be far down on marmora. to-morrow night, if your prayers are offered, jesu will grant us success." with a kiss he released himself from her embrace and was gone. chapter xxxix. constantine eluded the heavy boats of the turks, which were anchored to prevent their drifting away upon the swift current with which the black sea discharges itself through the bosphorus into marmora. upon meeting the befriending galleys, it was with little difficulty that he persuaded the genoese captains to risk the encounter with the turkish fleet. as constantine pointed out to the italian captains, the enormous navy of the blockaders, formed in the shape of a crescent, and stretched from the wall of the city across to the asiatic shore, presented a more formidable obstacle to the eye than to the swift and skilfully manned genoese galleys. the turkish boats were generally but small craft, and laden down to the water's edge with men. the genoese had four galleys, together with one which belonged to byzantium. these were vessels of the largest size, constructed by men who had learned to assert their prowess as lords of the sea. they were armed with cannon adapted to sweep the deck of an adversary at short range:--a weapon which the turks had not yet floated, though they were in advance of the christians in using such artillery on land. the high sides of the christian galleys, moreover, prevented their being boarded except with dangerous climbing, while the defenders stood ready to pour the famous liquid called "greek fire" upon the heads of those who should attempt it. besides, heaven favored the christians; for a strong gale was blowing, which, while it tossed the boats of their adversaries beyond their easy control, filled the sails of the genoese, and sent them bounding over the waves: the oarsmen sitting ready to catch deftly into the bending billows with their blades. each of the five vessels chose for a target a large one of the turks, and clove it with its iron prow: while the cannon swept the turkish soldiers by hundreds from other boats near to them. passing through the thin crescent, the christian galleys skilfully tacked, and, careening upon their sides, again assailed the turks before they could evade their swift and resistless momentum. again and again the galleys passed, like shuttles on a loom, through the line of the enemy, sinking the unwieldy hulks and drowning the crowded crews. from the walls and house tops of the city went up huzzas for the victors and praises to heaven. from the shores of asia, and from below the city wall, thousands of moslems groaned their imprecations. the sultan raged upon the beach, as he saw one after another of his pennants sink beneath the waves. dashing far into the sea upon his horse, he vented his impotent fury in beating the water with his mace, shrieking maledictions into the laughing winds, and invoking upon the christians curses from all the pagan gods and moslem saints. at one moment the byzantine galley was nearly overcome, having been caught in a group of turkish boats, whose occupants climbed her sides, and did murderous work among the crew. though ultimately rescued by the genoese, it was only after severe loss. but above all other casualties the christians mourned the fate of young constantine. with almost superhuman strength he had cut down several assailants; but was finally set upon by such odds that he was pressed over the low bulwarks, and fell into the sea. the galley with its consorts made way to the chain at the entrance to the golden horn, where the rich stores, a thousand times richer now in the necessity which they relieved, were received amid the acclamations of the grateful greeks. but woe,--oh, so heavy! crushed one solitary heart. her eyes stared wildly at the messenger who brought the fatal tidings; and stared, hour by hour, in their stony grief, upon the wall of her apartment. kind attendants spoke to her, but she heard them not. her soul seemed to have gone seeking in other worlds the soul of her lover. the servants, awed by the majesty of her sorrow, sat down in the court without, and waited: but she called them not. daylight faded into darkness. the lamp which was brought she waved with her hand to have taken away. the maidens who came to disrobe her for the night found her bowed with her face upon the couch; and, receiving no response to their proffered offices, retired again to wait. the morning came; and the cheer of the sunlight which, quickening the outer world, poured through the windows high in the walls of her apartment, seemed to awaken her from her trance. but how changed in appearance! the ruddy hue of health, and the bronzing of daily exposure to the open air, seemed alike to have been blanched by that which had taken hope from her soul. her eyes were sunken, and the lustre in them, though not lessened, now seemed to come from an infinite depth--from some distant, inner world which had lost all relation to this, as a passing star. morsinia rose, weak at first; but her limbs grew strong with the imparted strength of her will. she ate; and speaking aloud--but more in addressing herself than her attendants--said: "i will away to the walls!" through the masses of debris, and among the groups of men who were resting and waiting to take the places of their wearied comrades on the ramparts, she went straight to the gate of st. romanus, where the assaults were most incessant. the cry of "the little empress!" gave way to that of "the panurgia! the panurgia!"[77] as some, though familiar with her form, were startled by the almost unearthly change of her countenance. she returned no salutation as was usual with her, but, as if impelled by some superhuman purpose, her beauty lit as with a halo by the majesty of a celestial passion, she climbed the steps into the tottering tower above the gate. a strong, but gentle hand was put upon her arm. it was that of the emperor. "my daughter, you must not be here. come away!" she looked at him for an instant in hesitation; and then, bowing her head, responded in scarcely audible voice: "i will obey you, sire," and added, speaking to herself-"it is _his_ will too." "i know your grief," said his majesty kindly, "and now, as your emperor, i must protect you against yourself." "i want no protection," cried the broken-hearted girl. "oh, let me die! for what should i live?" "my dear child," said the emperor with trembling voice, while the tears filled his eyes. "in other days your holy faith taught me how to be strong. now, in your necessity, let me repeat to you the lesson. for what shall _you_ live? for what should _i_ live? i am emperor, but my empire is doomed. i live no longer for earthly hope, but solely to do duty; nothing but duty, stern duty, painful every instant, crushing always, but a burden heaven imposed on a breaking heart. that heaven appoints it--that, and that alone--makes me willing to live and do it. when the time comes i shall seek death where the slain lie the thickest. but not to-day; for to-day i can serve. live for duty! live for god! the days may not be many before we shall clasp hands with those who, now invisible, are looking upon us. let us go and cheer the living before we seek the companionship of the dead." as the emperor spoke, his face glowed with a majesty of soul which made the symbol of earthly majesty that adorned his brow seem poor indeed. gazing a moment with reverent amazement at the man who had already received the divine anointing for the sacrifice of martyrdom he was so soon to offer, morsinia responded: "your words, sire, come to me as from the lips of god. i will go and pray, and then--then i shall live for duty." footnotes: [77] the panurgia, a name given to the holy virgin, who at a former siege of constantinople, in 1422, was imagined to have appeared upon the wall for its defense. chapter xl. mahomet had not expended all his petulant rage upon feelingless waves and distant christians. he summoned to his presence the admiral of his defeated fleet, baltaoghli, and ordered that he should be impaled. the admiral had shown as much naval skill as could, perhaps, have been exhibited with the unwieldy boats at his command; and, moreover, had brought from the fight an eyeless socket to attest his bravery and devotion. the penalty, therefore, which mahomet attached to his misfortune, brought cries of entreaty in his behalf from other brave officers, especially from the leading janizaries. this opposition at first confirmed the determination of the irate despot. but soon the petition of the honored corps swelled into a murmur, which the more experienced of his advisers persuaded mahomet to heed. the sultan had schooled himself to obey the precept which yusef, the eunuch, who instructed his childhood, had imparted, viz, "make passion bend to policy." he therefore apparently yielded, so far at least as to compromise with those whom he feared to offend, and commuted the admiral's sentence to a flogging. the brave man was stretched upon the ground by four slaves. turning to captain ballaban, the sultan bade him lay on the lash. ballaban hesitated. drawing near to mahomet, he said respectfully, but firmly, "the janizaries are soldiers, not executioners, sire." mahomet's rage burst as suddenly as powder under the spark. "away with the rebel!" cried he. "we will find the executioner for him, too, who dares to disobey our orders." seizing his golden mace, the sultan himself beat the prostrate form of the admiral until it was senseless. wearying of his bloody work, mahomet glared like a half satiated beast upon those about him. "where is the damned rebel who dares dispute my will? did no one arrest him?" "the order was not so understood," said an aga who was near. "you understand it now," growled the infuriated, yet half-ashamed, monarch. "arrest him!--but no! let these slaves go search for the runaway. it shall be their office to deal with one who dares to break with my will." the janizaries returned to their places near the walls. mahomet was ill at ease when his better judgment displaced his unwise passion. his love for ballaban, the manliness of the captain's reply to the unreasonable order, and the danger of injuring one who stood so high in the estimate of the entire janizary corps, were not outweighed even by the sense of the indignity which the act of disobedience had put upon the royal authority. the slaves, not daring to venture among the janizaries in their search for captain ballaban, easily persuaded themselves that he must have fled; and that, perhaps, he might be lurking somewhere on the shore, as this was the only way of escape. their search was rewarded. though in the disguise of scant garments, utterly exhausted so that he could make no resistance, their victim was readily recognized by his form and features, which were too peculiar to be mistaken. the captain had apparently attempted to escape by water; perhaps, had ventured upon some chance kaik or raft, and been wrecked in the caldron which the strong south wind made with the current pouring from the north. his wet garments, such as he had not stripped off, and his exhausted look confirmed their theory. one of their number brought the report to the grand vizier, kalil, who repeated it to the sultan. "i will deal with him in person. let no one know of the capture until i have seen him," said mahomet, seeking an opportunity to revoke the threat against his friend, which he had uttered in insane rage; and, at the same time, to cover his imperial dignity by the semblance of a trial. the culprit was brought in the early evening to the sultan's tent. a large lantern of various colored crystals hung from the ridge-pole, and threw its beautiful, but partly obscured, light over the arraigned man. his captors had clothed him in the uniform of the janizaries. "his face has a strange look, as if another's soul had taken lodging behind the familiar lineaments," the sultan remarked to kalil as he scanned the culprit closely. "do you know, knave, in whose presence you are?" said mahomet, sternly. "i know not, sire, except that the excellent adornment of your person and pavilion suggest that i am in the presence of his majesty the--" "silence, villain! do you mock me?" cried the padishah, in surprise at the man's assumed ignorance. "i mock thee not, sire," said the victim, bowing with courtly reverence, and speaking in a sort of patois of greek and turkish. "but i was about to say that i know thee not, except that from the excellence of thy person and estate thou art none less"---"silence, you dog! this is no time for your familiar jesting, ballaban. speak pure tongue, or i'll cut thine from thy head!" interrupted the padishah. "i speak as best i can," replied the man, "for i was not brought up to the turkish tongue. i presume that i address the king of the turks." "miserable wretch!" hissed his majesty, drawing his jewelled sword. "dare you call me king of the _turks_? turks! thou circumcised christian dog! thou pup of nazarene parentage! thou damned infidel, beplastered with moslem favors!"[78] "it would seem that i needed moslem favors, which in my destitute condition and imminent danger, i most humbly crave," replied the object of this contumely. "are you mad?" shrieked the sultan, rising and glaring into the other's face. "you _are_ mad, man. poor soul! ay! ay! i see it now. some demon has possessed you. some witch has blown on the knots against you."[79] "i am not mad, sire," said the culprit, "but a poor castaway on your coast." "hear him, poor fellow! so mad that he knows not himself. well! well! i must forgive you then for not knowing me," said mahomet, with genuine pity. "did you love me so, old comrade, that my harsh words knocked over your reason? or did your reason, toppling over, lead you to challenge me as you did? we must cure this malady, though it takes the treasure of the empire to do it." lowering his voice he addressed the vizier: "i could not believe that my faithful comrade would have rebelled. it was not he, but the demon who has possessed him. think you not so, good kalil?" the vizier bowed in assent to the sultan's theory, and whispered, "it provides a wise escape from antagonizing the janizaries. but you should summon a physician." clapping his hands, an attendant appeared, who was dispatched for the court physician; a man of fame in his profession, whose duty it was to be always within call of the sultan. the physician entering, examined the culprit, looking into his eyes, balancing his head between his hands to determine if there were any sudden disturbance of the proportionate avoirdupois; noting if his tongue lay in the middle of his mouth, and feeling his pulse. at length he said in low voice to the sultan and vizier: "there is, sire, no outward evidences of lacking wit. i would have him speak." "he is the janizary, captain ballaban," whispered the vizier. "you will observe that the wit is clean gone from him. tell us your story, ballaban, or whoever you are." "i beg the favor of your excellency, your lordship, sire; for, since you deny that you are the king of the turks, i know not what title to give to your authority. i am your prisoner. i fought on the byzantine galley as jesu gave me strength, but was unfortunate enough to fall overboard, and fortunate enough to avoid capture by the turkish boats, as i dived beneath them, or rested myself below their sterns until i reached the shore. but as heaven willed it, i landed below the walls of the city. i was altogether weaponless, having shuffled off my armor that i might swim--and altogether blown by my effort--or, by the bones of abraham! i had never been captured by the cowardly slaves you sent. i ask only the treatment of an honorable enemy." "by the beard of the prophet!" exclaimed mahomet, "if he were a christian i would give him liberty for the valor of his speech. some of the spirit of our gallant ballaban is still left in him. the witches could not take the great heart out of him, though they stole away his wits. what say you, sage murta?" the physician replied, knitting his brows and stroking his chin-"the padishah is wise. the man is mad. but since his heart is not touched by the demon, but only his memory erased and his imagination distorted, my science tells me there is hope of his cure." "what medicament have you for a diseased mind?" asked the sultan. with reverent pomposity, but in low voice not overheard by the patient, the physician uttered the prescription: "first, we have the religious cure--if so be that the man is under the charm of the evil spirits--find thee a cord with eleven knots tied on it:--for such was the number on the cord with which the daughters of lobeid, the jew, bewitched the prophet. as thou untiest the knots repeat the last two chapters of the koran, which the angel gabriel revealed as the talisman, saying-"'i fly for refuge unto the lord of the daybreak, that he may deliver me from the mischief of the night, when it cometh on; and from the mischief of women, blowing on the knots; and from the mischief of the envious; and from the mischief of the whisperer, the devil, who slyly withdraweth, who whispereth evil suggestions into the breasts of men: and from genii and men.' "if this should fail--as i have known it to fail in the case of those who were not born in the sacred family of islâm--we should try the virtues of the heritage bowl, which is much esteemed among the giaours. i have possessed myself of one, once the property of an ancient family. it is made of silver, and engraved with forty-one padlocks. a decoction mixed in this bowl, and poured on the head of the patient any time within seven weeks after the day on which they celebrate the imagined rising of jesu, son of mary, from the dead, will often break the most malignant spell. the christian paska[80] is just past; so that it will be opportune." "but should this likewise fail?" asked mahomet, impatient with the sage's prolixity. "ah! we shall then have to try our strictly human remedies. this ailment is called by the latin disciples of galen, _dementia_, which signifieth that the man's mind, his natural thoughts, have gone away from him. we must recall them. for this we must have some strong appeal to that which was his hottest passion or interest before his mind flew away from him. do you know the absorbing humor of this man? was he a lover? if so, we must find the fair one who has robbed him of his better part, and, restoring her to him, we shall restore him to himself." "nay," said mahomet. "captain ballaban was never enamored of woman. the maid who lured the prophet from the charms of ayesha and hafsa,[81] would not have turned ballaban's head. i once offered him the choice of a bevy of georgians; but he would not even look at them. he is a soldier; from tassel to shoe-thong a soldier." "ah! then we have the remedy at hand," said murta, rolling his eyes as if reading the prescription in the air. "give him command; military excitement; honors of the field. when the cimeters gleam then will reason flash again. and my science is at fault if the simple summons to some high duty work not a counter charm to break the spell that is on him, though it were woven by the mystic dance of all the genii and devils." "we will try this last remedy first," said mahomet. "dismiss him. let him go as he will, without hindrance or seeming to follow, until my orders be brought him by his aga. in the meantime search the shore for the knotted cord the witches may have blown upon. and, good murta, send for the silver bowl; for my brain is that hot that i fear me the giaour ghosts we have sent gibbering to hell during the last few days have left the spell of their evil eyes upon me too." the following day was not far advanced when captain ballaban was summoned to the sultan's tent, the rumor of his restoration to royal favor having been made to precede the summons. in fact, after the affair of the preceding afternoon, ballaban had not gone to the sea shore, but retired to his own quarters, where he loyally awaited either his death summons, or an invitation for some wild frolic with the padishah; he knew not which, so thought about neither; but busied himself over a plan for a new gun-carriage he was going to submit to urban. with assumed stolidity he entered the royal tent. as he rose from his obeisance upon the earth, his majesty embraced him with boyish delight. "your old self again: i see your soul in your face. i'd give half the horse-tails in the empire rather than lose that shock of hair from my sight, or the glowing brain that is under it from my councils, my red-headed angel!" "there is no need to lose it, except by cutting it off at my shoulders," said ballaban, falling in with the humor of the sultan, yet watchful not to be taken unawares, if, in its fitfulness, that humor should turn. "i have a grand service for you, if you have skill and courage enough to execute it," said mahomet, watching the effect on his friend. the captain's eyes flashed with the prospect, as he said: "i wait your plan, sire; only let it be bold." "i have no plan, you must make one. i would see if your brain is as square as the pot you keep it in," said the sultan, tapping him on the head with a jewelled whip staff, and adding, "it is evident, captain, that we must get possession of the golden horn; for so long as the enemy hold that for their harbor, we cannot prevent their reprovisioning the city as they did yesterday; and a few more such auxiliaries as they brought, indeed, another such leader as the genoese giustiniani, would compel us to raise the siege. how can we take the harbor? our boats can never raise the chain at the mouth." "that has been my problem since the siege began," said ballaban. "i remember while in albania, as i lodged one night in a village, i met with some italian officers, who had come to offer their swords to castriot. they told how they moved their fleet overland, several miles on a roadway of timbers.[82] we can use that device. the thing is not impracticable; for there is a depression to the north of galata, through which from the bosphorus to the inland extremity of the golden horn is but five or six miles. our vessels are not large; could be transported with the multitudes of our troops, and on the still water of the harbor would soon, by superior numbers, capture those of the christians." "a good conception!" said mahomet, "and if my reading has not been at fault, the roman augustus did something similar.[83] it shall be done. let it not be said that the ottoman was surpassed in daring or difficulty of enterprise by pagan or christian. you shall perform it, ballaban. the woods above galata will serve for planking, and the engineers can be spared from before the walls until it is accomplished." a few days later a large fleet of the moslems was conveyed overland, by means of a roadway of greased timbers. to the amazement of the christians their adversary's navy no longer lay idly upon the bosphorus, but was transformed into a line of floating batteries within the harbor of the golden horn, and from their rear soon destroyed the fleet of the defenders. footnotes: [78] the ottomans regard the appellation of "king of the turks" as an insult, since the turks are comparatively few of the many subjects of the sultan in europe. some of the most distinguished servants of the empire are of christian parentage, and either have been conquered or have voluntarily submitted to the domination of the moslem. [79] the moslem superstition led them to believe that witches, by tying knots in a cord and blowing on them, brought evil to the person they had in mind. [80] easter. [81] the coptic mary with whom the prophet was said to have been enamored. [82] in 1437 the venetians carried many large ships across the country from the river adige to the lake of garda. [83] at actium. chapter xli. the city was now completely invested. menaced from all sides, the defenders were not sufficient in numbers to guard the many approaches. yet the daily fighting was desperate, for the moslems were inspired by the certainty of success, while the christians were nerved with the energy of despair. to end the siege mahomet designated a time for a combined assault from sea and land. as the fatal day dawned, numberless hordes moved towards the walls. the great ditches were soon filled with the dead bodies of thousands of the least serviceable soldiers, who had been driven from behind by the lances of the trained bands, that they might thus worry the patience and exhaust the resources of the brave defenders, without taxing the best of the moslem troops. the carcasses of the slain made a highway for the living, over which they poured against the gate of st. romanus. the four grim towers toppled beneath the pounding of great stone balls hurled from the cannon of urban. the defenders were driven off the adjacent walls by the storms of bullets and arrows that swept them. at the critical moment the janizaries, unwearied as yet by watching or fighting, twelve thousand strong, as compact a mass beneath the eye of the sultan as the weapon he held in his hand, moved to where the breach was widest. "the spoil to all! a province to him who first enters!" cried the sultan, waving his iron battle mace. hassan, the giant, first mounted the rampart, and fell pierced with arrows and crushed with stones. but through the gap his dying valor had made in the ranks of the foe first rushed the company of ballaban. in vain did the people crowd beneath the dome of st. sophia, grasping with hopeless hope an ancient prophecy that at the extreme moment an angel would descend to rescue the city. alas! only the angel of death came that day; and to none brought he more welcome news than to the emperor,--"thy prayer is answered; for thou hast fallen where the dead lie thickest!" near the gateway of st. romanus, where he had met the first of the invaders, under the piles of the dead, gashed by sabre strokes and crushed beneath the feet of the victors, lay the body of constantine palæologus, the noblest of the cæsars of the eastern empire! the turks placed his ghastly head between the feet of the bronze horse, a part of the equestrian statue of justinian, where it was reverently saluted even by the moslems, who paused in the rage of the sack to think upon the virtue and courage of the unfortunate monarch. captain ballaban had pressed rapidly through the city to the doors of st. sophia. the oaken gates flew back under the axes of the moslems. monks and matrons, children and nuns, lords and beggars were crowded together, not knowing whether the grand dome would melt away and a legion of angels descend for their relief, or the vast enclosure would become a pen of indiscriminate slaughter. the motley and helpless misery excited the pity of the captors. ballaban's voice rang through the arches, proclaiming safely to those who should submit. that he might the better command the scene, he made his way to the chancel in front of the grand altar. it was filled with the nuns, repeating their prayers. among them was the fair albanian. her face was but partly toward him, yet he could never mistake that queenly head. she was addressing the sisters. holding aloft the bright shaft of a stiletto, she cried,-"let us give ourselves to heaven, but never to the harem!" ballaban paused an instant. but that instant seemed to him many minutes. as, under the lightning's flash, the whole moving panorama of the wide landscape seems to stand still, and paints vividly its prominent objects, however scattered, upon the startled eye of the beholders; so his mind marvellously quickened by the excitement, took in at once the long track of his own life. he saw a little child's hand wreathing him with flowers plucked beside a cottage on the balkans; a lovely captive whose face was lit by the blazing home in a hamlet of albania; a form of one at sfetigrade lying still and faint with sickness, but radiant as with the beginning of transfiguration for the spirit life; and the queenly being who was borne in the palanquin through the gate of phranza. but how changed! how much more glorious now! earthly beauty had become haloed with the heavenly. he never had conceived of such majesty, such glory of personality, such splendor of character, as were revealed by her attitude, her eye, her voice, her purpose. "but now," thought he, "the descending blade will change this utmost sublimity of being into a little heap of gory dust!" all this flashed through his mind. in another instant his strong hand had caught the arm of the voluntary sacrifice. the stiletto, falling, caught in the folds of her garments, and then rang upon the marble floor of the chancel. morsinia uttered a shriek and fell, apparently as lifeless as if the blade had entered her heart. the janizary stood astounded. a tide of feeling strange to him poured through his soul. for the first time in his life he felt a horror of war. not thousands writhing on the battle field could blanch his cheek with pity for their pangs: but that one voice rang through and through him, and rent his heart with sympathetic agony. her cry had become a cry of his own soul too. for the first time he realized the dignity of woman's character. this woman was not even wounded. she had fallen beneath the stroke of a thought, a sentiment, a woman's notion of her honor! the women he had known had no such fatal scruples. other captive beauties soon became accustomed to their new surroundings. many even offered to buy with their charms an exchange of poverty for the luxuries of the harem of pashas and wealthy moslems. was this a solitary woman's tragedy of virtue? or was it some peculiar teaching of the christian's faith that inspired her to such heroism? however it came, the man knew that with her it was a mighty reality; this instinct of virtue; this sanctity of person. and this woman was his dream made real! a celestial ideal which he had touched! the man's brain reeled with the shock of these tenderer and deeper feelings, coming after the wildness of the battle rage. he grasped the altar for support. the blood seemed to have ceased to bound in his veins, the temples to be pulseless; a band to have been drawn tightly about his brain so as to paralyze its action. he felt himself falling. a deathly sickness spread through his frame. he was sure he had fainted. he thought he must have been unconscious for a while. yet when he opened his eyes, the soldier near him was in the same attitude of dragging a nun by her wrists as when he last saw him. time had stood still with his pulses. he shuddered at the cruelty on every side, as the shrieks from the high galleries were answered by those in distant alcoves and from the deep crypt. he watched the groups of old men and children, monks and senators, nuns and courtesans, tied together and dragged away, some for slaughter, some for princely ransom, some for shame. the building was well emptied when the sultan entered. he at once advanced to the altar and proclaimed: "god is god; there is but one god, and mahomet is the apostle of god!" "but whom have we here, captain ballaban?" "your majesty, i am guarding a beautiful captive whom i would not have fall into the hands of the common soldiers; i take it, of high estate," replied the janizary, knowing that such an introduction to the royal attention alone could save her from the fate which awaited the unhappy maidens, most of whom were liable to be sold to brutal masters and transported to distant provinces. the sultan gazed upon the partly conscious woman, and commanded,---"let her be veiled! seek out a goodly house. find the eunuch tamlich." ballaban shuddered at this command, and was about to reply, when his judgment suggested that he was impotent to dispute the royal will except by endangering the life or the welfare of his captive. the safest place for her was, after all, with the maidens who were known to be the choice of the sultan, and thus beyond insult by any except the imperial debauchee. mahomet ii. gave orders for the immediate transformation of the christian temple of st. sophia into a mosque. in a few hours desolation reigned in those "courts of the lord's house," which, when first completed, ages ago, drew from the imperial founder, the remark: "oh, solomon! i have surpassed thee!" and which, though the poverty of later monarchs had allowed it to become sadly impaired, was yet regarded by the greek christians as worthy of being the vestibule of heaven. the command of the sultan: "take away every trace of the idolatry of the infidel!" was obeyed in demolishing the rarest gems of christian art to which attached the least symbolism of the now abolished worship. the arms were chiseled off the marble crosses which stood out in relief from the side walls, and from the bases of the gigantic pillars. the rare mosaics which lined the church as if it were a vast casket--the fitting gift of the princes of the earth to the king of kings--were plastered or painted over. the altar, that marvellous combination of gold and silver and bronze, conglomerate with a thousand precious stones, was torn away, that the red slab of the mihrab might point the prayers of the new devotees toward mecca. the furniture, from that upon the grand altar to the banners and mementoes of a thousand years, the donations of greek emperors and sovereigns of other lands, was broken or torn into pieces. there remained only the grand proportions of the building--its chief glory--enriched by polished surfaces of marble and porphyry slabs; the superb pillars brought by the reverent cupidity of earlier ages from the ruined temple of diana at ephesus, the temple of the sun at palmyra, the temple on the acro-corinthus, and the mythologic urn from pergamus, which latter, having been used as a baptismal font by the followers of jesus, was now devoted to the ablutions of the moslems. from st. sophia the sultan passed to the palace of the greek cæsars. "truly! truly!" said he "the spider's web is the royal curtain; the owl sounds the watch cry on the towers of afrasiab," quoting from the persian poet firdusi, as he gazed about the deserted halls. he issued his mandate which should summon architects and decorators, not only from his dominions, but from christian nations, to adorn the splendid headland with the palatial motley of walls and kiosks which were to constitute his new seraglio. the considerateness of ballaban led him to select the house of phranza as the place to which morsinia was taken. the noble site and substantial structure of the mansion of the late chamberlain commended it to the sultan for the temporary haremlik; and the familiar rooms alleviated, like the faces of mute friends, the wildness of the grief of their only familiar captive. chapter xlii. constantine, after his escape from the sultan's tent, where he had been taken for the demented ballaban, was unable to enter constantinople before it fell. his heart was torn with agonizing solicitude for the fate of morsinia. he knew too well the determination of the dauntless girl in the event of her falling into the hands of the turks. filling his dreams at night, and rising before him as a terrible apparition by day, was that loved form, a suicide empurpled with its own gore. yet love and duty led him to seek her, or at least to seek the certainty of her fate. he therefore disguised himself as a moslem and mingled with the throng of soldiers and adventurers who entered the city under its new possessors. he wandered for hours about the familiar streets, that, perchance, he might come upon some memorial of her. the secrets of the royal harem he could not explore, even if suspicion led his thought thither. the proximity of the residence of phranza was guarded by the immediate servants of the sultan, so that he was deprived of even the fond misery of visiting the scenes so associated with his former joy. in passing through one of the narrowest and foulest streets--the only ones that had been left undisturbed by the vandalism of the conquerors--he came upon an old woman, hideous in face and decrepit, whom he remembered as a beggar at the gate of phranza. from her he learned many stories of the last hours of the siege. according to her story she had gone among the first to st. sophia. when the moslems entered they tied her by a silken girdle to the person of the grand chamberlain, and, amid the jeers of the soldiers, marched them together to the hippodrome. she remembered the sultan as he rode on his horse,--how he struck with his battle hammer one of the silver heads of the bronze serpents, and cried: "so i smite the heads of the kingdoms!" just as he did so he turned, and saw her in her rags tied to the courtly-robed lord, and in an angry voice commanded that the princely man be loosed from contact with the filthy hag. phranza was taken away: but nobody cared to take her away. she was trampled by the crowd, but lived. and nobody thought of turning her out of her hovel home. she was as safe as is a rat when the robbers have killed the nobler inmates of a house. the woman said that she had heard that the daughter of phranza was sent away somewhere to an island home. but the albanian princess,--yes, she knew her well; for no hand used to drop so bountifully the alms she asked, or said so kindly "jesu pity you, my good woman!" as did that beautiful lady. the beggar declared that she stood near her by the altar in st. sophia. "she looked so saintly there! there was a real aureole about her head as she prayed, so she was a saint indeed. then she raised her dagger!" but the wretched watcher could watch no longer, though she heard her cry, so wild that she would never cease to hear it. the beggar ceased her story; all her words had cut through her listener's heart as if they had been daggers. "it is well!" he said, "i will go to albania. among those who loved her i will worship her memory; and, under castriot, i will seek my revenge." chapter xliii. morsinia's fears, and her horror at the anticipated life in the harem, were not confirmed by its actual scenes. except for the constant surveillance of the nubian eunuchs and female attendants, there was no restriction upon her liberty. she passed through the familiar corridors, and rested upon the divan in what had been her own chamber in better days. other female captives became her companions; but among them were none of those belonging to constantinople. suburban villages were represented; but most of the odalisks[84] were circassian beauties, whose conduct did not indicate that they felt any shame in their condition. they indulged in jealous rivalry, estimating their own worth by the sums which the agents of the sultan had paid their parents for their possession; or bantering one another as to who of their number would first meet the fancy of their royal master. there were several greeks, who, with more modesty of speech, spared none of the arts of the toilet to prepare themselves to better their condition in the only way that was now open to them. a coptic girl had been sent by eenal, the borghite khalif of egypt, as a present to the sultan. her form was slight, and without the fullness of development which other races associate with female beauty, but of wonderful grace of pose and motion; her face was broad; eyes wide and expressionless; mouth straight. yet her features had that symmetry and balance which gave to them a strange fascination. the turcoman emir who had already given his daughter to mahomet--the nuptials with whom he was celebrating when called to the throne--exercised still further his fatherly office in presenting to his son-in-law as fine a pair of black eyes as ever flashed their cruel commands to an amative heart. to study this physiognomical museum afforded morsinia an entertaining relief from the otherwise constant torture of her thoughts. to her further diversion one was introduced into the harem who spoke her own albanian tongue. this new comer was of undoubted beauty, so far as that quality could be the product of merely physical elements. it was of the kind that might bind a god on earth, but could never help a soul to heaven. her lower face, with full red lips arching the pearliest teeth, and complexion ruddy with the glow of health, shading into the snowy bosom, might perhaps serve to make a venus; but her upper features, the low forehead and dilated nostrils, could never have been made to bespeak the thoughtful minerva in this retreat of those, who, to the moslem imagination, are the types of heavenly perfection. her eyes were bright, but only with surface lustre. her nature evidently contained no depths which could hold either noble resentment or self sacrificing love; either grand earthly passion or heavenly faith. this woman's vanity did not long keep back the story of her life. she told of her conquest of the village swains who fought for the possession of her charms; of the devotion of an albanian prince who took her dowerless in preference to the ladies of great family and fortune, and would have bestowed upon her the heirship to his estates: of how she was stolen away from the great castle by a company of turkish officers, who afterward fought among themselves for the privilege of presenting her to the validé sultana;[85] for it was about the time of the ramedan feast when the sultan's mother made an annual gift to her son of the most beautiful woman she could secure. the vain captive declared that the jealousy of the odalisks at adrianople had led the kislar aga to send her here to constantinople. "and who was the albanian nobleman whose bride you had become?" asked morsinia. "oh, one who is to be king of albania one day, the voivode amesa." "ah!" said morsinia, "this is news from my country. when was it determined that amesa should be king?" "oh! every one speaks of it at the castle as if it were well understood. and when he becomes king then he will claim me again from mahomet, though he must ransom me with half his kingdom. yes, i am to be a queen; and indeed i may be one already, for perhaps lord amesa is now on the throne. and that is the reason i wear the cord of gold in my hair; for one day my royal lover will put the crown here." the bedizened beauty rose and paced to and fro through the great salôn. the pride which gave the majestic toss to her head, however it would have marred that ethereal form which the inner eye of the moralist or the christian always sees, and which is called character, only gave an additional charm to her;--as the delicate yet stately comb of the peacock adds to the fascination of that bird. her carriage combined the gracefulness of perfect anatomy and health with the dignity which conceit, thoroughly diffused in muscle and nerve, lent to all her movements. with that step upon it no carpet beneath a throne would have been dishonored. her dress was in exquisite keeping with her person. the close fitting zone or girdle about her waist left the bust uncontorted; a model which needed no device to supplement the perfection of nature. a robe of purple velvet trailed luxuriantly behind; but in front was looped so as to display the loose trousers of white silk which were gathered below the knee and fell in full ruffles about the unstockinged ankles, but not so low as to conceal the rings of silver which clasped them, and the slippers of yellow satin, ending in long and curved points, which protruded from beneath. as the other women gazed at this self-assumed queen of the harem the green fire of jealousy flashed alike from black eyes and blue. the straight thin noses of the greeks for the moment forgot their classic models, and dilated as if in rivalry of that flattened feature of the egyptian; while the straight mouth of the daughter of the nile writhed in indescribable curves, indicative of commingled wrath, hatred, pique and scorn. this parade would have produced in morsinia the feeling of contempt, were it not for that sisterly interest which was awakened by the fact that she was her own country-woman. morsinia's face, usually calm in its great dignity and reserve, now flushed with the struggle between indignation and pity for the girl. at this moment the purple hangings which separated the salôn from the open court were held aside by the silver staff of the eunuch in charge; and the young padishah stood as a spectator of the scene. "ah! tamlich," cried he, addressing the black eunuch, "you were right in saying that the great haremlik at adrianople, with its thousand goddesses, could not rival this temporary one for the fairness of the birds you have caged in it." the women made the temineh--a salutation with the right hand just sweeping the floor, and then pressed consecutively to the heart, the lips and the forehead; a movement denoting reverence, and, at the same time, giving field for the display of the utmost grace of motion. the padishah passed among these his slaves with the license which betokened his absolute ownership; stroking their hair and toying with their persons according to his amiable or insolent caprice. morsinia, however, was spared this familiarity. the sultan himself colored slightly as he addressed her a few words in greek, of which language, in common with several others, he knew enough to act as his own interpreter. his questions were respectful, all limited to her comfort in her new home. with elissa, the queenly albanian, he was at once on terms of intimacy. her manner betokened that she gave to him only too willingly whatever he might be disposed to take. as the sultan withdrew, the eunuch tamlich remarked to him: "my surmise of your excellency's judgment was verified. said i not that the two arnaouts were the fairest? and did i not behold your majesty gaze longest upon them?" "i commend your taste, tamlich," replied mahomet. "but those two are as unlike as a ruby and a pearl." "but as fair as either, are they not? the chief hamamjina[86] declares that the blue-eyed one has the most perfect form she ever saw; and that it is a form which will improve with years. morsinia hanoum[87] will be more fit for paradise, while elissa hanoum may lose the grace of the maiden as a matron. but the cherry is ripe for the plucking now." "i like the ruby better than the pearl," said the sultan. "i cannot quite fathom the deep eye of the latter. she thinks too much. i would not have women think. they are to make us stop thinking. the problems of state are sufficiently perplexing: i want no human problem in my arms." "but one who thinks may have some skill in affording amusement. have i not heard thee say, sire, 'blessed is the one who can invent a new recreation?' that requires thinking." "right, tamlich! can she sing?" "ay! your majesty, to the greek cythera; and such songs that, though they know not a word of them--for the songs are in her own arnaout tongue--the odalisks all fall to weeping." "i like not such singing," said mahomet. "to make people think with her thoughtful eyes is bad enough in a woman. to make them weep with her voice is wicked, is christian. i will give her away to some one who wants a wife that thinks. there is hamed bey, one of the muderris[88] who is to be put at the head of my new chain of ulemas.[89] he will want a wife who thinks; and his eyes are that blind with dry study that it will do him good to weep. but who is the woman? i think i saw her face in st. sophia the day of our entry." "she belonged to the house-hold of phranza, the chamberlain, who possessed this very house," replied the eunuch. "and i think, from its goodly size and decoration, he must have used the treasury of the empire freely." "to phranza! why, i have a daughter of his in the nursery at adrianople. his wife i have given to the master of the horse.[90] his son i have this day sent to hell for his insolence. but she is an arnaout; therefore not of kin to phranza. search out her story, tamlich! for a member of the family of phranza, and not of his blood, may be of some political consequence. i will keep her. but get her story, tamlich, get her story!" "i have it already, sire," replied the eunuch. "ah!" "she is a ward of scanderbeg, the arnaout traitor, sent to constantinople to escape the danger of capture by thine all-conquering arms. but the bird fled from the fowler into the snare." "perhaps a child of scanderbeg! eh, tamlich? one at least whose life is of great value to him, and was to the greek empire. i will inform scanderbeg that she is in my possession. by the dread of what may happen to her i shall the easier force that ravening brute to make terms; for i am tired of battering my sword against his rocks, trying to prick his skin. keep her close, tamlich, keep her close!" footnotes: [84] odalisk; the title of a childless inmate of the harem. [85] mother of the sultan. [86] hamamjina; bath attendant. [87] hanoum; a title given to matrons. [88] muderris; professors in the high schools. [89] chain of ulemas; a renowned system of colleges. [90] gibbon; chapter lxviii. chapter xliv. late in the day the sultan retired to a neighboring mansion, once possessed by the greek grand duke, lucas notaras, and there sought relaxation from the incessant cares of the empire. the day had been wearisome. architects had submitted plans for the detailed ornamentation of the new seraglio which was rising on the byzantine point. one of the plans led to dispute between the padishah and the chief mufti, the expounder of the moslem law. it was occasioned thus. the porphyry column[91] which stood hard by the palace of the greek emperors, had once served to hold aloft the bronze statue of apollo, a precious relic of ancient greek mythology. this was afterward reverenced by the people as the figure of the emperor constantine the great, or worshipped by them as that of christ. an architect proposed that the time-glorious shaft should now be surmounted by the colossal statue of mahomet ii. the mufti declared the project to be impious, as tempting to idolatry, against which the koran was so clear and denunciatory, and also the sounna or traditional sayings of the prophet. the sultan's pride rebelled against this assumption of an authority above his own. but the sultan's superstitious regard for the faith among the people, which led him to wash his hands and face openly whenever he spoke with the architect, who was a christian engaged at great cost from italy, also led him to fear to break with the prescriptions and customs of his religion in this matter. he contented himself with an oath that he had sooner lost the honor of a campaign than the privilege of seeing himself represented as the conqueror of both constantine and christ. generals, too, had been in council with him that day regarding the conduct of intrigues for the possession of the peloponnesus, and about the wars in servia, boznia and trebizond. ill tidings had come from albania, where scanderbeg was consuming the turkish armies, as a great spider entraps in his webs and at his leisure devours a swarm of hornets, which, could they have free access to him, would instantly sting him to death. the messenger who brought this news was rewarded by having hurled at his head an immense vase of malachite, in the exertion of lifting which the imperial wrath was sufficiently eased to allow of his turning to other business. a plan for the reception of the inmates of the grand harem at adrianople, when they should be transported to the spacious buildings being constructed for them in the seraglio, was also a pleasing diversion, and led the sultan to make the brief visit to the fair ones at the house of phranza, which has been described. but the nettled spirit of the padishah was far from subdued. he had during the day given an order, the sequel to which we must relate, and which, while it disturbed his conscience and flooded him at moments with the sense of self-contempt, also inflamed his natural passion for cruelty. he determined to drown the noble, and to satiate the the vicious, craving by an hour or two of unrestrained debauch. in the court of the house of the grand duke notaras was spread the royal banquet. rarest viands were flanked by flagons of costliest wines. upon the momentary surprise of the steward when he received the order to provide the wines, the monarch cried in a contemptuous tone: "ah! i know your thoughts. it is not according to the koran that wine should be drunk. but by the staff of moses,[92] which they found in the palace of the cæsars yonder, i swear that mahomet the emperor shall not yield to mahomet the prophet in everything. the prophet made laws to suit his own taste, so will i[93]. he can have mecca and medina and jerusalem; but i shall reign without him in my own palace in stamboul, which i have captured with my own hand. bring the wine, or i'll spill your black blood as a beverage to those in hell! it will be sweet enough for your kin who are black with roasting. i will have wine to-day! cool it in all the snows from mount olympus yonder; for my blood is as hot as if i were shod with fire; and my skull boils like a pot."[94] about the table were divans cushioned with down and covered with yellow silk. the padishah took his seat upon the highest cushion. by his side stood the chief of the black eunuchs, splendidly[95] attired in the waistcoat of flower embroidered brocade, tunic of scarlet, flowing trousers, red turban, and half boots of bronzed leather. he held a wand of silver covered with elegant tracery and topped in filagree. as he waved this symbol of his office, there came from the various doors opening into the court groups of the harem women. they were draped in gauze, in the folds of which sparkled diamonds and glowed the hues of precious stones selected by the taste of the chief eunuch to set off the complexion and hair of their various wearers, and at the same time to facilitate their grouping into sets of dancers. the court was made radiant with these beautiful forms, which moved in circles or in spirals about the fountains and under the orange trees, whose white blossoms and golden fruit in simultaneous fulness completed the picture for the eye, while their fragrance loaded the air with its delicate delight. the kislar aga had arranged a scene which especially pleased the monarch, whose head was already swimming with the combined effect of the mazy dance and the fumes of the wine. an attendant led into the court, held partly by a strong leash and partly by the voice of his trainer, a magnificent leopard. with utmost grace the beast leaped over the ribboned wand, falling so softly to the ground that, though of enormous weight, he would not seemingly have broken a twig had it lain beneath his feet. in imitation of this, a eunuch led into the court by a leash of roses a circassian dancer, the gift of a caramanian prince. her form was as free from the hindrances of dress as that of her spotted competitor; except that a bright gem burned upon her forehead, in the node which gathered a part of her hair; while the abundance of her tresses was either held out on her snowy arms, or fell about her as a veil almost to her feet. with a hundred variations the girl repeated the motions of the leopard, leaping the wands with equal grace as she came to them in the measures of the dance. the great brute had laid his head in the lap of his trainer, and was watching his beautiful rival with apparent enjoyment; only now and then uttering a low growl as if in jealousy, when the bravo! of the sultan rewarded some especially fascinating movement. the girl came to the side of the magnificent monster and dropped her long hair over his head. the brute closed his eyes as if soothed by the wooing of the maiden. cautiously, but encouraged by the low voice of the trainer, she placed her head upon the mottled and living pillow. a great paw was thrown about her shoulder. the sultan was in ecstasy of applause, and shouted: "a collar of gold for each of them!" the girl attempted to rise, but her splendid lover seemed to have become really enamored of the beautiful form he held. her slightest motion was answered by a growl; while the swaying of his tail indicated that, as among human kind, so with the brutes, the softest sentiments were to be guarded by those of a severer nature; that baffled love must meet the avenging of cruel wrath. like the affection of some men, that of the leopard was limited to its own gratification, and utterly regardless of the comfort of its object; for the fondness of the brute was not such as to prevent his long nails protruding through their velvet covering, and entering the bare flesh of the girl. she quivered with pain, yet, at the quick warning of the trainer, she made no outcry. the man drew from his pocket a small bit of raw flesh, and diverted the eyes of the brute from the blood streaming at each claw-puncture on the neck and bosom of his victim. the leopard savagely snapped at the morsel, and, at the same instant struck it with his paw, and leaped to seize it as it was hurled many feet away. the girl as quickly darted to a safe distance. attendants instantly appeared and surrounded the beast with their spear points. he crouched at the feet of the trainer, and whined in fear until he was led out. the girls then encircled the seat of the sultan, and vied with one another in the simulated attempt to throw over him a spell. nor was the attempt merely simulated, as each one displayed the utmost art of beauty and manner to win from the half-drunken tyrant some token of his favor. when elissa came near the sultan, he bade her play with him as the circassian did with the leopard. he held her and exclaimed to the others: "beware your leopard when he growls! but where is the other arnaout? i will have the pearl with the ruby of the harem! where is she, i say? did i not order you to bring all the odalisks to my feast?" "from your majesty's orders but lately, sire, i supposed--" began the eunuch. "supposed? you are to obey, not to suppose," cried the demented man, slashing at him with the cimeter that lay at his feet. "but she is not robed for the feast." "bring her as she is, and robe her here. you said that she was fairer than this one. if she is not fairer than this one, the leopard's claws will grip her, and the beast shall have your black body for his next supper. bring her!" the eunuch soon returned with morsinia. she wore a sombre feridjé, or cloak completely enveloping the person. this she had on at the moment she was summoned, and the eunuch obeyed literally the mandate of the monarch to bring her as she was. as she stood before the sultan she appeared, in contrast with her half naked and bejeweled sisters, like a prophetess; some female elijah before ahab surrounded by his household of jezebels. throwing back the yashmak, or long veil--the one moslem costume she had very willingly assumed after her captivity--she gazed upon the tyrant with a look of amazed inquiry of his meaning in summoning her to such a place. the sovereignty of her soul asserted and expressed itself in her noble brow, her clear and steady eye, her dauntless bearing. "sire, i have obeyed," said she, making the obeisance which in form was obsequious, but which she executed with such dignity that even the dull wit of the reveller felt that she had not really humbled herself before him by so much as the shadow of a thought. "disrobe her!" cried the monarch. the woman stepped back, as if to avoid the contact of her person with the black eunuch; but as suddenly threw off the feridjé herself. if she had seemed a gloomy prophetess before, her appearance now would have suggested to an ancient greek the apparition of pudicitia, the goddess of modesty. her gown of rich pearl-tinted cloth covered her shoulders; and, though opened upon the bosom, it was to show only the thick folds of white lace which embraced the throat in a ruffle, and was clasped with a single gem--a cameo presented to her by the greek emperor. the bearing of the woman gave a temporary check to the abominable rage of the royal wretch, and recalled him to his better judgment. for it was a peculiarity of mahomet that no passion or debauch could completely divert him from carrying out any plan he had devised pertaining to his imperial ambition. as certain musicians perform without the sacrifice of a note the most difficult pieces, when too drunk to hold a goblet steadily to their lips, and as certain noted generals have staggered through the battle without the slightest strategic mistake, so mahomet never lost sight of a political or military purpose he had formed. while sleeping and waking, in the wildest revelry and in the privacy of his unspeakable sensuality, that project blazed before him like a strong fire-light through the haze. "take her away! take her away!" said he to the eunuch, recollecting his purpose of using her in his negotiations with scanderbeg; and covering his retreat from his original command by the remark, "she is the woman who thinks, i want none such to put her head against my heart. she might discover my thoughts; and by the secrets of allah! if a hair of my beard knew one of my thoughts i would pluck it out and burn it."[96] as morsinia withdrew, a eunuch approached and whispered to the sultan. "ah! it is good! good!" cried the monarch. "my lord, the grand duke notaras, will revisit his mansion. for him we have provided a feast such as his master palæologus never gave him. ah! my lovely arnaout shall sit at my right hand--for the queen of beauty has precedence to-day," said he, addressing elissa. "and the egyptian shall make me merry with the music of her voice, which i doubt not is sweeter than the strains of her native memnon. and, tamlich, you shall do me the honor of representing the king of nubia, and lie there opposite." the eunuch stood bewildered; for never before had a moslem proposed to introduce into his harem the person of any man, as now the duke of notaras was to look upon the beauties who should be reserved solely for the feasting of the padishah's eyes. mahomet, knowing his thoughts, bade him obey, and cried, "let the fair houris veil their faces with their blushes. bring in notaras!" three blacks entered, each bearing a great salver, on which was a covered dish of gold. "to tamlich i demit the honors of the board," said he, waving the foremost waiter toward the eunuch, whose face almost blanched at the strange turn affairs were taking, or perhaps with the suspicion that to-morrow his head would fall from his shoulders as the penalty of having witnessed the padishah disgrace himself. the attendants placed the dishes before the eunuch and the two favored beauties. the covers removed revealed the ghastly sight of three human heads, their unclosed eyes staring upward from their distorted faces and gory locks. the eunuch leaped from the divan. the women fell back shrieking and fainting. they were the heads of the grand duke notaras and his two children. well did the sultan need the strong diversion of the drunken revelry to drown the thoughts of what he knew to be transpiring at the hour. in spite of his royal word to the distinguished captive who had made his submission absolute, except to the extent of seeing his children dishonored to the vilest purposes, mahomet had ordered that notaras should be beheaded at the hippodrome, having been first compelled to witness the decapitation of his family. even mahomet was sobered by the horrid ghoulism he had devised, and dismissed the terror-stricken revelers with a volley of curses. footnotes: [91] porphyry column; now the famous burnt column. [92] staff of moses; one of the relics held sacred by the greeks at the time. [93] gibbon's statement of mahomet ii's. opinion. [94] punishment of those in hell, according to koran. [95] see effigy in the museum of the elbicei-atika at constantinople. [96] a similar remark was made afterward by mahomet ii. to a chief officer who asked him his plans for a certain campaign. chapter xlv. the courage of morsinia when she appeared before mahomet had been stimulated by an event which occurred a little before her summons. she was sitting by the latticed window in the house of phranza. it overlooked the wall surrounding the garden, which on that side was a narrow enclosure. this had been her favorite resort in brighter days. from it she could see what passed in the broad highway beyond, while the close latticed woodwork prevented her being seen by those without. while musing there she was strangely attracted by an officer who frequently passed. his shape and stature reminded her strongly of constantine. as he turned his face toward the mansion the features seemed identical with those of her foster brother. recovering from the stroke of surprise this apparition gave her, morsinia rubbed her eyes to make sure she was not dreaming, and looked again. he was in conversation with another. it could not be constantine, for, aside from the general belief in constantine's death before the termination of the siege, this person was saluted with great reverence by the soldiers who passed by, and approached with familiarity by other officers of rank. the sight brought into vivid conviction what had long been her day dream, namely, that michael, her childhood playmate, might be living, and if so, would probably be among the turkish soldiers; for his goodly physique and talent, displayed as a lad, would certainly have been cultivated by his captors. she now felt certain of her theory. so strong was the impression, and so active and exciting her thoughts as she endeavored to devise a way by which the discovery might be utilized to the advantage of both, that even the loathsome splendor of the sultan's garden party, had not impressed her as it otherwise would have done. for several days after she was almost oblivious to the monotony of the harem life; so busy was she with her new problem. she determined that, at any cost, she would bring herself into communication with the officer, and, if her theory should be confirmed, declare herself, and boldly propose that he should rescue her. for she could not conceive that, however much he had become accustomed to turkish life, he had lost all yearning for his liberty and all impression of his christian faith. but how could she convey any intelligence to him? except through the eunuchs, the inmates of the harem had little communication with the outer world. the customs of life there were as inflexible as the walls. to her natural ingenuity, now so quickened by necessity and hope, there at length appeared an end thread of the tangle. the women of the harem relieved the tedium of their existence by making various articles, the construction of which might not mar the delicacy of their fingers; such as needlework upon their own clothing, coverings for cushions, curtains, tapestried hangings, spreads for couches, cases in which the koran could be kept so that even when being read it need not be touched by the fingers, bags of scented powders, and the like. many of these articles were disposed of at the bazaars of the city, and the proceeds spent by the odalisks at their own caprice; generally for confections and gew-gaws. at the time there was quite a demand for articles made in the harem. many thousands of moslems had been imported from asia minor to take the place of the rapidly disappearing greek population. large stores of articles were sent from the great harem at adrianople, and sold for fabulous prices in the bazaars of stamboul, as the new capital was called by the turks. the agents for the sale of these things were generally the female attendants at the harem, who had free association with the bazaar keepers. sometimes these women sold directly to the individual purchasers without going to the trade places. an officer or young citizen was often inveigled into buying, and paying exorbitant prices too, on hearing that some odalisk had set longing eyes upon him, and wrought the purse or belt, the dagger-sheath or embroidered jacket, as a special evidence of her favor. many were the stories which the gallants of the city and garrison were accustomed to tell, as they displayed their purchases, about nocturnal adventures, in which they were guided only by a pair of bright eyes, and of favors received from beauties whose names, of course, prudence forbade them to mention. all the traditions of lovers, romances of moon-shadowed grottoes, and all the stories of castles with the thread at the window, that have been told from the beginning of the world, had their counterpart in those the swains of stamboul told about the sultan's earthly paradise at adrianople, or those which, in their amatory bantering, they had made to cluster about the villa of the late phranza at the new capital. an old woman, who, formerly a servant in the harem, had been given by the validé sultana, the mother of amurath, to a subaltern officer as wife, but had long been a widow, was permitted freely to enter the haremlik, and engaged as a convenient broker between those within and those without. one day morsinia, in giving her some of her handiwork for sale, held up an elegant case of silk containing several little crystals, or phials, of atar of roses. "kala-hanoum, do you know the young captain ballaban?" "ay, the knight of the golden horn?" asked the woman. "and why do they call him that?" "because," she replied, "his head glows like one, i suppose." "yes, he is the man--well! find him--tell him any story you please about my beauty." "i need not invent one; i must only tell the truth to bewitch him," replied the old dame, with real fondness and admiration. "but that will be difficult. i can invent a lie better than describe the truth, unless you help me." "well," said morsinia, "tell him as much truth about my appearance as you can, and invent the rest. tell him--let me see--that my eyes are as bright as the stars that shine above the balkans." "do they shine there more brilliantly than here where they make their toilet in the bosphorus?" asked the woman. "oh! yes," said morsinia, "for the air is clearest there of any place on the earth. tell him, too, that my teeth are as white as the snows that lie in the pass of slatiza." "where is that?" queried the messenger. "oh! it is a grotto i have heard of, that lies very high up toward the sky, where the snows are unsoiled by passing through the clouds, which, you know, always tints them. and then tell him that altogether i am as queenly as--as--well! as the wonderful elizabeth morsiney, the bride of the christian king sigismund." "elizabeth morsiney? yes, i will remember that name, if some day you will tell me her story." "that i will," said morsinia. "and tell the young officer that the odalisk who made this lovely case has dreamed of him ever since she was a child." "he cannot resist that," said the woman. "but you must sell it to no one else. and see this elegant sash of cashmere! i will give it to you to sell on your own account, hanoum, if you bring me some sure evidence that he has bought the case of perfume. and be sure to tell him that just when the sun is setting he must go somewhere alone, and look at the sun through each of the little phials, and he may see the face of her who sent them; for you know that a true lover can always see the one who sends a phial of atar of roses in the sun glints from its sides. and when you bring me evidence that he has bought it, then, good kala, you shall have the sash of cashmere." the old woman's cupidity hastened her feet upon her errand. chapter xlvi. "peace be with thee!" said the old woman, dropping a low courtesy to the officer, as he walked near the new buildings of the seraglio. "peace be unto _thee_, and the mercy of god and his blessing,[97] good woman!" replied the soldier; but waving his hand, added kindly, "i have no need of your harem trumpery." "but see this!" said she, showing the elegant case of perfumery. "this holds the essence of the flowers of paradise." "go along, old mother! i would have no taste for it if it contained the sweat of the houris."[98] "but this case was made especially for you, captain ballaban." "or for any other man whose purse will buy it," replied he, moving away. the woman followed closely, chattering into his deaf ears. "but, could you see her that made it, you would not decline to buy, though you gave for it half the gold you found in the coffers of the rich greeks the day your valor won the city, brave captain; and the cost of it is but a lira;[99] and the maiden is dying of love for you." "then why does she not give it to me as a present? love asks no price," said he, just turning his head. "that she would, but for fear of offending your honor by slighting your purse," said the quick-witted woman. "well said, mother! i warrant that the beyler bey, or the noble kaikji,[100] who made love to you never got you for nothing." "indeed, no! he paid the validé sultana ten provinces, and a brass buckle besides, to prevent her giving me to timour; who took it so hard that he would have broken his heart, but that the grief went the wrong way and cracked his legs, and so they call him timour-lenk. that was the reason he made war on the ottomans. it was all out of jealousy for me," said she, making a low and mock courtesy. "but if you could see the beautiful odalisk who made this! her form is as stately as the dome of st. sophia." "she's too big and squatty, if she's like that," laughed the officer. "her face glows in complexion like the mother of pearl," went on the enthusiastic saleswoman. "too hard of cheek!" sneered the other. "even yours, hanoum, is not so hard as mother of pearl." "a neck like alabaster----" "cold! too cold! i would as soon think of making love to a gravestone," was the officer's comment. "and such melting lips----" "yes, with blisters! i tell you, old hanoum, i'm woman proof. go away!" "and her eyes shine through her long lashes like the stars through the fir trees on the balkans." "tut! woman, you never saw the stars shine on the balkans. they do shine there, though, like the very eyes of allah. a woman with such eyes would frighten the padishah himself." kala hanoum took courage at this first evidence of interest on the part of the officer, and plied her advantage. "and her teeth are as white as the snows in the grotto of slatiza--" "the grotto of slatiza? you mean some bear's cave. but the snows are white there, whiter and purer than anywhere else on earth, except as i once saw them, so red with blood, there in the pass of slatiza. but how know you of slatiza, my good woman?" "and altogether she is as fair as the bride of sigismund of hungary," said kala, without regarding his question. "and who was she, hanoum?" asked the man, with curiosity fully aroused. "why, elizabeth morsiney, of course." the officer turned fully toward the woman, and scanned closely her features as if to discover something familiar. was there not some hint to be picked from these words? "hanoum, who told you to say that?" the woman in turn studied his face before she replied. she would learn whether the allusions had excited a pleasant interest, or roused antagonism in him. it required but a moment for her to discover that morsinia had given her some clue that the man would willingly follow, so she boldly replied: "the odalisk herself has talked to me of these things." "the odalisk! what is she like?" said he eagerly. "describe her to me." "why, i have been describing her for this half-hour; but you would not listen. so i will go off and do my next errand." the woman turned away, but, as she intended it should be, the officer was now in the attitude of the beggar. "hold, hanoum, i will buy your perfume--but tell me what she is like in plain words. is she of light hair?" "ay, as if she washed it in the sunshine and dried it in the moonlight, and as glossy as the beams of both." "think you she belonged to stamboul before the siege?" "ay, and to the great scanderbeg before that." the officer was bewildered and stood thinking, until kala interrupted him. "but you said you would buy it, captain." "did i? well, take your lira." as the woman took the piece of money she added: "and don't forget that the odalisk said she had dreamed of you since she was a child, and that at sunset if you looked through the phials you would see her face." "nonsense, woman!" "but try it, sire, and maybe the noble captain would send something to the beautiful odalisk?" "yes, when i see her in the phial i will send her myself as her slave." the man thrust the silken case into the deep pocket of his flowing vest and went away. then began a struggle in captain ballaban. since the capture of the fair girl by the altar of st. sophia, he had been unable to efface the remembrance of her. she stood before him in his dreams: sometimes just falling beneath the dagger; sometimes in the splendor which he imagined to surround her in the harem; often in mute appeal to him to save her from the nameless horrors which her cry indicated that she dreaded. when waking, his mind was often distracted by thoughts of her. the presence of the sultan lost its charm, for he had come to look upon him as her owner, and to feel himself in some way despoiled. he was losing his ambition for distant service, and found himself often loitering in the vicinity of the phranza palace. this feeling which, perhaps, is experienced by most men, at least once in life, as the spell of a fair face is thrown over them, was associated with a deeper and more serious one in captain ballaban. from the day of her capture until now he had felt almost confident of her identity with his little playmate in the mountain home. she thus linked together his earliest and later life; and, as he thought of her, he thought of the contrast in himself then and now. the things he used to muse about when a child, his feelings then, his purposes, his religious faith, all came back to him, and with a strange strength and fascination. he began to realize that, though he was an enthusiast for both the moslem belief and the service of the ottoman, yet he had become such, not in his own free choice, but by the overpowering will of others. at heart he rebelled, while he could not say that he had come to disbelieve a word of the koran, and was not willing to harbor a purpose against the sovereignty of the padishah. still he was compelled to confess to himself that, if the fair woman were indeed his old play-mate, and there was open a way by which he could release her from her captivity, he would risk so much of disloyalty to the sultan as the attempt should require. indeed, he argued to himself that, except in the mere form of it, it would not be disloyalty; for what did mahomet care for one woman more or less in his harem? and was this woman not, after all, more his property than she was that of the padishah? he had captured her; perhaps twice; and had saved her life in st. sophia, for only his hand caught her dagger. she was his! then he became fond of indulging a day dream. the sultan sometimes gave the odalisks to his favorite pashas and servants. what if this one should be given to him? he had gone so far as once to say in response to the sultan, who twitted him for being in love, that he imagined such to be the case, and only needed the choice of his majesty to locate the passion. but he did not dare to be more specific, lest he might run across some caprice of the sultan; for he felt sure that so beautiful an odalisk as his captive would not long be without the royal attention. old kala hanoum's information regarding the fair odalisk allayed the turmoil in ballaban's breast, in that it gave certainty to his former suspicions. for her words about the stars above the balkans, the snows of slatiza, and elizabeth morsiney, were not accidental. he had no doubt that the albanian odalisk was the little lady to whom he once made love in the bowers of blackberry bushes, and vowed to defend like a true knight, waving his wooden sword over the head of the goat he rode as a steed. in the midst of such thoughts and emotions, captain ballaban awoke to full self-consciousness, and said to himself---"i am in love! but i am a fool! for a man with ambition must never be in love, except with himself. besides, this woman i love is perhaps half in my imagination; for i never yet caught a full view of her face. as for her being my little morsinia--illusion! no! this is no illusion! but what if she be the same! captain ballaban, are you going to be a soldier, or a lover? take your choice; for you can't be both, at least not an ottoman soldier and a lover of a christian girl." rubbing his hand through his red hair, as if to pull out these fantasies, he strode down to the water's edge, and, tossing a kaikji a few piasters, was in a moment darting like an arrow across the harbor;--a customary way the captain had of getting rid of any vexation. the cool evening breeze wooed the over-thoughtfulness from his brain, or he spurted it out through his muscles into the oar blades, which dropped it into the water of oblivion. he was scarcely aware that he was becoming more tranquil, when a quick cry of a boat keeper showed that he had almost run down the old tower of white marble which rises from a rocky islet, just away from the mainland on the asiatic side of the bosphorus. "kiss-koulessi, the maiden's tower, this," he muttered. "well, i have fled from the fortress of one maiden to run against that of another. fate is against me. perhaps i had better submit. why not? wasn't charis a valiant general of the old greeks, who sent him here, once on a time, to help the byzantines? well! he had a wife, the fair boiidion, the 'heifer-eyed maiden.' and here she lies beneath this tower. the world would have forgotten general charis, but for his wife damalis, whom they have remembered these two thousand years. a wife _may_ be the making of a man's fame. if the sultan would give me my pick of the odalisks i think i would venture." these thoughts were not interrupted, only supplemented, by the sun's rays, now nearly horizontal, as striking the water far up the harbor of stamboul, they poured over it and made it seem indeed a golden horn, the open end of which extended into the bosphorus. the ruddy glow tipped the dome of st. sophia as with fire; transformed the gray walls of the genoese tower at galata into a huge porphyry column, sparkling with a million crystals; and made the white marble of the maiden's tower blush like the neck of a living maiden, when kissed for the first time by the hot lips of her lover. so the captain thought: and was reminded to inspect the silken treasure he had purchased. he would look through the phials, as--who knows--he might see the face of her who sent them. if looking at the red orb of the sun, just for an instant, made his eyes see a hundred sombre suns dancing along the sky, it would not be strange if his long meditation upon a certain radiant maiden should enable him to see her, at least in one shadowy reproduction of his inner vision. he drew the silken case from his pocket. it was wrought with real skill, and worth the lira, even if it had contained nothing, and meant nothing. the little phials were held up one by one, and divided the sun's beams into prismatic hues as they passed through the twisted glass. in each was a drop or two of sweet essence, like an imprisoned soul, waiting to be released, that it might fly far and wide and distill its perfume as a secret blessing. "but this one is imperfect," muttered the captain, as he held up a phial that was nearly opaque. it was larger than the others, and contained a tightly wrapped piece of paper. "the clue!" said he, and, after a moment's hesitation, broke the phial. unwinding the paper, he read: "you are michael, son of milosch. i am morsinia, child of kabilovitsch. for the love of jesu! save me from this hell. we can communicate by this means." it was a long row that captain ballaban took that night upon the bosphorus. yet he went not far, but back and forth around the new seraglio point, scarcely out of sight of the clear-cut outline of the phranza palace, as it stood out against the sky above the ordinary dwellings of the city. the dawn began to peer over the hills back of chalcedon, and to send its scouts of ruddy light down the side of mt. olympus, when he landed. but the length of the night to him could not be measured by hours. he had lived over again ten years. he had gone through a battle which tired his soul as it had never been tired under the flashing of steel and the roar of culverin. only once before, when, as a mere child he was conquered by the terrors of the janizaries' discipline, had he suffered so intensely. yet the battle was an undecided one. he staggered up the hill from the landing to the barracks with the cry of conflict ringing through his soul. "what shall i do?" on the one side were the habit of loyalty, his oath of devotion to the padishah, all his earthly ambition which blazed with splendors just before him--for he was the favorite of both the sultan and the soldiers--and all that the education of his riper years had led him to hope for in another world. on the other side were this new passion of love which he could no longer laugh down, and the appeal of a helpless fellow creature for rescue from what he knew was injustice, cruelty and degradation;--the first personal appeal a human being had ever made to him, and he the only human being to whom she could appeal. to heed this cry of morsinia he knew would be treason to his outward and sworn loyalty. to refuse to heed it he felt would be treason to his manhood. what could he do? neither force was preponderating. the battle wavered. what did he do? what most people do in such circumstances--he temporized: said, "i will do nothing to-day." like a genuine turk he grunted to himself, "bacaloum!" "we shall see!" but though he arranged and ordered an armistice between his contending thoughts, there was no real cessation of hostilities. arguments battered against arguments. feelings of the gentler sort mined incessantly beneath those which he would have called the braver and more manly. and the latter counter-mined: loyalty against love: ambition against pity. but all the time the gentler ones were gaining strength. on their side was the advantage of a definite picture--a lovely face; of an immediate and tangible project--the rescue of an individual. the danger of the enterprise weighed nothing with him, or, at least, it was counter-balanced by the inspiriting anticipation of an adventure, an exploit:--the very hazard rather fascinating than repelling. yet he had not decided. footnotes: [97] koran, chapter iv. "when you are saluted with a salutation, salute the person with a better salutation, or at least return the same." [98] according to the koran the houris perspire musk. [99] about an english pound sterling. [100] kaikji; a common boatman. chapter xlvii. captain ballaban was summoned by the sultan. "well, comrade," said mahomet, familiarly throwing his arm about his friend, much to the disgust of the capee aga, the master of ceremonies, through whom alone it was the custom of the sultans to be approached. "well! comrade, i gave a necklace worth a thousand liras to a girl who pleased me in the harem." "happy girl, to have pleased your majesty. that was better than the necklace," replied ballaban. "think you so? let me look you through and through. think you there is nothing better in this world than to please the padishah? ah! it is worth a kingdom to hear that from a man like you, ballaban. women say it; but they can do nothing for me. they dissipate my thoughts with their pleasuring me. they make me weak. i have a mind to abolish the whole harem. but to have a man, a strong man, a man with a head to plot for empire and to marshal armies, a man with an arm like thine to make love to me! ah, that is glorious, comrade. but let me make no mistake about it. you love me? do you really think no gold, no honors, could give you so much pleasure as pleasing me? swear it! and by the throne of allah! i will swear that you shall share my empire. but to business!" dropping his voice, and in the instant becoming apparently forgetful of his enthusiasm for his friend. "we make a campaign against belgrade. i must go in person. yet scanderbeg holds out in albania. it is useless meeting him in his stronghold. you cannot fight a lion by crawling into his den. he must be trapped. work out a plan." "i have one which may be fruitful," instantly replied captain ballaban. "ah! so quick?" "no, of long hatching, sire. i made it in my first campaign in albania with your royal father. the young voivode amesa is nephew to scanderbeg. he is restless under the authority of the great general: has committed some crime which, if known, would bring him to ruin: is popular with the people of the north." "capital!" said mahomet eagerly. "i see it all. work it out! work it out! he may have anything, if only scanderbeg can be put out of the way, and the country be under our suzerainty. work it out! and the suzerain revenues shall all be yours; for by the bones of othman! there is not a province too great for you if only you can settle affairs among the arnaouts. "and now a gift! i will send you the very queen of the harem." "my thanks, padishah, but i----" began ballaban, when he was cut short by the sultan. "not a word! not a word! i know you decline to practice the softer virtues, and prefer to live like a greek monk. but you must take her. if you like her not, drown her. but you shall like her. by the dimple in the chin of ayesha! she is the most perfect woman in the empire." "but," interposed ballaban, "i am a janizary, and it is not permitted a janizary to marry." "a fig for what is permitted! when the padishah gives, he grants permission to enjoy his gifts. besides, you need not marry. you can own her; sell her if you don't like her. but you must take her." "of what nation is she? perhaps i could not understand her tongue," objected ballaban. "so much the better," said mahomet. "women are not made to talk. but this woman is an arnaout, from scanderbeg's country." captain ballaban could scarcely believe his ears. this then is morsinia! to have her, to save her without breach of loyalty! this was too much. with strangely fluttering heart he acquiesced, and his thanks were drawn from the bottom of his soul. the next day he sought kala hanoum, and sent by her to morsinia a gem enclosed in a pretty casket, with which was a note, reading,-"it shall be so. patience for a few days, and our hearts shall be made glad." how strangely fate had planned for him! it must have been fate; for only powers supernal could have made the gift of the padishah so fitting to his heart. no chance this! his secret passion, unbreathed to any ear on earth, had been a prayer heard in heaven! ballaban was now an undoubting moslem that he found kismet on the side of his inclinations. he belonged to islâm, the holy resignation; resigned to the will of providence, since providence seemed just now to have resigned itself to his will. he was surprised at the ecstatic character his piety was taking on. he could have become a dervish: indeed his head was already whirling with the intoxication of his prospects. captain ballaban, like a good moslem, went to the mosque. he made his prayer toward the mihrab; but his eyes and thoughts wandered to the spot at the side of it, where he had saved the life of morsinia; and he thanked allah with full soul that he had been allowed to save her for himself. the padishah, the following day, bade ballaban repair to a house in the city, and be in readiness to receive the gift of heaven and of his own imperial grace. on reaching the place an elderly woman--the koulavous, an inevitable attendant upon marriages--conducted him through the selamlik and mabeyn to the haremlik of the house. the bride or slave, as he pleased to take her, rose from the divan to meet him. though her thick veil completely enveloped her person, it could not conceal her superb form and marvellous grace. his hand trembled with the agitation of his delight as he exercised the authority of a husband or master, and reverently raised the veil. he stood as one paralyzed in amazement. she was not morsinia. she was elissa! he dropped the veil. strange spirits seemed to breathe themselves in succession through his frame. first came the demon of disappointment, checking his blood, stifling him. not that any other mortal knew of his shattered hopes; but it was enough that he knew them. and with the consciousness of defeat, a horrible chagrin bit and tore his heart, as if it had been some dragon with teeth and claws. then came the demon of rage; wild rage; wanting to howl out its fury. he might have smitten the veiled form, had not the latter, overcome by her bewilderment and the scorn of him she supposed to have been a lover, already fallen fainting at his feet. then rose in ballaban's breast the demon of vengeance against the sultan. had mahomet been present he surely had felt the steel of the outraged man. only the habit of self-control and quiet review of his own passions prevented his seeking the padishah, and taking instant vengeance in his blood. then there came into him a great demon of impiety, and breathed a curse against allah himself through his lips. but finally a new spirit hissed into his ears. it was nemesis. he felt that this was the moment when a just retribution had returned upon himself. for he well knew the face that lay weeping beneath the heap of bejewelled lace and silk. it was that of the dodola, whom he had flung into the arms of the albanian voivode amesa when he was awaiting the embrace of some more princely maiden. and now the sarcasm of fate had thrown her into his arms. "allah! thou wast even with me this time," he confessed back of his clenched teeth. "but doubtless," he thought, "it was through the information i gave to the aga that this girl has been stolen away from amesa." "would that heaven rid me of her so easily!" he muttered. "yet that is easy; thanks to our moslem law, which says, 'thou mayest either retain thy wife with humanity or dismiss her with kindness.'[101] yet i cannot dismiss her with kindness. she can not go back to the royal harem. if i dismiss her i harm her, and allah's curse will be fatal if i wrong this creature again--to say nothing of the padishah's if i throw away his gift. i must keep her. well! bacaloum! bacaloum! it is not so bad a thing after all to have a woman like that for one's slave; for a wife without one's heart is but a slave. well!" he raised the veil again from the now sitting woman. the mutually stupid gaze carried them both through several years which had passed since they had parted at amesa's castle. elissa was easily induced to tell her story. assuming that it might be already known to her new lord, she gave it correctly; and therefore it differed substantially from that she had told to morsinia. she had been but a few days in amesa's home when he discovered that she was not the person he had presumed her to be. in an outburst of rage he would have taken her life, but was led by an old priest to adopt a more merciful method of ridding himself of her. to have returned her to the village above the skadar would have filled the country with the scandal, and made amesa the laughing stock of all. she was therefore sent within the turkish lines, with the certainty of finding her way to some far-distant country. her beauty saved her from a common fate, and she was sent as a gift to the young padishah by an old general, into whose hands she had fallen. ballaban assured the woman of his protection, and also that the time would come when he would compensate her for any grief she had endured through his fault. in the meantime she was retained in the luxurious comfort of her new abode. footnote: [101] koran, chap. ii. chapter xlviii. captain ballaban was almost constantly engaged at the new seraglio. it was being constructed not only with an eye to its imposing appearance from without and its beauty within, such as befitted both its splendid site between the waters and the splendor of the monarch whose palace it was to be; but also with a view to its easy defence in case of assault. upon the young officer devolved the duty of scrutinizing every line and layer that went into the various structures. he was especially interested in the side entrances, and communications between the various departments of the seraglio. he gave orders for a change to be made in the line of a partition and corridor, and also for a slight variation in the position of a gateway in the walls dividing the mabeyn[102] court from that of the haremlik. just why these changes were made, perhaps the architects themselves could not have told; nor were they interested to enquire, supposing that they were made at the royal will. ballaban was disposed to indulge a little his own fancy. if there was to be a broad entrance for public display, and then a narrow passage for the sultan only, why not have a way through which he could imagine a fair odalisk fleeing from insult and torture into the arms of--himself? but ballaban's face grew pale as he watched the completion of a sluice way leading from a little chamber, down through the sea wall, to meet the rapid current of the bosphorus. he remembered the declaration of the padishah, that, if ever an odalisk were unfaithful to him, she should be sewn into a bag, together with a cat and a snake, and drowned in marmora.[103] in the meantime old kala hanoum was amazed at the number of articles of morsinia's handiwork she was able to induce the young captain to purchase. indeed, he never refused. and quite frequently she was the bearer of gifts, generally confections, sometimes little rolls of silk suitable for embroidery with colored threads or beads, accompanied by the name of some fellow officer of the janizaries from whom apparently an order for work was given; the captain acting as an agent in a sort of co-partnership with kala. of course this was only secret mail service between ballaban and the odalisk. if kala suspected it, her commissions were so largely remunerative that she silenced the thought of any thing but legitimate business. ballaban devised plans for her escape which morsinia found it impracticable to execute from her side of the harem wall; and her shrewdest suggestions were pronounced equally unsafe by the strategist without. ballaban had caught glimpses of morsinia while loitering among the trees at the upper end of the golden horn, by the sweet waters, where the ladies of the harem were taken by the eunuchs on almost weekly excursions. he had proposed to have in readiness two horses, that, if she should break from the attendants, they might flee together. but before this could be accomplished, the excursions were discontinued, as the attention of all was turned to a new pleasure. the grand haremlik was at length completed. perhaps no place on earth was so suggestive of indolent and sensual pleasure as this. there were luxurious divans, multiplying mirrors, baths of tempered water, fountains in which perfumes could be scattered with the spray, broad spaces for the dance, half hidden alcoves for the indulgence in that which shamed the more public eye, and gardens in which araby competed with africa in the display of exotic fruits and flowers. a day was set for the reception of the grand harem from adrianople--which contained nearly a thousand of the most beautiful women in the world--into this new paradise. the kislar aga had arranged a pageant of especial magnificence, which could be witnessed by the people at a distance. two score barges, elegantly decorated, rowed by eunuchs, their decks covered with divans, were to receive the odalisks from adrianople at the extreme inner point of the seraglio water front on the golden horn. the validé sultana's barge was to lead the procession, which should float to the cadences of music far out into the harbor. at the same time, the sultan in his kaik, and the women of the temporary haremlik, each propelling a light skiff decorated with flags and streamers, were to move from the extreme outer point of the seraglio grounds, until the two fleets should meet, when, amid salvos of artillery from the shores, the odalisks with the sultan were to turn about and lead their sisters to the water gate of the haremlik. orders were given forbidding the people to appear upon the water, or upon the shores within distance to see distinctly the faces of the ladies of the harem. every evening at sundown a patrol of eunuchs made a cordon of boats a few hundred yards from the shore, within which, screened by distance from the eyes of common men, the odalisks went into training for the great regatta. the padishah, sitting in his barge, encouraged their rivalry by gifts for dexterity in managing the little boats, for picturesqueness of dress and for grace of movement, as with bared arms and streaming tresses, they propelled the kaiks. morsinia found herself one of the most dexterous in handling the oars. the free life of her childhood on the balkans and among the peasants of upper albania, had developed muscle which this new exercise soon brought into unusual efficiency. she observed that the attendant eunuchs were deficient in this kind of strength, and had no doubt that, with her own light weight, she could drive the almost imponderable kaik swifter than any of them. the young egyptian woman was her only competitor for the honor of leading the fleet on the day of the regatta. to add to the interest of the training, mahomet ordered that the two should race for the honor of being high admiral of the harem fleet; and one evening announced that the competitive trial should take place the next afternoon. the course was fixed for a half mile, just inside of seraglio point, where the waters of the harbor are still, unvexed by the rapid current which pours along the channel of the bosphorus. the flag-boat was to be anchored almost at the meeting of the inner and outer waters. that night morsinia wrote a note containing these words- "about dusk just below the seven towers watch for kaik. morsinia." kala hanoum was commissioned early the following morning to deliver a pretty little sash, wrought with stars and crescents, to captain ballaban. morsinia was careful to show kala the scarf, and dilate upon the peculiar beauty of the work until the woman's curiosity should be fully satisfied; thus making sure that she would not be tempted to inspect it for herself. she then wrapped the note carefully within the scarf, and tied it strongly with a silken cord. old kala had a busy day before her, with a dozen other commissions to discharge. but fortune favored her in the early discovery of the well known shape of the captain in ordinary citizen's dress, as he was engaged in eager conversation with the greek monk, gennadius, whom the sultan had allowed to superintend the worship of the christians still resident in the city. indeed mahomet was wise enough to even pension some of the greek clergy to keep up the establishment of their faith; for he feared to antagonize the millions in the provinces of greece who could not be persuaded to embrace islam; and was content to exact from them only the recognition of his secular supremacy. kala hanoum had too much reverence in her nature to interrupt a couple of such worthies; so she followed a little way behind them. they came to the gate-way--a mere hole in the wall--which led to what was known as the hermit's cell, the abode of gennadius during the siege. the spiritual pride of the monk had prevented his exchanging this for a more commodious residence into which the sultan would have put him. he said he only wanted a place large enough to weep in, now that the people of the lord were in captivity. the monk had entered the little gateway, and his companion was following, when kala's instinct for business got the better of her reverence; and, darting forward, she thrust the little roll into his hand just as he was stooping to enter the gate, not even glancing at his face. she said in low voice, not caring to be overheard by the monk: "a part of your purchase yesterday, sire, which you have forgotten." she waited for no reply, but trotted off, muttering to herself: "that's done, now for old ibrahim the jew." the contrast between morsinia and the egyptian as they presented themselves for the contest, afforded a capital study in racial physique. the latter was rather under size, with scarcely more of womanly development than a boy. her face was almost copper colored; her hair jet and short. the former was tall, with femininity stamped upon the contour of bust and limb; her face pale, even beneath the mass of her light locks. the kaiks were of thinnest wood that could be held together by the web-like cross bracing, and seemed scarcely to break the surface of the water when the odalisks stepped into them. morsinia had brought a feridjé of common sort; saying to the eunuch, whose attention it attracted, that yesterday she was quite chilled after rowing, and to day had taken this with her by way of precaution. she might have found something more beautiful had she thought in time; but it would be dark when they returned. besides, it would be a capital brace for her feet; the crossbar arranged for that purpose being rather too far away from the seat. so saying she tossed it into the bottom of the kaik before the officious eunuch could provide a better substitute. the padishah's bugle sounded the call. it rang over the waters, evoking echoes from the triple shore of stamboul, galata and skutari, which died away in the distant billows of marmora. as it was to be the last evening before the pageant of the grand reception, the time was occupied in making final arrangements for the order in which the boats should move; so that it was growing dark when the padishah reminded the chief marshal that they must have the race for the admiral's badge. katub, a fat and indolent eunuch, was ordered to moor his kaik, for the stake boat, as far out toward the swift current as safety would permit. the two competitors darted to the side of mahomet's barge. from a long staff, just high enough above the water to be reached by the hand, hung a tiny streamer of silk, the broad field of which was dotted with pearls. this was to be the possession of the fair rower who, rounding the stake boat first, could return and seize it. the sultan threw a kiss to the fair nymphs as a signal for the start. myriads of liquid pearls, surpassing in beauty those upon the streamer, dropped from the oar blades, and strewed the smooth surface; or were transformed into diamonds as they sunk swirling into the broken water. the spray rose from the sharp prows in sheafs, golden as those of grain, in the ruddy reflection of the western sky. each graceful kaik, and the more graceful form that moved it, almost created the illusion of a single creature; some happy denizen of another world disporting itself for the luring of mortals in this. the boats kept close company. the egyptian was expending her full strength, but her companion, with longer and fewer strokes, was apparently reserving hers. they neared the stake. the egyptian, having the inside, began to round it; but the albanian kept on, now with rapid and strong strokes. the spectators were amazed at her tactics. "she is making too wide a sweep," said the sultan. "she does not seem inclined to turn at all," observed the kislar aga. "she will strike the current if she turn not soon," rejoined mahomet excitedly. the prow of her kaik turned off westward. "she is in the stream!" cried several. "she will be overturned!" but on sped the kaik, heading full down the current, which, catching it like some friendly sprite from beneath, bore it quickly out of sight around the seraglio point; and on--on into a thick mist which was rolling up, as if sent of heaven to meet it, from the broad expanse of the sea. "an escape!" cried the sultan. "after her every one of you black devils!" the eunuchs wasted several precious moments in getting the command through their heads, and, even when they started, it was evident that their muscles were too flaccid, their spines too limp, and their wind not full enough to overhaul the flying skiff of the albanian. "to shore! to horse!" cried the raging monarch. a quarter of an hour later, horsemen were clattering down the stony street along the water front of marmora, pausing now and then to stare out into the sea mist, dashing on, stopping and staring, and on again. the foremost to reach the castle of the seven towers left orders to scour the shore, and to set patrol to prevent any one landing. some were ordered to dart across to the islands. within an hour from the escape every inch of shore, and the great water course opposite the city, were under complete surveillance. just before this was accomplished a man arrived at the water's edge, close to the south side of the great wall of which the castle of seven towers was the northern flank. he held two horses, saddled and bagged, as if for a distant journey. a second man appeared a moment later, who came up from a clump of bushes a little way below. "in good time, marcus!" said the new comer, who stooped close to the water and listened, putting his hand to his ear so as to exclude all sounds except such as should come from the sea above. "listen! an oar stroke! yes! keep everything tight, marcus." darting into the copse, in a moment more the man was gliding in a kaik, with a noiseless stroke, out in the direction of the oar splash of the approaching boat. nearer and nearer it came. the night and the mist prevented its being seen. the man moved close to its line. it was a light kaik, he knew from the almost noiseless ripple of the water as the sharp prow cut it. the man gave a slight whistle, when the stroke of the invisible boat ceased, and the ripple at its prow died away. "morsinia!" "ay, thank heaven!" came the response. "speak not now, but follow!" and he led the way cautiously toward the little beach where the horses were heard stamping. they were several rods off, piloting themselves by the sound. "hark!" said the man, stopping the boats. hoofs were heard approaching, and voices-"she might have put across to the princess island," said one. "nonsense!" was the reply. "she would only imprison herself by that--more likely she has gone clean across to chalcedon. but i hold that she has played fox, and turned on her trail. ten liras to one that she is by this time in galata with some of the genoese giaours. if so, she will try to escape in a galley; but that can be prevented: for the padishah will overhaul every craft that sails out until he finds her. but hoot, man! what have we here? two horses! a woman's baggage! she has an accomplice! an elopement! the horses are tied. the runaway couple haven't arrived yet. dismount, men! we will lie in wait along the shore here. yes, let their two horses stand there to draw them to the spot by their stamping. send ours out of hearing. now every man to his place! silence!" "back! back! we are pursued on land," said the man in the boat to morsinia, and both boats pushed noiselessly out again from the shore. "i had prepared for this, morsinia. you must come into my boat; we will row below for a mile, where we can arrange it at the shore." quietly they shot down in the lessening current, until they turned into a little cove made by a projecting rock. as lightly as a fawn the girl leaped to the beach. her companion was by her side in an instant. she drew back, and gave no return to his warm embrace, but said heartily: "thank heaven, and you, michael!" "michael?" exclaimed the man. "indeed i do not wonder that you think me a spirit, and call me by the name of my dead brother. but this shall assure you that i am constantine, and in the flesh," cried he, as he pressed a kiss upon her lips. morsinia was dazed. she tried to scan his face. she fell as one lifeless into his arms. he seated himself on the rock and held her to his heart. for a while neither could speak. "is it real?" said she at length, raising her head and feeling his face with her hand. "but how"---voices were heard shouting over the water. "we must be gone," said constantine. the excitement of her discovery that her lover was still living, and her bewilderment at his appearance instead of michael, were too much for morsinia. constantine carried the exhausted girl into his boat, which was larger than hers. towing her little kaik out some distance he tipped it bottom upwards, and let it drift away. "that will stop the hounds," muttered he. "they will think you have been overturned." with tremendous, but scarcely audible, strokes he ploughed away westward. it was not until far from all noise of the pursuers that he paused. footnotes: [102] the mabeyn lies between the selamlik (general reception room for men) and the haremlik; and is the living apartment for men. [103] the sluice which was supposed to have been used for this purpose is still seen at old seraglio point. chapter xlix. imminent as was the danger still, the curiosity of both at the strangeness of the providence which had brought them back to each other, as from the dead, was such that they must talk; and the freshness of the newly-kindled love stole many a moment for endearing embrace. indeed an hour passed, and the night might have flown while they loitered, were it not that the rising wind brought a distant sound which awakened them to the remembrance that they were still fugitives. constantine at length insisted that his companion should lie upon the bottom of the boat, and take needed rest. "if i had now my feridjé!" said she. "i have provided for that," replied constantine. "yours would be recognized. i have one belonging to the common women, which will be better." in addition to the feridjé, the foresight of constantine had laid in warm wraps and a store of provisions. these were packed in bundles that they might be carried conveniently on horses, in the hand, or in the boat, as necessity should compel. "i cannot rest," said morsinia, "when there is so much to say and hear." "but you must lie down. i will tell you my story; then you can tell me yours." "but can we not stop?" "no. it will not be safe to do so yet." "i have learned to trust your guidance as well as your love," said she, and reclined in the stern of the boat. the moon rose near to midnight. the fog illumined by it made them clearly visible to each other, while it shut out the possibility of their being seen by any from a distance. "it is the blessing of jesu upon us," said morsinia. "the same as when he stood upon the little lake in galilee, like a form of light, and said, 'be not afraid.'" constantine gave his story in hasty sentences and detached portions, breaking it by pauses in which he listened for pursuers, or gave his whole strength to the oars, or, more frequently, did nothing but gaze at his companion: more than once reaching out his hand to touch her, and see if she were not an apparition. he told of his escape from the turks, his arrest as a lunatic and the scene before the sultan, his return to constantinople after its capture, and the apparent evidence he there had from the old beggar, of morsinia's death: with all of which the reader is familiar. he also related how he had gone to albania. the report of morsinia's death had caused the greatest grief to kabilovitsch, and thrown general castriot into such a rage that he found easement for it in a special raid upon the turkish camp; which raid was remembered, and was still spoken of by the soldiers, as the "call of the maiden." for as castriot returned from fearful slaughter, in which he had completely riddled the enemy's quarters, captured their commander and compelled them to break up the campaign, the general was overheard to say, "the maiden's spirit called us and we have answered." without knowing the meaning of these words the soldiers probably assumed that they were a reference to the holy virgin mary, whose blessing castriot had invoked upon the enterprise. after that sultan mahomet sent a special embassage and proposal of peace to albania. in the royal letter he stated, "she whom the emperor of the greeks was unable to keep for scanderbeg is now in the custody of the royal harem, safe and inviolate; to be delivered into scanderbeg's hand as a pledge of a treaty by which scanderbeg shall agree to cease from further depredations and invasion of macedonia, and to submit to hold his kingdom in fief to the ottoman throne." the letter ended with a boastful reference to the sultan's conquest of constantinople, caramania and other countries, and the threat of invading albania with a host so great as to cover all its territory with the shadow of the camps. castriot's reply, when known, filled the dibrians and epirots with greatest enthusiasm. it closed with the words,-"what if you have subjugated greece, and put into servitude them of asia! these are no examples for the free hearts of albania!"[104] the news contained in mahomet's missive led castriot to allow constantine to go to constantinople, that he might discover, if possible, whether morsinia was really living, and was the person referred to by the sultan. on reaching the city, constantine had sought out the monk gennadius, with whom he had been often thrown before and during the siege. from him he learned nothing of morsinia except the old story of her self-sacrifice by the side of the altar;--which story had become so adorned with many additions in passing from mouth to mouth, that the "fair saint of albania" was likely to be enrolled upon the calendar of the holy martyrs. constantine was returning with the monk from the church of baloukli, where they had gone to see the perpetuated miracle of the fishes which leaped from the pan on hearing of the capture of the city, and which are still, with one side black with the frying, swimming in the tank of holy water. he had just reached the little gate of the monk's lodging when morsinia's message was put into his hand by a little old woman. "but how did you know of my arrival in constantinople?" constantine asked, as he concluded his account. the question led to morsinia's story, and the revelation that his brother michael was still living, an officer of the sultan, as like to constantine as one eye to the other; their mistaken identity by kala hanoum having led to the present happy denouement. the mutual narratives of the past grew into plans for the future, the chief part of which related to the restoration of michael from the service of the moslem. while they talked, the day broke over the asiatic coast. the faint glow of light rapidly changed into bars of gold, which were transformed into those of silver, and melted again into a broad sheen of orange and purple tints. but for the shadowed slopes of the eastern shore that lay between the water and the sky, this would have made marmora like an infinite sea of glory. but there was a fairer sight before the eyes of constantine; one more suggestive of the heavenly. it was the face of his beloved, now first clearly seen. it seemed to him that she could not have been more enchanting if he had discovered her by the "river of the water of life" in the golden city, where only he had hoped ever again to gaze upon her. footnote: [104] according to knowles, this was a part of scanderbeg's reply to amurath ii. chapter l. the fugitives landed a good score of miles from stamboul, on the northern shore of marmora, and struck the highway which runs westward, following the coast line to salonika, where it divides, bending south into greece, and branching north through macedonia. the fugitives followed the latter highway. the country through which they passed was at the time conquered by the moslem, but was dotted over with the settlements of the adherents to the old faith, who kept the watchfires of hope still burning in their hearts, though they were extinguished on the mountains. it was by this route that constantine had gone to stamboul. he was therefore familiar, not only with the way, but with the people; and easily secured from them concealment when necessary, and help along the journey. his belt had been well filled with gold by castriot, so that two fleet horses and all provisions were readily supplied. their journey was saddened by their solicitude for the fate of albania. before constantine had left that country, moses goleme, wearied with the incessant sacrifices he was compelled to make, and discouraged by what he deemed the impossibility of longer holding out against the turks, had quarreled with castriot, and thrown off his allegiance. he had even been induced by mahomet's pledge of liberty to albania--if only castriot were overthrown--to enter the service of the enemy. the wily sultan had placed him in command of an invading army, with which, however, he had returned to his country only to meet an overwhelming defeat at the hands of the great captain, and to flee in disgrace to constantinople. this swift vengeance administered by the patriots did not entirely crush the dissatisfaction among the people. their fields were wasted by the long war; for half a generation had passed since it began. only the personal magnetism of their chief held the factions to their doubtful loyalty. after several weeks' journeying, our fugitives reached the camp of castriot. it little resembled the gorgeous canvas cities of the turks they had passed. the overspreading trees were, in many instances, the only shelter of voivodes and princely leaders, the story of whose exploits floated as an enchantment to the lovers of the heroic in all lands. but the simple welcome they received from the true hearts of their countrymen was more to morsinia and constantine than any stately reception could have been. kabilovitsch's joy was boundless. the venerable man had greatly failed, worn by outward toil, and more by his inward grief. castriot had grown prematurely old. his hair was whitened; his eyes more deeply sunken beneath the massive brows; his shoulders a little bowed. yet there was no sign of decrepitude in face or limb. his aspect was sterner, and even stronger, as if knit with the iron threads of desperation. as kabilovitsch, whom the wanderers had first sought upon their arrival, led them to castriot, the general gazed upon them silently for a little. years, with their strange memories, seemed to flit, one after another, across his scarred face. taking morsinia's hands in his, he stood looking down into her blue eyes, just as he had done when years ago, he bade her farewell. then he kissed her forehead as he said: "thank heaven! there is not yet a wrinkle on that fair brow. but i wronged you, my child, in sending you among strangers. can you forgive the blunder of my judgment? it was my heart that led me wrong." "i have nothing to forgive thee," replied morsinia. "though i have suffered, to gaze again into thy face, sire, takes away even the memory of it all. i shall be fully blessed if now i can remove some of those care marks from thy brow." "your return takes away from me twice as many years as those you have been absent, and i shall be young again now--as young almost as kabilovitsch," added he, with a kindly glance at the old veteran, whose battered dignity had given place to an almost childish delight. the scene within the tent was interrupted by a noise without. a crowd of soldiers had gathered, and were gazing from a respectful distance at a strange-looking man: "a man of heaviness and eaten up with cares." he was clad in the coarsest garments; his beard untrimmed; hatless; a rope about his neck. as scanderbeg came out of the tent, the man threw himself at his feet, and cried, as he bowed his head upon the ground: "strike, sire! i have sold my country. i have returned to die under the sword of my true chief, rather than live with the blessing of his enemies. the curse on my soul is greater than i could bear, with all the splendid rewards of my treason. take out the curse with my blood! strike, sire! strike!" he was moses goleme. castriot stood with folded arms and looked upon the prostrate man. his lips trembled, and then were swollen, as was noted of them when his soul was fired with the battle rage. then every muscle of his face quivered as if touched by some sharp pain. then came a look of sorrow and pity. his broad bosom heaved with the deep-drawn breath as he spoke. "moses goleme, rise! your place is at no man's feet. for twenty years you watched by albania, while i forgot my fatherland. your name has been the rallying cry of the patriot; your words the wisdom of our council; your arm my strength. brave man! take castriot's sword, and wear it again until your own heart tells you that your honor has been redeemed. rise!" untying the rope from the miserable man's neck, he flung it far off, and cried,-"so, away with whatever disgraces the noble goleme! my curse on him who taunts thee for the past! let that be as a hideous dream to be forgotten. for well i know, brave comrade, that thy heart slept when thou wast away. but it wakes again. thou art thy true self once more!" the broken-hearted man replied, scarcely raising his eyes as he spoke: "my hands are not worthy to touch the sword of castriot. let me cleanse them with patriot service. tell me, sire, some desperate adventure, where, since thou wilt not slay me, i may give my wretched life for my country." "no, moses, you shall keep your life for albania. i know well the strength of your temptation. my service is too much for any man. were it not that i am sustained by some strange invisible spirit, i too would have yielded long ago. but enough! the old command awaits thee, moses." the man looked upon castriot with grateful amazement. but he could not speak, and turned away. at first he was received sullenly by the soldiers; but when the story of castriot's magnanimity was repeated, the camps rang with the cry, "welcome, goleme!" that his restoration might be honored, a grand raid through the turkish lines was arranged for the next night. the watch cry was, "by the beard of moses!" and many a veteran then wielded his sword with a courage and strength he had not felt for years. even old kabilovitsch, whose failing vigor had long excused him from such expeditions, insisted upon joining in this. constantine then rewhetted his steel for valiant deeds to come. and, as the day after the fight dawned, moses goleme led back the band of victors, laden with spoil. as he appeared, to make his report to the chief, his face was flushed with the old look; and, grasping the hand of castriot, he raised it to his lips and simply said: "i thank thee, sire!" and retired. chapter li. captain ballaban was among the first to learn of the personality of the odalisk who had escaped at the time of the race. his first thought was to aid her in eluding pursuit, presuming that she had gone alone and without accomplice. but when the horses were discovered at the seven towers, he gave way to a fit of jealousy. in his mind he accused morsinia of having made him her dupe; for, notwithstanding his assurances of aid, she had evidently made a confidant of another. his better disposition, however, soon led him to believe that she had been spirited away through some plan devised in the brain of scanderbeg. while he rejoiced for her, he was disconsolate for himself; and determined that, upon his return to the war in albania, to which field he knew it was the purpose of the padishah to transfer him, he would discover the truth regarding her. he had learned from her secret missives, which kala hanoum had brought him before the flight, of the death of his father milosch and his mother helena, and the supposed death of his brother constantine. there were, then, no ties of kinship, and but this one tie of affection to morsinia, to divide his allegiance to the padishah. and morsinia had faded again from reality, if not into his mere dream, at least into the vaguest hope. his ardent soul found relief only by plunging into the excitement of the military service. mahomet had not exhausted his favors to ballaban by the gift of the albanian venus, elissa. summoning him one day he repeated his purpose of designating him as the chief aga of the janizaries, the old chief having been slain in a recent engagement. ballaban remonstrated, as once before, against this interference with the order of the corps, in which the choice of chief aga was left to the vote of the soldiers themselves. mahomet replied angrily--"i tell you, ballaban, my will shall now be supreme over every branch of my service. my fathers felt the independence of the janizaries to be a menace to their thrones. their power shall be curbed to my hand, or the whole order shall be abolished." "beware!" replied ballaban. "you know not the alertness of the lion whose lair you would invade. i will serve my padishah with my life in all other ways, but my vows forbid my treachery to my corps. strike off my head, if you will, but i cannot be aga, except by the sovereign consent of my brothers." "i shall not take off your head, comrade," replied mahomet. "i need what is in it too much, though it belongs to a young rebel. but begone! i shall work my plans without asking your advice in the matter." a firman was issued by which the padishah claimed the supreme power of appointing to command in all grades of the military service. within an hour after its proclamation, the janizaries were in open defiance of the sovereign. before their movements could be anticipated, the great court in front of the selamlik in the seraglio was filled with the enraged soldiery. that sign of terror which had blanched the faces of former padishahs--the inverted soup-kettle--was planted before the very doors of the palace, and the sultan was a prisoner within. "recall the firman! long live the yeni-tscheri!" rang among the seraglio walls, and was echoed over the city. the sultan not appearing, there rose another cry, at first only a murmur, but at length pouring from thousands of hoarse throats,-"down with mahomet! live the yeni-tscheri!" still the sultan made no response. there was a hurried consultation among the leaders of the insurgents. then a rapid movement throughout the crowd. for a moment it seemed as if they had turned every man against his fellow. but mahomet's experienced eye, as he watched from the latticed window, saw that the swarm of men was only taking shape. the mob was transformed into companies. between the ranks passed men, as if they rose out of the ground; some dragging cannon; some bearing scaling ladders. mahomet appeared upon the platform, dressed in full armor. he raised his sword, when silence fell upon the multitude. "i am your padishah." "long live mahomet!" was the cry. "do i not command every faithful ottoman? who will follow where mahomet leads?" "all! all!" rang the response. "then reverse the kettle!" commanded he, his face lit with the assumption of victory. "reverse the firman!" was the answer. "never!" cried the monarch, infuriated with this unexpected challenge of his authority. the janizaries retreated a few steps from the platform. the padishah assumed that they were awed by his determination, and smiled in his triumph. but his face was as quickly shaded with astonishment; for the movement of the insurgents was only to allow the cannon to be advanced. the sagacity of the monarch never forsook him. not even the wildness of passion could long lead him beyond the suggestion of policy. raising his hand for silence, he again spoke. "we are misunderstanding each other, my brave yeni-tscheri. if you have grievance let your agas present it, for the padishah shall be the father of his people, and the yeni-tscheri are the eldest born of his children." the sultan withdrew. eight agas held a hurried consultation, and presented themselves to the sovereign to offer him absolute and unquestioning obedience upon the condition of their retaining as absolute and unquestioned self-government within the corps. while they were in consultation, captain ballaban appeared among the troops. he waved his hand to address them. "he is bought by the padishah. we must not hear him," cried one and another. "my brothers!" said the captain, having after a few moments gained their attention. "i love the padishah. but i adore that royal hand chiefly because, beyond that of any of the heirs of othman, it has already bestowed favor upon our corps. but our order is sacred. he may command to the field, and in the field, but it must be from without. we must choose our own aga as of old." "long live ballaban!" rose from every side. the speaker broke into a rhapsodic narration of the glories of the corps, interwoven with the recital of the exploits of the padishah, during which he was interrupted by cheer after cheer, mingled with the cry of "ballaban! ballaban forever!" the sultan, hearing the shout, shrewdly seized upon the opportunity it suggested, and leaving the agas, rushed to the platform. he shouted-"allah be praised! allah has given one mind to the padishah and to his faithful yeni-tscheri. ballaban forever! yes, take him! take him for your aga! the will of the corps and the will of the sovereign are one, for it is the will of allah that sways us all!" the soldiers, caught by the enthusiasm of the instant, repeated the shout, drowning the voices of the few who were clear-headed enough to remember that the firman had not been withdrawn. "ballaban! long live ballaban aga! long live mahomet padishah!" the agas appeared, but were impotent to assert their dissent. as well might they have attempted to howl down a hurricane as to make themselves heard in the confusion. indeed, their presence upon the platform was regarded by the corps as their endorsement of the padishah's desire, and served to stimulate the enthusiasm that broke out in redoubled applause. mahomet followed up his advantage, and formally confirmed the apparent election by announcing-"a donative! a double pay to every one of the yeni-tscheri! and the padishah's fifth of the spoil shall be divided to the host!" the multitude were wild with delight. the inverted soup-kettle was turned over, and swung by its handle from the top of the staff; following which, the crowd poured out from the court.[105] within a few days ballaban, as chief aga, led his corps toward albania. chapter lii. after the defeat of moses as a turkish leader, and his return to his patriotic allegiance, there was a lull in active hostilities between the two powers. amesa, like other of the prominent voivodes in scanderbeg's army, took the occasion offered to look after his own estates. he had added somewhat to his local importance by marrying the daughter of a neighboring land-owner. but neither conjugal delights, nor the additional acres his marriage brought him, covered his ambition. his envy of castriot had deepened into inveterate hatred. the voivode sat alone in the great dining hall of his castle. it was late in the night. as the blazing logs at one end of the room cast alternately their glare and shadows around, the rude furniture seemed to be thrown into a witching dance. helmets and corselets gleamed bravely from their pegs, suggesting that they were animated by heroic souls. the great bear-skin, with its enormous head, lying at the voivode's feet, crouched in readiness to receive the lunge of the boar's tusks which threatened it from the corner. pikes, spears, bows and broad-mouthed arquebuses were ranged about, as if to defend their owner, should any demon inspire these lifeless forms for sudden assault upon him. amesa had been sitting upon a low seat between the fire and a half-drained tankard of home-brewed liquor, his brows knit with the concentration of his thoughts. a slight sound without arrested his attention. "drakul is late, but is coming at last. if only he has brought me the red forelock of that fellow who used to be always crossing my track, and has now come back to albania!" he said, in a tone of musing, but intended to be heard by the delinquent as the great oaken door creaked behind him. raising his eyes, but not turning his head to look, amesa changed his soliloquy into a volley of oaths at the comer. "i thought your name-sake, drakul, had run off with you, you lazy imp.[106] what kept you?" "a long journey," was the reply. amesa started to his feet, for the voice was not that of drakul. he faced one whose appearance was not the less startling because it was familiar. "i have brought the red forelock myself," said the visitor. amesa stared stupidly an instant, then reached toward his weapon lying upon the table near. "stop!" said the man, laying the flat side of his sword across the voivode's arm before he could grasp his yataghan. "how dare you intrude yourself unbidden here!" cried the enraged amesa. "it required no daring," was the cool reply, "for i am the stronger." "help! help!" shouted the voivode, as he realized that he would not be permitted to reach his weapon. the door swung, and a band of strange men stood in the opening. "i feared, noble amesa," said the intruder, "that i should not be a welcome guest, and so brought with me a party of friends to help me to good cheer while under your roof. you need not disturb your servants to help you, for, if they should hear, they could not obey, as they are all safely guarded in their quarters. if they should come out they might be harmed. let them rest. retire, men! you recognize me, lord amesa?" "ay. you are arnaud's whelp," sneered the entrapped man. "more gentle words would befit the courtesy of my host," was the quiet reply. "but you are as much mistaken as when you took the simple witted elissa on my commendation. do not respond, sire! in your heat you might say that which pride would prevent your recalling. i am a moslem soldier, and you are my prisoner; as secure as if you were in constantinople." the visitor threw off the albanian cape, and revealed the elegantly wrought jacket of the janizary aga. "and what would you have of me? is there nothing that can satisfy you less than my life?" asked amesa. "my noble amesa," said ballaban aga, taking a seat and motioning the voivode to another. "years ago i gave you my word in honor that i would serve you against scanderbeg. i have come to redeem that pledge, and you must help me." "how can that be, if you are an officer of the moslems?" asked amesa, taking the seat, and adopting the low tone of the other; for these words had excited in him all his cupidity, and stirred his natural secretiveness and habit of sinister dealing. his eyes ceased to glare like a tiger's when at bay; they shone now like a snake's. "amesa must enter the service of the padishah." "impossible!" cried he; but in a tone that indicated, not indignant rejection of the proposition; rather doubt of its practicability. "but first you must raise here in albania the standard of revolt against scanderbeg, claiming the title of king of epirus and the dibrias for yourself. scanderbeg's sword will, of course, compel the next step--your safety in the turkish camp. the padishah will then become your patron, offering to withdraw his armies and restore the ancient liberties of the country, with the solitary limitation that you shall acknowledge the suzerainty of the sultan. the revenues you may collect shall remain in your possession for the strengthening of your local power. the defection of moses goleme well nigh destroyed the leadership of scanderbeg--yours will complete the work. yet it will not be defection; rather, as moses goleme regarded it, the truest service of your country, because the only service that is practicable." "but i cannot thus break with the patriot leaders," said amesa, apparently having felt a real touch of honor. "it must be," replied the aga. "you cannot longer remain as you are, even if you would. you, sire, have been guilty of some great crime. nay, do not deny it! nor need you take time to give expression to any wrath you may feel on being plainly accused of it," continued ballaban, silencing amesa more effectively by the straight look into his eyes than by his words. "my moments here are too few to talk about the matter, and you should have exhausted any feeling you may have had in private penitence heretofore, rather than reserve it until another person lays it to your charge. but the point is this:--scanderbeg is aware of your crime, and awaits only the opportune moment to punish you as it deserves." "how do you know that?" said amesa, the bright gleam of his eye changing to a stony stare, as the color failed from his face, and he leaned back in ghastly consternation. "it is enough that i know it. the janizaries have not roamed these albanian hills for twelve years without finding out the secrets of the country. the holes in the ground are our ears, and the very owls spy for us through the dark. but enough of words. sign this, and set to it your seal!" ballaban presented a parchment, offering formally, in the name of the sultan, the government of albania to amesa, on the condition set forth above. "i would consider the"--began amesa; but he was cut short by ballaban-"no! sign instantly! i have done for you all the considering that is necessary, and must be gone." "but," began amesa again, "so important a matter--" "sign instantly!" repeated ballaban; and, pointing to the door where the soldiers stood waiting their orders--"or neither amesa nor his castle will exist until the day breaks." the baffled man took from a niche in the wall a horn of thickened ink, and, with the wooden pen, made his signature, and pressed the ancient seal of the de streeses against the ball of softened wax attached to it. "this will serve to keep you true: for if by the next fulness of the moon amesa's standard be not raised against scanderbeg's, this, as evidence of your treason, shall be read in all your albanian camps," said ballaban, placing the document in his bosom. "and should you need to confer with your new friends, your faithful drakul may inquire at our lines for ballaban badera, aga of the janizaries." with a low salâm he withdrew. a few muffled orders, a shuffling of feet, and the castle was as quiet as the stars that looked down upon it. footnotes: [105] the firman of sultan mahomet was never revoked, and from his time until the extinction of the order of janizaries by sultan mahmoud, in 1834, the padishah always appointed the chief aga. [106] the word drakul signifies in servian "the devil." chapter liii. the martial pride of the ottoman never made a more imposing demonstration than when his armies deployed upon the plain of pharsalia[107] in thessaly, and threatened the southern frontier of albania. nor had jove, who, according to the mythologic conception, held his court upon the summit of the not distant olympus--looked down upon such a display of earthly power since, fifteen centuries before, the armies of pompey and cæsar there contended for the domination of the roman world. for mahomet ii. had sworn his mightiest oath, that, by one blow, he would now sweep all the arnaout rebels into the sea; and that the waves of the adriatic over against italy, and those of the mediterranean which washed the greek peninsula, and the euxine that stayed the steps of the muscovite, should sing with their confluent waves the glories of the european empire of the ottoman which lay between them. the menace to scanderbeg's domain was not chiefly in the numbers of men whom the redoubtable isaac pasha now commanded in the name of the sultan; but in the fact that the mighty host was accompanied by amesa, the new "king of albania." the defection of the voivode had sent consternation through the hearts of the patriots. their leaders looked with suspicion into one another's faces as they gathered in council; for no one knew but that his comrade was in secret league with the enemy. wearied with trials, the soldiers whispered in the camps that amesa was a castriot as well as scanderbeg. italians of rank, who had loaned their swords to the great chieftain, were returning to their homes, saying that it was not worth while to risk their lives and fortunes in defending a people who were no longer agreed in defending themselves. scanderbeg, apparently unwilling or unable to cope with this double danger,--the power of the ottoman without, and a civil war within his land--retired to lyssa,[108] far away to the north. the turks determined to inaugurate their final conquest, by the formal coronation of their ally, so that, heralded by king amesa's proclamations, they might advance more readily to the occupation of the land. the day was set for the ceremony of the royal investiture. as their scouts, ranging far and wide, reported no enemy to be near, the attention of the army was given to preparation for the splendid pageants, the very story of which should awe the simple peasant population into submission, or seduce their hearts with the hope of having so magnificent a patron. the day before that appointed for this glorious dawn of the new royalty, was one of intense heat, in the middle of july. the snows had melted even from the summit of the thessalian olympus, though its bare pinnacle yonder pierced the sky nearly ten thousand feet above the sea. armor was heaped in the tents. horses unsaddled were gathered in stockades, or tethered far out on the glassy plain. soldiers stretched themselves under the shadow of the trees, or wandered in groups through the deserted gardens and orchards of the neighboring country, feasting upon the early ripened fruits. only the eagles that circled the air high above the vast encampment, or perched upon the crags of distant hills, seemed to have any alarm; for now and then they darted off with a shrill cry. but an eye, like that of a mysterious retributive providence, was peering through the thicket that crested a high hill. scanderbeg, presumed to be far away, had studied the plain long and intently; when, turning to constantine, who was at his side, he said: "now plan me a raid through that flock of silly sheep. where would you strike, my boy?" constantine replied, "there is but one point at which we could enter the plain,--through yonder depression. the hills on either side would conceal the advance until well upon them. besides, the narrowness of the valley, and the growth of trees would prevent their meeting us with more than man for man." scanderbeg shook his head. "the turks know that place invites attack as well as we do, and have ranged so as to prevent surprise there. but yonder line of trees and copse leads almost to the centre of their camp." "but it is exposed to view on either side," replied constantine. "so much the better," said castriot, "and therefore it is not guarded even in isaac pasha's thought. it would take longer after the alarm to range against us there than in the ravine. their cavalry is all on this side the trees. they could not cut through the bushes before we were by the horse-tails yonder, there by the pasha's tent." "but is it not too open?" said constantine, almost incredulous. "yes, at any other time than this, when the turks are not dreaming of our being within a dozen leagues of them. the very boldness of such an attack as this at high noon-tide will be better for us than any scheming. and, if i mistake not, and our beasts are not too jaded by the long march, we shall have the souls out of a thousand or so of the turks before they can get their bodies into armor. and i give to you, my boy, the care of our nephew, amesa. be diverted by no side play, but cut your way straight to him. if possible, spare his life, but he must never get a crown upon his head." as silently as the summer's fleecy clouds gather into the storm, the band of patriots, summoned from their various quarters, gathered behind the spur of the hill. the turks were startled as with a sudden rising tempest. beys and pashas and agas had scarcely emerged from their tents, when five thousand albanian cavalrymen were already turning the line of the woods. on they came with the celerity of a flock of birds just skimming the ground. the sentry flew as the leaves before the wind. the very multitude of the turks, driven toward the centre, but fed the dripping swords of the assailants. among the tents wound the compact array of albanian riders, like a huge serpent. on and on it rolled, scarcely pausing to repel attack. dividing, one part crushed the headquarters of isaac, while the other wrapped in its crunching folds the splendid camp of amesa. bravely did this young absalom defend his unfledged royalty. surrounded by a group of albanian renegades like himself, he fought desperately, well knowing the dire vengeance which should follow his capture. but one by one they fell. amesa remained almost alone, as yet unharmed. the captain of the albanian troops commanded a halt, and, dismounting, he demanded amesa's surrender. "to none but a castriot will a castriot surrender!" cried the infuriate man, making a lunge at the challenger. the thrust was avoided. "you shall surrender to another," cried the albanian officer. "stand back, men, he shall yield to me alone." "who are you?" growled the challenged man. "one who has the right to avenge the wrong done to mara de streeses," was the reply. quick as a panther amesa leaped upon him. but the tremendous blow he aimed, might as well have been delivered against a rock, as against the sword of constantine. the effort threw him off his balance; and before he could recover himself, the tremendous slash of his opponent, though warded, brought him to the ground. in an instant constantine's knee was upon his breast, and his sword at his throat. "do you surrender?" "yes!" groaned the helpless man. he was instantly disarmed, and bound by the girth to a horse. footnotes: [107] vide knowles, history of the turks, and albanian chronicles. [108] modern alessio. chapter liv. the corps of janizaries had been quartered at some distance from the main body of the turks. their new aga comprehended at once the significance of the turmoil in the camp, and hastened to the defence. though he moved rapidly, and with a well conceived plan of confronting the enemy, yet, most of his troops being foot-soldiers, he was unable to confront the swift-riding squadrons of scanderbeg. these assailants withdrew from the field, but only to return again and again upon the panic stricken turks, whose fears had magnified the numbers of their foes into scores of thousands. so rapidly did assault follow assault, and from such diverse quarters, that the moslem fright imagined one attack was headed by the terrible ivan beg with his savage montenegrins, and another by hunyades, a report of whose alliance with scanderbeg had reached the camps before the battle. indeed the rumble of a coming thunder storm was interpreted into the clamor and tread of unknown myriads ready to burst through the mountains. never did a more insane panic steal away the courage of soldiers and the judgment of generals. late in the day the plain of pharsalia was the scene of one vast wreck. overturned tents displayed immense stores of burnished arms and vestments, provisions of need and luxury, standards for the field and banners for the pageant; and everywhere strewn amid this debris of pomp and pride the half-armored bodies of the slaughtered turks. in narrow mountain valleys the freshet following the sudden tempest, never changed the bloom of the summer gardens more completely, than this panic, following scanderbeg's raid, changed the splendid camp of the morning into the desolation upon which the setting sun cast, as a fitting omen, its red rays. indeed, we can conceive no similitude by which to express the contrast better than that of amesa himself, in the morning adorned in the splendor of his royal expectation, and at night lying bound with ropes at the feet of scanderbeg. the grand old chieftain looked at the renegade for a moment with pity and scorn; then turned away, saying,-"let him lie there until captain constantine, to whom he belongs, shall come." but constantine came not. though the main body of the turks had taken to precipitate flight, the janizaries had managed, by their unbroken and orderly retreat, to cover the rear, and prevent pursuit by scanderbeg. ballaban had reached the group engaged in the capture of amesa, and almost rescued him. this would have been accomplished had not constantine and a handful of his company made a living wall between the janizaries and those who were leading away the miserable man. ballaban, feeling the responsibility of saving him whom he had led into this shameful misfortune, pressed to the very front. "by the sword of the prophet! the fellow fights bravely," he exclaimed, as he watched constantine, baffling a half dozen janizaries who were pressing upon him. "back, men! i would measure my arm against his," he cried, as he laid his sword against that of his unknown antagonist. both were in complete armor, their faces concealed by the closed helmets. the soldiers stood as eager spectators of the masterly sword play. the two men seemed evenly matched,--the same in stature and build. there was, too, a surprising similarity in movement--the very tactics of the janizary in thrust and parry being repeated by the albanian; their swords now flashing like interlacing flames; the sharp ring as the albanian smote upon the polished metal of his antagonist's armor, answered by the duller thud as the janizary's blow fell upon the thick leather which encased the panoply of his opponent. then both stood as if posing for the sculptor; their sword points crossing; their eyes glaring beneath the visors; the slightest movement of a muscle anticipated by either--then again the crash. but constantine was exhausted by his previous engagement with amesa. in an unlucky moment the sword turned in his hand. the steadiness of the grip was lost. he managed to ward the blow which the aga delivered; but, foreseeing that he could not recover his grasp soon enough to return it, and that his opponent was thrown slightly off his perfect poise by his exertion, he dropped his sword, and closed with him. they fell to the ground; but the aga, more alert at the instant, was uppermost, and his dagger first in position for the fatal cut. "i can not slay so valiant a man as you," said ballaban. "you surrender?" "i must," was the response. as they rose, ballaban looked a moment upon the vanquished, and said, "i would know the name of my worthy antagonist, for worthier i never found. scanderbeg himself could not have done better. but i had the advantage of being in better wind at the start, or, allah knows, i had fared hard." "it is enough that i am your prisoner," said constantine, "and that i have detained my conqueror long enough to prevent the recapture of that albanian traitor, amesa. you can have me willingly, now that you cannot have him." the albanian threw up his visor. ballaban stared at the face. it was as familiar as his own which he saw daily in the polished brass mirror. the janizaries stared with almost equal amazement. "no wonder he fought so well, aga!" said one, "for he is thy other self." "let him be brought to our headquarters when we halt," said ballaban, remounting his horse, and dashing away to another part of the field. chapter lv. night brought little sleep to the turkish host. though danger was past, a sense of humiliation and chagrin was shared by officers and men, as they realized that their defeat was due to their own folly more than to the strength of their foe. in every tentless group the men disturbed the quiet of the night with their ceaseless quarrels. members of the different commands, hopelessly confused in the general flight, rivalled one another in the rancor and contempt of their mutual recriminations as much as they ever emulated one another in the courage and prowess of a well fought field. among those of highest rank bitter and insulting words were followed by blows, as if the general disgrace could be washed out by a gratuitous spilling of their own blood. but a different interest kept ballaban waking. beneath the great tree, which had been designated as the headquarters of the janizaries, and from a limb of which was suspended the symbolic kettle, his prisoner had been awaiting the chief aga. the glimpse of his face at the time of the capture had awakened in the janizary more than a suspicion of the personality of the captive; while the name of ballaban, which he had heard from the soldiers, revealed to the albanian that of his captor. with impatience the aga conversed with the various commanders who thronged him, and as soon as possible dismissed them. when they were alone constantine rose, and, without completing his salâm, exclaimed, "you play more roughly, michael, than when last we wrestled together among the rocks of slatiza." "ah, my brother constantine, i thought of you when you gripped me in the fight to-day; for it was the same old hug with which we rolled together long ago. i would have known you, had you only given me time to think, without your raising the visor." the brothers stood for a moment in half embrace, scanning each other's face and form. an onlooker would have noted that their mutual resemblance was not in the details of their features, so much as in certain marked peculiarities; such as the red and bristling hair, square face, prominent nose and chin. constantine's forehead was higher than michael's, which had more breadth and massiveness across the brows. in speaking, constantine's eye kindled, and his plastic lips gave expression to every play of sentiment: while michael's face was as inflexible as a mask; the deep light of his glance as thoroughly under control of his will as if it were the flash of a dark lantern; his appearance revealing not the shadow of a thought, not the flicker of an emotion, beyond that he chose to put into words. this physiognomical difference was doubtless largely due to the training of years. the janizary's habit of caution and secretiveness evolved, as it were, this invisible, but impenetrable, visor. the custom of unquestioning obedience to another, and that of the remorseless prosecution of whatever he regarded as politic for the service, gave rigidity to the facial muscles; set them with the prevalent purpose; stereotyped in them the expression of determination. a short beard added to the immobile cast of his countenance. thus, though when separated the two men might readily be taken the one for the other, when together their resemblance served to suggest as wide contrasts. the entire night was spent by the brothers in mutual narrations of their eventful lives. though their careers had been so distinct, in different lands, under rival civilizations, in the service of contending nations, and inflamed by the incentives of antagonistic religions, yet their roads had crossed at the most important points in each. they learned to their astonishment that the most significant events, those awakening the deepest experience in the one life, had been due to the presence of the other. as michael told of his raid upon the albanian village, constantine supplied the key to the mystery of the escape of his fair captive, and the arrest of michael for having at that time deserted his command. then michael in turn supplied the key to constantine's arrest by colonel kabilovitsch's men as a turkish spy. constantine solved the enigma of amesa's overtures to michael in reference to the dodola elissa; and michael solved that of constantine's rough handling by the garrison of sfetigrade for having dropped the dog into the well. constantine unravelled the diabolical plot which had nearly been tragic for michael in the old reservoir at constantinople; and michael as readily unravelled that of the serio-comic drama in the tent of mahomet, when constantine's life was saved through the assumption that he was his lunatic brother. constantine supplied to michael the missing link in the story of morsinia's escape from constantinople; and michael supplied that which was wanting of constantine's knowledge of the story of her escape from death in the horrors of the scene in st. sophia after the capture of the city. they had, under the strange leadings of what both their christian and moslem faith recognized as a divine providence, been more to each other than they could have been had their lives drifted in the same channel during all these years. in the old boyhood confidence, which their strange meeting had revived, michael did not withhold the confession of morsinia's influence upon him, though she had been to him more of an ideal than a real person, a beautiful development to his imagination out of his childhood memory of his little playmate in the balkans. nor did constantine hesitate to declare the love and betrothal by which he held the charming reality as his own. he told, too, of her real personality as the ward of scanderbeg, and the true heir of the splendid estates until recently held by amesa. the dawn brought duties to the aga which precluded further conference with constantine. "we must part, my dear brother," said michael. "our armies will probably return through macedonia, and abandon the campaign: for such is the unwise determination of our commander isaac. you must escape into your own lines. that can be easily arranged. we may not meet again soon; but i swear to you, by the memory of our childhood, that your personal interest shall be mine. aside from the necessities of the military service, we can be brothers still. and morsinia, that angel of our better natures; you must let me share with you, if not her affection, surely her confidence. i could not woo her from you if i would; but assure her that, though wearing the uniform of an enemy, i shall be as true in my thoughts of her as when we played by the old cot on the mountains; and as when i pledged my life to serve her while she was in the harem at stamboul." "but why must this war against castriot continue? i would that our compact were that of the armies to which we belong," said constantine. "it is impossible for a janizary to sheath the sword while scanderbeg lives," replied the aga. "our oath forbids it. he once was held by the vow of the prophet's service, and deserted it. i know his temptation was strong. in my heart i might find charity for him." the speaker hesitated as if haunted by some troublesome memory, then continued--"but a janizary may show no charity to a renegade. besides, he is the curse of albania. but for his ambition, these twelve years of blood would have been those of peace and happiness through all these valleys, under the sway of our munificent and wise padishah." "your own best thoughts, michael, should correct you. what are peace and its happy indolence compared with the cause of a holy faith?" "you speak sublimely, my brother," replied michael, "but your faith gains nothing by this war. under our padishah's beneficence the giaours are protected. the greeks hold sufficient churches, even in stamboul, for the worship of all who remain in that faith. indeed, i have heard gennadius the monk of whom you were speaking awhile ago--say that he would trust his flock to the keeping of the moslem stranger sooner than to the pope of rome. i have known our padishah defend the greek giaours from the tyranny of their own bishops. he asks only the loyalty of his people to his throne, and awaits the will of allah to turn them to his faith; for the book of the prophet says truly, allah will lead into error whom he pleaseth and whom he pleaseth he will put in the right way.[109] believe me, my brother, albania's safety is only in submission. the fate that directs all affairs has indubitably decreed that all this vast peninsula between adria and ægea shall lie beneath the shadow of the padishah's sceptre; for he is zil-ullah, the shadow of god. who can resist the conqueror of the capital of your eastern christian empire; the conqueror of athens, and of the islands of the sea?" "let us then speak no more of this," said constantine. "our training has been so different, that we can not hope to agree. but we can be one in the kindliness of our thoughts, as we are of one blood. jesu bless you, my brother!" "allah bless you, constantine!" was the hearty response, as the two grasped hands. eyes which would not have shown bodily pain by so much as the tremor of their lids, were moist with the outflow of those springs in our nature that are deeper than courage--springs of brotherly affection, fed by hallowed memories of the long ago. two janizaries accompanied constantine beyond the turkish lines. "what new scheme has the aga hatched in his brain now?" said one of them, as they returned. "he has twisted that fellow's brain so that he will never serve scanderbeg truly again," was the knowing reply. "the aga is the very devil to throw a spell over a man. they say that when he captured the fellow yesterday, he had only to squint into his face a moment, when, as quick as a turn of a foil, the man changed his looks, and was as much like the aga as two thumbs." footnote: [109] koran, chapter vi. chapter lvi. the splendor of the victory, and the inestimable spoil which fell into the hands of the albanians, elated the patriot braves; and the good news flew as if the eagles that watched the battles from afar were its couriers. castriot, however, seemed to be oblivious to the general rejoicing. the wrath he had displayed during the time of amesa's menace from the ranks of the enemy, was displaced by pity as he looked upon the contemptible and impotent man. he touched him with his foot, and said, in half soliloquy-"and in this body is some of the blood of the castriots! humph!" turning away he paced the tent-"and why not castriot's blood in amesa! it is not too immaculate to flow in his veins, since it has filled my own. i was a turk, too, once. but----" looking at the wrinkles upon his hand--"growing old in a better service may atone somewhat for the shame of earlier days. and these hands never murdered a peaceful neighbor and his innocent wife, and robbed a child of her inheritance--though they did murder that poor reis-effendi. but god knows it could not be helped. but what is one man that he shall condemn another!" an officer approached for orders. "what, sire, shall be done with the prisoner?" "let him lie until constantine comes!" was the response. late in the night the general sat gazing upon the miserable heap of humanity that crouched by the tent side. amesa raised himself as far as his bonds would permit, and began to speak. "silence!" demanded castriot, but without taking his eyes from the prisoner. a subaltern, anxious to induce the general to take needed rest, again suggested some disposition of the prisoner for the night. "let him lie until constantine comes!" "captain constantine has been captured, sire," replied the officer; "men who were with him have returned, and so report." "by whom captured?" asked the general in alarm. "by janizaries." castriot smiled, and asked, "it is certain he was not slain?" "certain, sire, for ino saw him being taken away." "let the prisoner lie there until captain constantine returns." the morning found amesa still bound. no one had been allowed to speak to him, nor he to utter a word. during castriot's absence from the tent not one approached it; only the guard patrolled at the distance of a couple of rods. "the torture of such a villain's thoughts will be more cruel than our taunts or swords. let him lie there, and tear himself with his own devil claws!" had been castriot's order. toward noon the camp rang with cheers. scouts reported that constantine had escaped, and was returning. castriot alone seemed unsurprised, though gratified with the news. he went to the edge of the camp to meet him. "well, my boy, your brother was not so well pleased with your looks, and let you go sooner than i thought he would. i expected you not until to-night." "my brother? how knew you, sire, that i had seen him? for i have told it to none." "then tell it to none. to warn you of that i came to meet you, lest your tongue might be unwise. did you not tell me yourself that ballaban was the moslem name of your brother?" "but how knew you that he was in this service?" asked constantine. "as i know every officer in the enemy's service in albania above an ojak's command. and the aga of the janizaries is to my mind as the commander of the expedition. and i will tell you more, my boy;--unless the padishah has gone daft with his chagrin over this defeat, ballaban aga will command the next campaign against us: for none save he kept his wits in the fight yesterday. his plan was masterful, and saved the whole moslem army. he held his janizaries so well in hand, and so well placed, that i could not follow up our advantage, nor even strike to rescue you. ballaban evidently has been much in the albanian wars, and has learned my methods better than any of our own officers. should he succeed to the horse-tails, the war hereafter will not be so one-sided as it has been. mark that, my dear fellow. but we must look to our royal prisoner, after i have heard your story." late in the day castriot summoned moses goleme, kabilovitsch, and constantine. amesa was unbound, and was bidden to speak what he could in extenuation of his treason. the voivode protested his innocence of any designs against the liberties of his country; and declared that he had despaired of obtaining her independence under castriot's leadership. better was it to take the virtual freedom of albania under the sultan's nominal suzerainty, than to longer wage a hopeless war. in this he was seconded, he said, by the noblest generals and patriots. he was about to mention them; but was forbidden to utter so much as a suspicion against any one. "i would not know them," said the magnanimous chief. "i will not have a shadow of distrust in my mind toward any who have not drawn sword against us. let them keep their thoughts in their own breasts. noble moses, your lips shall pronounce the sentence due amesa's treason." the dibrian general was silent. "then, if moses speaks no condemnation, no other lips shall," said castriot. amesa threw himself at the feet of the chief, and began to pour forth his gratitude. "the life thou hast spared, sire, shall ever be thine. my sword shall be given to thee as sovereign of my heart, as well as of my country." "hold!" said castriot. "what says arnaud, the forester?" amesa raised his face, blanched as suddenly with horror as it had been flushed with elation. the venerable kabilovitsch sat in silence for a time, lost in the vividness of his recollections. at length, with slow speech and tremulous voice, he portrayed the scenes of that terrible night when the castle of the gallant de streeses was destroyed, its owner slain, the fair mara driven back into the flames from which she would have fled. "it is a lie," shouted amesa. "the deed was wrought by turks!"---"thy words condemn thee!" said castriot. "the crime was not laid to thy charge, amesa. but now it shall be. let drakul be brought." soldiers led in the man. the villain, whose hand had stayed at no deed of daring or cruelty, was now seized with such cowardly fright that he could scarce keep his legs. he was dragged before the extemporized court. in answer to questions, he admitted his part, not only in the original murders, but also in the raid upon the hamlet where amesa had suspected the heiress of de streeses to be concealed. amesa's rage at this betrayal burst forth in savage oaths, mingled with such contradictory denials of his story as clearly confirmed its truth. "for his treason against my authority, i refuse to take vengeance," said castriot. "but albania, appealing for god's aid in establishing its liberties, must, in god's name, do justice. what says colonel kabilovitsch?" the old man spoke as if the solemnity of the last judgment had fallen upon him,-"as soon i must go before him whose mercy i shall so sadly need for the sins of my own life, i forgive amesa the cruelty with which he has followed me. god is my witness, that my personal grievance colors not a thought of my heart. but, as i shall soon stand before the judge, together with the noble de streeses, who was robbed of life in its meridian, and that bright spirit whose cry for amesa's mercy i heard from out the flames, i say, let justice be done! and let the soul of the murderer be sent to confront his victims there before their god!" "amen!" said constantine. moses goleme was silent. amesa had lost all his bravado. he trembled as would the meanest of men who should bow his neck to the sword. he confessed his crime, and piteously begged for his life; or, at least, that time should be given him to make preparation for what he dreaded worse than death. a spirit already damned seemed to have taken possession of his quivering frame. "your life, amesa," said the chief, "is forfeit for your crimes. on the citadel walls of croia, when we shall have returned there, as the sun sets, so shall your life! jesu grant that, through your repentance and the prayers of mother church, your soul may rise again in a better world!" "amen!" responded all. the army returned from the thessalian border through the country northward, everywhere received with ovations by the people. the fate of amesa, though commiserated, was as generally commended. no one, however attached by association to the once popular voivode, raised a voice in dissent from the sentence, or in pity for the culprit. chapter lvii. the news reached morsinia at croia long before the return of the army. she took little joy in the hearty and generous acclaim that welcomed her to her inheritance. she had no vanity to be stimulated by the popular stories which associated her beauty with her wealth. her thoughts seemed to be palled with heaviness, rather than canopied by the bright prospects which fortune had spread for her. when castriot officially announced to her the restoration of the destreeses' property, she refused to enter upon her estates, which were to come to her through the ceremony of blood in the execution of her enemy. "no! let them be confiscate to the state. i cheerfully surrender their revenues for albania. i ask nothing more than to be the instrument of so aiding our noble cause and its noble leader," said she. "albania will insist that you shall obtain your right. from voivode to lowest peasant, the people will be content only as the daughter of destreeses graces his ancient castle." "but," responded she, "i shall never enter its doors over the body of my enemy. may not some other fate be his?" "law should be sacred," said castriot. "but is it not a law of albania that even a murderer need not be executed if all the family of his victim unite in his behalf, and he pay the krwnina?[110] am i not all the family of destreeses? let then the estates be the krwnina." "that cannot be," replied castriot. "the law requires the price of blood to be paid by the murderer, and the estates belong not to amesa. besides, albania will be better served by your occupation of the castle, reviving its ancient prestige, and proclaiming thus that the reign of justice has been restored in our land." "but let justice be mingled with mercy," said morsinia. "nay, the mercy would dilute the quality of the justice." "can there be no mitigation of our cousin amesa's fate, which shall not prejudice the right?" asked the fair intercessor. "if jesu prayed to his father that his murderers might be forgiven, may not i plead that my father, the father of his country, shall be gracious to him who has wronged me?" castriot was absorbed in deep thought. at length he replied: "ah, how little we men, schooled to revenge and bloodshed, know what justice is, and what mercy is, as these sentiments move in the heart of the eternal! your pure soul, my child, has closer kinship with heaven than ours. i fear to deny your request, lest i should offend that mysterious spirit which has seemed to counsel me since, in the land of the moslems, i swore to return to my christian faith; and which, in my prayers and dreams, has been strangely associated with you. in all that is right and good your conscience shall still inspire mine: for you are my good angel. amesa's life shall be spared. but no breath of his must so much as taint the air of albania. i am summoned by my old ally, ferdinand of naples, to assist in driving the french from his domains. amesa shall go with me, and be kept in custody among strangers. but it must be proclaimed from the citadel of croia that his life is restored him by the daughter of musache de streeses. "and yet, my dear child," continued he, "in these rude times you cannot dwell alone in the castle. you need a protector who is not only wise and brave, and loyal to albania, but loyal to you. my duties elsewhere will prevent my rendering that service. colonel kabilovitsch's age is stealing the alertness from his energies. our constantine--ah! does the blush tell that i am right?" he took her hand, as he asked: "may i exercise the father's privilege, according to our albanian custom, and put this hand into constantine's, to keep and to defend?" morsinia replied frankly. "since, sire, i may not give my estates to my country, bestow them upon whom you will; and my hand must go to him, who, since we were children, has held my heart." the following day, as the sun gilded the walls of croia with his setting rays, an immense concourse of soldiers and peasants gathered within the citadel court. the executioner led the traitor, followed by a priest, out upon the bastion. a trumpet sounded, and the silence which followed its dying note was broken by the voice of the crier, who announced that, in the name of god and the sovereign people, and by the ordaining of george, duke of albania, the decree of justice should be executed upon the voivode amesa. then followed the record of his crimes, together with the declaration that his appearance in arms among the enemy, having been, according to his declaration, not treason against his country, but rebellion against the military chieftaincy of duke george, was by the grace of that high official forgiven; and further that the sentence of death for his foul murder of musache de streeses and his wife mara cernoviche, was, through the intercession of mara, sole survivor of that ancient house, and by the authority of duke george, commuted to perpetual banishment from the realm, in such place and condition as seemed best to the duke for the security of the land. the people stood in amazement as they listened. the relief from the horror of the anticipated spectacle, when the head of the former favorite should be held up by the executioner, led them to accept complacently this turn in affairs, even though their judgment did not commend it. in a few moments the cry rose, "live duke george! a castriot forever!" soon it changed to wilder enthusiasm, "long live mara de streeses!" this storm of applause could not be stilled until morsinia permitted herself to be led by castriot to the edge of the battlement. as the sun was setting, the huge mass of the citadel rose like a mighty altar from the bosom of the gloom which had already settled about its base. slowly the shadow had climbed its side, crowding the last bright ray until it vanished from the top of the parapet. it was at this instant that morsinia appeared. the citadel beneath her was sombre as the coming night which enwrapped it, but her form was radiant in the lingering splendor of the departing day. as she raised her hand in response to the grateful clamor of the people, she seemed the impersonation of a heavenly benediction. the multitude gazed in reverent silence for a moment. then, as the sun dropped behind the western hill, veiling the glory of this apparition, they made the very sky resound with their shouts; and in the quick gathering darkness went their ways. a few weeks later, the castle of de streeses was decked with banners, whose bright colors rivalled the late autumnal hues of the forest from the midst of which it rose. multitudes of people all day long thronged the paths leading up to it from the valleys around. gorgeously arrayed voivodes, accompanied by their suites, made the ravines resound with their rattling armor; and bands of peasants, in cheap but gaudy finery, threaded through the by paths. those who possessed tents brought them. others, upon their arrival in the proximity of the castle, erected booths and festooned them with vines, which the advancing season had painted fiery red or burst into gray feathery plumes. from cleared places near the castle walls rose huge spirals of smoke, as oxen and sheep, quartered or entire, were being roasted, to feed the multitude of guests; while great casks of foaming beer and ruddy sparkling wine excited and slaked their thirst. the recent defeat of the turks had led to the withdrawal of their armies, at least until winter should have passed; and the people of the northern country gave themselves up to the double celebration of the well-won peace and the nuptials of mara de streeses. within the castle the great and the dignified of the land abandoned themselves to equal freedom with the peasants, in the enjoyment of games, and the observance of simple and fantastic national customs. morsinia and constantine kissed again through the ivy wreath, as in the days of childhood. the new matron's distaff touched the oaken walls of the great dining hall; and her hand spread the table with bread and wine and water, in formal assumption of her office as housewife. when she undressed and dressed again the babe, borrowed from a neighboring cottage, she received sundry scoldings and many saws of nursery advice from a group of peasant mothers. the happy couple were almost buried beneath the buckets of grain, which some of the guests poured over them, as they wished them all the blessings of the soil. when they approached the fire place they were showered with sparks, as some one struck the huge glowing log and invoked for them the possession of herds and flocks and friends as many as the fireflecks that flew. gifts were offered: those of the poor and rich being received with equal grace;--a rare breed of domestic fowls following a case of cutlery from toledo in spain; and a necklace of pearls preceding a hound trained by some skillful hunter. on opening the casket which castriot presented, as he kissed the golden cluster upon the forehead of the bride, there was found within a cap of sparkling gems, such as is worn by oriental brides, a parchment commissioning constantine as a voivode in the albanian service, with governor's command of the skadar country. the blessing of the priest was supplemented by those of the old men, which were put in form of prophecies. kabilovitsch inclosed the happy couple in outstretched arms, and gazing long into their faces, said: "as on that night at the foot of the balkans i wrapped you, my children, in my blanket, and, in my absence, another greater than we knew, our generous castriot, took my place to watch over you; so now, as soon i must leave you forever, one greater than man knows, even our covenant god, shall be your guardian!" a man, apparently decrepit with the weight of years, assumed the privilege of a venerable stranger upon such occasions, and came to utter his prophecy. his head was covered with a close fitting fur cap, which concealed his brow to the eyes. straggling gray locks hung partly over his face and down his neck. as he spoke, constantine started with evident amazement, which was, however, instantly checked. the bride seemed strangely fascinated. kabilovitsch, who had been too much absorbed with his own thoughts to notice the stranger's approach, lifted his head quickly, and put his hand to his ear, as if catching some faint and distant sound. this was the old prophet's blessing-"allah ordains that these walls, consecrated to justice, and inhabited by love, shall from this day be guarded by peace. even the moslem's sword shall be stayed from hence!" he bowed to the floor, touching with his lips the spot where morsinia had stood. before the guests could fully comprehend this scene, he was gone. but lying on the floor where he had bowed was a silken case, elegantly wrought. morsinia uttered a subdued, yet startled, cry as she seized it. the gift seemed to have thrown a spell about her; for, with paled cheeks, she asked that she might retire to rest awhile in her chamber. "a wjeshtize!" cried several, looking out from the door through which the man had passed. "heaven grant he has left no curse!" exclaimed others. the silken case contained several crystals of atar of roses. in one of these, which was larger than the others, gleamed, instead of the perfumed drop, a splendid diamond. upon a piece of parchment, as fine as the silk of which the case was made, morsinia read- "my pledge to give my life for thine shall be kept when need requires--meanwhile know that the padishah, the rightful lord of albania, has bestowed this castle upon ballaban badera, aga of the janizaries, who in turn bestows it upon mara de streeses- "signed, "michael." * * * * * our story has covered a period of thirteen years. for eleven years more the genius of scanderbeg, which his perhaps too partial countrymen used to compare to that of alexander and pyrrhus, withstood the whole power of the ottoman empire, directed against him by the most skilful generals of the age. sinam and assem, jusem and caraza, seremet and the puissant sultan mahomet himself successively appeared in the field; but retreated, leaving their thousands of slain to attest the invincibility of the albanian chief. only one ottoman commander ventured to return for a second campaign. the old latin chronicles of the monk marinus barletius--who records the deeds of castriot in thirteen volumes--assign this honorable distinction to the janizary, ballaban badera. in six campaigns this redoubtable warrior desolated albania. from thessaly, northward over the land, poured the moslem tide, but it stayed itself at the waters of skadar; and, as if fate had approved the prophecy of the aged stranger at the nuptials of constantine and morsinia, the castle of de streeses during all these terrible years, looked down upon bloodless fields. though his lands were ravaged, the courage of castriot was not wearied, nor was his genius baffled, until, in the year 1467, there came upon him a mightier than ballaban, a mightier than mahomet. in the presence of the last enemy he commended his country to the valor of his voivodes, his family to the protection of friends,[111] and his soul to the grace of jesu, his saviour. they buried him in the old church at lyssa. years after, no scanderbeg succeeding scanderbeg, the turks possessed the land. they dug up his bones, and, inclosing their fragments in silver and gold, wore them as amulets. pashas and viziers esteemed themselves happy, even in subsequent centuries, if they might so much as touch a bone of scanderbeg; "for perchance," they said, "there may thus be imparted to us some of that valor and skill which in him were invincible by the might of men." footnotes: [110] the price of blood, generally 1000 piastres among the poorer classes, which was paid by the culprit to the village where the crime was committed, and by it paid to the general government. [111] castriot married late in life. the end. by al haines. the prince of india or why constantinople fell by lew. wallace vol. i. _rise, too, ye shapes and shadows of the past rise from your long forgotten grazes at last let us behold your faces, let us hear the words you uttered in those days of fear revisit your familiar haunts again the scenes of triumph and the scenes of pain and leave the footprints of your bleeding feet once more upon the pavement of the street_ longfellow contents book i the earth and the sea are always giving up their secrets i. the nameless bay ii. the midnight landing iii. the hidden treasure book ii the prince of india i. a messenger from cipango ii. the pilgrim at el katif iii. the yellow air iv. el zaribah v. the passing of the caravan vi. the prince and the emir vii. at the kaaba viii. the arrival in constantinople ix. the prince at home x. the rose of spring book iii the princess irene i. morning on the bosphorus ii. the princess irene iii. the homeric palace iv. the russian monk v. a voice from the cloister vi. what do the stars say? vii. the prince of india meets constantine viii. racing with a storm ix. in the white castle x. the arabian story-teller xi. the turquoise ring xii. the ring returns xiii. mahommed hears from the stars xiv. dreams and visions xv. departure from the white castle xvi. an embassy to the princess irene xvii. the emperor's wooing xviii. the singing sheik xix. two turkish tales xx. mahommed dreams book iv the palace of blacherne i. the palace of blacherne ii. the audience iii. the new faith proclaimed iv. the pannychides v. a plague of crime vi. a byzantine gentleman of the period vii. a byzantine heretic viii. the academy of epicurus ix. a fisherman's fete x. the hamari book i the earth and the sea are always giving up their secrets the prince of india chapter i. the nameless bay in the noon of a september day in the year of our dear lord 1395, a merchant vessel nodded sleepily upon the gentle swells of warm water flowing in upon the syrian coast. a modern seafarer, looking from the deck of one of the messagerie steamers now plying the same line of trade, would regard her curiously, thankful to the calm which held her while he slaked his wonder, yet more thankful that he was not of her passage. she could not have exceeded a hundred tons burthen. at the bow and stern she was decked, and those quarters were fairly raised. amidship she was low and open, and pierced for twenty oars, ten to a side, all swaying listlessly from the narrow ports in which they were hung. sometimes they knocked against each other. one sail, square and of a dingy white, drooped from a broad yard-arm, which was itself tilted, and now and then creaked against the yellow mast complainingly, unmindful of the simple tackle designed to keep it in control. a watchman crouched in the meagre shade of a fan-like structure overhanging the bow deck. the roofing and the floor, where exposed, were clean, even bright; in all other parts subject to the weather and the wash there was only the blackness of pitch. the steersman sat on a bench at the stern. occasionally, from force of habit, he rested a hand upon the rudder-oar to be sure it was yet in reach. with exception of the two, the lookout and the steersman, all on board, officers, oarsmen, and sailors, were asleep--such confidence could a mediterranean calm inspire in those accustomed to life on the beautiful sea. as if neptune never became angry there, and blowing his conch, and smiting with his trident, splashed the sky with the yeast of waves! however, in 1395 neptune had disappeared; like the great god pan, he was dead. the next remarkable thing about the ship was the absence of the signs of business usual with merchantmen. there were no barrels, boxes, bales, or packages visible. nothing indicated a cargo. in her deepest undulations the water-line was not once submerged. the leather shields of the oar-ports were high and dry. possibly she had passengers aboard. ah, yes! there under the awning, stretched halfway across the deck dominated by the steersman, was a group of persons all unlike seamen. pausing to note them, we may find the motive of the voyage. four men composed the group. one was lying upon a pallet, asleep yet restless. a black velvet cap had slipped from his head, giving freedom to thick black hair tinged with white. starting from the temples, a beard with scarce a suggestion of gray swept in dark waves upon the neck and throat, and even invaded the pillow. between the hair and beard there was a narrow margin of sallow flesh for features somewhat crowded by knots of wrinkle. his body was wrapped in a loose woollen gown of brownish-black. a hand, apparently all bone, rested upon the breast, clutching a fold of the gown. the feet twitched nervously in the loosened thongs of old-fashioned sandals. glancing at the others of the group, it was plain this sleeper was master and they his slaves. two of them were stretched on the bare boards at the lower end of the pallet, and they were white. the third was a son of ethiopia of unmixed blood and gigantic frame. he sat at the left of the couch, cross-legged, and, like the rest, was in a doze; now and then, however, he raised his head, and, without fully opening his eyes, shook a fan of peacock feathers from head to foot over the recumbent figure. the two whites were clad in gowns of coarse linen belted to their waists; while, saving a cincture around his loins, the negro was naked. there is often much personal revelation to be gleaned from the properties a man carries with him from home. applying the rule here, by the pallet there was a walking-stick of unusual length, and severely hand-worn a little above the middle. in emergency it might have been used as a weapon. three bundles loosely wrapped had been cast against a timber of the ship; presumably they contained the plunder of the slaves reduced to the minimum allowance of travel. but the most noticeable item was a leather roll of very ancient appearance, held by a number of broad straps deeply stamped and secured by buckles of a metal blackened like neglected silver. the attention of a close observer would have been attracted to this parcel, not so much by its antique showing, as by the grip with which its owner clung to it with his right hand. even in sleep he held it of infinite consequence. it could not have contained coin or any bulky matter. possibly the man was on some special commission, with his credentials in the old roll. ay, who was he? thus started, the observer would have bent himself to study of the face; and immediately something would have suggested that while the stranger was of this period of the world he did not belong to it. such were the magicians of the story-loving al-raschid. or he was of the type rabbinical that sat with caiphas in judgment upon the gentle nazarene. only the centuries could have evolved the apparition. who was he? in the course of half an hour the man stirred, raised his head, looked hurriedly at his attendants, then at the parts of the ship in view, then at the steersman still dozing by the rudder; then he sat up, and brought the roll to his lap, whereat the rigor of his expression relaxed. the parcel was safe! and the conditions about him were as they should be! he next set about undoing the buckles of his treasure. the long fingers were expert; but just when the roll was ready to open he lifted his face, and fixed his eyes upon the section of blue expanse outside the edge of the awning, and dropped into thought. and straightway it was settled that he was not a diplomatist or a statesman or a man of business of any kind. the reflection which occupied him had nothing to do with intrigues or statecraft; its centre was in his heart as the look proved. so, in tender moods, a father gazes upon his child, a husband at the beloved wife, restfully, lovingly. and that moment the observer, continuing his study, would have forgotten the parcel, the white slaves, the gigantic negro, the self-willed hair and beard of pride--the face alone would have held him. the countenance of the sphinx has no beauty now; and standing before it, we feel no stir of the admiration always a certificate that what we are beholding is charming out of the common lines; yet we are drawn to it irresistibly, and by a wish vague, foolish--so foolish we would hesitate long before putting it in words to be heard by our best lover--a wish that the monster would tell us all about itself. the feeling awakened by the face of the traveller would have been similar, for it was distinctly israelitish, with exaggerated eyes set deeply in cavernous hollows--a mobile mask, in fact, concealing a life in some way unlike other lives. unlike? that was the very attraction. if the man would only speak, what a tale he could unfold! but he did not speak. indeed, he seemed to have regarded speech a weakness to be fortified against. putting the pleasant thought aside, he opened the roll, and with exceeding tenderness of touch brought forth a sheet of vellum dry to brittleness, and yellow as a faded sycamore leaf. there were lines upon it as of a geometrical drawing, and an inscription in strange characters. he bent over the chart, if such it may be called, eagerly, and read it through; then, with a satisfied expression, he folded it back into the cover, rebuckled the straps, and placed the parcel under the pillow. evidently the business drawing him was proceeding as he would have had it. next he woke the negro with a touch. the black in salute bent his body forward, and raised his hands palm out, the thumbs at the forehead. attention singularly intense settled upon his countenance; he appeared to listen with his soul. it was time for speech, yet the master merely pointed to one of the sleepers. the watchful negro caught the idea, and going to the man, aroused him, then resumed his place and posture by the pallet. the action revealed his proportions. he looked as if he could have lifted the gates of gaza, and borne them easily away; and to the strength there were superadded the grace, suppleness, and softness of motion of a cat. one could not have helped thinking the slave might have all the elements to make him a superior agent in fields of bad as well as good. the second slave arose, and waited respectfully. it would have been difficult to determine his nationality. he had the lean face, the high nose, sallow complexion, and low stature of an armenian. his countenance was pleasant and intelligent. in addressing him, the master made signs with hand and finger; and they appeared sufficient, for the servant walked away quickly as if on an errand. a short time, and he came back bringing a companion of the genus sailor, very red-faced, heavily built, stupid, his rolling gait unrelieved by a suggestion of good manners. taking position before the black-gowned personage, his feet wide apart, the mariner said: "you sent for me?" the question was couched in byzantine greek. "yes," the passenger replied, in the same tongue, though with better accent. "where are we?" "but for this calm we should be at sidon. the lookout reports the mountains in view." the passenger reflected a moment, then asked, "resorting to the oars, when can we reach the city?" "by midnight." "very well. listen now." the speaker's manner changed; fixing his big eyes upon the sailor's lesser orbs, he continued: "a few stadia north of sidon there is what may be called a bay. it is about four miles across. two little rivers empty into it, one on each side. near the middle of the bend of the shore there is a well of sweet water, with flow enough to support a few villagers and their camels. do you know the bay?" the skipper would have become familiar. "you are well acquainted with this coast," he said. "do you know of such a bay?" the passenger repeated. "i have heard of it." "could you find it at night?" "i believe so." "that is enough. take me into the bay, and land me at midnight. i will not go to the city. get out all the oars now. at the proper time i will tell you what further i wish. remember i am to be set ashore at midnight at a place which i will show you." the directions though few were clear. having given them, the passenger signed the negro to fan him, and stretched himself upon the pallet; and thenceforth there was no longer a question who was in control. it became the more interesting, however, to know the object of the landing at midnight on the shore of a lonesome unnamed bay. chapter ii the midnight landing the skipper predicted like a prophet. the ship was in the bay, and it was midnight or nearly so; for certain stars had climbed into certain quarters of the sky, and after their fashion were striking the hour. the passenger was pleased. "you have done well," he said to the mariner. "be silent now, and get close in shore. there are no breakers. have the small boat ready, and do not let the anchors go." the calm still prevailed, and the swells of the sea were scarce perceptible. under the gentlest impulse of the oars the little vessel drifted broadside on until the keel touched the sands. at the same instant the small boat appeared. the skipper reported to the passenger. going to each of the slaves, the latter signed them to descend. the negro swung himself down like a monkey, and received the baggage, which, besides the bundles already mentioned, consisted of some tools, notably a pick, a shovel, and a stout crowbar. an empty water-skin was also sent down, followed by a basket suggestive of food. then the passenger, with a foot over the side of the vessel, gave his final directions. "you will run now," he said to the skipper, who, to his credit, had thus far asked no questions, "down to the city, and lie there to-morrow, and to-morrow night. attract little notice as possible. it is not necessary to pass the gate. put out in time to be here at sunrise. i will be waiting for you. day after to-morrow at sunrise--remember." "but if you should not be here?" asked the sailor, thinking of extreme probabilities. "then wait for me," was the answer. the passenger, in turn, descended to the boat, and was caught in the arms of the black, and seated carefully as he had been a child. in brief time the party was ashore, and the boat returning to the ship; a little later, the ship withdrew to where the night effectually curtained the deep. the stay on the shore was long enough to apportion the baggage amongst the slaves. the master then led the way. crossing the road running from sidon along the coast to the up-country, they came to the foothills of the mountain, all without habitation. later they came upon signs of ancient life in splendor--broken columns, and here and there corinthian capitals in marble discolored and sunk deeply in sand and mould. the patches of white on them had a ghastly glimmer in the starlight. they were approaching the site of an old city, a suburb probably of palae-tyre when she was one of the spectacles of the world, sitting by the sea to rule it regally far and wide. on further a small stream, one of those emptying into the bay, had ploughed a ravine for itself across the route the party was pursuing. descending to the water, a halt was made to drink, and fill the water-skin, which the negro took on his shoulder. on further there was another ancient site strewn with fragments indicative of a cemetery. hewn stones were frequent, and mixed with them were occasional entablatures and vases from which the ages had not yet entirely worn the fine chiselling. at length an immense uncovered sarcophagus barred the way. the master stopped by it to study the heavens; when he found the north star, he gave the signal to his followers, and moved under the trail of the steadfast beacon. they came to a rising ground more definitely marked by sarcophagi hewn from the solid rock, and covered by lids of such weight and solidity that a number of them had never been disturbed. doubtless the dead within were lying as they had been left--but when, and by whom? what disclosures there will be when at last the end is trumpeted in! on further, but still connected with the once magnificent funeral site, they encountered a wall many feet thick, and short way beyond it, on the mountain's side, there were two arches of a bridge of which all else had been broken down; and these two had never spanned anything more substantial than the air. strange structure for such a locality! obviously the highway which once ran over it had begun in the city the better to communicate with the cemetery through which the party had just passed. so much was of easy understanding; but where was the other terminus? at sight of the arches the master drew a long breath of relief. they were the friends for whom he had been searching. nevertheless, without stopping, he led down into a hollow on all sides sheltered from view; and there the unloading took place. the tools and bundles were thrown down by a rock, and preparations made for the remainder of the night. the pallet was spread for the master. the basket gave up its contents, and the party refreshed themselves and slept the sleep of the weary. the secluded bivouac was kept the next day. only the master went forth in the afternoon. climbing the mountain, he found the line in continuation of the bridge; a task the two arches serving as a base made comparatively easy. he stood then upon a bench or terrace cumbered with rocks, and so broad that few persons casually looking would have suspected it artificial. facing fully about from the piers, he walked forward following the terrace which at places was out of line, and piled with debris tumbled from the mountain on the right hand side; in a few minutes that silent guide turned with an easy curve and disappeared in what had yet the appearance hardly distinguishable of an area wrenched with enormous labor from a low cliff of solid brown limestone. the visitor scanned the place again and again; then he said aloud: "no one has been here since"-the sentence was left unfinished. that he could thus identify the spot, and with such certainty pass upon it in relation to a former period, proved he had been there before. rocks, earth, and bushes filled the space. picking footway through, he examined the face of the cliff then in front of him, lingering longest on the heap of breakage forming a bank over the meeting line of area and hill. "yes," he repeated, this time with undisguised satisfaction, "no one has been here since"-again the sentence was unfinished. he ascended the bank next, and removed some of the stones at the top. a carved line in low relief on the face of the rock was directly exposed; seeing it he smiled, and replaced the stones, and descending, went back to the terrace, and thence to the slaves in bivouac. from one of the packages he had two iron lamps of old roman style brought out, and supplied with oil and wicks; then, as if everything necessary to his project was done, he took to the pallet. some goats had come to the place in his absence, but no living creature else. after nightfall the master woke the slaves, and made final preparation for the venture upon which he had come. the tools he gave to one man, the lamps to another, and the water-skin to the negro. then he led out of the hollow, and up the mountain to the terrace visited in the afternoon; nor did he pause in the area mentioned as the abrupt terminus of the highway over the skeleton piers. he climbed the bank of stones covering the foot of the cliff up to the precise spot at which his reconnoissance had ended. directly the slaves were removing the bank at the top; not a difficult task since they had only to roll the loose stones down a convenient grade. they worked industriously. at length--in half an hour probably--an opening into the cliff was discovered. the cavity, small at first, rapidly enlarged, until it gave assurance of a doorway of immense proportions. when the enlargement sufficed for his admission, the master stayed the work, and passed in. the slaves followed. the interior descent offered a grade corresponding with that of the bank outside--another bank, in fact, of like composition, but more difficult to pass on account of the darkness. with his foot the leading adventurer felt the way down to a floor; and when his assistants came to him, he took from a pocket in his gown a small case filled with a chemical powder which he poured at his feet; then he produced a flint and steel, and struck them together. some sparks dropped upon the powder. instantly a flame arose and filled the place with a ruddy illumination. lighting the lamps by the flame, the party looked around them, the slaves with simple wonder. they were in a vault--a burial vault of great antiquity. either it was an imitation of like chambers in egypt, or they were imitations of it. the excavation had been done with chisels. the walls were niched, giving them an appearance of panelling, and over each of the niches there had been an inscription in raised letters, now mostly defaced. the floor was a confusion of fragments knocked from sarcophagi, which, massive as they were, had been tilted, overturned, uncovered, mutilated, and robbed. useless to inquire whose the vandalism. it may have been of chaldeans of the time of almanezor, or of the greeks who marched with alexander, or of egyptians who were seldom regardful of the dead of the peoples they overthrew as they were of their own, or of saracens, thrice conquerors along the syrian coast, or of christians. few of the crusaders were like st. louis. but of all this the master took no notice. with him it was right that the vault should look the wreck it was. careless of inscriptions, indifferent to carving, his eyes ran rapidly along the foot of the northern wall until they came to a sarcophagus of green marble. thither he proceeded. he laid his hand upon the half-turned lid, and observing that the back of the great box--if such it may be termed--was against the wall, he said again: "no one has been here since"-and again the sentence was left unfinished. forthwith he became all energy. the negro brought the crowbar, and, by direction, set it under the edge of the sarcophagus, which he held raised while the master blocked it at the bottom with a stone chip. another bite, and a larger chip was inserted. good hold being thus had, a vase was placed for fulcrum; after which, at every downward pressure of the iron, the ponderous coffin swung round a little to the left. slowly and with labor the movement was continued until the space behind was uncovered. by this time the lamps had become the dependencies for light. with his in hand, the master stooped and inspected the exposed wall. involuntarily the slaves bent forward and looked, but saw nothing different from the general surface in that quarter. the master beckoned the negro, and touching a stone not wider than his three fingers, but reddish in hue, and looking like mere chinking lodged in an accidental crevice, signed him to strike it with the end of the bar. once--twice--the stone refused to stir; with the third blow it was driven in out of sight, and, being followed vigorously, was heard to drop on the other side. the wall thereupon, to the height of the sarcophagus and the width of a broad door, broke, and appeared about to tumble down. when the dust cleared away, there was a crevice unseen before, and wide enough to admit a hand. the reader must remember there were masons in the old time who amused themselves applying their mathematics to such puzzles. here obviously the intention had been to screen an entrance to an adjoining chamber, and the key to the design had been the sliver of red granite first displaced. a little patient use then of hand and bar enabled the workman to take out the first large block of the combination. that the master numbered with chalk, and had carefully set aside. a second block was taken out, numbered, and set aside; finally the screen was demolished, and the way stood open. chapter iii the hidden treasure the slaves looked dubiously at the dusty aperture, which held out no invitation to them; the master, however, drew his robe closer about him, and stooping went in, lamp in hand. they then followed. an ascending passage, low but of ample width, received them. it too had been chiselled from the solid rock. the wheel marks of the cars used in the work were still on the floor. the walls were bare but smoothly dressed. altogether the interest here lay in expectation of what was to come; and possibly it was that which made the countenance of the master look so grave and absorbed. he certainly was not listening to the discordant echoes roused as he advanced. the ascent was easy. twenty-five or thirty steps brought them to the end of the passage. they then entered a spacious chamber circular and domed. the light of the lamps was not enough to redeem the ceiling from obscurity; yet the master led without pause to a sarcophagus standing under the centre of the dome, and when he was come there everything else was forgotten by him. the receptacle of the dead thus discovered had been hewn from the rock, and was of unusual proportions. standing broadside to the entrance, it was the height of an ordinary man, and twice as long as high. the exterior had been polished smoothly as the material would allow; otherwise it was of absolute plainness, looking not unlike a dark brown box. the lid was a slab of the finest white marble carven into a perfect model of solomon's temple. while the master surveyed the lid he was visibly affected. he passed the lamp over it slowly, letting the light fall into the courts of the famous building; in like manner he illuminated the corridors, and the tabernacle; and, as he did so, his features trembled and his eyes were suffused. he walked around the exquisite representation several times, pausing now and then to blow away the dust that had in places accumulated upon it. he noticed the effect of the transparent whiteness in the chamber; so in its day the original had lit up the surrounding world. undoubtedly the model had peculiar hold upon his feelings. but shaking the weakness off he after a while addressed himself to work. he had the negro thrust the edge of the bar under the lid, and raise it gently. having thoughtfully provided himself in the antechamber with pieces of stone for the purpose, he placed one of them so as to hold the vantage gained. slowly, then, by working at the ends alternately, the immense slab was turned upon its centre; slowly the hollow of the coffin was flooded with light; slowly, and with seeming reluctance, it gave up its secrets. in strong contrast to the plainness of the exterior, the interior of the sarcophagus was lined with plates and panels of gold, on which there were cartoons chased and beaten in, representing ships, and tall trees, doubtless cedars of lebanon, and masons at work, and two men armed and in royal robes greeting each other with clasped hands; and so beautiful were the cartoons that the eccentric medalleur, cellini, would have studied them long, if not enviously. yet he who now peered into the receptacle scarcely glanced at them. on a stone chair seated was the mummy of a man with a crown upon its head, and over its body, for the most part covering--the linen wrappings, was a robe of threads of gold in ample arrangement. the hands rested on the lap; in one was a sceptre; the other held an inscribed silver tablet. there were rings plain, and rings with jewels in setting, circling the fingers and thumbs; the ears, ankles, even the great toes, were ornamented in like manner. at the feet a sword of the fashion of a cimeter had been laid. the blade was in its scabbard, but the scabbard was a mass of jewels, and the handle a flaming ruby. the belt was webbed with pearls and glistening brilliants. under the sword were the instruments sacred then and ever since to master masons--a square, a gavel, a plummet, and an inscribing compass. the man had been a king--so much the first glance proclaimed. with him, as with his royal brethren from the tombs along the nile, death had asserted itself triumphantly over the embalmer. the cheeks were shrivelled and mouldy; across the forehead the skin was drawn tight; the temples were hollows rimmed abruptly with the frontal bones; the eyes, pits partially filled with dried ointments of a bituminous color. the monarch had yielded his life in its full ripeness, for the white hair and beard still adhered in stiffened plaits to the skull, cheeks, and chin. the nose alone was natural; it stood up thin and hooked, like the beak of an eagle. at sight of the figure thus caparisoned and maintaining its seat in an attitude of calm composure the slaves drew back startled. the negro dropped his iron bar, making the chamber ring with a dissonant clangor. around the mummy in careful arrangement were vessels heaped with coins and pearls and precious stones, cut and ready for the goldsmith. indeed, the whole inner space of the sarcophagus was set with basins and urns, each in itself a work of high art; and if their contents were to be judged by what appeared overflowing them, they all held precious stones of every variety. the corners had been draped with cloths of gold and cloths embroidered with pearls, some of which were now falling to pieces of their own weight. we know that kings and queens are but men and women subject to the same passions of common people; that they are generous or sordid according to their natures; that there have been misers amongst them; but this one--did he imagine he could carry his amassments with him out of the world? had he so loved the gems in his life as to dream he could illumine his tomb with them? if so, o royal idiot! the master, when an opening had been made sufficiently wide by turning the lid upon the edge of the sarcophagus, took off his sandals, gave a foot to one of his slaves, and swung himself into the interior. the lamp was then given him, and he surveyed the wealth and splendor as the king might never again. and as the king in his day had said with exultation, lo! it is all mine, the intruder now asserted title. unable, had he so wished, to carry the whole collection off, he looked around upon this and upon that, determining where to begin. conscious he had nothing to fear, and least of all from the owner in the chair, he was slow and deliberate. from his robe he drew a number of bags of coarse hempen cloth, and a broad white napkin. the latter he spread upon the floor, first removing several of the urns to obtain space; then he emptied one of the vessels upon it, and from the sparkling and varicolored heap before him proceeded to make selection. his judgment was excellent, sure and swift. not seldom he put the large stones aside, giving preference to color and lustre. those chosen he dropped into a bag. when the lot was gone through, he returned the rejected to the vessel, placing it back exactly in its place. then he betook himself to another of the vessels, and then another, until, in course of a couple of hours, he had made choice from the collection, and filled nine bags, and tied them securely. greatly relieved, he arose, rubbed the benumbed joints of his limbs awhile, then passed the packages out to the slaves. the occupation had been wearisome and tensive; but it was finished, and he would now retire. he lingered to give a last look at the interior, muttering the sentence again, and leaving it unfinished as before: "no one has been here since"-from the face of the king, his eyes fell to the silver tablet in the nerveless hand. moving close, and holding the lamp in convenient position, he knelt and read the inscription. i. "there is but one god, and he was from the beginning, and will be without end. ii. "in my lifetime, i prepared this vault and tomb to receive my body, and keep it safely; yet it may be visited, for the earth and sea are always giving up their secrets. iii. "therefore, o stranger, first to find me, know thou! "that in all my days i kept intercourse with solomon, king of the jews, wisest of men, and the richest and greatest. as is known, he set about building a house to his lord god, resolved that there should be nothing like it in the world, nothing so spacious, so enriched, so perfect in proportions, so in all things becoming the glory of his god. in sympathy with him i gave him of the skill of my people, workers in brass, and silver, and gold, and products of the quarries: and in their ships my sailors brought him the yield of mines from the ends of the earth. at last the house was finished; then he sent me the model of the house, and the coins, and cloths of gold and pearl, and the precious stones, and the vessels holding them, and the other things of value here. ad if, o stranger, thou dost wonder at the greatness of the gift, know thou that it was but a small part of what remained unto him of like kind, for he was master of the earth, and of everything belonging to it which might be of service to him, even the elements and their subtleties. iv. "nor think, o stranger, that i have taken the wealth into the tomb with me, imagining it can serve me in the next life. i store it here because i love him who gave it to me, and am jealous of his love; and that is all. v. "so thou wilt use the wealth in ways pleasing in the sight of the lord god of solomon, my royal friend, take thou of it in welcome. there is no god but his god! "thus say i--hiram, king of tyre." "rest thou thy soul, o wisest of pagan kings," said the master, rising. "being the first to find thee here, and basing my title to thy wealth on that circumstance, i will use it in a way pleasing in the sight of the lord god of solomon. verily, verily, there is no god but his god!" this, then, was the business that brought the man to the tomb of the king whose glory was to have been the friend of solomon. pondering the idea, we begin to realize how vast the latter's fame was; and it ceases to be matter of wonder that his contemporaries, even the most royal, could have been jealous of his love. not only have we the man's business, but it is finished; and judging from the satisfaction discernible on his face as he raised the lamp and turned to depart, the result must have been according to his best hope. he took off his robe, and tossed it to his slaves; then he laid a hand upon the edge of the sarcophagus preparatory to climbing out. at the moment, while giving a last look about him, an emerald, smoothly cut, and of great size, larger indeed than a full-grown pomegranate, caught his eyes in its place loose upon the floor. he turned back, and taking it up, examined it carefully; while thus engaged his glance dropped to the sword almost at his feet. the sparkle of the brilliants, and the fire-flame of the great ruby in the grip, drew him irresistibly, and he stood considering. directly he spoke in a low voice: "no one has been here since"-he hesitated--glanced hurriedly around to again assure himself it was not possible to be overheard--then finished the sentence: "no one has been here _since i came a thousand years ago_." at the words so strange, so inexplicable upon any theory of nature and common experience, the lamp shook in his hand. involuntarily he shrank from the admission, though to himself. but recovering, he repeated: "since i came a thousand years ago." then he added more firmly: "but the earth and the sea are always giving up their secrets. so saith the good king hiram; and since i am a witness proving the wisdom of the speech, i at least must believe him. wherefore it is for me to govern myself as if another will shortly follow me. the saying of the king is an injunction." with that, he turned the glittering sword over and over admiringly. loath to let it go, he drew the blade partly from the scabbard, and its clearness had the depth peculiar to the sky between stars at night. "is there anything it will not buy," he continued, reflectively. "what king could refuse a sword once solomon's? i will take it." thereupon he passed both the emerald and the sword out to the slaves, whom he presently joined. the conviction, but a moment before expressed, that another would follow him to the tomb of the venerated tyrian, was not strong enough to hinder the master from attempting to hide every sign which might aid in the discovery. the negro, under his direction, returned the lid exactly to its former fitting place on the sarcophagus; the emerald and the sword he wrapped in his gown; the bags and the tools were counted and distributed among the slaves for easy carriage. lamp in hand, he then walked around to see that nothing was left behind. incidentally he even surveyed the brown walls and the dim dome overhead. having reached the certainty that everything was in its former state, he waved his hand, and with one long look backward at the model, ghostly beautiful in its shining white transparency, he led the way to the passage of entrance, leaving the king to his solitude and stately sleep, unmindful of the visitation and the despoilment. out in the large reception room, he paused again to restore the wall. beginning with the insignificant key, one by one the stones, each of which, as we have seen, had been numbered by him, were raised and reset. then handfuls of dust were collected and blown into the slight crevices till they were invisible. the final step was the restoration of the sarcophagus; this done, the gallery leading to the real vault of the king was once more effectually concealed. "he who follows, come he soon or late, must have more than sharp eyes if he would have audience with hiram, my royal friend of tyre," the adventurer said, in his meditative way, feeling at the same time in the folds of his gown for the chart so the object of solicitude on the ship. the roll, the emerald, and the sword were also safe. signing the slaves to remain where they were, he moved slowly across the chamber, and by aid of his lamp surveyed an aperture there so broad and lofty it was suggestive of a gate rather than a door. "it is well," he said, smiling. "the hunter of spoils, hereafter as heretofore, will pass this way instead of the other." the remark was shrewd. probably nothing had so contributed to the long concealment of the gallery just reclosed the second time in a thousand years as the high doorway, with its invitation to rooms beyond it, all now in iconoclastic confusion. rejoining his workmen, he took a knife from the girdle of one of them, and cut a slit in the gurglet large enough to admit the bags of precious stones. the skin was roomy, and received them, though with the loss of much of the water. having thus disposed of that portion of the plunder to the best advantage both for portage and concealment, he helped swing it securely upon the negro's shoulder, and without other delay led from the chamber to the great outdoors, where the lamps were extinguished. the pure sweet air, as may be imagined, was welcome to every one. while the slaves stood breathing it in wholesome volumes, the master studied the stars, and saw the night was not so far gone but that, with industry, the sea-shore could be made in time for the ship. still pursuing the policy of hiding the road to the tomb much as possible, he waited while the men covered the entrance as before with stones brought up from the bank. a last survey of the face of the rock, minute as the starlight allowed, reassured him that, as to the rest of the world, the treasure might remain with its ancient owner undisturbed for yet another thousand years, if not forever; after which, in a congratulatory mood, he descended the mountain side to the place of bivouac, and thence in good time, and without adventure, arrived at the landing by the sea. there the negro, wading far out, flung the tools into the water. in the appointed time the galley came down from the city, and, under impulsion of the oars, disappeared with the party up the coast northward. the negro unrolled the pallet upon the deck, and brought some bread, smyrna figs, and wine of prinkipo, and the four ate and drank heartily. the skipper was then summoned. "you have done well, my friend," said the master. "spare not sail or oar now, but make byzantium without looking into any wayside port. i will increase your pay in proportion as you shorten the time we are out. look to it--go--and speed you." afterward the slaves in turn kept watch while he slept. and though the coming and going of sailors was frequent, not one of them noticed the oil-stained water-skin cast carelessly near the master's pillow, or the negro's shaggy half-cloak, serving as a wrap for the roll, the emerald, and the sword once solomon's. the run of the galley from the nameless bay near sidon was without stop or so much as a headwind. always the blue sky above the deck, and the blue sea below. in daytime the master passenger would occasionally pause in his walk along the white planks, and, his hand on the gunwale, give a look at some of the landmarks studding the ancient cycladean sea, an island here, or a tall promontory of the continent yonder, possibly an olympian height faintly gray in the vaster distance. his manner at such moments did not indicate a traveller new to the highway. a glance at the points such as business men closely pressed give the hands on the face of a clock to determine the minute of the hour, and he would resume walking. at night he slept right soundly. from the dardanelles into the hellespont; then the marmora. the captain would have coasted, but the passenger bade him keep in the open. "there is nothing to fear from the weather," he said, "but there is time to be saved." in an afternoon they sighted the great stones oxia and plati; the first, arid and bare as a gray egg, and conical like an irregular pyramid; the other, a plane on top, with verdure and scattering trees. a glance at the map shows them the most westerly group of the isles of the princes. now nature is sometimes stupid, sometimes whimsical, doing unaccountable things. one gazing at the other isles of the group from a softly rocking caique out a little way on the sea divines instantly that she meant them for summer retreats, but these two, oxia and plati, off by themselves, bleak in winter, apparently always ready for spontaneous combustion in the heated months, for what were they designed? no matter--uses were found for them--fitting uses. eremites in search of the hardest, grimmest places, selected oxia, and pecking holes and caves in its sides, shared the abodes thus laboriously won with cormorants, the most gluttonous of birds. in time a rude convent was built near the summit. on the other hand, plati was converted into a gehenna for criminals, and in the vats and dungeons with which it was provided, lives were spent weeping for liberty. on this isle, tears and curses; on that, tears and prayers. at sundown the galley was plying its oars between oxia and the european shore about where st. stephano is now situated. the dome of sta. sophia was in sight; behind it, in a line to the northwest, arose the tower of galata. "home by lamplighting--blessed be the virgin!" the mariners said to each other piously. but no! the master passenger sent for the captain. "i do not care to get into harbor before morning. the night is delicious, and i will try it in the small boat. i was once a rower, and yet have a fancy for the oars. do thou lay off and on hereabouts. put two lamps at the masthead that i may know thy vessel when i desire to return. now get out the boat." the captain thought his voyager queer of taste; nevertheless he did as told. in a short time the skiff--if the familiar word can be pardoned--put off with the negro and his master, the latter at the oars. in preparation for the excursion the gurglet half full of water and the sheepskin mantle of the black man were lowered into the little vessel. the boat moved away in the direction of prinkipo, the mother isle of the group; and as the night deepened, it passed from view. when out of sight from the galley's deck, the master gave the rowing to the negro, and taking seat by the rudder, changed direction to the southeast; after which he kept on and on, until plati lay directly in his course. the southern extremity of plati makes quite a bold bluff. in a period long gone a stone tower had been constructed there, a lookout and shelter for guardsmen on duty; and there being no earthly chance of escape for prisoners, so securely were they immured, the duty must have been against robbers from the mainland on the east, and from pirates generally. under the tower there was a climb difficult for most persons in daylight, and from the manoeuvring of the boat, the climb was obviously the object drawing the master. he at length found it, and stepped out on a shelving stone. the gurglet and mantle were passed to him, and soon he and his follower were feeling their way upward. on the summit, the chief walked once around the tower, now the merest ruin, a tumbledown without form, in places overgrown with sickly vines. rejoining his attendant, and staying a moment to thoroughly empty the gurglet of water, on his hands and knees he crawled into a passage much obstructed by debris. the negro waited outside. the master made two trips; the first one, he took the gurglet in; the second, he took the mantle wrapping the sword. at the end, he rubbed his hands in self-congratulation. "they are safe--the precious stones of hiram, and the sword of solomon! three other stores have i like this one--in india, in egypt, in jerusalem--and there is the tomb by sidon. oh, i shall not come to want!" and he laughed well pleased. the descent to the small boat was effected without accident. next morning toward sunrise the passengers disembarked at port st. peter on the south side of the golden horn. a little later the master was resting at home in byzantium. within three days the mysterious person whom we, wanting his proper name and title, have termed the master, had sold his house and household effects. in the night of the seventh day, with his servants, singular in that all of them were deaf and dumb, he went aboard ship, and vanished down the marmora, going no one but himself knew whither. the visit to the tomb of the royal friend of solomon had evidently been to provide for the journey; and that he took precious stones in preference to gold and silver signified a journey indefinite as to time and place. book ii the prince of india chapter i a messenger from cipango just fifty-three years after the journey to the tomb of the syrian king--more particularly on the fifteenth day of may, fourteen hundred and forty-eight--a man entered one of the stalls of a market in constantinople--to-day the market would be called a bazaar--and presented a letter to the proprietor. the israelite thus honored delayed opening the linen envelope while he surveyed the messenger. the liberty, it must be remarked, was not a usual preliminary in the great city, the cosmopolitanism of which had been long established; that is to say, a face, a figure, or a mode, to gain a second look from one of its denizens, had then, as it has now, to be grossly outlandish. in this instance the owner of the stall indulged a positive stare. he had seen, he thought, representatives of all known nationalities, but never one like the present visitor--never one so pinkish in complexion, and so very bias-eyed--never one who wrapped and re-wrapped himself in a single shawl so entirely, making it answer all the other vestments habitual to men. the latter peculiarity was more conspicuous in consequence of a sack of brown silk hanging loosely from the shoulder, with leaves and flowers done in dazzling embroidery down the front and around the edges. and then the slippers were of silk not less rich with embroidery, while over the bare head a sunshade of bamboo and paper brilliantly painted was carried. too well bred to persist in the stare or attempt to satisfy his curiosity by a direct question, the proprietor opened the letter, and began reading it. his neighbors less considerate ran together, and formed a crowd around the stranger, who nevertheless bore the inspection composedly, apparently unconscious of anything to make him such a cynosure. the paper which the removal of the envelope gave to the stall-keeper's hand excited him the more. the delicacy of its texture, its softness to the touch, its semi-transparency, were unlike anything he had ever seen; it was not only foreign, but very foreign. the lettering, however, was in greek plainly done. he noticed first the date; then, his curiosity becoming uncontrollable, and the missive being of but one sheet, his eyes dropped to the place of signature. there was no name there--only a seal--an impression on a surface of yellow wax of the drooping figure of a man bound to a cross. [illustration] at sight of the seal his eyes opened wider. he drew a long breath to quiet a rising feeling, half astonishment, half awe. retreating to a bench near by, he seated himself, and presently became unmindful of the messenger, of the crowd, of everything, indeed, except the letter and the matters of which it treated. the demand of the reader for a sight of the paper which could produce such an effect upon a person who was not more than an ordinary dealer in an eastern market may by this time have become imperious; wherefore it is at once submitted in free translation. only the date is modernized. "island in the over-sea. far east. _may_ 15, a.d. 1447. "uel, son of jahdai. "peace to thee and all thine! "if thou hast kept faithfully the heirlooms of thy progenitors, somewhere in thy house there is now a duplication of the seal which thou wilt find hereto attached; only that one is done in gold. the reference is to prove to thee a matter i am pleased to assert, knowing it will at least put thee upon inquiry--i knew thy father, thy grandfather, and his father, and others of thy family further back than it is wise for me to declare; and i loved them, for they were a virtuous and goodly race, studious to do the will of the lord god of israel, and acknowledging no other; therein manifesting the chiefest of human excellences. to which, as more directly personal to thyself, i will add that qualities of men, like qualities in plants, are transmissible, and go they unmixed through many generations, they make a kind. therefore, at this great distance, and though i have never looked into thy face, or touched thy hand, or heard thy voice, i know thee, and give thee trust confidently. the son of thy father cannot tell the world what he has of me here, or that there is a creature like unto me living, or that he has to do with me in the least; and as the father would gladly undertake my requests, even those i now reveal unto thee, not less willingly will his son undertake them. refusal would be the first step toward betrayal. "with this preface, o son of jahdai, i write without fear, and freely; imparting, first, that it is now fifty years since i set foot upon the shores of this island, which, for want of a name likely to be known to thee, i have located and described as 'in the over-sea. far east.' its people are by nature kindly disposed to strangers, and live simply and affectionately. though they never heard of the nazarene whom the world persists in calling the christ, it is truth to say they better illustrate his teachings, especially in their dealings with each other, than the so-called christians amongst whom thy lot is cast. withal, however, i have become weary, the fault being more in myself than in them. desire for change is the universal law. only god is the same yesterday, to-day, and to-morrow eternally. so i am resolved to seek once more the land of our fathers and jerusalem, for which i yet have tears. in her perfection, she was more than beautiful; in her ruin, she is more than sacred. "in the execution of my design, know thou next, o son of jahdai, that i despatch my servant, syama, intrusting him to deliver this letter. when it is put into thy hand, note the day, and see if it be not exactly one year from this 15 may, the time i have given him to make the journey, which is more by sea than land. thou mayst then know i am following him, though with stoppages of uncertain duration; it being necessary for me to cross from india to mecca; thence to kash-cush, and down the nile to cairo. nevertheless i hope to greet thee in person within six months after syama hath given thee this report. "the sending a courier thus in advance is with a design of which i think it of next importance to inform thee. "it is my purpose to resume residence in constantinople; for that, i must have a house. syama, amongst other duties in my behalf, is charged to purchase and furnish one, and have it ready to receive me when i arrive. the day is long passed since a khan had attractions for me. much more agreeable is it to think my own door will open instantly at my knock. in this affair thou canst be of service which shall be both remembered and gratefully recompensed. he hath no experience in the matter of property in thy city; thou hast; it is but natural, therefore, if i pray thou bring it into practice by assisting him in the selection, in perfecting the title, and in all else the project may require doing; remembering only that the tenement be plain and comfortable, not rich; for, alas! the time is not yet when the children of israel may live conspicuously in the eye of the christian world. "thou wilt find syama shrewd and of good judgment, older than he seemeth, and quick to render loyalty for my sake. be advised also that he is deaf and dumb; yet, if in speaking thou turn thy face to him, and use the greek tongue, he will understand thee by the motion of thy lips, and make answer by signs. "finally, be not afraid to accept this commission on account of pecuniary involvement. syama hath means of procuring all the money he may require, even to extravagance; at the same time he is forbidden to contract a debt, except it be to thee for kindness done, all which he will report to me so i may pay them fitly. "in all essential things syama hath full instructions; besides, he is acquainted with my habits and tastes; wherefore i conclude this writing by saying i hope thou wilt render him aid as indicated, and that when i come thou wilt allow me to relate myself to thee as father to son, in all things a help, in nothing a burden. "again, o son of jahdai, to thee and thine--peace!" [seal.] the son of jahdai, at the conclusion of the reading, let his hands fall heavily in his lap, while he plunged into a study which the messenger with his foreign airs could not distract. very great distance is one of the sublimities most powerful over the imagination. the letter had come from an island he had never heard named. an island in the over-sea which doubtless washed the eastern end of the earth, wherever that might be. and the writer! how did he get there? and what impelled him to go? a chill shot the thinker's nerves. he suddenly remembered that in his house there was a cupboard in a wall, with two shelves devoted to storage of heirlooms; on the upper shelf lay the _torah_ of immemorial usage in his family; the second contained cups of horn and metal, old phylacteries, amulets, and things of vertu in general, and of such addition and multiplication through the ages that he himself could not have made a list of them; in fact, now his attention was aroused, he recalled them a mass of colorless and formless objects which had ceased to have history or value. amongst them, however, a seal in the form of a medallion in gold recurred to him; but whether the impression upon it was raised or sunken he could not have certainly said; nor could he have told what the device was. his father and grandfather had esteemed it highly, and the story they told him about it divers times when he was a child upon their knees he could repeat quite substantially. a man committed an indignity to jesus the pretended _christ_, who, in punishment, condemned him to linger on the earth until in the fulness of time he should come again; and the man had gone on living through the centuries. both the father and grandfather affirmed the tale to be true; they had known the unfortunate personally; yet more, they declared he had been an intimate of the family, and had done its members through generations friendlinesses without number; in consequence they had come to consider him one of them in love. they had also said that to their knowledge it was his custom to pray for death regularly as the days came and went. he had repeatedly put himself in its way; yet curiously it passed him by, until he at last reached a conviction he could not die. many years had gone since the stall-keeper last heard the tale, and still more might have been counted since the man disappeared, going no one knew whither. but he was not dead! he was coming again! it was too strange to believe! it could not be! yet one thing was clear--whatever the messenger might be, or presuming him a villain, whatever the lie he thought to make profitable, appeal could be safely and cheaply made to the seal in the cupboard. as a witness it, too, was deaf and dumb; on its face nevertheless there was revelation and the truth. through the momentary numbness of his faculties so much the son of jahdai saw, and he did not wait. signing the messenger to follow, he passed into a closet forming part of the stall, and the two being alone, he spoke in greek. "be thou seated here," he said, "and wait till i return." the messenger smiled and bowed, and took seat; thereupon uel drew his turban down to his ears, and, letter in hand, started home. his going was rapid; sometimes he almost ran. acquaintances met him on the street, but he did not see them; if they spoke to him, he did not hear. arrived at his own door, he plunged into the house as if a mob were at his heels. now he was before the cupboard! little mercy the phylacteries and amulets, the bridle-spanglery of donkeys, the trinketry of women, his ancestresses once famous for beauty or many children--little mercy the motley collection on the second shelf received from his hands. he tossed them here and there, and here and there again, but the search was vain. ah, good lord! was the medalet lost? and of all times, then? the failure made him the more anxious; his hands shook while he essayed the search once more; and he reproached himself. the medal was valuable for its gold, and besides it was a sacred souvenir. conscience stung him. over and over he shifted and turned the various properties on the shelf, the last time systematically and with fixed attention. when he stopped to rest, the perspiration stood on his forehead in large drops, and he fairly wrung his hands, crying, "it is not here--it is lost! my god, how shall i know the truth now!" at this pause it is to be said that the son of jahdai was wifeless. the young woman whom he had taken as helpmeet in dying had left him a girl baby who, at the time of our writing, was about thirteen years old. under the necessity thus imposed, he found a venerable daughter of jerusalem to serve him as housekeeper, and charge herself with care of the child. now he thought of that person; possibly she knew where the seal was. he turned to seek her, and as he did so, the door of an adjoining room opened, and the child appeared. he held her very dear, because she had the clear olive complexion of her mother, and the same soft black eyes with which the latter used to smile upon him in such manner that words were never required to assure him of her love. and the little one was bright and affectionate, and had prettinesses in speech, and sang low and contentedly the day long. often as he took her on his lap and studied her fondly, he was conscious she promised to be gentle and beautiful as the departed one; beyond which it never occurred to him there could be superior excellences. distressed as the poor man was, he took the child in his arms, and kissed her on the round cheek, and was putting her down when he saw the medal at her throat, hanging from a string. she told him the housekeeper had given it to her as a plaything. untied at last--for his impatience was nigh uncontrollable--he hurried with the recovered treasure to a window, to look at the device raised upon it; then, his heart beating rapidly, he made comparison with the impression sunk in the yellow wax at the foot of the letter; he put them side by side--there could be no mistake--the impression on the wax might have been made by the medallion! let it not be supposed now that the son of jahdai did not appreciate the circumstance which had befallen. the idea of a man suffering a doom so strange affected him, while the doom itself, considered as a judgment, was simply awful; but his thought did not stop there--it carried him behind both the man and the doom. who was he with power by a word, not merely to change the most fixed of the decrees of nature, but, by suspending it entirely, hold an offending wretch alive for a period already encroaching upon the eternal? one less firmly rooted in the faith of his fathers would have stood aghast at the conclusion to which the answer as an argument led--a conclusion admitting no escape once it was reached. the affair in hand, however, despite its speculative side, was real and urgent; and the keeper of the stall, remembering the messenger in half imprisonment, fell to thinking of the practical questions before him; first of which was the treatment he should accord his correspondent's requests. this did not occupy him long. his father, he reflected, would have received the stranger cordially, and as became one of such close intimacy; so should he. the requests were easy, and carried no pecuniary liability with them; he was merely to aid an inexperienced servant in the purchase of a dwelling-house, the servant having plenty of funds. true, when the master presented himself in person, it would be necessary to determine exactly the footing to be accorded him; but for the present that might be deferred. if, in the connection, the son of jahdai dwelt briefly upon possible advantages to himself, the person being presumably rich and powerful, it was human, and he is to be excused for it. the return to the market was less hurried than the going from it. there uel acted promptly. he took syama to his house, and put him into the guest-chamber, assuring him it was a pleasure. yet when night came he slept poorly. the incidents of the day were mixed with much that was unaccountable, breaking the even tenor of his tradesman's life by unwonted perplexities. he had not the will to control his thoughts; they would go back to the excitement of the moment when he believed the medallion lost; and as points run together in the half-awake state on very slender threads, he had a vision of a mysterious old man coming into his house, and in some way taking up and absorbing the life of his child. when the world at last fell away and left him asleep, it was with a dread tapping heavily at his heart. the purchase which uel was requested to assist in making proved a light affair. after diligent search through the city, syama decided to take a two-story house situated in a street running along the foot of the hill to-day crowned by the mosque sultan selim, although it was then the site of an unpretentious christian church. besides a direct eastern frontage, it was in the divisional margin between the quarters of the greeks, which were always clean, and those of the jews, which were always filthy. it was also observed that neither the hill nor the church obstructed the western view from the roof; that is to say, it was so far around the upper curve of the hill that a thistle-down would be carried by a south-east wind over many of the proudest greek residences and dropped by the church of the holy virgin on blacherne, or in the imperial garden behind the church. in addition to these advantages, the son of jahdai was not unmindful that his own dwelling, a small but comfortable structure also of wood, was just opposite across the street. everything considered, the probabilities were that syama's selection would prove satisfactory to his master. the furnishment was a secondary matter. it is to be added that in course of the business there were two things from which uel extracted great pleasure; syama always had money to pay promptly for everything he bought; in the next place, communication with him was astonishingly easy. his eyes made up for the deficiency in hearing; while his signs, gestures, and looks were the perfection of pantomime. of evenings the child never tired watching him in conversation. while we go now to bring the wanderer up, it should not be forgotten that the house, completely furnished, is awaiting him, and he has only to knock at the door, enter, and be at home. chapter ii the pilgrim at el katif the bay of bahrein indents the western shore of the persian gulf. hard by the point on the north at which it begins its inland bend rise the whitewashed, one-story mud-houses of the town el katif. belonging to the arabs, the most unchangeable of peoples, both the town and the bay were known in the period of our story by their present names. the old town in the old time derived importance chiefly from the road which, leading thence westwardly through hejr yemameh, brought up, after many devious stretches across waterless wastes of sand, at el derayeh, a tented capital of the bedouins, and there forked, one branch going to medina, the other to mecca. in other words, el katif was to mecca on the east the gate jeddo was to it on the west. when, in annual recurrence, the time for the indispensable hajj, or pilgrimage, came, the name of the town was on the lips of men and women beyond the green sea, and southwardly along the coast of oman, and in the villages and dowars back of the coast under the peaks of akdar, only a little less often than those of the holy cities. then about the first of july the same peoples as pilgrims from irak, afghanistan, india, and beyond those countries even, there being an east and a far east, and pilgrims from arabia, crowded together, noisy, quarrelsome, squalid, accordant in but one thing--a determination to make the hajj lest they might die as jews or christians. the law required the pilgrim to be at mecca in the month of ramazan, the time the prophet himself had become a pilgrim. from el katif the direct journey might be made in sixty days, allowing an average march of twelve miles. by way of medina, it could be made to permit the votary to be present and participate in the observances usual on the day of the mysterious night of destiny. the journey moreover was attended with dangers. winds, drouth, sand storms beset the way; and there were beasts always hungry, and robbers always watchful. the sun beat upon the hills, curtained the levels with mirage, and in the _fiumuras_ kindled invisible fires; so in what the unacclimated breathed and in what they drank of the waters of the land there were diseases and death. the prophet having fixed the month of ramazan for the hajj, pilgrims accustomed themselves to assemblage at constantinople, damascus, cairo and bagdad. if they could not avoid the trials of the road, they could lessen them. borrowing the term caravan as descriptive of the march, they established markets at all convenient places. this is the accounting for one of the notable features of el katif from the incoming of june till the caravan extended itself on the road, and finally disappeared in the yellow farness of the desert. one could not go amiss for purveyors in general. dealers in horses, donkeys, camels, and dromedaries abounded. the country for miles around appeared like a great stock farm. herds overran the lean earth. makers of harness, saddles, box-houdahs, and swinging litters of every variety and price, and contractors of camels, horses, and trains complete did not wait to be solicited; the competition between them was too lively for dignity. hither and thither shepherds drove fatted sheep in flocks, selling them on the hoof. in shady places sandal merchants and clothiers were established; while sample tents spotted the whole landscape. hucksters went about with figs, dates, dried meats and bread. in short, pilgrims could be accommodated with every conceivable necessary. they had only to cry out, and the commodity was at hand. amongst the thousands who arrived at el katif in the last of june, 1448, was a man whose presence made him instantly an object of general interest. he came from the south in a galley of eight oars manned by indian seamen, and lay at anchor three days before landing. his ship bore nothing indicative of nationality except the sailors. she was trim-looking and freshly painted; otherwise there was nothing uncommon in her appearance. she was not for war--that was plain. she floated too lightly to be laden; wherefore those who came to look at her said she could not be in commercial service. almost before furling sail, an awning was stretched over her from bow to stern--an awning which from the shore appeared one great shawl of variegated colors. thereupon the wise in such matters decided the owner was an indian prince vastly rich, come, like a good mohammedan, to approve his faith by pilgrimage. this opinion the stranger's conduct confirmed. while he did not himself appear ashore, he kept up a busy communication by means of his small boat. for three days, it carried contractors of camels and supplies aboard, and brought them back. they described him of uncertain age; he might be sixty, he might be seventy-five. while rather under medium height, he was active and perfectly his own master. he sat in the shade of the awning cross-legged. his rug was a marvel of sheeny silk. he talked arabic, but with an indian accent. his dress was indian--a silken shirt, a short jacket, large trousers, and a tremendous white turban on a red tarbousche, held by an aigrette in front that was a dazzle of precious stones such as only a rajah could own. his attendants were few, but they were gorgeously attired, wore _shintyan_ swung in rich belts from their shoulders, and waited before him speechless and in servile posture. one at his back upheld an umbrella of immense spread. he indulged few words, and they were strictly business. he wanted a full outfit for the hajj; could the contractor furnish him twenty camels of burden, and four swift dromedaries? two of the latter were to carry a litter for himself; the other two were for his personal attendants, whom he desired furnished with well-shaded _shugdufs_. the camels he would load with provisions. while speaking, he would keep his eyes upon the person addressed with an expression uncomfortably searching. most extraordinary, however, he did not once ask about prices. one of the shaykhs ventured an inquiry. "how great will his highness' suite be?" "four." the shaykh threw up his hands. "o allah! four dromedaries and twenty camels for four men!" "abuser of the salt," said the stranger calmly, "hast thou not heard of the paschal charity, and of the fine to the poor? shall i go empty handed to the most sacred of cities?" finally an agent was found who, in concert with associates, undertook to furnish the high votary with all he asked complete. the morning of the fourth day after his arrival the indian was pulled ashore, and conducted out of town a short distance to where, on a rising ground, a camp had been set up provisionally for his inspection. there were tents, one for storage of goods and provisions; one for the suite; one for the chief shaykh, the armed guards, the tent pitchers, and the camel drivers; and a fourth one, larger than the others, for the prince himself. with the dromedaries, camels, and horses, the camp was accepted; then, as was the custom, the earnest money was paid. by set of sun the baggage was removed from the ship, and its partition into cargoes begun. the prince of india had no difficulty in hiring all the help he required. of the thirty persons who constituted the train ten were armed horsemen, whose appearance was such that, if it were answered by a commensurate performance, the prince might at his leisure march irrespective of the caravan. nor was he unmindful in the selection of stores for the journey. long before the sharp bargainers with whom he dealt were through with him, he had won their best opinion, not less by his liberality than for his sound judgment. they ceased speaking of him sneeringly as the _miyan_. [footnote: barbarous indian] soon as the bargain was bound, the stranger's attendants set about the furnishment of the master's tent. outside they painted it green. the interior they divided into two equal compartments; one for reception, the other for a _maglis_ or drawing-room; and besides giving the latter divans and carpets, they draped the ceiling in the most tasteful manner with the shawls which on the ship had served for awning. at length, everything in the catalogue of preparation having been attended to, it remained only to wait the day of general departure; and for that, as became his greatness, the prince kept his own quarters, paying no attention to what went on around him. he appeared a man who loved solitude, and was averse to thinking in public. chapter iii the yellow air [footnote: the plague is known amongst arabs as "the yellow air."] one evening the reputed indian sat by the door of his tent alone. the red afterglow of the day hung in the western sky. overhead the stars were venturing timidly out. the camels were at rest, some chewing their cuds, others asleep, their necks stretched full length upon the warm earth. the watchmen in a group talked in low voices. presently the cry of a muezzin, calling to prayer, flew in long, quavering, swelling notes through the hushed air. others took up the call, clearer or fainter according to the distance; and so was it attuned to the feeling invoked by the conditions of the moment that no effort was required of a listener to think it a refrain from the sky. the watchmen ceased debating, drew a little apart from each other, spread their _abbas_ on the ground, and stepping upon them barefooted, their faces turned to where mecca lay, began the old unchangeable prayer of islam--_god is god, and mahomet is his prophet_. the pilgrim at the tent door arose, and when his rude employes were absorbed in their devotions, like them, he too prayed, but very differently. "god of israel--my god!" he said, in a tone hardly more than speaking to himself. "these about me, my fellow creatures, pray thee in the hope of life, i pray thee in the hope of death. i have come up from the sea, and the end was not there; now i will go into the desert in search of it. or if i must live, lord, give me the happiness there is in serving thee. thou hast need of instruments of good; let me henceforth be one of them, that by working for thy honor, i may at last enjoy the peace of the blessed--amen." timing his movements with those of the watchmen, he sank to his knees, and repeated the prayer; when they fell forward, their faces to the earth in the _rik'raths_ so essential by the mohammedan code, he did the same. when they were through the service, he went on with it that they might see him. a careful adherence to this conduct gained him in a short time great repute for sanctity, making the pilgrimage enjoyable as well as possible to him. the evening afterglow faded out, giving the world to night and the quiet it affects; still the melancholy indian walked before his tent, his hands clasped behind him, his chin in the beard on his breast. let us presume to follow his reflections. "fifty years! a lifetime to all but me. lord, how heavy is thy hand when thou art in anger!" he drew a long breath, and groaned. "fifty years! that they are gone, let those mourn to whom time is measured in scanty dole." he became retrospective. "the going to cipango was like leaving the world. war had yielded to contentions about religion. i wearied of them also. my curse is to weary of everything. i wonder if the happiness found in the affection of women is more lasting?" he pursued the thought awhile, finishing with a resolution. "if the opportunity comes my way, i will try it. i remember yet the mother of my lael, though i did not understand the measure of the happiness she brought me until she died." he returned then to the first subject. "when will men learn that faith is a natural impulse, and pure religion but faith refined of doubt?" the question was succeeded by a wordless lapse in his mind, the better apparently to prolong the pleasure he found in the idea. "god help me," he presently resumed, "to bring about an agreement in that definition of religion! there can be no reform or refinement of faith except god be its exclusive subject; and so certainly it leads to lopping off all parasitical worships such as are given to christ and mahomet.... fifty years ago the sects would have tortured me had i mentioned god as a principle broad and holy enough for them to stand upon in compromise of their disputes; they may not be better disposed now, yet i will try them. if i succeed i will not be a vulgar monument builder like alexander; neither will i divide a doubtful fame with caesar. my glory will be unique. i will have restored mankind to their true relations with god. i will be their arbiter in religion. then surely"--he lifted his face appealingly as to a person enthroned amidst the stars--"surely thou wilt release me from this too long life.... if i fail"--he clinched his hands--"if i fail, they may exile me, they may imprison me, they may stretch me on the rack, but they cannot kill me." then he walked rapidly, his head down, like a man driven. when he stopped it was to say to himself uncertainly: "i feel weak at heart. misgivings beset me. lord, lord, how long am i to go on thus cheating myself? if thou wilt not pardon me, how can i hope honor from my fellow men? why should i struggle to serve them?" again he clinched his hands. "oh, the fools, the fools! will they never be done? when i went away they were debating, was mahomet a prophet? was christ the messiah? and they are debating yet. what miseries i have seen come of the dispute!" from this to the end, the monologue was an incoherent discursive medley, now plaintive, now passionate, at times prayerful, then exultant. as he proceeded, he seemed to lose sight of his present aim at doing good in the hope of release from termless life, and become the jew he was born. "the orators called in the sword, and they plied each other with it through two hundred years and more. there were highways across europe blazoned with corpses.... but they were great days. i remember them. remember manuel's appeal to gregory. i was present at the council of clermont. i heard urban's speech. i saw walter, the beggar of burgundy, a fugitive in constantinople; but his followers, those who went out with him--where were they? i saw peter, the eremite and coward, dragged back, a deserter, to the plague-smitten camps of antioch. i helped vote godfrey king of jerusalem, and carried a candle at his coronation. i saw the hosts of louis vii and conrad, a million and more, swallowed up in iconia and the pisidian mountains. then, that the persecutors of my race might not have rest, i marched with saladin to the re-conquest of the holy city, and heard philip and richard answer his challenge. the brave kurd, pitying the sorrows of men, at last agreed to tolerate christians in jerusalem as pilgrims; and there the strife might have ended, but i played upon the ambition of baldwin, and set europe in motion again. no fault of mine that the knight stopped at constantinople as king of the east. then the second frederick presumed to make a christian city of jerusalem. i resorted to the turks, and they burned and pillaged it, and captured st. louis, the purest and best of the crusaders. he died in my arms. never before had i a tear for man or woman of his faith! then came edward i., and with him the struggle as a contest of armies terminated. by decision of the sword, mahomet _was_ the prophet of god, and christ but the carpenter's son.... by permission of the kaliphs, the christians might visit jerusalem as pilgrims. a palmer's staff in place of a sword! for shield, a beggar's scrip! but the bishops accepted, and then ushered in an age of fraud, christian against christian.... the knoll on which the byzantine built his church of the holy sepulchre is not the calvary. that the cowled liars call the sepulchre never held the body of christ. the tears of the millions of penitents have but watered a monkish deceit.... fools and blasphemers! the via dolorosa led out of the damascus gate on the north. the skull-shaped hill beyond that gate is the golgotha. who should know it better than i? the centurion asked for a guide; i walked with him. hyssop was the only green thing growing upon the mount; nothing but hyssop has grown there since. at the base on the west was a garden, and the sepulchre was in the garden. from the foot of the cross i looked toward the city, and there was a sea of men extending down to the gate.... i know!--i know!--i and misery know!... when i went out fifty years ago there was an agreement between the ancient combatants; each vied with the other in hating and persecuting the jew, and there was no limit to the afflictions he endured from them.... speak thou, o hebron, city of the patriarchs! by him who sits afar, and by him near unto thee, by the stars this peaceful night, and by the everlasting who is above the stars, be thou heard a witness testifying! there was a day when thou didst stand open to the children of israel; for the cave and the dead within it belonged to them. then herod built over it, and shut it up, though without excluding the tribes. the christian followed herod; yet the hebrew might pay his way in. after the christian, the moslem; and now nor david the king, nor son of his, though they alighted at the doors from chariots, and beat upon them with their crowns and sceptres, could pass in and live.... kings have come and gone, and generations, and there is a new map from which old names have been dropped. as respects religion, alas! the divisions remain--here a mohammedan, there a christian, yonder a judean.... from my door i study these men, the children of those in life at my going into exile. their ardor is not diminished. to kiss a stone in which tradition has planted a saying of god, they will defy the terrors of the desert, heat, thirst, famine, disease, death. i bring them an old idea in a new relation--god, giver of life and power to son and prophet--god, alone entitled to worship--god, a principle of supreme holiness to which believers can bring their creeds and doctrines for mergence in a treaty of universal brotherhood. will they accept it? ... yesterday i saw a schiah and a sunite meet, and the old hate darkened their faces as they looked at each other. between them there is only a feud of islamites; how much greater is their feud with christians? how immeasurably greater the feud between christian and jew? ... my heart misgives me! lord! can it be i am but cherishing a dream?" at sight of a man approaching through the dusk, he calmed himself. "peace to thee, hadji," said the visitor, halting. "is it thou, shaykh?" "it is i, my father's son. i have a report to make." "i was thinking of certain holy things of priceless worth, sayings of the prophet. tell me what thou hast?" the shaykh saluted him, and returned, "the caravan will depart to-morrow at sunrise." "be it so. we are ready. i will designate our place in the movement. thou art dismissed." "o prince! i have more to report." "more?" "a vessel came in to-day from hormuz on the eastern shore, bringing a horde of beggars." "bismillah! it was well i hired of thee a herd of camels, and loaded them with food. i shall pay my fine to the poor early." the shaykh shook his head. "that they are beggars is nothing," he said. "allah is good to all his creatures. the jackals are his, and must be fed. for this perhaps the unfortunates were blown here by the angel that rides the yellow air. four corpses were landed, and their clothes sold in the camp." "thou wouldst say," the prince rejoined, "that the plague will go with us to the kaaba. content thee, shaykh. allah will have his way." "but my men are afraid." "i will place a drop of sweetened water on their lips, and bring them safe through, though they are dying. tell them as much." the shaykh was departing when the prince, shrewdly suspecting it was he who feared, called him back. "how call ye the afternoon prayer, o shaykh?" "el asr." "what didst thou when it was called?" "am i not a believer? i prayed." "and thou hast heard the arafat sermon?" "even so, o prince." "then, as thou art a believer, and a hadji, o shaykh, thou and all with thee shalt see the khatib on his dromedary, and hear him again. only promise me to stay till his last _amin_." "i promise," said the shaykh, solemnly. "go--but remember prayer is the bread of faith." the shaykh was comforted, and withdrew. with the rising of the sun next day the caravan, numbering about three thousand souls, defiled confusedly out of the town. the prince, who might have been first, of choice fell in behind the rest. "why dost thou take this place, o prince?" asked the shaykh, who was proud of his company, and their comparative good order. he received for answer, "the blessings of allah are with the dying whom the well-to-do and selfish in front have passed unnoticed." the shaykh repeated the saying to his men, and they replied: "ebn-hanife was a dervish: so is this prince--exalted be his name!" eulogy could go no further. chapter iv el zaribah "i will be their arbiter in religion," said the indian mystic in his monologue. this is to be accepted as the motive of the scheme the singular man was pursuing in the wastes of arabia. it must be taken of course with his other declaration--"there can be no reform or refinement of faith except god be its exclusive subject; and so certainly it leads to lopping off all parasitical worships such as are given to christ and mahomet." fifty years prior, disgusted with the endless and inconsequential debates and wars between islam and christianity, he had betaken himself to cipango, [footnote: supposably japan.] wherever that might be. there, in a repentant hour, he had conceived the idea of a universal religious brotherhood, with god for its accordant principle; and he was now returned to present and urge the compromise. in more distinct statement, he was making the pilgrimage to ascertain from personal observation if the mohammedan portion of the world was in a consenting mood. it was not his first visit to mecca; but the purpose in mind gave the journey a new zest; and, as can be imagined, nothing in the least indicative of the prevalent spirit of the hajj escaped him. readers following the narrative should keep this explanation before them. from el derayah the noble pilgrim had taken the longer route by way of medina, where he scrupulously performed the observances decreed for the faithful at the mosque of the prophet. thence he descended with the caravan from damascus. dawn of the sixth of september broke over the rolling plain known as the valley of el zaribah, disclosing four tents pitched on an eminence to the right of a road running thence south-west. these tents, connected by ropes, helped perfect an enclosure occupied by horses, donkeys, camels and dromedaries, and their cumbrous equipments. several armed men kept watch over the camp. the valley out to the pink granite hills rimming it round wore a fresh green tint in charming contrast with the tawny-black complexion of the region through which the day's journey had stretched. water at a shallow depth nourished camel grass in patches, and theban palms, the latter much scattered and too small to be termed trees. the water, and the nearness of the holy city--only one day distant--had, in a time long gone, won for el zaribah its double appointment of meeting place for the caravans and place of the final ceremony of assumption of the costume and vows _el ihram_. the prophet himself had prescribed the ceremony; so the pilgrims in the camp on the eminence, the better to observe it and at the same time get a needful rest, had come up during the night in advance of the caravans. in other words, the prince of india--the title by which he was now generally known--might, at the opening hour of the day, have been found asleep in the larger of the four tents; the one with the minaret in miniature so handsomely gilded and of such happy effect over the centre pole. along the roadsides and on the high grounds of the valley other tints were visible, while faint columns of smoke arising out of the hollows told of preparations for breakfast. these signified the presence of hucksters, barbers, costume dealers, and traders generally, who, in anticipation of the arrival of the caravans, had come from the city to exercise their callings. amongst them, worthy of special attention, was a multitude of professional guides, [footnote: _mutawif_.] ready for a trifling hire to take charge of uninitiated pilgrims, and lead them regardfully through the numerous ceremonies to which they were going. shortly after noon the prince called in a guide, and several barbers, men with long gowns, green turbans, brass basins, sharp knives, and bright bladed scissors. the assumption of the real pilgrimage by his people was then begun. each man submitted his head, mustaches, and nails to the experts, and bathed and perfumed himself, and was dusted with musk. next the whole party put off their old garments, and attired themselves in the two white vestments _el ihram_.[footnote: a mantle and skirt of white cloth unsewn.] the change of apparel was for the better. finally the votaries put on sandals peculiar in that nothing pertaining to them might cover the instep; then they stood up in a row faced toward mecca, and repeated the ancient formula of dedication of the _ihram_ to the almighty slowly intoned for them by the guide. the solemn demeanor of the men during the ceremony, which was tedious and interspersed with prayers and curious recitals, deeply impressed the prince, who at the end of the scene retired into his tent, with his three mute attendants, and there performed the vows for himself and them. there also they all assumed the indispensable costume. then, as he well might do, the law permitting him to seek the shade of a house or a tent, he had a rug spread before his door, where, in the fresh white attire, he seated himself, and with a jar of expressed juice of pomegranates at his side made ready to witness the passing of the caravans, the dust of which was reported visible in the east. afterwhile the cloud of dust momentarily deepening over in that direction was enlivened by a clash of cymbals and drums, blent with peals of horns, the fine, high music yet cherished by warriors of the orient. presently a body of horsemen appeared, their spear points glistening in the sunlight. a glance at them, then his gaze fixed upon a chief in leading. the sun had been hot all day; the profiles of the low hills were dim with tremulous haze lying scorchingly upon them; the furred hulks of the camels in the enclosure looked as if they were smoking; the sky held nothing living except two kites which sailed the upper air slowly, their broad wings at widest extension; yet the chief persisted in wearing his arms and armor, like the soldiers behind him. ere long he rode up and halted in front of the prince, and near by. his head was covered with a visorless casque, slightly conical, from the edge of which, beginning about the temples, a cape of fine steel rings, buckled under the chin, enveloped the neck and throat, and fell loosely over the neck and shoulders, and part way down the back. a shirt of linked mail, pliable as wool, defended the body and the arms to the elbows; overalls of like material, save that the parts next the saddle were leather, clothed the thighs and legs. as the casque and every other link of the mail were plated with gold, the general effect at a distance was as if the whole suit were gold. a surcoat of light green cloth hung at the back half hiding a small round shield of burnished brass; at the left side there was a cimeter, and in the right hand a lance. the saddle was of the high-seated style yet affected by horsemen of circassia; at the pommel a bow and well-filled quiver were suspended, and as the stirrups were in fact steel slippers the feet were amply protected by them. at sight of the martial figure, the indian, in admiration, arose to a sitting posture. such, he thought, were the warriors who followed saladin! and when the stranger, reaching the summit of the eminence, turned out of the road coming apparently to the door of the tent, he involuntarily sprang to his feet ready to do him honor. the face, then plainly seen, though strong of feature, and thoroughly bronzed, was that of a young man not more than twenty-two or three, dark-eyed, mustached and bearded, and of a serious though pleasant expression. he kept his seat with ease and grace; if he and the broad-chested dark-bay horse were not really one, they were one in spirit; together they wrought the impression which was the origin of _majesty_, a title for kings. while the prince was turning this in his mind, the soldier pulled rein, and stopped long enough to glance at him and at the camp; then, turning the horse, he looked the other way, making it apparent he had taken position on the rise to overlook the plain, and observe the coming and dispersion of the caravans. another mounted man ascended the hill, armed and armored like the first one, though not so richly, and bearing a standard of dulled yellow silk hanging from a gilded staff. the ground of the standard was filled with inscriptions in red lettering, leaving the golden crescent and star on the point of the staff to speak of nationality. the bearer of the flag dismounted, and at a sign planted it in the ground. seeing his shaykh, the prince called him: "who is the warrior yonder?--he in the golden armor?" "the emir el hajj, [footnote: chief officer of the pilgrimage. the appointment was considered the highest favor in the sultan's gift.] o prince." "he the emir el hajj!--and so young?--oh! a hero of the serail. the kislar aga extolled him one day." "thy remark and common report, o excellent prince, could not journey together on the same camel," said the shaykh. "in the khan at medina i heard his story. there is a famous enemy of the turks, iskander bey, in strength a jinn, whose sword two men can scarcely lift. he appeared before the army of the sultan one day with a challenge. he whom thou seest yonder alone dared go forth to meet him. the fought from morning till noon; then they rested. 'who art thou?' asked iskander. 'i am a slave of amurath, the commander of the faithful, who hath commissioned me to take thee to him dead or alive.' iskander laughed, and said, 'i know by thy tongue now thou art not a turk; and to see if the commander of the faithful, as thou callest him, hath it in soul to make much of thy merit as a warrior, i will leave thee the honors of the combat, and to go thy way.' whereat they say he lifted his ponderous blade as not heavier than the leaf of a dead palm, and strode from the field." the prince listened, and at the end said, like a man in haste: "thou knowest nilo, my black man. bring him hither." the shaykh saluted gravely, and hurried away, leaving his patron with eyes fixed on the emir, and muttering: "so young!--and in such favor with the old amurath! i will know him. if i fail, he may be useful to me. who knows? who knows?" he looked upward as if speaking to some one there. meantime the emir was questioning the ensign. "this pilgrim," he said, "appears well provided." and the ensign answered: "he is the indian prince of whom i have been hearing since we left medina." "what hast thou heard?" "that being rich, he is open-handed, making free with his aspers as sowers with their seed." "what more?" "he is devout and learned as an imam. his people call him malik. of the prayers he knows everything. as the hours arrive, he lifts the curtains of his litter, and calls them with a voice like belal's. the students in the mosque would expire of envy could they see him bend his back in the benedictions." "_bismillah!_" "they say also that in the journey from el katif to medina he travelled behind the caravan when he might have been first." "i see not the virtue in that. the hill-men love best to attack the van." "tell me, o emir, which wouldst thou rather face, a hill-man or the yellow air?" "the hill-man," said the other decidedly. "and thou knowest when those in front abandon a man struck with the disease?" "yes." "and then?" "the vultures and the jackals have their rights." "true, o emir, but listen. the caravan left el katif three thousand strong. three hundred and more were struck with the plague, and left to die; of those, over one hundred were brought in by the indian. they say it was for this he preferred to march in the rear. he himself teaches a saying of the _hadis_, that allah leaves his choicest blessings to be gathered from amidst the poor and the dying." "if he thou describest be not a prince of india as he claims, he is a"-"a _mashaikh_." [footnote: holier than a dervish.] "ay, by the most merciful! but how did he save the castaways?" "by a specific known only to kings and lords in his country. can he but reach the plague-struck before death, a drop on the tongue will work a cure. thou heardst what he did at medina?" "no." "the masjid el nabawi [footnote: tomb of the prophet.] as thou knowest, o emir, hath many poor who somehow live in its holy shade." "i know it," said the emir, with a laugh. "i went in the house rich, and come out of it poorer than the poorest of the many who fell upon me at the doors." "well," the ensign continued, not heeding the interruption, "he called them in, and fed them; not with rice, and leeks, and bread ten days sour, but with dishes to rejoice a kaliph; and they went away swearing the soul of the prophet was returned to the world." at this juncture a troop of horsemen ascending the hill brought the conversation to a stop. the uniformity of arms and armor, the furniture of the steeds, the order and regularity of the general movement, identified the body as some favorite corps of the turkish army; while the music, the bristling lances, the many-folded turbans, and the half-petticoated trousers threw about it a glamor of purest orientalism. in the midst of the troop, a vanguard in front, a rearguard behind them, central objects of care and reverence, moved the sacred camels, tall, powerful brutes, more gigantic in appearance because of their caparisoning and the extraordinary burdens they bore. they too were in full regalia, their faces visored in silk and gold, their heads resplendent with coronets of drooping feathers, their ample neck cloths heavy with tasselled metallic fringing falling to the knees. each one was covered with a mantle of brocaded silk arranged upon a crinoline form to give the effect somewhat of the curved expansion on the rim of a bell. on the humps rose pavilions of silk in flowing draperies, on some of which the entire _fatihah_ was superbly embroidered. over the pavilions arose enormous aigrettes of green and black feathers. such were the _mahmals_, containing, among other things of splendor and fabulous value, the _kiswah_ which the sultan was forwarding to the scherif of mecca to take the place of the worn curtains then draping the tabernacle or house of god. the plumed heads of the camels, and the yet more richly plumed pavilions, exalted high above the horsemen, moved like things afloat. one may not tell what calamities to body and soul would overtake the emir el hajj did he fail to deliver the _mahmals_ according to consignment. while the cavalry came up the hill the musicians exerted themselves; at the top, the column turned and formed line left of the emir, followed by strings of camels loaded with military properties, and a horde of camp-followers known as _farrash_. presently another camp was reared upon the eminence, its white roofs shining afar over the plain, and in their midst one of unusual dimensions for the sultan's gifts. the caravans in the meantime began to emerge from the dun cloud of their own raising, and spread at large over the land; and when the young emir was most absorbed in the spectacle the prince's shaykh approached him. "o emir!" the arab said, after a salaam. a wild fanfare of clarions, cymbals, and drums drowning his voice, he drew nearer, almost to the stirrup. "o emir!" he said again. this time he was heard. "what wouldst thou?" there was the slightest irritation in the tone, and on the countenance of the speaker as he looked down; but the feeling behind it vanished at sight of a negro whose native blackness was intensified by the spotless white of the ihram in which he was clad. perhaps the bright platter of beaten copper the black man bore, and the earthen bottle upon it, flanked by two cups, one of silver, the other of crystal, had something to do with the emir's change of manner and mind. "what wouldst thou?" he asked, slightly bending towards them. the shaykh answered: "the most excellent hadji, my patron, whom thou mayst see reclining at the door of his tent, sends thee greeting such as is lawful from one true believer to another travelling for the good of their souls to the most holy of cities; and he prays thou wilt accept from him a draught of this water of pomegranates, which he vouches cooling to the tongue and healthful to the spirit, since he bought it at the door of the house of the prophet--to whom be prayer and praise forever." during the speech, the negro, with a not unpractised hand, and conscious doubtless of the persuasion there was in the sound and sparkle of the beverage, especially to one not yet dismounted from a long ride on the desert, filled the cups, and held them up for acceptance. stripping the left hand of its steel-backed gauntlet, the emir lifted the glass, and, with a bow to the pilgrim then arisen and standing by the tent-door, drank it at a draught; whereupon, leaving the ensign to pay like honor to the offered hospitality, he wheeled his horse, and rode to make acknowledgment in person. "the favor thou hast done me, o hadji," he said, dismounted, "is in keeping with the acts of mercy to thy fellow-men with which i hear thou hast paved the road from el katif as with mother-of-pearl." "speak not of them, i pray," the wanderer answered, returning the bow he received. "who shall refuse obedience to the law?" "i see plainly thou art a good man," the emir said, bowing again. "it would not become me to say so. turning to something better, this tent in the wilderness is mine, and as the sun is not declined to its evening quarter, perhaps, o gallant emir, it would be more to thy comfort were we to go within. i, and all i have, are at thy command." "i am grateful for the offer, most excellent hadji--if the address be lower than thy true entitlement, thou shouldst bring the shaykh yonder to account for misleading a stranger--but the sun and i have become unmindful of each other, and duty is always the same in its demands at least. here, because the valley is the _micath_, [footnote: meeting place.] the caravans are apt to run wild, and need a restraining hand. i plead the circumstance in excuse for presuming to request that thou wilt allow me to amend thy offer of courtesy." the emir paused, waiting for the permission. "so thou dost accept the offer, amend it as thou wilt," and the prince smiled. then the other returned, with evident satisfaction: "when our brethren of the caravans are settled, and the plain is quiet, and i too have taken the required vows, i will return to thee. my quarters are so close to thine it would please me to be allowed to come alone." "granted, o emir, granted--if, on thy side, thou wilt consent to permit me to give thee of the fare i may yet have at disposal. i can promise thou shalt not go away hungry." "be it so." thereupon the emir remounted, and went back to his stand overlooking the plain, and the coming of the multitude. chapter v the passing of the caravans from his position the wanderer could see the advancing caravans; but as the spectacle would consume the afternoon, he called his three attendants, and issued directions for the entertainment of the emir in the evening; this done, he cast himself upon the rug, and gave rein to his curiosity, thinking, not unreasonably, to find in what would pass before him something bearing on the subject ever present in his mind. the sky could not be called blue of any tint; it seemed rather to be filled with common dust mixed with powder of crushed brick. the effect was of a semi-transparent ceiling flushed with heat from the direct down-beating action of the sun, itself a disk of flame. low mountains, purplish black in hue, made a horizon on which the ceiling appeared set, like the crystal in the upper valve of a watch. thus shut in, but still fair to view east and south of the position the spectator occupied, lay el zaribah, whither, as the appointed meeting place, so many pilgrims had for days and weeks ever wearier growing been "walking with their eyes." in their thought the valley was not so much a garden or landscape of beauty as an ante-chamber of the house of allah. as they neared it now, journeying since the break of day, impatience seized them; so when the cry sped down the irregular column--"it is here! it is here!" they answered with a universal _labbayaki_, signifying, "thou hast called us--here we are, here we are!" then breaking into a rabble, they rushed multitudinously forward. to give the reader an idea of the pageant advancing to possess itself of the valley, it will be well to refresh his memory with a few details. he should remember, in the first place, that it was not merely the caravan which left el katif over on the western shore of the green sea, but two great caravans merged into one--_el shemi_, from damascus, and _misri_, from cairo. to comprehend these, the region they drained of pilgrims should be next considered. for example, at cairo there was a concentration from the two egypts, upper and lower, from the mysterious deserts of africa, and from the cities and countries along the southern shore of the mediterranean far as gibraltar; while the whole east, using the term in its most comprehensive sense, emptied contingents of the devout into damascus. in forwarding the myriads thus poured down upon them the arabs were common carriers, like the venetians to the hordes of western europe in some of the later crusades; so to their thousands of votaries proper, the other thousands of them engaged in the business are also to be computed. el medina was the great secondary rendezvous. hardly could he be accounted of the faithful who in making the pilgrimage would turn his back upon the bones of the prophet; of such merit was the saying, "one prayer in this thy mosque is of more virtue than a thousand in other places, save only the masjid el haram." once at medina, how could the pilgrim refuse his presence, if not his tears, at el kuba, forever sacred to the mohammedan heart as the first place of public prayer in islam? finally, it should not be forgotten that the year we write of belonged to a cycle when readers of the koran and worshippers at mecca were more numerous than now, if not more zealous and believing. and it was to witness the passing of this procession, so numerous, so motley, so strangely furnished, so uncontrolled except as it pleased, the prince of india was seated at the door of his tent upon the hill. long before the spectacle was sighted in the distance, its approach was announced by an overhanging pillar of cloud, not unlike that which went before the israelites in their exodus through similar wastes. shortly after the interview with the emir, the prince, looking under the pillar, saw a darkening line appear, not more at first than a thread stretched across a section of the east. the apparition was without a break; nor might he have said it was in motion or of any depth. a sound came from the direction not unlike that of a sibilant wind. presently out of the perspective, which reduced the many to one and all sizes to a level, the line developed into unequal divisions, with intervals between them; about the same time the noise became recognizable as the voices fiercely strained and inarticulate of an innumerable host of men. then the divisions broke into groups, some larger than others; a little later individuals became discernible; finally what had appeared a line resolved itself into a convulsing mass, without front, without wings, but of a depth immeasurable. the pilgrims did not attempt to keep the road; having converted their march into a race, they spread right and left over the country, each seeking a near way; sometimes the object was attained, sometimes not; the end was a confusion beyond description. the very inequalities of the ground helped the confusion. a group was one moment visible on a height; then it vanished in a hollow. now there were thousands on a level; then, as if sinking, they went down, down, and presently where they were there was only dust or a single individual. afterwhile, so wide was the inrolling tide, the field of vision overflowed, and the eye was driven to ranging from point to point, object to object. then it was discernible that the mass was mixed of animals and men--here horses, there camels--some with riders, some without--all, the burdened as well as unburdened, straining forward under urgency of shriek and stick--forward for life--forward as if of the two "comforts," success beckoned them in front, and despair behind plied them with spears. [footnote: in the philosophy of the arabs success and despair are treated as comforts.] at length the eastern boundary of the valley was reached. there one would suppose the foremost of the racers, the happy victors, would rest or, at their leisure, take of the many sites those they preferred; but no--the penalty attaching to the triumph was the danger of being run down by the thousands behind. in going on there was safety--and on they went. to this time the spectacle had been a kind of panoramic generality; now the details came to view, and accustomed as he was to marvels of pageantry, the prince exclaimed: "these are not men, but devils fleeing from the wrath of god!" and involuntarily he went nearer, down to the brink of the height. it seemed the land was being inundated with camels; not the patient brutes we are used to thinking of by that name, with which domestication means ill-treatment and suffering--the slow-going burden-bearers, always appealing to our sympathy because always apparently tired, hungry, sleepy, worn-out--always reeling on as if looking for quiet places in which to slip their loads of whatever kind, and lie down and die; but the camel aroused, enraged, frightened, panic-struck, rebellious, sending forth strange cries, and running with all its might--an army of camels hurling their gigantic hulks along at a rate little less than blind impetus. and they went, singly, and in strings, and yonder a mass. the slower, and those turned to the right or left of the direct course, and all such as had hesitated upon coming to a descent, were speedily distanced or lost to sight; so the ensemble was constantly shifting. and then the rolling and tossing of the cargoes and packages on the backs of the animals, and the streaming out of curtains, scarfs, shawls, and loose draperies of every shape and color, lent touches of drollery and bright contrasts to the scene. one instant the spectator on the hill was disposed to laugh, then to admire, then to shiver at the immensity of a danger; over and over again amidst his quick variation of feeling, he repeated the exclamation: "these are not men, but devils fleeing from the wrath of god!" such was the spectacle in what may be called the second act; presently it reached a third; and then the fury of the movement, so inconsistent with the habits and patient nature of the camel, was explained. in the midst of the hurly-burly, governing and directing it, were horsemen, an army of themselves. some rode in front, and the leading straps on which they pulled with the combined strength of man and horse identified them as drivers; others rode as assistants of the drivers, and they were armed with goads which they used skilfully and without mercy. there were many collisions, upsets, and entanglements; yet the danger did not deter the riders from sharing the excitement, and helping it forward to their utmost. they too used knotted ropes, and stabbed with sharpened sticks; they also contributed to the unearthly tumult of sounds which travelled with the mob, a compound of prayers, imprecations, and senseless screams--the medley that may be occasionally heard from a modern mad-house. in the height of the rush the shaykh came up. "how long," said the prince--"in the prophet's name, how long will this endure?" "till night, o most excellent hadji--if the caravans be so long in coming." "is it usual?" "it has been so from the beginning." thereupon the curiosity of the prince took another turn. a band of horsemen galloped into view--free riders, with long lances carried upright, their caftans flying, and altogether noble looking. "these are arabs. i know by their horses and their bearing," said he, with admiration; "but possibly thou canst give me the name of their tribe." the shaykh answered with pride: "their horses are gray, and by the sign, o lover of the prophet, they are the beni-yarb. every other one of them is a poet; in the face of an enemy, they are all warriors." the camps on the hill, with the yellow flag giving notice of the emir's station, had effect upon others besides the yarbis; all who wished to draw out of the _melange_ turned towards them, bringing the spectacle in part to the very feet of the wanderer; whereas he thought with a quicker beating of the heart, "the followers of the prophet are coming to show me of what they are this day composed." then he said to the shaykh, "stand thou here, and tell me as i shall ask." the conversation between them may be thus summarized: the current which poured past then, its details in perfect view, carried along with it all the conditions and nationalities of the pilgrimage. natives of the desert on bare-backed camels, clinging to the humps with one hand, while they pounded with the other--natives on beautiful horses, not needing whip or spur--natives on dromedaries so swift, sure-footed, and strong there was no occasion for fear. men, and often women and children, on ragged saddle-cloths, others in pretentious boxes, and now and then a person whose wealth and rank were published by the magnificence of the litter in which he was borne, swinging luxuriously between long-stepping dromedaries from el sbark. "by allah!" the prince exclaimed. "here hath barbarism its limit! behold!" they of whom he spoke came up in irregular array mounted on dromedaries without housing. at their head rode one with a white lettered green flag, and beating an immense drum. they were armed with long spears of indian bamboo, garnished below the slender points with swinging tufts of ostrich feathers. each carried a woman behind him disdainful of a veil. the feminine screams of exultation rose high above the yells of the men, helping not a little to the recklessness with which the latter bore onward. woe to such in their way as were poorly mounted. in a twinkling they were ridden down. nor did those fare better who were overtaken struggling with a string of camels. the crash of bursting boxes, the sharp report of rending ropes, the warning cry, the maddening cheer; a battle of men, another of beasts--and when the collision had passed, the earth was strewn with its wreck. "they are wahabbas, o hadji," said the shaykh. "thou seest the tufts on their spears. under them they carry _jehannum_." "and these now coming?" asked the prince. "their long white hats remind me of persia." "persians they are," replied the shaykh, his lip curling, his eyes gleaming. "they will tear their clothes, and cut their shaven crowns, and wail, 'woe's me, o ali!' then kiss the kaaba with defilement on their beards. the curse of the _shaykaim_ is on them--may it stay there!" then the prince knew it was a sunite speaking of schiahs. yet others of the cafila of bagdad passed with the despised sons of iran; notably deccanese, hindoos, afghans, and people from the himalayas, and beyond them far as kathay, and china, and siam, all better known to the prince than to his shaykh, who spoke of them, saying, "thou shouldst know thine own, o hadji! thou art their father!" next, in a blending that permitted no choice of associates, along swept the chief constituents of the caravans--moors and blackamoors, egyptians, syrians, turks, kurds, caucasians, and arabs of every tribe, each a multitude of themselves, and their passing filled up the afternoon. towards sundown the hurry and rush of the movement perceptibly slackened. over in the west there were signs of a halt; tents were rising, and the smoke of multiplying fires began to deepen the blue of the distance. it actually appeared as if settlement for the night would creep back upon the east, whence the irruption had burst. at a moment when the prince's interest in the scene was commencing to flag, and he was thinking of returning to his tent, the rearmost divisions of the pilgrims entered the valley. they were composed of footmen and donkey-riders, for whom the speed of the advance bodies had been too great. high-capped persians, and turks whose turbans were reduced to faded fezes, marched in the van, followed closely by a rabble of takruris, ragged, moneyless, living upon meat of abandoned animals. last of all were the sick and dying, who yet persisted in dragging their fainting limbs along as best they could. might they but reach the holy city! then if they died it would be as martyrs for whom the doors of paradise are always open. with them, expectants of easy prey, like the _rakham_ [footnote: vultures.] sailing in slow circles overhead, flocked the beggars, thieves, outcasts and assassins; but night came quickly, and covered them, and all the things they did, for evil and night have been partners from the beginning. at last the prince returned to his tent. he had seen the sun set over el zaribah; he had seen the passing of the caravans. out there in the valley they lay. they--to him, and for his purposes, the mohammedan world unchanged--the same in composition, in practice, in creed--only he felt now a consciousness of understanding them as never before. mahomet, in his re-introduction of god to man, had imposed himself upon their faith, its master idea, its central figure, the superior in sanctity, the essential condition--the one! knowingly or unknowingly, he left a standard of religious excellence behind him--himself. and by that standard the thief in the wake of the mighty caravans robbing the dead, the thug strangling a victim because he was too slow in dying, were worthy paradise, and would attain it, for they believed in him. faith in the prophet of god was more essential than faith in god. such was the inspiration of islam. a sinking of spirit fell upon the unhappy man. he felt a twinge of the bitterness always waiting on failure, where the undertaking, whatever it be, has enlisted the whole heart. at such times instinctively we turn here and there for help, and in its absence, for comfort and consolation; what should he do now but advert to christianity? what would christians say of his idea? was god lost in christ as he was here in mahomet? chapter vi the prince and the emir in the reception room of the prince's tent the lamps are lighted; one fastened to the stout centre pole, and five others on as many palings planted in the ground, all burning brightly. the illumination is enriched by the admirable blending of colors in the canopy of shawls. within the space defined by the five lamps, on a tufted rug, the mystic and the emir are seated, both in _ihram_, and looking cool and comfortable, though the night outside still testifies to the heat of the day. a wooden trencher, scoured white as ivory, separates the friends, leaving them face to face. in supping they have reached what we call the dessert. on the trencher are slender baskets containing grapes, figs, and dates, the choicest of the gardens of medina. a jar of honey, an assortment of dry biscuits, and two jugs, one of water, the other of juice of pomegranates, with drinking cups, complete the board. at this age, orientals lingering at table have the cheer of coffee and tobacco; unhappily for the two of whom we are writing, neither of the great narcotics was discovered. nevertheless it should not be supposed the fruits, the honey, and the waters failed to content them. behind the host is the negro we already know as nilo. he is very watchful of his master's every motion. as guest and host appear now the formalism of acquaintanceship just made has somewhat disappeared, and they are talking easily and with freedom. occasionally a movement of one or the other brings his head to a favorable angle, whereat the light, dropping on the freshly shaven crown, is sharply glinted back. the emir has been speaking of the plague. "at medina i was told it had run its course," the host remarked. "true, o hadji, but it has returned, and with greater violence. the stragglers were its victims; now it attacks indiscriminately. yesterday the guard i keep in the rear came to a pilgrim of rank. his litter was deserted, and he was lying in it dead." "the man may have been murdered." "nay," said the emir, "gold in large amount was found on his person." "but he had other property doubtless?" "of great value." "what disposition was made of it?" "it was brought to me, and is now with other stores in my tent; a law of ancient institution vesting it in the emir el hajj." the countenance of the jew became serious. "the ownership was not in my thought," he said, waving his hand. "i knew the law; but this scourge of allah has its laws also, and by one of them we are enjoined to burn or bury whatever is found with the body." the emir, seeing the kindly concern of his host, smiled as he answered: "but there is a higher law, o hadji." "i spoke without thinking danger of any kind could disturb thee." the host drew forward the date basket, and the emir, fancying he discerned something on his mind besides the fruit, waited his further speech. "i am reminded of another matter, o brave emir; but as it also is personal i hesitate. indeed i will not speak of it except with permission." "as you will," the other replied, "i will answer--may the prophet help me!" "blessed be the prophet!" said the prince, reverently. "thy confidence doeth me honor, and i thank thee; at the same time i would not presume upon it if thy tongue were less suggestive of a land whose name is music--italy. it is in my knowledge, o emir, that the sultan, thy master--may allah keep him in countenance!--hath in his service many excellent soldiers by birth of other countries than his own, broad as it is--christians, who are none the less of the true faith. wherefore, wilt thou tell me of thyself?" the question did not embarrass the emir. "the answer must be brief," he answered, without hesitation, "because there is little to tell. i do not know my native country. the peculiarity of accent you have mentioned has been observed by others; and as they agreed with you in assigning it to italy, i am nothing loath to account myself an italian. the few shreds of circumstance which came to me in course of time confirmed the opinion, and i availed myself of a favorable opportunity to acquire the tongue. in our further speech, o hadji, you may prefer its use." "at thy pleasure," the host replied; "though there is no danger of our being overheard. nilo, the slave behind me, has been a mute from birth." then, without the slightest interruption, the emir changed his speech from greek to italian. "my earliest remembrance is of being borne in a woman's arms out of doors, under a blue sky, along a margin of white sand, an orchard on one hand, the sea on the other. the report of the waves breaking upon the shore lives distinctly in my memory; so does the color of the trees in the orchard which has since become familiar to me as the green of olives. equally clear is the recollection that, returning in-doors, i was carried into a house of stone so large it must have been a castle. i speak of it, as of the orchard, and the sea, and the roar of the breakers, quite as much by reference to what i have subsequently seen as from trust in my memory." here the host interrupted him to remark: "though an eastern, i have been a traveller in the west, and the description reminds me of the eastern shore of italy in the region of brindisi." "my next recollection," the emir resumed, "is a child's fright, occasioned by furious flames, and thick smoke, and noises familiar now as of battle. there was then a voyage on the sea during which i saw none but bearded men. the period of perfect knowledge so far as my history is concerned began when i found myself an object of the love and care of the wife of a renowned pacha, governor of the city of brousa. she called me _mirza_. my childhood was spent in a harem, and i passed from it into a school to enter upon my training as a soldier. in good time i became a janissary. an opportunity presented itself one day, and i distinguished myself. my master, the sultan, rewarded me by promotion and transfer to the _silihdars_, [footnote: d'oheson.] the most ancient and favored corps of the imperial army, it being the body-guard of the padisha, and garrison of his palace. the yellow flag my ensign carries belongs to that corps. as a further token of his confidence, the sultan appointed me emir el hajj. in these few words, o hadji, you have my history." the listener was impressed with the simplicity of the narrative, and the speaker's freedom from regret, sorrow, or passion of any kind. "it is a sad story, o emir," he said, sympathetically, "and i cannot think it ended. knowest thou not more?" "nothing of incident," was the reply. "all that remains is inferential. the castle was attacked at night by turks landed from their galleys." "and thy father and mother?" "i never knew them." "there is another inference," said the prince, suggestively--"they were christians." "yes, but unbelievers." the suppression of natural affection betrayed by the remark still more astonished the host. "but they believed in god," he said. "they should have believed mahomet was his prophet." "i fear i am giving you pain, o emir." "dismiss the fear, o hadji." again the jew sought the choicest date in the basket. the indifference of his guest was quick fuel to the misgivings which we have already noticed as taking form about his purpose, and sapping and weakening it. to be arbiter in the religious disputes of men, the unique consummation called for by his scheme, the disputants must concede him room and hearing. were all mohammedans, from whom he hoped most, like this one born of christians, then the two conditions would be sternly refused him. by the testimony of this witness, there was nothing in the heredity of faith; and it went to his soul incisively that, in stimulating the passions which made the crusades a recurrence of the centuries, he himself had contributed to the defeat now threatening his latest ambition. the sting went to his soul; yet, by force of will, always at command in the presence of strangers, he repressed his feeling, and said: "everything is as allah wills. let us rejoice that he is our keeper. the determination of our fate, in the sense of what shall happen to us, and what we shall be, and when and where the end shall overtake us, is no more to him than deciding the tint of the rose before the bud is formed. o emir, i congratulate you on the resignation with which you accept his judgment. i congratulate you upon the age in which he has cast your life. he who in a moment of uncertainty would inform himself of his future should not heed his intentions and hopes; by studying his present conditions, he will find himself an oracle unto himself. he should address his best mind to the question, 'i am now in a road; if i keep it, where will i arrive?' and wisdom will answer, 'what are thy desires? for what art thou fitted? what are the opportunities of the time?' most fortunate, o emir, if there be correspondence between the desire, the fitness, and the opportunity!" the emir did not comprehend, and seeing it, the host added with a directness approaching the abrupt: "and now to make the reason of my congratulations clear, it is necessary that thou consent to my putting a seal upon your lips. what sayest thou?" "if i engage my silence, o hadji, it is because i believe you are a good man." the dignity of the emir's answer did not entirely hide the effect of the prince's manner. "know thou then," the latter continued, with a steady, penetrating gaze--"know thou then, there is a brahman of my acquaintance who is a magus. i use the word to distinguish him from the necromancers whom the koran has set in everlasting prohibition. he keeps school in a chapel hid away in the heart of jungles overgrowing a bank of the bermapootra, not far from the mountain gates of the river. he has many scholars, and his intelligence has compassed all knowledge. he is familiar with the supernatural as with the natural. on my way, i visited him.... know thou next, o emir, i too have had occasion to make inquiries of the future. the vulgar would call me an astrologer--not a professional practising for profit, but an adept seeking information because it lifts me so much nearer allah and his sublimest mysteries. very lately i found a celestial horoscope announcing a change in the status of the world. the masterful waves, as you may know, have for many ages flowed from the west; but now, the old roman impetus having at last spent itself, a refluence is to set in, and the east in its turn pour a dominating flood upon the west. the determining stars have slipped their influences. they are in motion. _constantinople is doomed!_" the guest drew a quick breath. understanding was flooding him with light. "and now, o emir, say, if the revelation had stopped there--stopped, i mean, with the overthrow of the christian capital--wouldst thou have been satisfied with it?" "no, by allah, no!" "further, emir. the stars being communicable yet, what wouldst thou have asked them next?" "i would not have rested until i had from them the name of him who is to be leader in the movement." the mystic smiled at the young man's fervor. "thou hast saved me telling what i did, and affirmed the logic of our human nature," he said. "thy imperial master is old, and much worn by wars and cares of government, is he not?" "old in greatness," answered the emir, diplomatically. "hath he not a son?" "a son with all the royal qualities of the father." "but young--not more than eighteen." "not more." "and the prophet hath lent him his name?" "even so." the host released the eager face of the emir from his gaze, while he sought a date in the basket. "another horoscope--the second"--he then said, quietly, "revealed everything but the hero's name. he is to be of kingly birth, and a turk. though a lad, he is already used to arms and armor." "oh! by allah, hadji," cried the guest, his face flushed, his words quick, his voice mandatory. "release me from my pledge of silence. tell me who thou art, that i may report thee, and the things thou sayest. there was never such news to warm a heroic heart." the prince pursued his explanation without apparently noticing the interruption noticing the interruption. "to verify the confidences of the stars, i sought the magus in his chapel by the sacred river. together we consulted them, and made the calculations. he embraced me; but it was agreed between us that absolute verity of the finding could only be had by re-casting the horoscopes at constantinople. thou must know, o emir, there is an astral alphabet which has its origin in the inter-relations of the heavenly bodies, represented by lines impalpable to the common eye; know also that the most favored adept cannot read the mystic letters with the assurance best comporting with verity, except he be at the place of the destined event or revolution. to possess myself of the advantage, i shall ere long visit the ancient capital. more plainly, i am on the way thither now." instead of allaying the eagerness of the emir, the words excited it the more. "release me from my pledge," he repeated, entreatingly, "and tell me who thou art. mahommed is my pupil; he rides, carries shield, lays lance, draws arrow, and strikes with sword and axe as i have taught him. thou canst not name a quality characteristic of heroes he does not possess. doth allah permit me safe return from the hajj, he will be first to meet me at his father's gate. think what happiness i should have in saluting him there with the title--hail mahommed, conqueror of constantinople!" the jew answered: "i would gladly help thee, o emir, to happiness and promotion; for i see what afterwhile, if not presently, they would follow such a salutation of thy pupil, if coupled with a sufficient explanation; but his interests are paramount; at the same time it becomes me to be allegiant to the divinatory stars. what rivalries the story might awaken! it is not uncommon in history, as thou mayst know, that sons of promise have been cut off by jealous fathers. i am not accusing the great amurath; nevertheless precautions are always proper." the speaker then became dramatic. "nay, brave emir, the will to help thee has been already seconded by the deed. i spoke but now of lines of correspondence between the shining lights that are the life of the sky at night. let me illustrate my meaning. observe the lamps about us. the five on the uprights. between them, in the air, two stars of interwoven form are drawn. take the lamps as determining points, and use thy fancy a moment." the emir turned to the lamps; and the host, swift to understand the impulse, gave him time to gratify it; then he resumed: "so the fields of heaven between the stars, where the vulgar see only darkness, are filled with traceries infinite in form yet separable as the letters of the alphabet. they are the ciphers in which allah writes his reasons for every creation, and his will concerning it. there the sands are numbered, and the plants and trees, and their leaves, and the birds, and everything animate; there is thy history, and mine, and all of little and great and good and bad that shall befall us in this life. death does not blot out the records. everlastingly writ, they shall be everlastingly read--for the shame of some, for the delight of others." "allah is good," said the emir, bending his head. "and now," the mystic continued, "thou hast eaten and drunk with me in the pentagram of the magii. such is the astral drawing between the five lamps. henceforth in conflicts of interest, fortune against fortune, influences undreamt of will come to thy assistance. so much have i already done for thee." the emir bowed lower than before. "nor that alone," the jew continued. "henceforth our lives will run together on lines never divergent, never crossing. be not astonished, if, within a week, i furnish, to thy full satisfaction, proof of what i am saying." the expression could not be viewed except as of more than friendly interest. "should it so happen," the emir said, with warmth, "consider how unfortunate my situation would be, not knowing the name or country of my benefactor." the host answered simply, though evasively: "there are reasons of state, o emir, requiring me to make this pilgrimage unknown to any one." the emir apologized. "it is enough," the host added, "that thou remember me as the prince of india, whose greatest happiness is to believe in allah and mahomet his prophet; at the same time i concede we should have the means of certainly knowing each other should communication become desirable hereafter." he made a sign with his right hand which the negro in waiting responded to by passing around in front of him. "nilo," the master said in greek, "bring me the two malachite rings--those with the turquoise eyes." the slave disappeared. "touching the request to be released from the promise of secrecy, pardon me, o emir, if i decline to grant it. the verification to be made in constantinople should advise thee that the revolution to which i referred is not ripe for publication to the world. a son might be excused for dishonoring his parents; but the magus who would subject the divine science to danger of ridicule or contempt by premature disclosure is fallen past hope--he would betray allah himself." the emir bowed, but with evident discontent. at length the slave returned with the rings. "observe, o emir," the jew said, passing them both to his guest, "they are rare, curious, and exactly alike." the circlets were of gold, with raised settings of deep green stone, cut so as to leave a drop of pure turquoise on the top of each, suggestive of birds' eyes. "they are exactly the same, o prince," said the emir, tendering them back. the jew waved his hand. "select one of them," he said, "and i will retain the other. borne by messengers, they will always identify us each to the other." the two grew more cordial, and there was much further conversation across the board, interspersed with attentions to the fruit basket and pomegranate water. about midnight the emir took his departure. when he was gone, the host walked to and fro a long time; once he halted, and said aloud--"i hear his salute, 'hail mahommed, conqueror of constantinople!' it is always well to have a store of strings for one's bow." and to himself he laughed heartily. next day at dawn the great caravan was afoot, every man, woman, and child clad in _ihram_, and whitening the pale green valley. chapter vii at the kaaba the day before the pilgrimage. a cloud had hung over the valley where mecca lies like drift in the bed of a winding gorge. about ten o'clock in the morning the cloud disappeared over the summit of abu kubays in the east. the promise of rain was followed by a simoom so stifling that it plunged every breathing thing into a struggle for air. the dogs burrowed in the shade of old walls; birds flew about with open beaks; the herbage wilted, and the leaves on the stunted shrubs ruffled, then rolled up, like drying cinnamon. if the denizens of the city found no comfort in their houses of stone and mud, what suffering was there for the multitude not yet fully settled in the blistering plain beyond the bluffs of arafat? the zealous pilgrim, obedient to the law, always makes haste to celebrate his arrival at the holy city by an immediate visit to the haram. if perchance he is to see the enclosure for the first time, his curiosity, in itself pardonable, derives a tinge of piety from duty. the prince of india but illustrated the rule. he left his tents pitched close to those of the emir el hajj and the scherif of mecca, under the mountain of mercy, as arafat was practically translated by the very faithful. having thus assured the safety of his property, for conveniency and greater personal comfort he took a house with windows looking into the mosque. by so doing, he maintained the dignity of his character as a prince of india. the beggars thronging his door furnished lively evidence of the expectations his title and greatness had already excited. with a guide, his suite, and nilo shading his head with an umbrella of light green paper, the prince appeared in front of the chief entrance to the sacred square from the north. [footnote: the bab el vzyadeh.] the heads of the party were bare; their countenances becomingly solemn; their _ihram_ fresh and spotlessly white. passing slowly on, they were conducted under several outside arches, and down a stairway into a hall, where they left the umbrella and their shoes. the visitor found himself then in a cloister of the mosque with which the area around the kaaba is completely enclosed. there was a pavement of undressed flags, and to the right and left a wilderness of tall pillars tied together by arches, which in turn supported domes. numbers of people, bareheaded and barefooted, to whom the heat outside was insupportable, were in refuge there; some, seated upon the stones, revolved their rosaries; others walked slowly about. none spoke. the silence was a tribute to the ineffable sanctity of the place. the refreshing shade, the solemn hush, the whiteness of the garments were suggestive of sepulchres and their spectral tenantry. in the square whither the prince next passed, the first object to challenge his attention was the kaaba itself. at sight of it he involuntarily stopped. the cloisters, seen from the square, were open colonnades. seven minarets, belted in red, blue and yellow, arose in columnar relief against the sky and the mountains in the south. a gravelled plot received from the cloisters; next that, toward the centre, was a narrow pavement of rough stone in transverse extension down a shallow step to another gravelled plot; then another pavement wider than the first, and ending, like it, in a downward step; after which there was a third sanded plot, and then a third pavement defined by gilded posts upholding a continuous row of lamps, ready for lighting at the going down of the sun. the last pavement was of gray granite polished mirror-like by the friction of millions of bare feet; and upon it, like the pedestal of a monument upon a plinth, rested the base of the holy house, a structure of glassy white marble about two feet in height, with a bench of sharp inclination from the top. at intervals it was studded with massive brass rings. upon the base the kaaba rose, an oblong cube forty feet tall, eighteen paces lengthwise, and fourteen in breadth, shrouded all in black silk wholly unrelieved, except by one broad band of the appearance of gold, and inscriptions from the koran, of a like appearance, wrought in boldest lettering. the freshness of the great gloomy curtain told how quickly the gift of the sultan had been made available, and that whatever else might betide him, the young emir was already happily discharged of his trust. of the details, the only one the jew actually coupled with a thought was the kaaba. a hundred millions of human beings pray five times every day, their faces turned to this funereal object! the idea, though commonplace, called up that other always in waiting with him. in a space too brief for the formulation of words, he felt the arbitership of his dreams blow away. the work of the founder of islam was too well done and now too far gone to be disturbed, except with the sanction of god. had he the sanction? a writhing of the soul, accompanied with a glare, like lightning, and followed, like lightning, by an engulfing darkness, wrung his features, and instinctively he covered them with his hands. the guide saw the action, and misjudged it. "let us not be in haste," he said. "others before you have found the house at first sight blinding. blessed be allah!" the commiseration affected the prince strangely. the darkness, under pressure of his hands upon the eyeballs, gave place to an atmosphere of roseate light, in the fulness of which he saw the house of god projected by solomon and rebuilt by herod. the realism of the apparition was absolute, and comparison unavoidable. that he, familiar with the glory of the conception of the israelite, should be thought blinded by this _beit allah_ of the arab, so without grace of form or lines, so primitive and expressionless, so palpably uninspired by taste, or genius, or the deity it was designed to honor, restored him at once: indeed, in the succeeding reaction, he found it difficult to keep down resentment. dropping his hands, he took another survey of the shrouded pile, and swept all the square under eye. he beheld a crowd of devotees at the northeast corner of the house, and over their heads two small open structures which, from descriptions often heard, he recognized as praying places. a stream of worshippers was circling around the marble base of the most holy, some walking, others trotting; these, arriving at the northeast corner, halted--the black stone was there! a babel of voices kept the echoes of the enclosure in unremitting exercise. the view taken, the jew said, calmly: "blessed be allah! i will go forward." in his heart he longed to be in constantinople--islam, it was clear, would lend him no ear; christendom might be more amenable. he was carried next through the gate of the sons of the old woman; thence to the space in front of the well zem-zem; mindful of the prayers and prostrations required at each place, and of the dumb servants who went with him. the famous well was surrounded by a throng apparently impassable. "room for the royal hadji--for the prince of india!" the guide yelled. "there are no poor where he is--make way!" a thousand eyes sought the noble pilgrim; and as a path opened for him, a score of _zem-zemis_ refilled their earthen cups with the bitter water afresh. a prince of hind did not come to them every day. he tasted from a cup--his followers drank--and when the party turned away there were jars paid for to help all the blind in the caravan back to healthful vision. "there is no god but allah! be merciful to him, o allah," the crowd shouted, in approval of the charity. the press of pilgrims around the northeastern corner of the kaaba, to which the guide would have conducted the prince next, was greater than at the well. each was waiting his turn to kiss the black stone before beginning the seven circuits of the house. never had the new-comer seen a concourse so wrought upon by fanaticism; never had he seen a concourse so peculiarly constituted. all complexions, even that of the interior african, were a reddish desert tan. eyes fiercely bright appeared unnaturally swollen from the colirium with which they were generally stained. the diversities the penitential costume would have masked were effectually exposed whenever mouths opened for utterance. many sang, regardless of time or melody, the _tilbiye_ they had hideously vocalized in their advance toward the city. for the most part, however, the effort at expression spent itself in a long cry, literally rendered--"thou hast called me--i am here! i am here!" the deliverance was in the vernacular of the devotee, and low or loud, shrill or hoarse, according to the intensity of the passion possessing him. to realize the discordancy, the reader must recall the multiplicity of the tribes and nations represented; then will he fancy the agitation of the mass, the swaying of the white-clad bodies, the tossing of bare arms and distended hands, the working of tearful faces turned up to the black-curtained pile regardless of the smiting of the sun--here men on their knees, there men grovelling on the pavement--yonder one beating his breast till it resounds like an empty cask--some comprehension of the living obstruction in front of the jew can be had. then the guide, calling him, tried the throng. "the prince of india!" he shouted, at the top of his voice. "room for the beloved of the prophet! stand not in his way--room, room!" after much persistence the object was achieved. a pilgrim, the last one in front of the prince, with arms extended along the two sides of the angle of the wall where the curtain was looped up, seemed struggling to embrace the house; suddenly, as in despair he beat his head frantically against the sharp corner--a second thrust more desperate than the first--then a groan, and he dropped blindly to the pavement. the guide rejoicing made haste to push the prince into the vacant place. without the enthusiasm of a traveller, calmly as a philosopher, the jew, himself again, looked at the stone which more nearly than any other material thing commanded idolatrous regard from the mohammedan world. he had known personally most of the great men of that world--its poets, lawmakers, warriors, ascetics, kings--even the prophet. and now they came one by one, as one by one they had come in their several days, and kissed the insensate thing; and between the coming and going time was scarcely perceptible. the mind has the faculty of compressing, by one mighty effort, the incidents of a life, even of centuries, into a flash-like reenactment. as all the way from the first view of the sanctuary to arrival at the gate, and thence to this point, the jew had promptly followed his guide, especially in recitation of the prescribed prayers, he was about to do so now; already his hands were raised. "great god! o my god! i believe in thee--i believe in thy book--i believe in thy word--i believe in thy promise," the zealous prompter said, and waited. for the first time the votary was slow to respond. how could he, at such a juncture, refuse a thought to the innumerables whose ghosts had been rendered up in vain struggles to obey the law which required them to come and make proof of faith before this stone! the innumerables, lost at sea, lost in the desert--lost body and soul, as in their dying they themselves had imagined! symbolism! an invention of men--a necessity of necromancers! god had his ministers and priests, the living media of his will, but of symbols--nothing! "great god! o my god!" the guide began again. a paroxysm of disgust seized the votary. the phariseeism in which he was born and bred, and which he could no more outlive than he could outlive his body asserted itself. in the crisis of the effort at self-control, he heard a groan, and, looking down, saw the mad devotee at his feet. in sliding from the shelf of the base, the man had been turned upon his back, so that he was lying face upward. on the forehead there were two cruel wounds; and the blood, yet flowing, had partially filled the hollows of the eyes, making the countenance unrecognizable. "the wretch is dying," the prince exclaimed. "allah is merciful--let us attend to the prayers," the guide returned, intent on business. "but he will die, if not helped." "when we have finished, the porters will come for him." the sufferer stirred, then raised a hand. "o hadji--o prince of india!" he said faintly, in italian. the wanderer bent down to get a nearer view. "it is the yellow air--save me!" though hardly articulate, the words were full of light to the listener. "the virtues of the pentagram endure," he said, with absolute self-possession. "the week is not ended, and, lo!--i save him." rising to his full stature, he glanced here and there over the throng, as if commanding attention, and proclaimed: "a mercy of the most merciful! it is the emir el hajj." there was a general silence. every man had seen the martial figure of the young chief in his arms and armor, and on horseback; many of them had spoken to him. "the emir el hajj--dying," passed rapidly from mouth to mouth. "o allah!" burst forth in general refrain; after which the ejaculations were all excerpted from prayers. "'o allah! this is the place of him who flies to thee from fire!--shadow him, o allah, in thy shadow!--give him drink from the cup of thy prophet!'" a bedouin, tall, almost black, and with a tremendous mouth open until the red lining was exposed between the white teeth down to the larynx, shouted shrilly the inscription on the marble over the breast of the prophet--"in the name of allah! allah have mercy upon him!"--and every man repeated the words, but not one so much as reached a hand in help. the prince waited--still the _amins_, and prayerful ejaculations. then his wonder ceased. not a pilgrim but envied the emir--that he should die so young was a pity--that he should die at the base of the sanctuary, in the crowning act of the hajj, was a grace of god. each felt paradise stooping low to receive a martyr, and that its beatitude was near. they trembled with ecstasy at hearing the gates opening on their crystal hinges, and seeing light as from the robe of the prophet glimmering through them. o happy emir! the jew drew within himself. compromise with such fanaticism was impossible. then, with crushing distinctness, he saw what had not before occurred to him. in the estimation of the mohammedan world, the role of arbiter was already filled; that which he thought of being, mahomet was. too late, too late! in bitterness of soul he flung his arms up and shouted: "the emir is dying of the plague!" he would have found satisfaction in seeing the blatant crowd take to its heels, and hie away into the cloisters and the world outside; not one moved! "by allah!" he shouted, more vehemently than before. "the yellow air hath blown upon the emir--is blowing upon you--fly!" "_amin! amin!_--peace be with thee, o prince of martyrs! o prince of the happy! peace be with thee, o lion of allah! o lion of the prophet!" such the answers returned him. the general voice became a howl. surely here was something more than fanaticism. then it entered his understanding. what he beheld was faith exulting above the horrors of disease, above the fear of death--faith bidding death welcome! his arms fell down. the crowd, the sanctuary, the hopes he had built on islam, were no more to him. he signed to his three attendants, and they advanced and raised the emir from the pavement. "to-morrow i will return with thee, and complete my vows;" he said to his guide. "for the present, lead out of the square to my house." the exit was effected without opposition. next day the emir, under treatment of the prince, was strong enough to tell his story. the plague had struck him about noon of the day following the interview in the tent at el zaribah. determined to deliver the gifts he had in keeping, and discharge his trust to the satisfaction of his sovereign, he struggled resolutely with the disease. after securing the scherif's receipt he bore up long enough to superintend the pitching his camp. believing death inevitable, he was carried into his tent, where he issued his final orders and bade his attendants farewell. in the morning, though weak, half-delirious, his faith the strongest surviving impulse, he called for his horse, and being lifted into the saddle, rode to the city, resolved to assure himself of the blessings of allah by dying in the shadow of the sanctuary. the prince, listening to the explanation, was more than ever impressed with the futility of attempting a compromise with people so devoted to their religion. there was nothing for him but to make haste to constantinople, the centre of christian sentiment and movement. there he might meet encouragement and ultimate success. in the ensuing week, having performed the two pilgrimages, and seen the emir convalescent, he took the road again, and in good time reached jedda, where he found his ship waiting to convey him across the red sea to the african coast. the embarkation was without incident, and he departed, leaving a reputation odorous for sanctity, with numberless witnesses to carry it into every quarter of islam. chapter viii the arrival in constantinople uel, the son of jahdai, was in the habit of carrying the letter received from the mysterious stranger about with him in a breast pocket. how many times a day he took it out for reexamination would be difficult to say. observing the appearance of signs of usage, he at length wrapped it in an envelope of yellow silk. if he had thought less of it, he would have resorted to plain linen. there were certain points in the missive which seemed of greater interest to him than others. for example, the place whence it had been addressed was an ever recurring puzzle; he also dwelt long upon the sentence which referred so delicately to a paternal relationship. the most exigent passages, however, were those relative to the time he might look for the man's coming. as specially directed, he had taken note of the day of the delivery of the letter, and was greatly surprised to find the messenger had arrived the last day of the year permitted him. the punctuality of the servant might be in imitation of a like virtue of the master. if so, at the uttermost, the latter might be expected six months after receipt of the letter. or he might appear within the six months. the journeys laid out were of vast distances, and through wild and dangerous countries, and by sea as well. only a good traveller could survive them at all; to execute them in such brief space seemed something superhuman. so it befell that the son of jahdai was at first but little concerned. the months--three, four, five--rolled away, and the sixth was close at hand; then every day brought him an increase of interest. in fact, he found himself looking for the arrival each morning, and at noon promising it an event of the evening. november was the sixth and last month of the time fixed. the first of that month passed without the stranger. uel became anxious. the fifteenth he turned the keeping of his shop over to a friend; and knowing the passage from alexandria must be by sea, he betook himself, with syama, to the port on the golden horn known as the gate of st. peter, at the time most frequented by egyptian sailing masters. in waiting there, he saw the sun rise over the heights of scutari, and it was the morning of the very last day. syama, meantime, occupied himself in final preparation of the house for the reception. he was not excited, like uel, because he had no doubt of the arrival within the period set. he was also positively certain of finding his master, when at length he did appear, exactly as when he separated from him in cipango. he was used to seeing time waste itself upon the changeless man; he had even caught from him a kind of contempt for what other men shrank from as dangers and difficulties. the site of the house has been described; it remains to give the reader an idea of its interior. there were four rooms on the ground floor furnished comfortably for servants, of whom the arrangement indicated three besides syama. the first floor was of three apartments communicable by doorways with portieres of camel's hair. the furniture was roman, greek, and egyptian mixed. of the three the middle chamber was largest, and as its fittings were in a style of luxury supposed to be peculiar to princes, the conclusion was fair that it was designed for the proprietor's occupancy during his waking hours. a dark blue rug clothed the floor. in the centre, upon a shield of clear copper, arose a silver brazier. the arms and legs of the stools here and there on the rug were carven in grotesque imitation of reptiles and animals of the ultra dragonish mode. the divans against the walls were of striped silk. in each corner stood a tall post of silvered bronze, holding at the end of a graceful crook several lamps of pompeiian model. a wide window in the east end, filled with plants in bloom, admitted ample light, which, glancing through the flowers, fell on a table dressed in elegant cloth, and bearing a lacquered waiter garnished with cups of metal and glass, and one hand-painted porcelain decanter for drinking water. an enormous tiger-skin, the head intact and finished with extraordinary realism, was spread on the floor in front of the table. the walls were brilliant with fresh byzantine frescoing. the air of the room was faintly pervaded with a sweet incense of intoxicating effect upon one just admitted to it. indeed the whole interior partook of this sweetness. the care of the faithful servant had not been confined to the rooms; he had constructed a summer house upon the roof, knowing that when the weather permitted his master would pass the nights there in preference to the chambers below. this structure looked not unlike a modern belfry, except that the pillars and shallow dome of the top were of moorish lightness. thence, to a familiar, the heavens in the absence of the sun would be an unrolled map. when the last touch of the preparation had been given, and syama said to himself, "he may come now," one point was especially noticeable--nowhere in the house was there provision for a woman. the morning of the last day syama accompanied uel to the port reluctantly. feeling sure his master had not arrived in the night, he left his friend on the watch, and returned home early. the noise and stir of business at the ancient landing were engaging. with a great outcry, a vessel would be drawn up, and made fast, and the unloading begun. a drove of donkeys, or a string of camels, or a mob of porters would issue from the gate, receive the cargo and disappear with it. now and then a ship rounded the classic point, its square sail bent and all the oars at work: sweeping past galata on the north side of the horn, then past the fish market gate on the south, up it would come gracefully as a flying bird; if there was place for it at the quay, well; if not, after hovering around awhile, it would push out to a berth in the open water. such incidents were crises to uel. to this one and to that he would run with the question: "where is she from?" if from the upper sea, he subsided; but if from the marmora, he kept eager lookout upon her, hoping to recognize in every disembarkee the man he was expecting. that he had never seen the person was of little consequence. he had thought of him so much awake, and seen him so repeatedly in dreams, he was confident of knowing him at sight. imagining a stranger's appearance is for the most part a gentle tribute of respect; the mistakes we make are for the most part ludicrous. no one answering the preconception came. noon, and still no one; then, cast down and disappointed, uel went home, ate something, held the usual childish dialogue with his little girl, and about mid afternoon crossed the street to the new residence. great was his astonishment at finding a pyramid of coals glowing in the silver brazier, and the chill already driven from the sitting-room. here--there--upstairs, downstairs--the signs were of present occupancy. for a moment he thought the master had slipped by him or landed at some other port of the city. "is he here? has he come?" he asked, excitedly, and syama answered with a shake of the head. "then why the fire?" syama, briefly waving his hand as if following the great marmorean lake, turned the finger ends into the other palm, saying plainly and emphatically: "he is coming--he will be here directly." uel smiled--faith could not be better illustrated--and it was so in contrast with his own incredulity! he lingered awhile. restlessness getting the mastery, he returned home, reflecting on the folly of counting so implicitly upon the conclusion to a day of a tour so vast. more likely, he thought, the traveller's bones were somewhere whitening the desert, or the savages of kash-cush had eaten him. he had heard of their cannibalism. want of faith, however, did not prevent the shopkeeper from going to his friend's house after supper. it was night, and dark, and the chilling moisture of a winter wind blowing steadily from the black sea charged the world outside with discomfort. the brazier with its heap of living coals had astonished him before; now the house was all alight! he hastened upstairs. in the sitting-room the lamps were burning, and the illumination was brilliant. syama was there, calm and smiling as usual. "what--he is here?" uel said, looking from door to door. the servant shook his head, and waved his hand negatively, as to say: "not yet--be patient--observe me." to indulge his wonder, uel took seat. later on he tried to get from syama an explanation of his amazing confidence, but the latter's substitute for speech was too limited and uncertain to be satisfactory. about ten o'clock syama went below, and presently returned with food and drink on a large waiter. "ah, good lord!" uel thought. "he is making a meal ready. what a man! what a master!" then he gave attention to the fare, which was of wheaten wafers, cold fowl, preserved fruits, and wine in a stoneware bottle. these syama set on a circular table not higher than the divan in front of which it was drawn. a white napkin and a bowl for laving the fingers completed the preparation, as uel supposed. but no. syama went below again, and reappeared with a metal pot and a small wooden box. the pot he placed on the coals in the brazier, and soon a delicate volume of steam was pouring from the spout; after handling the box daintily as if the contents were vastly precious, he deposited it unopened by the napkin and bowl. then, with an expression of content upon his face, he too took seat, and surrendered himself to expectancy. the lisping of the steam escaping from the pot on the fire was the only sound in the room. the assurance of the servant was contagious. uel began to believe the master would come. he was congratulating himself upon the precaution he had taken in leaving a man at the port to conduct him rightly when he heard a shuffling of feet below stairs. he listened startled. there were several men in the company. steps shook the floor. uel and syama arose. the latter's countenance flushed with pleasure; giving one triumphal glance at his friend, much as to say, there--did i not tell you so? he walked forward quickly, and reached the head of the steps just as a stranger finished their ascent. in a moment syama was on his knees, kissing the hand held out to him. uel needed no prompter--it was the master! if only on account of the mutuality of affection shown between the two, the meeting was a pleasant sight. that feature, however, was lost to the shopkeeper, who had no thought except of the master's appearance. he had imagined him modelled after the popular conceptions of kings and warriors--tall, majestic, awe-inspiring. he saw instead a figure rather undersized, slightly stoop-shouldered, thin; at least it seemed so then, hid as it was under a dark brown burnoose of the amplitude affected by arab sheiks. the head was covered by a woollen handkerchief of reddish tint, held by a scarlet cord. the edge of the handkerchief projected over the forehead enough to cast the entire face in shade, leaving to view only a mass of white beard overflowing the breast. the master ended the reception at the head of the stairs by gently raising syama to his feet. then he subjected the room to a swift inspection, and, in proof of satisfaction, he patted the happy retainer on the shoulder. invited by the fire, and the assurance of comfort in its glow, he advanced to the brazier, and while extending his hands over it, observed uel. without surprise or hesitation he walked to him. "son of jahdai!" he said, offering his hand. the voice was of exceeding kindness. as an overture to peace and goodwill, it was reenforced by very large eyes, the intense blackness of which was softened by a perceptible glow of pleasure. uel was won on the instant. a recollection of the one supreme singularity of the new acquaintance--his immunity from death--recurred to him, and he could not have escaped its effect had he wished. he was conscious also that the eyes were impressing him. without distinct thought, certainly without the slightest courtierly design, he obeyed the impulse of the moment, and stooped and touched the extended hand with his lips. and before rising he heard the beginning of further speech: "i see the truth of my judgment. the family of my ancient friends has trodden the ways of righteousness under the commandments of the lord until it has become a kind unto itself. i see too my trust has been verified. o son of jahdai, you did assist my servant, as i requested, and to your kindness, doubtless, i am indebted for this home full of comforts after a long absence among strangers. i hold you my creditor." the tendency of the speech was to relieve uel of embarrassment. "do not thank me," he answered. "the business was ordinary, and strictly within syama's capacity. indeed, the good man could have finished it without my help." the master, rich in experience, noticed the deferential manner of the reply, and was agreeably assured on his side. "very well. there will be no harm in reserving an opinion," he said. "the good man, as you call him, is making ready a drink with which he has preceded me from his country, and which you must stay and share, as it is something unknown in the west." "let me first welcome you here," uel returned. "oh, i saw the welcome in your face. but let us get nearer the fire. the night is chilling. if i were owner of a garden under whatever hill along the bosphorus, verily i should tremble for my roses." thus briefly, and in such simple manner, the wise mystic put the shopkeeper perfectly at ease. at the brazier they watched syama in the operation since become of universal knowledge under title of "drawing tea." the fragrance of the decoction presently filled the room to the suppression of the incense, and they drank, ate, and were sociable. the host outlined his travels. uel, in return, gave him information of the city. when the latter departed, it was with a light heart, and an elastic step; the white beard and patriarchal manner of the man had laid his fears, and the future was to him like a cloudless sky. afterwhile the master signified a wish to retire; whereupon his household came, as was their wont, to bid him good-night. of these there were two white men. at sight of syama, they rushed to embrace him as became brethren of old acquaintance long in the same service. a third one remained at the door. syama looked at him, and then at the master; for the man was a stranger. then the jew, with quick intuition of the requirement of the time, went, and took him by the hand, and led him to the others. addressing syama, he said gravely: "this is nilo, son of the nilo whom you knew. as you held the father in love, so you shall hold the son." the man was young, very black, and gigantic in stature. syama embraced him as he had the others. in the great city there was not a more united household under roof than that of the shopkeeper's friend. chapter ix the prince at home a wise man wishing to know another always attends him when he is in narrative. the reader may be familiar with the principle, and a believer in it; for his better satisfaction, therefore, a portion of the prince's conversation with uel over the tea-table the night of his arrival in constantinople shall be reported nearly as possible in his own words. it will be found helpful to the story as well as an expose of character. "i said in my letter, as thou mayst remember, o son of jahdai"--the voice of the speaker was low, but earnest, and admirably in harmony with the sentiment, "that i hoped thou wouldst allow me to relate myself to thee as father to son. thou hast not forgotten it, i am sure." "i recall it distinctly," uel answered, respectfully. "thou wilt remember not less clearly then that i added the words, 'in all things a help, in nothing a burden.'" uel assented. "the addition i thought of great importance," the prince continued; "for it was very desirable that thou shouldst not imagine me coming to sit down upon thee, and in idleness fatten upon the fruits of thy industry. as something of even greater importance, thou shouldst know now, at this earliest moment of our intercourse, that i am abundantly able from what i have of goods and treasure to keep any condition i may choose to assume. indeed thou shouldst not be too much astonished did i practise the style and manner of the nobles who are privileged in the palaces of thy caesar. at home i shall be as thou seest me now, thy friend of simplest habits, because my tastes really incline to them; when i go abroad, the officials of the church and state whom i chance to encounter shall be challenged to comparison of appearance, and be piqued to inquire about me. then when the city observes thou art intimate with me, the demand for thy wares will increase; thou mayst even be put to stress to keep apace with it. in speaking thus, i trust thy natural shrewdness, sharpened as it must have become by much dealing as a merchant." he paused here to give his cup to syama for replenishment; whereupon uel said: "i have followed thy discourse with interest, and i hope with understanding; yet i am conscious of a disadvantage. i do not know thy name, nor if thou hast a title." "yes, and thou mightest have set down in the table of defaults," the wanderer began pleasantly in reply, but broke off to receive the cup smoking hot from the servant, and say--"thanks, syama. i see thy hand hath not lost its deftness; neither has the green leaf suffered from its long journey over the sea." uel noticed with what intentness syama watched the master's lips while he was speaking, and the gratification that beamed from his face in answer to the compliment; and he thought, "verily this must be a good man to be so beloved by his dependents." "i was saying, o son of jahdai, that thou mightest have set down the other points of information equally necessary to our intercourse--whence i come? and why? and i will not leave thee in the dark respecting them. only let me caution thee--it is not required that the public should be taken into our confidence. i have seen a flower good to look upon, but viscous, and with a scent irresistible to insects. that flower represents the world; and what is the folly of its victims but the madness of men who yield themselves with too easy faith to the seductions of the world? nay, my son--observe thou the term--i use it to begin the relationship i seek--observe also i begin the relationship by confidences which were unwisely given without the injunction that they are intended to be put away in thy inner-conscience. tell me if i am understood." the question was emphasized by a look whose magnetism thrilled uel's every nerve. "i believe i understand you," he replied. then, as if the prince knew the effect he had wrought, and that it relieved him from danger of betrayal, he returned to his former easy manner. "and yet, as thou shalt see, my son, the confidences are not crimes--but thy cup is empty, and syama waiting for it." "the drink is new to me," uel replied, yielding to the invitation. "new? and wilt thou not also say it is better than wine? the world of which we are talking, will one day take up the admission, and be happier of it." turning then to serious matter: "afterwhile," he said, "thou wilt be importuned by the curious to know who i am, and thou shouldst be able to answer according to the fact--he is a prince of india. the vulgar will be satisfied with the reply. others will come demanding more. refer them to me. as to thyself, o son of jahdai, call me as i have instructed thee to speak of me--call me prince. at the same time i would have thee know that on my eighth day i was carried into a temple and registered a son of a son of jerusalem. the title i give thee for my designation did not ennoble me. the birthright of a circumcised heritor under the covenant with israel is superior to every purely human dignity whatever its derivation." "in other words, o prince, thou art"--uel hesitated. "a jew!" the other answered promptly--"a jew, as thy father was--as thou art." the look of pleasure that appeared on the shopkeeper's face was swiftly interpreted by the prince, who felt he had indeed evoked a tie of blood, and bound the man with it. "so much is despatched," he said, with evident satisfaction; then, after a draught from the tea-cup, and a re-delivery to syania for more, he continued: "possibly thou wilt also remember my letter mentions a necessity for my crossing from india to mecca on the way to kash-cush, and that, despite the stoppage, i hoped to greet thee in person within six months after syama reported himself. how stands the time?" "this is the last day of the six months," uel answered. "yes, there was never man"--the prince paused, as if the thought were attended with a painful recollection--"never a man," he presently resumed, "who kept account of time more exactly than myself." a copious draught of tea assuaged the passing regret. "i wrote the letter while in cipango, an island of the great eastern sea. thirty years after i set foot upon its shore, theretofore unvisited by a white man, a countryman of ours from this city, the sole survivor of a shipwreck, joined me. from him i heard of thy father's death. he also gave me thy name.... my life on the island was comparatively untroubled. indeed, for thy perfect comprehension, my son, it is best to make an explanation now; then thou wilt have a key to many things in my conduct to come as well as conduct gone which would otherwise keep thee in doubtful reflection. the study of greatest interest is religion. i have travelled the world over--i mean the inhabited parts--and in its broad extent there is not a people without worship of some kind. wherefore my assertion, that beyond the arts, above the sciences, above commerce, above any or all other human concernments, religion is the superlative interest. it alone is divine. the study of it is worship. knowledge of it is knowledge of god. can as much be said of any other subject?" uel did not answer; he was following the speech too intently, and the prince, seeing it, drank again, and proceeded: "the divine study took me to cipango. fifty years thou mayst say to thyself was a long term in such a country. not so, my son. i found there two faiths; the one sin-siu, which i turned my back upon as mythologic, without the poetry of the greek and roman; the other--well, a life given to the laws of buddha were well spent. to say truth, there is such similitude between them and the teachings of him we are in the habit of calling the carpenter's son that, if i did not know better, it were easy to believe the latter spent the years of his disappearance in some buddhistic temple.... leaving explanation to another time, the same study carried me to mecca. the binding of men, the putting yokes about their necks, trampling them in the dust, are the events supposed most important and therefore most noticeable in history; but they are as nothing in comparison with winning belief in matters indeterminable by familiar tests. the process there is so mysterious, the achievement so miraculous that where the operator is vastly successful one may well look under them for the permission of god. the day was when islamism did but stir contemptuous laughter; now it is the faith acceptable to more men than any other. is it not worthy the vigils of a student? and then it happens, my son, that in the depths of their delusion, people sometimes presume to make their own gods, and reform them or cast them out. deities have been set up or thrown down by their makers in the changes of a moon. i wanted to see if such calamity had befallen the allah of mahomet.... my going to kash-cush was on what thou wouldst call business, and of it i will also tell thee. at jedda, whither i betook myself after making the pilgrimages at mecca, i regained my ship, and descended the red sea, landing at a village on the extreme inland shore of the bay of tajurrah, below the straits of bab-el-mandel. i was then in kash-cush. from the village on the coast, i passed into the interior, travelling in a litter on the shoulders of native porters, and, after many days, reached my destination--a collection of bungalows pitched on the bank of a tributary of the blue nile called the dedhesa. the journey would have been difficult and tedious but that one of my attendants--a black man--had been king of the tribe i sought. his name was nilo, and his tribe paramount throughout the uncivilized parts of kash-cush. more than fifty years before,--prior, in fact, to my setting out for cipango,--i made the same tour, and found the king. he gave me welcome; and so well did he please me that i invited him to share my wanderings. he accepted the proposal upon condition that in his old age he should be returned home, and exchanged for a younger man of his blood. i agreed, provided one younger could be found who, besides the requisite physique and the virtues of intellect and courage, was also deaf and dumb, like himself. a treaty was thus perfected. i call it a treaty as distinct from a purchase, for nilo was my friend and attendant--my ally, if you please--never my slave. there was a reception for us the like of which for feasting and merriment was without mention in the traditions of the tribe. a grandson filled my friend's throne; but he gave it back to him, and voluntarily took his place with me. thou shalt see him to-morrow. i call him nilo, and spend the morning hours teaching him to talk; for while he keeps me reminded of a greek demi-god--so tall, strong and brave is he--he is yet deaf and dumb, and has to be taught as syama was. when thou hast to do with him be gentle and courteous. i wish it kept in mind he is my friend and ally, bound to me by treaty as his grandfather was.... the only part of the tour given thee in my letter which i omitted was the descent of the nile. having performed it before, my curiosity was sated, and i allowed my impatience to be in thy city here to determine my course. i made way back to the village on the bay of tajurrah where, in anticipation of such a change, my vessel was held in detention. thence, up the sea and across the isthmus, i proceeded to alexandria, and to-night happily find myself at home, in hope of rest for my body and renewal of my spirit." with this, the explanation appeared concluded; for the prince notified syama that he did not desire more tea, and lapsed into a thoughtful silence. presently uel arose, saying: "you must be weary. with permission i will take my leave now. i confess you have given me much to think over, and made me happy by taking me into your confidence. if it be agreeable, i will call at noon to-morrow." the prince went with him to the head of the stairs, and there bade him peace and good-night. chapter x the rose of spring the prince, as the jew preferred to be called, kept his house closely quite a month, resting, not hibernating. he took exercise daily on the flat roof; and walking to and fro there, found three objects of attraction: the hill to the southwest with the church upon it, the palace of blacherne off further in the west, and the tower of galata. the latter, across the golden horn in the north, arose boldly, like a light-house on a cliff; yet, for a reason--probably because it had connection with the subject of his incessant meditations--he paused oftenest to gaze at the palace. he was in his study one day deeply absorbed. the sun, nearing meridian, poured a stream of white light through the south window, flooding the table at which he sat. that the reader may know something of the paths the mystic most frequented when in meditation, we will make free with one of the privileges belonging to us as a chronicler. the volume directly in front of him on the table, done in olive wood strengthened at the corners with silver, was near two feet in length, and one and a half in width; when closed, it would be about one foot thick. now he had many wonderful rare and rich _antiques_, but none so the apple of his eye as this; for it was one of the fifty holy bibles of greek transcription ordered by constantine the great. at his right, held flat by weights, were the _sacred books_ of china, in form a roll of broad-leafed vellum. at his left, a roll somewhat similar in form and at the moment open, lay the _rig-veda_ of the aryans in sanscrit. the fourth book was the _avesta_ of zoroaster--a collection of mss. stitched together, and exquisitely rendered by parse devas into the zend language. a fifth book was the _koran_. the arrangement of the volumes around the judean bible was silently expressive of the student's superior respect; and as from time to time, after reading a paragraph from one of the others, he returned to the great central treasure, it was apparent he was making a close comparison of texts with reference to a particular theme, using the scriptures as a standard. most of the time he kept the forefinger of his left hand on what is now known as the fourteenth verse of the third chapter of exodus--"and god said unto moses, i am that i am: and he said, thus shalt thou say unto the children of israel, i am hath sent me unto you." if, as the prince himself had declared, religion were indeed the study of most interest to the greatest number of men, he was logically consistent in comparing the definitions of _god_ in the bibles of theistic nations. so had he occupied himself since morning. the shrewd reader will at once discern the theme of his comparative study. at length he grew weary of bending over the books, and of the persistent fixedness of attention required for the pursuit of fine shades of meaning in many different languages. he threw his arms up in aid of a yawn, and turned partly around, his eyes outrunning the movement of his body. the half-introverted glance brightened with a gleam, and remained fixed, while the arms dropped down. he could only look in wonder at what he saw--eyes black and almost large as his own gazing at him in timid surprise. beholding nothing but the eyes, he had the awesome feeling which attends imagining a spirit suddenly risen; then he saw a forehead low, round, and white, half shaded by fluffs of dark hair; then a face of cherubic color and regularity, to which the eyes gave an indefinable innocency of expression. every one knows the effect of trifles on the memory. a verse or a word, the smell of a flower, a lock of hair, a turn in music, will not merely bring the past back, but invest it with a miraculous recurrency of events. the prince's gaze endured. he stretched his hand out as if fearful lest what he saw might vanish. the gesture was at once an impulse and an expression. there was a time--tradition says it was the year in which he provoked the curse--when he had wife and child. to one of them, possibly both, the eyes then looking into his might have belonged. the likeness unmanned him. the hand he stretched forth fell lightly upon the head of the intruder. "what are you?" he said. the vagueness of the expression will serve excellently as a definition of his condition; at the same time it plunged the child addressed into doubt. presently she answered: "i am a little girl." accepting the simplicity of the reply as evidence of innocency too extreme for fear, he took the visitor in his arms, and sat her on his knee. "i did not mean to ask what you are, but who?" he said. "uel is my father." "uel? well, he is my friend, and i am his; therefore you and i should be friends. what is your name?" "he calls me gul bahar." "oh! that is turkish, and means rose of spring. how came you by it?" "my mother was from iconium." "yes--where the sultans used to live." "and she could speak turkish." "i see! gul bahar is an endearment, not a real name." "my real name is lael." the prince paled from cheek to brow; his lips trembled; the arm encircling her shook; and looking into his eyes, she saw tears dim them. after a long breath, he said, with inexpressible tenderness, and as if speaking to one standing just behind her--"lael!" then, the tears full formed, he laid his forehead on her shoulder so his white hair blent freely with her chestnut locks; and sitting passively, but wondering, she heard him sob and sob again and again, like another child. soon, from pure sympathy, unknowing why, she too began sobbing. several minutes passed thus; then, raising his face, and observing her responsive sorrow, he felt the need of explanation. "forgive me," he said, kissing her, "and do not wonder at me. i am old--very old--older than thy father, and there have been so many things to distress me which other men know nothing of, and never can. i had once"-he stopped, repeated the long breath, and gazed as at a far object. "i too had once a little girl." pausing, he dropped his eyes to hers. "how old are you?" "next spring i shall be fourteen," she answered. "and she was just your age, and so like you--so small, and with such hair and eyes and face; and she was named lael. i wanted to call her _rimah_, for she seemed a song to me; but her mother said, as she was a gift from the lord, she wanted in the fulness of days to give her back to him, and that the wish might become a covenant, she insisted on calling her lael, which, in hebrew--thy father's tongue and mine--means to god." the child, listening with all her soul, was now not in the least afraid of him; without waiting, she made the application. "you loved her, i know," she said "how much--oh, how much!" "where is she now?" "at jerusalem there was a gate called the golden gate. it looked to the east. the sun, rising over the top of mount olivet, struck the plates of gold and corinthian brass more precious than gold, so it seemed one rosy flame. the dust at its rocky sill, and the ground about it are holy. there, deep down, my lael lies. a stone that tasked many oxen to move it covers her; yet, in the last day, she will be among the first to rise--of such excellence is it to be buried before that golden gate." "oh! she is dead!" the child exclaimed. "she is dead;" and seeing her much affected, he hastened to say, "i shed many tears thinking of her. ah, how gentle and truthful she was! and how beautiful! i cannot forget her. i would not if i could; but you who look so like her will take her place in my heart now, and love me as she did; and i will love you even as i loved her. i will take you into my life, believing she has come again. in the morning i will ask first, where is my lael? at noon, i will demand if the day has been kind to her; and the night shall not be half set in except i know it has brought her the sweetness of sleep. will you be my lael?" the question perplexed the child, and she was silent. again he asked, "will you be my lael?" the earnestness with which he put the question was that of a hunger less for love than an object to love. the latter is not often accounted a passion, yet it creates necessities which are peremptory as those of any passion. one of the incidents of the curse he was suffering was that he knew the certainty of the coming of a day when he must be a mourner for whomsoever he should take into his heart, and in this way expiate whatever happiness the indulgence might bring him. nevertheless the craving endured, at times a positive hunger. in other words, his was still a human nature. the simplicity and beauty of the girl were enough to win him of themselves; but when she reminded him of the other asleep under a great rock before the gate of the holy city, when the name of the lost one was brought to him so unexpectedly, it seemed there had been a resurrection, making it possible for him to go about once more as he was accustomed to in his first household. a third time he asked, "you will be my lael?" "can i have two fathers?" she returned. "oh, yes!" he answered quickly. "one in fact, the other by adoption; and they can both love you the same." immediately her face became a picture of childish trust. "then i will be your lael too." he clasped her close to his breast, and kissed her, crying: "my lael has come back to me! god of my fathers, i thank thee!" she respected his emotion, but at length, with her hand upon his shoulder, said: "you and my father are friends, and thinking he came here, i came too." "is he at home?" "i think so." "then we will go to him. you cannot be my lael without his consent." presently, hand in hand, they descended the stairs, crossed the street, and were in the shopkeeper's presence. the room was plainly but comfortably furnished as became the proprietor's fortune and occupation. closer acquaintance, it is to be said, had dissipated the latent dread, which, as has been seen, marked uel's first thought of intimacy between the stranger and the child. seeing him old, and rich, and given to study, not to say careless of ordinary things, the father was beginning to entertain the idea that it might in some way be of advantage to the child could she become an object of interest to him. wherefore, as they entered now, he received them with a smile. traces of the emotion he had undergone were in the prince's face, and when he spoke his voice was tremulous. "son of jahdai," he said, standing, "i had once a wife and child. they perished-how and when, i cannot trust myself to tell. i have been faithful to their memory. from the day i lost them, i have gone up and down the world hunting for many things which i imagined might renew the happiness i had from them. i have been prodigal of gratitude, admiration, friendship, and goodwill, and bestowed them singly and together, and often; but never have i been without consciousness of something else demanding to be given. happiness is not all in receiving. i passed on a long time before it came to me that we are rich in affections not intended for hoarding, and that no one can be truly content without at least one object on which to lavish them. here"--and he laid his hand on the child's head--"here is mine, found at last." "lael is a good girl," uel said with pride. "yes, and as thou lovest her let me love her," the prince responded. then, seeing uel become serious, he added, "to help thee to my meaning, lael was my child's name, and she was the image of this one; and as she died when fourteen, thy lael's age, it is to me as if the tomb had miraculously rendered its victim back to me." "prince," said uel, "had i thought she would not be agreeable to you, i should have been sorry." "understand, son of jahdai," the other interposed, "i seek more of thee than thy permission to love her. i want to do by her as though she were mine naturally." "you would not take her from me?" "no. that would leave thee bereft as i have been. like me, thou wouldst then go up and down looking for some one to take her place in thy heart. be thou her father still; only let me help thee fashion her future." "her birthrights are humble," the shopkeeper answered, doubtfully; for while in his secret heart he was flattered, his paternal feeling started a scruple hard to distinguish from fear. a light shone brightly in the eyes of the elder jew, and his head arose. "humble!" he said. "she is a daughter of israel, an inheritor of the favor of the lord god, to whom all things are possible. he keeps the destinies of his people. he--not thou or i--knows to what this little one may come. as we love her, let us hope the happiest and the highest, and prepare her for it. to this end it were best you allow her to come to me as to another father. i who teach the deaf and dumb to speak--syama and nilo the elder--will make her a scholar such as does not often grace a palace. she shall speak the mediterranean tongues. there shall be no mysteries of india unknown to her. mathematics shall bring the heavens to her feet. especially shall she become wise in the chronicles of god. at the same time, lest she be educated into unfitness for the present conditions of life, and be unsexed, thou shalt find a woman familiar with society, and instal her in thy house as governess and example. if the woman be also of israel, so much the better; for then we may expect faithfulness without jealousy. and further, son of jahdai, be niggardly in nothing concerning our lael. clothe her as she were the king's daughter. at going abroad, which she shall do with me in the street and on the water, i would have her sparkle with jewels, the observed of everybody, even the emperor. and ask not doubtingly, 'whence the money for all this?' i will find it. what sayest thou now?" uel did not hesitate. "o prince, as thou dost these things for her--so far beyond the best i can dream of--take her for thine, not less than mine." with a beaming countenance, the elder raised the child, and kissed her on the forehead. "dost hear?" he said to her. "now art thou my daughter." she put her arms about his neck, then held them out to uel, who took her, and kissed her, saying: "oh my gul bahar!" "good!" cried the prince. "i accept the name. to distinguish the living from the dead, i too will call her my gul bahar." thereupon the men sat, and arranged the new relation, omitting nothing possible of anticipation. next day the prince's house was opened with every privilege to the child. a little later on a woman of courtly accomplishment was found and established under uel's roof as governess. thereupon the mystic entered upon a season during which he forgot the judgment upon him, and all else save gul bahar, and the scheme he brought from cipango. he was for the time as other men. in the lavishment of his love, richer of its long accumulation, he was faithful to his duty of teacher, and was amply rewarded by her progress in study. book iii the princess irene chapter i morning on the bosphorus our narrative proceeds now from a day in the third year after lael, the daughter of the son of jahdai, dropped into the life of the prince of india--a day in the vernal freshness of june. from a low perch above the mountain behind becos, the sun is delivering the opposite european shore of the bosphorus from the lingering shades of night. out on the bosom of the classic channel vessels are swinging lazily at their anchorages. the masthead of each displays a flag bespeaking the nationality of the owner; here a venetian, there a genoese, yonder a byzantine. tremulous flares of mist, rising around the dark hulls, become entangled in the cordage, and as if there were no other escape, resolve themselves into air. fisher boats are bringing their owners home from night-work over in the shallows of indjerkeui. gulls and cormorants in contentious flocks, drive hither and thither, turning and tacking as the schools of small fish they are following turn and tack down in the warm blue-green depths to which they are native. the many wings, in quick eccentric motion, give sparkling life to the empurpled distance. the bay of therapia, on the same european shore over against becos, was not omitted from rescue by the sun. within its lines this morning the ships were in greater number than out in the channel--ships of all grades, from the sea going commercial galley to the pleasure shallop which, if not the modern _caique_, was at least its ante-type in lightness and grace. and as to the town, one had but to look at it to be sure it had undergone no recent change--that in the day of constantine dragases it was the same summer resort it had been in the day of medea the sorceress--the same it yet is under sway of the benignant abdul-hamid. from the lower point northwardly jutting finger-like into the current of the channel, the beach swept in a graceful curve around to the base of the promontory on the south. then as now children amused themselves gathering the white and black pebbles with which it was strewn, and danced in and out with the friendly foam-capped waves. then as now the houses seemed tied to the face of the hill one above another in streetless disarrangement; insomuch that the stranger viewing them from his boat below shuddered thinking of the wild play which would ensue did an earthquake shake the hill ever so lightly. and then as now the promontory south served the bay as a partial land-lock. then as now it arose boldly a half mountain densely verdurous, leaving barely space enough for a roadway around its base. then as now a descending terrace of easy grade and lined with rock pine trees of broadest umbrella tops, slashed its whole townward front. sometime in the post-medean period a sharp-eyed greek discerned the advantages it offered for aesthetic purposes, and availed himself of them; so that in the age of our story its summit was tastefully embellished with water basins, white-roofed pavilions, and tessellated pavements roman style. alas, for the perishability of things human! and twice alas, that the beautiful should ever be the most perishable! but it is now to be said we have spoken thus of the bosphorus, and the bay and town of therapia, and the high promontory, as accessories merely to a plot of ground under the promontory and linked to it by the descending terrace. there is no word fitly descriptive of the place. ravine implies narrowness; gorge signifies depth; valley means width; dell is too toylike. a summer retreat more delicious could not be imagined. except at noon the sun did but barely glance into it. extending hundreds of yards back from the bay toward the highlands west of the town, it was a perfected garden of roses and flowering vines and shrubs, with avenues of boxwood and acacias leading up to ample reservoirs hidden away in a grove of beeches. the water flowing thence became brooks or was diverted to enliven fountains. one pipe carried it in generous flow to the summit of the promontory. in this leafy eden the birds of the climate made their home the year round. there the migratory nightingale came earliest and lingered longest, singing in the day as well as in the night. there one went regaled with the breath of roses commingled with that of the jasmine. there the bloom of the pomegranate flashed through the ordered thicket like red stars; there the luscious fig, ripening in its "beggar's jacket," offered itself for the plucking; there the murmur of the brooks was always in the listening ear. along the whole front of the garden, so perfectly a poet's ideal, stretched a landing defended from the incessant swash of the bay by a stone revetment. there was then a pavement of smoothly laid flags, and then a higher wall of dark rubble-work, coped with bevelled slabs. an open pavilion, with a bell-fashioned dome on slender pillars, all of wood red painted, gave admission to the garden. then a roadway of gray pebbles and flesh-tinted shells invited a visitor, whether afoot or on horseback, through clumps of acacias undergrown with carefully tended rosebushes, to a palace, which was to the garden what the central jewel is to the cluster of stones on "my lady's" ring. standing on a tumulus, a little removed from the foot of the promontory, the palace could be seen from cornice to base by voyagers on the bay, a quadrangular pile of dressed marble one story in height, its front relieved by a portico of many pillars finished in the purest corinthian style. a stranger needed only to look at it once, glittering in the sun, creamy white in the shade, to decide that its owner was of high rank--possibly a noble--possibly the emperor himself. it was the country palace of the princess irene, of whom we will now speak.[footnote: during the crimean war a military hospital was built over the basement vaults and cisterns of the palace here described. the hospital was destroyed by fire. for years it was then known as the "khedive's garden," being a favorite resort for festive parties from the capital. at present the promontory and the retreat it shelters pertain to the german embassy, a munificent gift from his majesty, sultan abdul-hamid.] chapter ii the princess irene [footnote: this name is of three syllables, and is pronounced as if spelled e-ren-ay; the last syllable to rhyme with day, say, may.] during the reign of the last manuel, in 1412, as a writer has placed the incident--that is to say, about thirty-nine years prior to the epoch occupying us--a naval battle occurred between the turks and christians off plati, one of the isles of the princes. the issue was of interest to all the peoples who were in the habit of commercial resort in the region, to the venetians and genoese as well as the byzantines. to the latter it was of most vital moment, since defeat would have brought them a serious interruption of communication with the islands which still remained to the emperor and the powers in the west upon which their dependency grew as year after year their capacity for self-defence diminished. the turkish ships had been visible in the offing several days. at last the emperor concluded to allow his mariners to go out and engage them. his indecision had been from a difficulty in naming a commander. the admiral proper was old and inexperienced, and his fighting impulses, admitting they had ever really existed, had been lost in the habitudes of courtierly life. he had become little more than a ceremonial marker. the need of the hour was a genuine sailor who could manoeuvre a squadron. on that score there was but one voice among the seamen and with the public-"manuel--give us manuel!" the cry, passing from the ships to the multitude in the city, assailed the palace. the reader should understand the manuel wanted was not the emperor, but one of his brothers who could lay no claim to birth in the purple. his mother had not been a lawful spouse; yet the manuel thus on the tongues of the many had made a hero of himself. he proved his temper and abilities in many successful affairs on the sea, and at length became a popular idol; insomuch that the imperial jealousy descended upon him like a cloud, and hid him away. nor could his admirers say he lived; he had a palace and a family, and it was not known that any of the monasteries in the city or on the isles of the princes had opened to receive him. on these shreds of evidence, affirmative and negative, slender as they may appear, it was believed he was yet alive. hence the clamor; and sooth to say it sufficed to produce the favorite; so at least the commonalty were pleased to think, though a sharper speculation would have scored the advent quite as much to the emergency then holding the empire in its tightening grip. restored to active life, manuel the sailor was given a reception in the hippodrome; then after a moment of gladness with his family, and another in which he was informed of the situation and trial before him, he hurried to assume the command. next morning, with the rising of the sun, the squadron under oar and sail issued gallantly from its retreat in the golden horn, and in order of battle sought the boastful enemy of plati. the struggle was long and desperate. its circumstances were dimly under view from the seaward wall in the vicinity of the seven towers. a cry of rejoicing from the anxious people at last rose strong enough to shake the turrets massive as they were--"kyrie eleison! kyrie eleison!" christ had made his cause victorious. his cross was in the ascendant. the turks drew out of the defeat as best they could, and made haste to beach the galleys remaining to them on the asiatic shore behind the low-lying islands. manuel the sailor became more than a hero; to the vulgar he was a savior. all byzantium and all galata assembled on the walls and water along the famous harbor to welcome him when, with many prizes and a horde of prisoners, he sailed back under the sun newly risen over the redeemed propontis. trumpets answered trumpets in brazen cheer as he landed. a procession which was a reminder of the triumphs of the ancient and better times of the empire escorted him to the hippodrome. the overhanging gallery reserved for the emperor there was crowded with the dignitaries of the court; the factions were out with their symbols of blue and green; the scene was gorgeous; yet the public looked in vain for manuel the emperor; he alone was absent; and when the dispersion took place, the byzantine spectators sought their homes shaking their heads and muttering of things in store for their idol worse than had yet befallen him. wherefore there was little or no surprise when the unfortunate again disappeared, this time with his whole family. the victory, the ensuing triumph, and the too evident popularity were more than the jealous emperor could overlook. there was then a long lapse of years. john palaeologus succeeded manuel on the throne, and was in turn succeeded by constantine, the last of the byzantine monarchs. constantine signalized his advent, the great greek event of 1448, by numerous acts of clemency, for he was a just man. he opened many prison doors long hopelessly shut. he conferred honors and rewards that had been remorselessly erased from account. he condoned offences against his predecessors, mercifully holding them wanting in evil against himself. so it came to pass that manuel, the hero of the sea fight off plati, attained a second release, or, in better speech, a second resurrection. he had been all the years practically buried in certain cells of the convent of st. irene on the island of prinkipo, and now he came forth an old man, blind and too enfeebled to walk. borne into private audience, he was regarded by constantine with tender sympathy. "and thou art that manuel who made the good fight at plati?" "say rather i am he who was that manuel," the ancient replied. "death despises me now because he could not call my decease a victory." the inquisitor, visibly affected, next spoke in an uncertain voice. "is what i have heard true, that at thy going into the monastery thou hadst a family?" the eyes of the unfortunate were not too far gone for tears; some rolled down his cheeks; others apparently dropped into his throat. "i had a wife and three children. it is creditable to the feeling called love that they chose to share my fate. one only survives, and"--he paused as if feebly aware of the incoherency--"and she was born a prisoner." "born a prisoner!" exclaimed constantine. "where is she now?" "she ought to be here." the old man turned as he spoke, and called out anxiously: "irene--irene, where art thou, child?" an attendant, moved like his master, explained. "your majesty, his daughter is in the ante-room." "bring her here." there was a painful hush in the chamber during the waiting. when the daughter appeared, all eyes were directed to her--all but the father's, and even he was instantly aware of her presence; for which, doubtless, the sensibility known only to the long-time blind was sufficiently alive. "where hast thou been?" he asked, with a show of petulance. "calm thee, father, i am here." she took his hand to assure him, and then returned the look of the emperor; only his was of open astonishment, while hers was self-possessed. two points were afterwards remembered against her by the courtiers present; first, contrary to the custom of byzantine women, she wore no veil or other covering for the face; in the next place, she tendered no salutation to the emperor. far from prostrating herself, as immemorial etiquette required, she did not so much as kneel or bow her head. they, however, excused her, saying truly her days had been passed in the monastery without opportunity to acquire courtly manners. in fact they did not at the time notice the omissions. she was so beautiful, and her beauty reposed so naturally in an air of grace, modesty, intelligence, and purity that they saw nothing else. constantine recovered himself, and rising from his seat, advanced to the edge of the dais, which in such audiences, almost wholly without state, raised him slightly above his guests and attendants, and spoke to the father: "i know thy history, most noble greek--noble in blood, noble in loyalty, noble by virtue of what thou hast done for the empire--and i honor thee. i grieve for the suffering thou hast endured, and wish myself surrounded with many more spirits like thine, for then, from my exalted place, i could view the future and its portents with greater calmness of expectation, if not with more of hope. perhaps thou hast heard how sadly my inheritance has been weakened by enemies without and within; how, like limbs lopped from a stately tree, the themes [footnote: provinces.] richest in their yield of revenue have been wrested from the body of our state, until scarce more than the capital remains. i make the allusion in apology and excuse for the meagreness of what i have to bestow for thy many heroic services. wert thou in the prime of manhood, i would bring thee into the palace. that being impossible, i must confine myself to amends within my power. first, take thou liberty." the sailor sunk to his knees; then he fell upon his hands, and touched the floor with his forehead. in that posture, he waited the further speech. such was the prostration practised by the greeks in formally saluting their basileus. constantine proceeded. "take next the house here in the city which was thine when the judgment fell upon thee. it has been tenantless since, and may be in need of repairs; if so, report the cost they put thee to, and i will charge the amount to my civil list." looking then at the daughter, he added: "on our roumelian shore, up by therapia, there is a summer house which once belonged to a learned greek who was the happy possessor of a homer written masterfully on stainless parchment. he had a saying that the book should be opened only in a palace specially built for it; and, being rich, he indulged the fancy. he brought the marble from the pentelic quarries; nothing grosser was permitted in the construction. in the shade of a portico of many columns of corinthian model he passed his days reading to chosen friends, and living as the athenians were wont to live in the days of pericles. in my youth i dwelt much with him, and he so loved me that at dying he gave me the house, and the gardens and groves around it. they will help me now to make partial amends for injustice done; and when will a claimant appear with better right than the daughter of this brave man? in speaking but now, did he not call thee irene?" a flush overspread her neck and face, but she answered without other sign of feeling: "irene." "the house--it may be called a palace--and all that pertains to it, are thine," he continued. "go thither at will, and begin thy life anew." she took one step forward, but stopped as suddenly, her color coming and going. never had constantine seen wife or maid more beautiful. he almost dreaded lest the spell she cast over him would be broken by the speech trembling upon her lips. she moved quickly to the dais then, and taking his hand, kissed it fervently, saying: "almost i believe we have a christian emperor." she paused, retaining the hand, and looking up into his face. the spectators, mostly dignitaries of high degree, with their attendants, were surprised. some of them were shocked; for it should be remembered the court was the most rigidly ceremonial in the world. the rules governing it were the excerpt of an idea that the basileus or emperor was the incarnation of power and majesty. when spoken to by him, the proudest of his officials dropped their eyes to his embroidered slippers; when required to speak to him, they fell to their knees, and kept the posture till he was pleased to bid them rise. not one of them had ever touched his fingers, except when he deigned to hold them out to be most humbly saluted. their manner at such times was more than servility; in appearance, at least, it was worship. this explanation will enable the reader to understand the feeling with which they beheld the young woman keep the royal hand a prisoner in hers. some of them shuddered and turned their faces not to witness a familiarity so closely resembling profanation. constantine, on his part, looked down into the eyes of his fair kinswoman, knowing her speech was not finished. the slight inclination of his person toward her was intended for encouragement. indeed, he made no attempt to conceal the interest possessing him. "the empire may be shorn, even as thou hast said," she resumed presently, in a voice slightly raised. "but is not this city of our fathers by site and many advantages as much the capital of the world as ever? a christian emperor founded it, and his name was constantine; may it not be its perfect restoration is reserved for another constantine, also a christian emperor? search thy heart, o my lord! i have heard how noble impulses are often prophets without voices." constantine was impressed. from a young person, bred in what were really prison walls, the speech was amazing. he was pleased with the opinion she was evidently forming of himself; he was pleased with the hope she admitted touching the empire; he was pleased with the christian faith, the strength of mind, the character manifested. her loyalty to the old greek regime was unquestionable. the courtiers thought she might at least have made some acknowledgment of his princely kindness; but if he thought of the want of form, he passed it; enough for him that she was a lovely enthusiast. in the uncertainty of the moment, he hesitated; then, descending from the dais, he kissed her hand gracefully, courteously, reverently, and said simply: "may thy hope be god's will." turning from her, he helped the blind man to his feet, and declared the audience dismissed. alone with his secretary, the grand _logothete_, he sat awhile musing. "give ear," he at length said. "write it, a decree. fifty thousand gold pieces annually for the maintenance of manuel and irene, his daughter." the secretary at the first word became absorbed in studying his master's purple slippers; then, having a reply, he knelt. "speak," said constantine. "your majesty," the secretary responded, "there are not one thousand pieces in the treasury unappropriated." "are we indeed so poor?" the emperor sighed, but plucking spirit, went on bravely: "it may be god has reserved for me the restoration, not only of this city, but of the empire. i shall try to deserve the glory. and it may be that noble impulses _are_ speechless prophets. let the decree stand. heaven willing, we will find a way to make it good." chapter iii the homeric palace the reader is now informed of the history of irene, which is to he remembered as of an important personage in the succeeding pages. knowing also how she became possessed of the palace we have been at some pains to describe, he is prepared to see her at home. the night has retreated from the european shore of the bosphorus, although the morning is yet very young. the sun in the cloudless sky beyond becos, where it appears standing as if to rest from the fatigue of climbing the hills, is lifting therapia bodily out of its sparkling waters. in the bay moreover there are many calls of mariner to mariner, and much creaking of windlasses, and clashing of oars cast loose in their leather slings. to make the scene perfectly realistic there is a smell of breakfast cooking, not unpleasant to those within its waftage who are yet to have their appetites appeased. these sights, these sounds, these smells, none of them reach the palace in the garden under the promontory opposite the town. there the birds are singing their matin songs, the flowers loading the air with perfume, and vine and tree drinking the moisture borne down to them from the unresting sea so near in the north. [footnote: the black sea.] under the marble portico the mistress is sitting exactly in the place we can imagine the old greek loved most what time he read from his masterful copy of homer. between columns she saw the bosphorean expanse clear to the wooded asiatic shore. below was a portion of the garden through which the walk ran, with a graceful curve, to the red kiosk by the front gate. just beyond it the landing lay. around her were palm and rose trees in painted tubs, and in their midst, springing from a tall vase carven over with mythologic figures, a jasmine vine affected all the graces of its most delicate nature. within reach of her right hand there were platters of burnished brass on a table of ebony, its thin, spider legs inlaid with silver in lines. one of the platters bore a heap of white biscuits such as at this day are called crackers; the others supported pitchers, and some drinking cups, all of silver. the mistress sat in an arm-chair very smooth in finish despite the lineations sunk into its surfaces, and so roomy as to permit her to drop easily into a half-reclining posture. a footstool dressed in dark stamped leather was ready to lend its aid to gracefulness and comfort. we will presume now to introduce the reader to the princess irene, though, as the introduction must be in the way of description, our inability to render the subject adequately is admitted in advance. at the moment of first sight, she is sitting erect, her head turned slightly to the left shoulder, and both hands resting on the dog's head garnishing the right arm of the chair. she is gazing abstractedly out at the landing, as if waiting for some one overdue. the face is uncovered; and it is to be said here that, abhorring the custom which bound her byzantine sisterhood to veils, except when in the retiracy of their chambers, she was at all times brave enough to emphasize the abhorrence by discarding the encumbrance. she was never afraid of the effects of the sun on her complexion, and had the art of moving modestly and with composure among men, who, on their side, were used in meeting her to conceal their admiration and wonder under cover of grave respect. her figure, tall, slender, perfectly rounded, is clad in drapery of the purest classic mode. outwardly it consists of but two garments--a robe of fine white woollen stuff, and over it a mantle of the same texture and hue, hanging from a yoke of close-fitting flesh-colored silk richly embroidered with tyrian floss. a red rope loosely twisted girdles her body close under the breasts, from which, when she is standing, the gown in front falls to the feet, leaving a decided train. the mantle begins at a point just in front of the arm, under which, and along the sides, it hangs, like a long open sleeve, being cut away behind about half down the figure. the contrivance of the yoke enabled the artist, by gathering the drapery, to determine the lines in which it should drop, and they were few but positive. in movement, the train was to draw the gown to the form so its outlines could be easily followed from the girdle. the hair, of the tint of old gold, is dressed in the grecian style; and its abundance making the knot unusually ample, there was necessity for the two fillets of pink silk to keep it securely in place. the real difficulty in the description is now reached. to a reader of sharp imagination it might be sufficient to say the face of the princess irene, seen the morning in question, was perfectly regular, the brows like pencilling, the nose delicate, the eyes of violet shading into blackness, the mouth small with deep corners and lips threads of scarlet, the cheeks and brow precisely as the received law of beauty would have them. this would authorize a conception of surpassing loveliness; and perhaps it were better did we stop with the suggestions given, since the fancy would then be left to do its own painting. but patience is besought, for vastly more than a face of unrivalled perfection, the conjuration is a woman who yet lives in history as such a combination of intellect, spirit, character, and personal charm that men, themselves rulers and conquerors, fell before her at sight. under necessity therefore of going on with the description, what words are at command to convey an idea of the complexion--a property so wholly unartificial with her that the veins at the temples were as transparent shadows on snow, and the coloring of the cheeks like a wash of roses? what more is there than to point to the eyes of the healthful freshness peculiar to children of tender nurture; the teeth exquisitely regular and of the whiteness of milk and the lustre of pearls; the ears small, critically set, and tinted pink and white, like certain shells washed ashore last night? what more? ah, yes! there are the arms bare from the shoulder, long and round as a woman's should be, and terminating in flexile wrists, and hands so gracefully modelled we shrink from thought of their doing more than making wreaths of flowers and playing with harp strings. there too is the pose of the head expressive of breeding and delicacy of thought and feeling, of pride and courage--the pose unattainable by effort or affectation, and impossible except where the head, itself faultless, is complemented by a neck long, slender, yet round, pliant, always graceful, and set upon shoulders the despair of every one but the master who found perfection of form and finish in the lilies of the madonna. finally there is the correspondence, in action as well as repose, of body, limbs, head, and face, to which, under inspiration of the soul, the air and manner of lovely women are always referable. the princess was yet intensely observing the stretch of water before her, and the rapid changes of the light upon its face, when a boat, driven by a single oarsman, drew up to the landing, and disembarked a passenger. that he was not the person she was expecting became instantly apparent. she glanced at him once, and then, satisfied he was a stranger in whom she had no interest, resumed study of the bay. he, however, after dropping something in the boatman's hand, turned, and walked to the gateway, and through it towards the palace. ere long a servant, whose very venerable appearance belied the steel-pointed javelin he carried, hobbled slowly along the floor of the portico marshalling a visitor. she touched the golden knot at the back of her head to be assured of its arrangement, arose, shook out the folds of her gown and mantle, and was prepared for the interruption. the costume of the stranger was new to the princess. a cassock of mixed white and brown wool that had gone through a primitive loom with little of any curative process except washing, hung from his neck to his heels. aside from the coarseness of warp and woof, it fitted so closely that but for a slit on each side of the skirt walking would have been seriously impeded. the sleeves were long and loose, and covered the hands. from the girdle of untanned skin a double string of black horn beads, each large as a walnut, dropped to his knees. the buckle of the girdle, which might have been silver deeply oxidized, was conspicuously large, and of the rudest workmanship. but withal much the most curious part of the garb was the cowl, if such it may be called. projecting over the face so far as to cast the features in shadow, it carried on the sides of the head broad flaps, not unlike the ears of an elephant. this envelope was hideous, yet it served to exalt the man within to giantesque proportions. the princess surveyed the visitor with astonishment hardly concealed. what part of the world could produce a creature so utterly barbarous? what business could he have with her? was he young or old? twice she scanned him from head to foot. he was a monk; so much the costume certified; and while he stopped before her with one foot advanced from the edge of the skirt, and resting lightly in the clasp of the thongs of a very old-fashioned sandal, she saw it was white, and blue veined, and at the edges pink, like a child's, and she said to herself, "he is young--a young monastic." the stranger drew from his girdle a linen package carefully folded, kissed it reverently, and said: "would the princess irene be pleased if i open the favor for her?" the voice was manly, the manner deferential. "is it a letter?" she asked. "a letter from the holy father, the archimandrite of the greatest of the northern lavras." [footnote: monasteries.] "its name?" "bielo-osero." "the bielo-osero? where is it?" "in the country of the great prince." [footnote: russia.] "i knew not that i had an acquaintance in so distant a region as the north of russia. you may open the letter." unmindful of the indifferent air of the princess, the monk removed the cloth, leaving its folds hanging loosely from his hand. a sheet of vellum was exposed lying on the covered palm. "the holy father bade me when i delivered the writing, o princess, to deliver his blessing also; which--the saying is mine, not his--is of more worth to the soul than a coffer of gold for the wants of the body." the pious comment was not lost; but without a word, she took the vellum, and resuming her seat, addressed herself to the reading. first, her eyes dropped to the signature. there was a look of surprise--another of uncertainty--then an exclamation: "hilarion! not my father hilarion! he is but a sacred memory! he went away and died--and yet this is his hand. i know it as i know my own." the monk essayed to remove the doubt. "permit me," he said, then asked, "is there not an island hereabouts called prinkipo?" she gave him instant attention. "and on the side of the island over against the asiatic coast, under a hill named kamares, is there not a convent built centuries ago by an empress?" "irene," she interposed. "yes, irene--and was not father hilarion for many years abbot of the convent? then, on account of his fame for learning and piety, did not the patriarch exalt him to attendance on his own person as doctor of the gospels? still later, was he not summoned to serve the emperor in the capacity of warden of the purple ink?" "from whom have you all these things?" she asked. "excellent princess, from whom could i have them save the good father himself?" "thou art then his messenger?" "it becomes me better to refer you to what he has there written." so saying, the monk stepped backward, and stood a little way off in a respectful attitude. she raised the missive, and kissed the signature several times, exclaiming: "now hath god taken care of his own!" then she said to the monk, "thou art indeed a messenger with good tidings." and he, accepting the welcome, uncovered his head, by raising the hideous _klobouk_, [footnote: cowl.] and letting it fall back pendant from his shoulders. the violet eyes of the princess opened wider, brightening as with a sudden influx of light. she could not remember a finer head or a face more perfect in manly beauty, and at the same time so refined and gentle. and he was so young--young even as herself--certainly not more than twenty. such was her first general impression of him. for the pleasure there was in the surprise, she would not allow it to be observed, but said: "the father in his letter, no doubt, tells me thy name, but since i wish to reserve the reading, i hope thou wilt not be offended if i ask it directly." "the name my mother gave me is andre; but when i came to be a deacon in our bielo-osero, father hilarion, who presided at the raising, asked me how i wished to be known in the priesthood, and i answered him, sergius. andre was a good christening, and serves well to remind me of my dear mother; but sergius is better, because at hearing it i am always reminded that by vows and solemn rites of ordination i am a servant of god." "i will endeavor to remember thy preference," the princess said; "but just now, good sergius, it is of next importance to know if thou hast yet had breakfast?" a smile helped his face to even more of pleasantness. "no," he answered, "but i am used to fasting, and the great city is not more than two hours away." she looked concerned. "thy patron saint hath not deserted thee. here is a table already set. he for whom i held it is long on the road; thou shalt take his place, and be not less welcome." to the old servant she added: "we have a guest, not an enemy, lysander. put up thy javelin, and bring a seat for him; then stand behind him, lest it happen one service of the cups be not enough." directly the two were at the table opposite each other. chapter iv the russian monk sergius took a glass of red wine from the old attendant, and said: "i should like your permission, o princess, to make a confession." his manner was that of one unused to the society of women. he was conscious she was studying him, and spoke to divert her. as she was slow answering, he added: "that you may not think me disposed to abuse the acquaintance you honor me with, especially as you have not yet read the letter of the good father hilarion upon which i rely for your better regard, i ask the permission rather to show the degree of your kindness to me. it may interest you also to learn of the confirmation of a certain faith you are perhaps unwittingly lending a novice in the ways of the world." she had been studying him, and her first impression was now confirmed. his head in shape and pose was a poet's; the long, wavy, flaxen hair, parted in the middle, left small space for the forehead, which was nevertheless broad and white, with high-arched, well-defined brows for base. the eyes were gray. in repose they had a dreamy introspectional expression. the mustache and beard, the first growth of youth spent entirely indoors, were as yet too light to shade any part of the face. the nose was not enough _retrousse_ to be irregular. in brief, the monk was of the type now well known as russian. aside from height and apparent muscularity, he very nearly realized the byzantine ideal of christ as seen in the cartoons excellently preserved in a mosque of stamboul not far from the gate anciently san romain now _top kapoussi_. the appearance of the young monk, so strikingly suggestive of the being most sacred in the estimation of the princess, was at the moment less curious to her than a certain habit observable in him. the look of brightness attendant upon the thought he was putting into form would, when the utterance was through, suffer a lapse which, for want of strictly definite words, may be described as a sombering of the eyes when they were widest open, a gazing beyond at something else than the opposite speaker; implying that the soul was become mysteriously occupied apart from the mind. the effect was as if she had before her two widely different characters making themselves present at the same time in one person. unquestionably, though rarely, there is a duality of nature in men, by which, to put it extremely, a seeming incapable may be vastly capable, outward gentleness a mask for a spirit of neronian violence, dulness a low-lying cloud surcharged with genius. what shall be done with such a nature? when may it be relied upon? who shall ever come to really know it? occupied with the idea, the princess heard but the conclusion of the monk's somewhat awkward apology, and she answered: "the confession must be of something lighter than a sin. i will listen." "a sin!" he exclaimed, with a blush. "pardon me, o princess. it was a trifle of which i spoke too seriously. i promise thou shalt take from it nothing worse than a laugh at my simplicity. see thou these things?" he gave her a glance full of boyish humor, and from a breast pocket of his cassock drew a bag of coarse yellow silk; thrusting a hand into its mouth, he then brought out a number of square leathern chips stamped with sunken letters, and laid them on the table before her. "this you must know is our money." the princess examined the pieces, and said: "i doubt if our tradesmen would accept them." "they will not. i am a witness to the fact. nevertheless they will carry a traveller, go he either way, from one end of our great prince's realm to the other. when i left the lavra, setting out on my journey, father hilarion gave me the bag, saying, as he put it into my hand, 'now upon coming to the port where the ship awaits thee, be sure to exchange the money with the merchants there for byzantine gold; else, unless god come to thy aid, thou wilt be turned into a mendicant.' and so i fully meant to do; but when i reached the port, i found it a city large, and full of people and sights wonderful to me, demanding to be seen. i forgot the injunction. indeed i never thought of it until this morning." here he laughed at himself, proving he was not yet seriously alive to the consequences of his negligence. presently he resumed: "i landed only last night, and sick from the tossing of the sea, put up at an inn in the town yonder. i ordered breakfast, and, according to a custom of my people, offered to pay before tasting. the master of the house looked at my money, and told me to show him coin of gold; if not that, then copper or brass, or even iron, in pieces bearing the name of the emperor. being told i had only this, he bade me look elsewhere for breakfast. now i had designed going to the great city to kiss the hand of the patriarch, of whom i have always heard as the wisest of men, before coming to thee; but the strait i was in was hard. could i expect better of the innkeepers there? i had a button of gold--a memorial of my entry into the lavra. that day father hilarion blessed it three times; and it bore a cross upon its face which i thought might make it acceptable as if it were lettered with the name of constantine. a boatman consented to take it for rowing me to thy landing. behold! thou hast my confession!" his speech to this time had been in greek singularly pure and fluent; now he hesitated, while his eyes, open to the full, sombered, as if from a field in the brain back of them a shadow was being cast through his face. when next he spoke it was in his native tongue. the princess observed her guest with increasing interest; for she was wholly unused to such artlessness in men. how could father hilarion have intrusted business of importance to an envoy so negligent? his confession, as he termed it, was an admission, neither more nor less, that he had no money of the country into which he was come. and further, how could the habit of lapsing in thought, or more simply, of passing abruptly from the present subject, be explained except on the theory of something to which he had so given himself it had become overmastering and all absorbent? this, she saw intuitively, would prove the key to the man; and she set about finding it out. "your greek, good sergius, is excellent; yet i did not understand the words with which you concluded." "i beg pardon," he replied, with a change of countenance. "in my mother's tongue i repeated a saying of the psalmist, which you shall have voice and look as father hilarion has given it to me oftener than i am days old." then his voice lowered into a sweet intensity fitting the text: "'the lord is my shepherd; i shall not want.' those were the words, princess; and who shall say they do not comprehend all there is of religion?" the answer was unexpected, the manner affecting; never had she heard conviction and faith more perfectly affirmed. more than a monk, the young man might be a preacher! and father hilarion might have grown wiser of his years! perhaps he knew, though at a vast distance, that the need of the hour in constantinople was not a new notable--a bishop or a legate--so much as a voice with power of persuasion to still the contentions with which her seven hills were then resounding. the idea, though a surmise, was strong enough to excite a desire to read the holy man's letter. she even reproached herself for not having done so. "the worthy priest gave me the same saying in the same words," she said, rising, "and they lose nothing of their meaning by thy repetition. we may speak of them hereafter. for the present, to keep thee from breakfast were cruel. i will go and make terms with my conscience by reading what thou hast brought me from the father. help thyself freely as if thou wert the most favored of guests; or rather "--she paused to emphasize the meaning--"as though i had been bidden to prepare for thy coining. should there be failure in anything before thee, scruple not to ask for more. lysander will be at thy service. i may return presently." the monk arose respectfully, and stood until she disappeared behind the vases and flowers, leaving in his memory a fadeless recollection of graciousness and beauty, which did not prevent him from immediately addressing himself as became a hungry traveller. chapter v a voice from the cloister while the princess irene traversed the portico, she repeated the words, the lord is my shepherd; i shall not want; and she could see how the negligent, moneyless monk, turned away at the inn, was provided for in his moment of need, and also that she was the chosen purveyor; if so, by whom chosen? the young man had intended calling on the patriarch first; who brought him to her? the breakfast was set for an invited guest; what held him back, if not the power that led the stranger to her gate? in saying now that one of the consequences of the religious passion characteristic of the day in the east--particularly in constantinople--a passion so extreme as to induce the strongest minds to believe god, and the son, and even the holy mother discernible in the most commonplace affairs--our hope is to save the princess from misjudgment. really the most independent and fearless of spirits, if now and then she fell into the habit of translating the natural into the supernatural, she is entitled to mercy, since few things are harder to escape than those of universal practice. through a doorway, chiselled top and jambs, she entered a spacious hall nude of furniture, though richly frescoed, and thence passed into a plain open, court coolly shaded, having in the centre a jet of water which arose and fell into a bowl of alabaster. the water overflowing the bowl was caught again in a circular basin which, besides the ornamental carving on the edge and outside, furnished an ample pool for the gold fish disporting in it. in the court there were also a number of women, mostly young greeks, sewing, knitting, and embroidering vestments. upon her entrance they arose, let their work drop on the spotless white marble at their feet, and received her in respectful silence. signing them to resume their labor, she took a reserved chair by the fountain. the letter was in her hand, but a thought had the precedence. admitting she had been chosen to fulfil the saying quoted, was the call for the once only? when the monk went up to the city, was her ministry to end? would not that be a half-performance? how much farther should she go? she felt a little pang of trouble, due to the uncertainty that beset her, but quieted it by an appeal to the letter. crossing herself, and again kissing the signature, she began the reading, which, as the hand was familiar to her, and the composition in the most faultless greek of the period, was in nowise a perplexity. "bielo-osero, 3_d june_, 1452. "from hilarion, the hegumen, to irene, his well-beloved daughter. "thou hast thought of me this longtime as at rest forever--at rest with the redeemer. while there is nothing so the equivalent of death as silence, there is no happiness so sweet as that which springs upon us unexpectedly. in the same sense the resurrection was the perfect complement of the crucifixion. more than all else, more than the sermon on the mount, more than his miracles, more than his unexampled life, it lifted our lord above the repute of a mere philosopher like socrates. we have tears for his much suffering; but we sing as miriam sang when we think of his victory over the grave. i would not compare myself to him; yet it pleases me believing these lines, so unexpected, will give thee a taste of the feeling the marys had, when, with their spices in hand, they sought the sepulchre and found only the angels there. "let me tell thee first of my disappearance from constantinople. i repented greatly my taking from the old convent by the patriarch; partly because it separated me from thee at a time when thy mind was opening to receive the truth and understand it. yet the call had a sound as if from god. i feared to disobey it. "then came the summons of the emperor. he had heard of my life, and, as a counteraction of vice, he wanted its example in the palace. i held back. but the patriarch prevailed on me, and i went up and suffered myself to be installed keeper of the purple ink. then indeed i became miserable. to such as i, what is sitting near the throne? what is power when not an instrument of mercy, justice and charity? what is easy life, except walking in danger of habits enervating to the hope of salvation? oh, the miseries i witnessed! and how wretched the sight of them, knowing they were beyond my help! i saw moreover the wickedness of the court. did i speak, who listened except to revile me? went i to celebrations in this or that church, i beheld only hypocrisy in scarlet. how often, knowing the sin-stains upon the hands of the celebrants at the altar in sta. sophia, the house in holiness next to the temple of solomon--how often, seeing those hands raise the blood of christ in the cup before the altar, have i trembled, and looked for the dome above to let consuming vengeance in upon us, the innocent with the guilty! "at last fear filled all my thoughts, and forbade sleep or any comfort. i felt i must go, and quickly, or be lost for denial of covenants made with him, the ultimate judge, in whose approval there is the peace that passeth understanding. i was like one pursued by a spirit making its presence known to me in sobs and plaints, stinging as conscience stings. "consent to my departure was not to be expected; for great men dislike to have their favors slighted. it was not less clear that formal resignation of the official honor i was supposed to be enjoying would be serviceable to the courtiers who were not so much my enemies personally as they were enemies of religion and contemners of all holy observances. and there were so many of them! alas, for the admission! what then was left but flight? "whither? i thought first of jerusalem; but who without abasement can inhabit with infidels? then hagion oras, the holy hill, occurred to me; the same argument applied against it as against return to the convent of irene-i would be in reach of the emperor's displeasure. one can study his own heart. holding mine off, and looking at it alive with desires holy and unholy, i detected in it a yearning for hermitage. how beautiful solitude appears! in what condition can one wishing to change his nature for the better more certainly attain the end than without companionship except of god always present? the spirit of prayer is a delicate minister; where can we find purer nourishment for it than in the silence which at noon is deep as at midnight? "in this mood the story of the russian st. sergius reverted to me. he was born at rostoff. filled with pious impulses more than dissatisfied with the world, of which he knew nothing, with a brother, he left his father's house when yet a youth and betook himself to a great woods in the region radenego; there he dwelt among savage beasts and wild men, fasting and praying and dependent like elijah of old. his life became a notoriety. others drew to him. with his own hands he built a wooden church for his disciples, giving it the name of troitza or thrice holy trinity. thither i wandered in thought. a call might be there for me, so weary of the egotism, envy, detraction, greed, grind and battle of the soulless artificiality called society. "i left blacherne in the night, and crossing the sea in the north--no wonder it is so terrible to the poor mariner who has to hunt his daily bread upon its treacherous waves--i indulged no wait until, in the stone church of the holy trinity, i knelt before the remains of the revered russian hermit, and thanked god for deliverance and freedom. "the troitza was no longer the simple wooden church of its founder. i found it a collection of monasteries. the solitude of my dreams was to be sought northward further. some years before, a disciple of sergius--cyrill by name, since canonized--unterrified by winters which dragged through three quarters of the year, wandered off to a secluded place on the shore of the white lake, where he dwelt until, in old age, a holy house was required to accommodate his following. he called it bielo-osero. there i installed myself, won by the warmth of my welcome. "now when i departed from blacherne, i took with me, besides the raiment i wore, two pieces of property; a copy of the rule of the studium monastery, and a _panagia_ given me by the patriarch--a medallion portrait of the blessed mother of our lord the saviour, framed in gold, and set in brilliants. i carry it hanging from my neck. even in sleep it is always lying just above my heart. the day is not far now when my need of it will be over; then i will send it to thee in notice that i am indeed at rest, and that in dying i wished to lend thee a preservative against ills of the soul and fear of death. "the rule was acceptable to the brotherhood. they adopted it, and its letter and spirit prevailing, the house came in time to be odorous for sanctity. eventually, though against my will, they raised me their hegumen. and so my story reaches its end. may it find thee enjoying the delight of the soul's rest i have been enjoying without interruption since i began life anew in this retreat, where the days are days of prayer, and the nights illuminated by visions of paradise and heaven. "in the next place, i pray thou wilt take the young brother by whom this will be delivered into friendly care. i myself raised him to a deaconship of our monastery. his priestly name is sergius. he was scarcely out of boyhood when i came here; it was not long, however, before i discovered in him the qualities which drew me to thee during thy prison life at the old convent of irene--a receptive mind, and a native proneness to love god. i made his way easy. i became his teacher, as i had been thine; and as the years flew by he reminded me more and more of thee, not merely with respect to mental capacity, but purity of soul and aspiration as well. need i say how natural it was for me to love him? had i not just come from loving thee? "the brethren are good men, though unmannerly, and for the most part the word reaches them from some other's tongue. filling the lad's mind was like filling a lamp with oil. how precious the light it would one day shed abroad! and how much darkness there was for it to dispel! and in the darkness--mercy, mercy! how many are in danger of perishing! "never did i think myself so clearly a servant of god as in the time sergius was under my instruction. thou, alas! being a woman, wert like a strong-winged bird doomed at best to a narrow cage. the whole world was before him. "of the many notes i have been compelled to take of the wants of religion in this our age, none so amazes me as the lack of preachers. we have priests and monks. their name is legion. who of them can be said to have been touched with the fire that fell upon the faithful of the original twelve? where among them is an athanasius? or a chrysostom? or an augustine? slowly, yet apace with his growth, i became ambitious for the young man. he showed quickness and astonishing courage. no task appalled him. he mastered the tongues of the nationalities represented around him as if he were born to them. he took in memory the gospels, the psalms, and the prophetic books of the bible. he replies to me in greek undistinguishable from mine. i began to dream of him a preacher like st. paul. i have heard him talking in the stone chapel, when the sleet-ridden winds without had filled it with numbing frost, and seen the brotherhood rise from their knees, and shout, and sing, and wrestle like madmen. it is not merely words, and ideas, and oratorical manner, but all of them, and more--when aroused, he has the faculty of pouring out his spirit, so that what he says takes hold of a hearer, making him calm if in a passion, and excited if in a calm. the willing listen to him from delight, the unwilling and opposite minded because he enchains them. "the pearl seemed to me of great price. i tried to keep it free of the dust of the world. with such skill as i possess, i have worn its stains and roughnesses away, and added to its lustre. now it goes from me. "you must not think because i fled to this corner of the earth, there is any abatement of my affection for constantinople; on the contrary, absence has redoubled the love for it with which i was born. is it not still the capital of our holy religion? occasionally a traveller comes this way with news of the changes it has endured. thus one came and reported the death of the emperor john, and the succession of constantine; another told of justice finally done thy heroic father, and of thy prosperity; more lately a wandering monk, seeking solitude for his soul's sake, joined our community, and from him i hear that the old controversy with the latins has broken out anew, and more hotly than ever; that the new emperor is an _azymite_, and disposed to adhere to the compact of union of the churches east and west made with the pope of rome by his predecessor, leaving heart-blisters burning as those which divided the jews. indeed, i much fear the likeness may prove absolute. it certainly will when the turk appears before our holy city as titus before jerusalem. "this latest intelligence induced me at last to yield to sergius' entreaties to go down to constantinople, and finish there the courses begun here. it is true he who would move the world must go into the world; at the same time i confess my own great desire to be kept informed of the progress of the discussion between the churches had much to do with my consent to his departure. he has instructions to that effect, and will obey them. therefore i pray thee receive him kindly for his own sake, for mine, and the promise of good in him to the cause of jesus, our beloved master. "in conclusion, allow me, daughter--for such thou wert to thy father, to thy mother, and to me--allow me to recur to circumstances which, after calm review, i pronounce the most interesting, the most delightful, the most cherished of my life. "the house under the kameses hill at prinkipo was a convent or refuge for women rather than men; yet i was ordered thither when thy father was consigned to it after his victory over the turks. i was then comparatively young, but still recollect the day he passed the gate going in with his family. thenceforward, until the patriarch took me away, i was his confessor. "death is always shocking. i remember its visits to the convent while i was of its people; but when it came and took thy sisters we were doubly grieved. as if the ungrateful emperor could not be sufficiently cruel, it seemed heaven must needs help him. the cloud of those sad events overhung the community a long time; at length there was a burst of sunshine. one came to my cell and said, 'come, rejoice with us--a baby is born in the house.' thou wert the baby; and thy appearance was the first of the great gladnesses to which i have referred. "and not less distinctly i live over the hour we met in the chapel to christen thee. the bishop was the chief celebrant; but not even the splendor of his canonicals--the cope with the little bells sewn down the sides and along the sleeves, the ompharium, the _panagia_, the cross, the crozier--were enough to draw my eyes from the dimpled pink face half-hidden in the pillow of down on which they held thee up before the font. and now the bishop dipped his fingers in the holy water--'by what name is this daughter to be known?' and i answered, 'irene.' thy parents had been casting about for a name. 'why not call her after the convent?' i asked. they accepted the suggestion; and when i gave it out that great day--to the convent it was holiday--it seemed a door in my heart of which i was unknowing opened of itself, and took thee into a love-lined chamber to be sweet lady at home forever. such was the second of my greatest happinesses. "and then afterwhile thy father gave thee over to me to be educated. i made thy first alphabet, illuminating each letter with my own hand. dost thou remember the earliest sentence i heard thee read? or, if ever thou dost think of it now, be reminded it was thy first lesson in writing and thy first in religion--'the lord is my shepherd; i shall not want.' and thence what delight i found in helping thee each day a little further on in knowledge until at length we came to where thou couldst do independent thinking. "it was in sta. sophia--in my memory not more than an occurrence of yesterday. thou and i had gone from the island up to the holy house, where we were spectators of a service at which the emperor, as basileus, and the patriarch were celebrants. the gold on cope and ompharium cast the space about the altar into a splendor rich as sunshine. then thou asked me, 'did christ and his disciples worship in a house like this? and were they dressed as these are?' i was afraid of those around us, and told thee to use eye and ear, but the time for questions and answers would be when we were back safely in the old convent. "when we were there, thou didst renew the questions, and i did not withhold the truth. i told thee of the lowliness and simple ways of jesus--how he was clothed--how the out-doors was temple sufficient for him. i told thee of his preaching to the multitude on the shore of the galilean sea--i told of his praying in the garden of gethsemane--i told of the attempt to make a king of him whether he would or not, and how he escaped from the people--of how he set no store by money or property, titles, or worldly honors. "then thou didst ask, 'who made worship so formal?' and again i answered truthfully, there was no church until after the death of our lord; that in course of two hundred years kings, governors, nobles and the great of the earth were converted to the faith, and took it under their protection; that then, to conform it to their tastes and dignity, they borrowed altars from pagans, and recast the worship so sumptuously in purple and gold the apostles would not have recognized it. then, in brief, i began telling thee of the primitive church of christ, now disowned, forgotten or lost in the humanism of religious pride. "oh, the satisfaction and happiness in that teaching! at each lesson it seemed i was taking thee closer to the dear christ from whom the world is every year making new roads to get further away--the dear christ in search of whom i plunged into this solitude. "how is it with thee now, my daughter? dost thou still adhere to the primitive church? do not fear to speak thy mind to sergius. he too is in the secret of our faith, believing it best to love our lord from what our lord hath himself said. "now i bring this letter to a close. let me have reply by sergius, who, when he has seen constantinople, will come back to me, unless he who holds every man's future in keeping discovers for him a special use. "do not forget me in thy prayers. "blessings on thee! hilarion." the princess read the letter a second time. when she came to the passage referring to the primitive church, her hands dropped into her lap, and she thought: "the father planted right well--better than he was aware, as he himself would say did he know my standing now." a glow which might have been variously taken for half-serious, half-mocking defiance shone in her eyes as the thought ran on: "ay, dear man! did he know that for asserting the primitive church as he taught it to me in the old convent, the greeks and the latins have alike adjudged me a heretic; that nothing saves me from the lions of the cynegion, except my being a woman--a woman forever offending by going when and where i wist with my face bare, and therefore harmless except to myself. if he knew this, would he send me his blessing? he little imagined--he who kept his opinion to himself because he could see no good possible from its proclamation--that i, the prison-bred girl he so loved, and whom he helped make extreme in courage as in conviction, would one day forget my sex and condition, and protest with the vehemence of a man against the religious madness into which the christian world is being swept. oh, that i were a man!" folding the letter hastily, she arose to return to her guest. there was fixedness of purpose in her face. "oh, that i were a man!" she repeated, while passing the frescoed hall on the way out. in the portico, with the white light of the marble whitening her whole person, and just as the monk, tall, strong, noble looking, despite the grotesqueness of his attire, was rising from the table, she stopped, and clasped her hands. "i have been heard!" she thought, trembling. "that which it refused to make me, heaven has sent me. here is a man! and he is certified as of my faith, and has the voice, the learning, the zeal and courage, the passion of truth to challenge a hearing anywhere. welcome sergius! in want thou camest; in want thou didst find me. the lord _is_ shepherd unto us both." she went to him confidently, and offered her hand. her manner was irresistible; he had no choice but to yield to it. "thou art not a stranger, but sergius, my brother. father hilarion has explained everything." he kissed her hand, and replied: "i was overbold, princess; but i knew the father would report me kindly; and i was hungry." "it is my part now to see the affliction comes not back again. so much has the shepherd already determined. but, speaking as thy sister, sergius, thy garments appear strange. doubtless they were well enough in the bielo-osero, where the rule of the studium is law instead of fashion; but here we must consult customs or be laughed at, which would be fatal to the role i have in mind for thee." then with a smile, she added, "observe the dominion i have already assumed." he answered with a contented laugh: whereupon she went on, but more gravely: "we have the world to talk over; but lysander will now take you to your room, and you will rest until about mid-afternoon, when my boat will come to the landing to carry us to the city. the cowl you must exchange for a hat and veil, the sandals for shoes, the coarse cassock for a black gown; and, if we have time, i will go with you to the patriarch." sergius followed lysander submissively as a child. chapter vi what do the stars say? the sun which relieved the bay of therapia from the thraldom of night did the same service for the golden horn; only, with a more potential voice, it seemed to say to the cities which were the pride of the latter, awake! arise! and presently they were astir indoor and out. of all the souls who, obedient to the early summons, poured into the street, and by the south window of the study of the prince of india, some going this direction, some that, yet each intent upon a particular purpose, not one gave a thought to the prince, or so much as wondered if he were awake. and the indifference of the many was well for him; it gave him immunity to pursue his specialty. but as we, the writer and the reader, are not of the many, and have an interest in the man from knowing more about him than they, what would have been intrusion in them may be excused in us. exactly at midnight the prince, aroused by syama, had gone to the roof, where there was a table, with a lamp upon it which he could shade at pleasure, an hour-glass, and writing materials. an easy chair was also set for him. the view of the city offered for his inspection was circumscribed by the night. the famous places conspicuous in daytime might as well have been folded up and put away in a closet; he could not see so much as a glimmer of light from any of them. pleased thereby, and arguing that even the wicked are good when asleep, he swept the heavens with a glance so long and searching there could be no doubt of the purpose which had brought him forth. next, according to the habit of astrologers, he proceeded to divide the firmament into angles and houses, and taking seat by the table, arranged the lamp to suit him, started the hour-glass running, and drew a diagram familiar to every adept in divinatory science--a diagram of the heavens with the houses numbered from one to twelve inclusive. in the houses he then set the mystic symbols of the visible planets as they were at the moment in position, mindful not merely of the parallels, but of the degrees as well. verifying the correctness of the diagram by a second survey of the mighty overarch more careful even than the first, he settled himself in the chair, saying complacently: "now, o saturn, thou, the coldest and highest! thy houses are ready--come, and at least behold them. i wait the configurations." thereupon, perfectly at ease, he watched the stellar hosts while, to their own music, they marched past the thrones of the most high planets unchallenged except by him. occasionally he sat up to reverse the hour-glass, though more frequently he made new diagrams, showing the changes in position of the several influential bodies relatively to each other and to the benefic or malific signs upon which so much of result depended; nor did his eyes once weary or his zeal flag. finally when the sun, yet under the horizon behind the heights of scutari, began to flood the sky with a brilliance exceeding that of the bravest of the stars, he collected the drawings, extinguished the lamp, and descended to his study, but not to rest. immediately that the daylight was sufficient, he addressed himself to mathematical calculations which appeared exhaustive of every rule and branch of the disciplinary science. hours flew by, and still he worked. he received syama's call to breakfast; returning from the meal, always the simplest of the day with him, he resumed the problem. either he was prodigiously intent on a scheme in mind, or he was occupying himself diligently in order to forget himself. about noon he was interrupted. "my father." recognizing the voice, he pushed the proofs of labor from him almost to the other side of the table, turned in his seat, and replied, his face suffused with pleasure: "thou enemy to labor! did not some one tell thee of what i have on hand, and how i am working to finish it in time to take the water with thee this afternoon? answer, o my gul-bahar, more beautiful growing as the days multiply!" the lael of the son of jahdai, the gul-bahar of the mysterious prince, was much grown, and otherwise greatly changed since we saw her last. each intervening year had in passing left her a benediction. she was now about sixteen, slight, and jewish in eyes, hair, and complexion. the blood enriched her olive cheeks; the lips took a double freshness from health; the smile resting habitually on the oval face had a tale it was always telling of a nature confiding, happy, satisfied with its conditions, hopeful of the future, and unaware from any sad experience that life ever admitted of changes. her beauty bore the marks of intelligence; her manner was not enough self-contained to be called courtly; yet it was easy, and carried its own certificate of culture; it yielded too much to natural affection to deserve the term dignified. one listening to her, and noticing the variableness of her mood, which in almost the same instant could pass from gay to serious without ever reaching an extreme, would pronounce her too timid for achievement outside the purely domestic; at the same time he would think she appeared lovable to the last degree, and might be capable of loving in equal measure. she was dressed in byzantine fashion. in crossing the street from her father's house, she had thrown a veil over her head, but it was now lying carelessly about her neck. the wooden sandals with blocks under them, like those yet worn by women in levantine countries to raise them out of the dust and mud when abroad, had been shaken lightly from her feet at the top of the stairs. perfectly at home, she advanced to the table, and put one of her bare arms around the old man's neck, regardless of the white locks it crushed close down, and replied: "thou flatterer! do i not know beauty is altogether in the eye of the beholder, and that all persons do not see alike? tell me why, knowing the work was to be done, you did not send for me to help you? was it for nothing you made me acquainted with figures until--i have your authority for the saying--i might have stood for professor of mathematics in the best of the alexandrian schools? do not shake your head at me--or"-with the new idea all alight in her face, she ran around the table, and caught up one of the diagrams. "ah, it is as i thought, father! the work i love best, and can do best! whose is the nativity? not mine, i know; for i was born in the glad time when venus ruled the year. anael, her angel, held his wings over me against this very wry-faced, snow-chilled saturn, whom i am so glad to see in the seventh house, which is the house of woe. whose the nativity, i say?" "nay, child--pretty child, and wilful--you have a trick of getting my secrets from me. i sometimes think i am in thy hands no more than tawdry lace just washed and being wrung preparatory to hanging in the air from thy lattice. it is well for you to know there are some things out of your reach--for the time at least." "that is saying you will tell me." "yes--some day." "then i will be patient." seeing him become thoughtful, and look abstractedly out of the window, she laid the diagram down, went back, and again put her arm around his neck. "i did not come to interrupt you, father, but to learn two things, and run away." "you begin like a rhetorician. what subdivisions lie under those two things? speak!" "thank you," she replied, quickly. "first, syama told me you were at some particular task, and i wanted to know if i could help you." "dear heart!" he said, tenderly. "next--and this is all--i did not want you to forget we are to go up the bosphorus this afternoon--up to therapia, and possibly to the sea." "you wish to go?" he asked. "i dreamt of it all night." "then we will; and to prove i did not forget, the boatmen have their orders already. we go to the landing directly after noon." "not too soon," she answered, laughing. "i have to dress, and make myself gorgeous as an empress. the day is soft and kind, and there will be many people on the water, where i am already known quite as well as here in the city as the daughter of the prince of india." he replied with an air of pride: "thou art good enough for an emperor." "then i may go and get ready." she withdrew her arm, kissed him, and started to the door, but returned, with a troubled look. "one thing more, father." he was recovering his work, but stopped, and gave her ear. "what is it?" "you have said, good father, that as my studies were too confining, it would be well if i took the air every day in my sedan. so, sometimes with syama, sometimes with nilo, i had the men carry me along the wall in front of the bucoleon. the view over the sea toward mt. ida is there very beautiful; and if i look to the landward side, right at my feet are the terraced gardens of the palace. nowhere do the winds seem sweeter to me. for their more perfect enjoyment i have at moments alighted from the chair, and walked; always avoiding acquaintances new and old. the people appear to understand my preference, and respect it. of late, however, one person--hardly a man--has followed me, and stopped near by when i stopped; he has even persisted in attempts to speak to me. to avoid him, i went to the hippodrome yesterday, and taking seat in front of the small obelisks in that quarter, was delighted with the exhibition of the horsemen. just when the entertainment was at its height, and most interesting, the person of whom i am speaking came and sat on the same bench with me. i arose at once. it is very annoying, father. what shall i do?" the prince did not answer immediately, and when he did, it was to ask, suggestively: "you say he is young?" "yes." "his dress?" "he seems to be fond of high colors." "you asked no question concerning him?" "no. whom could i ask?" again the prince reflected. outwardly he was unconcerned; yet his blood was more than warm--the blood of pride which, as every one knows, is easily started, and can go hissing hot. he did not wish her to think of the affair too much; therefore his air of indifference; nevertheless it awoke a new train of thought in him. if one were to insult this second lael of his love, what could he do? the idea of appeal to a magistrate was irritating. were he to assume punishment of the insolence, from whom could he hope justice or sympathy--he, a stranger living a mysterious life? he ran hastily over the resorts at first sight open to him. nilo was an instrument always ready. a word would arouse the forces in that loyal but savage nature, and they were forces subject to cunning which never slept, never wearied, and was never in a hurry--a passionless cunning, like that of the fedavies of the old man of the mountain. it may be thought the prince was magnifying a fancied trouble; but the certainty that sorrow _must_ overtake him for every indulgence of affection was a haunting shadow always attending the most trifling circumstance to set his imagination conjuring calamities. that at such times his first impulse was toward revenge is explicable; the old law, an eye for an eye, was part of his religion; and coupling it with personal pride which a thought could turn into consuming heat, how natural if, while the anticipation was doing its work, his study should be to make the revenge memorable! feeling he was not entirely helpless in the affair, he thought best to be patient awhile, and learn who was the offender; a conclusion followed by a resolution to send uel with the girl next time she went to take the air. "the young men of the city are uncontrolled by respect or veneration," he said, quietly. "the follies they commit are sometimes ludicrous. better things are not to be looked for in a generation given to dress as a chief ambition. and then it may be, o my gul-bahar"--he kissed her as he uttered the endearment--"it may be he of whom you complain does not know who you are. a word may cure him of his bad manners. do not appear to notice him. have eyes for everything in the world but him; that is the virtuous woman's defence against vulgarity and insult under every circumstance. go now, and make ready for the boat. put on your gayest; forget not the last necklace i gave you--and the bracelets--and the girdle with the rubies. the water from the flying oars shall not outflash my little girl. there now--of course we will go to the landing in our chairs." when she disappeared down the stairs, he went back to his work. chapter vii the prince of india meets constantine it is to be remembered now, as very material to our story, that the day the prince of india resolved on the excursion up the bosphorus with lael the exquisite stretch of water separated the territorial possessions of the greek emperor and the sultan of the turks. in 1355 the utmost of the once vast roman dominions was "a corner of thrace between the propontis (marmora) and the black sea, about fifty miles in length and thirty in breadth." [footnote: gibbon.] when constantine dragases--he of whom we are writing--ascended the throne, the realm was even more diminished. galata, just across the golden horn, had become a genoese stronghold. scutari, on the asiatic shore almost _vis-a-vis_ with constantinople, was held by a turkish garrison. with small trouble the sultan could have converted the pitiful margin between galata and the cyanean rocks on the black sea. once indeed he set siege to constantinople, but was beaten off, it was said, by the mother of god, who appeared upon the walls of the city, and in person took part in the combat. thereafter he contented himself with a tribute from the emperors manuel and john palaeologus. the relations of the christian and moslem potentates being thus friendly, it can be seen how the princess irene could keep to her palace by therapia and the prince of india plan jaunts along the bosphorus. still there is a point to be borne in mind. ships under christian flags seldom touched at a landing upon the asiatic shore. their captains preferred anchoring in the bays and close under the ivy-covered heights of europe. this was not from detestation or religious intolerance; at bottom there was a doubt of the common honesty of the strong-handed turk amounting to fear. the air was rife with stories of his treachery. the fishermen in the markets harrowed the feelings of their timid customers with tales of surprises, captures, and abductions. occasionally couriers rushed through the gates of constantinople to report red banners in motion, and the sound of clarions and drums, signifying armies of moslems gathering for mysterious purposes. the moslems, on their part, it is but fair to say, were possessed of the same doubts of the christians, and had answers to accusations always ready. the surprises, captures, and abductions were the unlicensed savageries of brigands, of whom they never knew one not a greek; while the music and flags belonged to the militia. six or seven miles above scutari a small river, born in the adjacent highlands, runs merrily down to meet and mingle with the tideless bosphorus. the water it yields is clear and fresh; whence the name of the stream, the sweet waters of asia. on its south side there is a prairie-like stretch, narrow, but green and besprent with an orchard of sycamores old and gnarled, and now much frequented on mohammedan sundays by ladies of the harems, who contrive to make it very gay. no doubt the modest river, and the grass and great trees were just as attractive ages before the first amurath, with an army at his heels, halted there for a night. from that time, however, it was banned by the greeks; and for a reason. on the north bank of the little river there was a fortress known as the white castle. an irregular, many-angled pile of undressed stone heavily merloned on top, its remarkable feature was a tall donjon which a dingy white complexion made visible a great distance, despite its freckling of loopholes and apertures for machine artillery. seeing its military importance, the sultan left a garrison to hold it. he was also pleased to change its name to acce-chisar. the blood-red flag on this donjon was, at the era engaging us, the disenchanter of the greeks; insomuch that in passing the sweet waters of asia they hugged the opposite shore of the bosphorus, crossing themselves and muttering prayers often of irreligious compound. a stork has a nest on the donjon now. as an apparition it is not nearly so suggestive as the turbaned sentinel who used to occupy its outlook. the popular imagination located dungeons under the grim old castle, whence, of the many christian men and women immured there, it was said none ever came forth alive. but for these things, whether true or false, the prince of india cared little. he was not afraid of the turks. if the asiatic shore had been festooned with red flags from the city of the blind down by the isles of the princes to the last of the gray fortresses overlooking the symplegades, it would not have altered a plan of his jot or tittle. enough that lael wanted and needed an outing on the glorious bosphorus. accordingly, shortly after noon two chairs were brought and set down in his house. that is to say, two upright boxes fixed centrally on poles, and differing in nowise from the sedans still the mode of carriage affected by ladies of constantinople unless it might be in their richer appointments. inside, all was silk, lace and cushions; outside, the inlaying of mother of pearl and vari-colored woods was suggestive of modern papier-mache. the entrance was by a door in the front. a window in the door, and lesser ones on the sides, afforded the inmate air and opportunity for speech. not wanting to be seen, she had only to draw the curtains together. in this instance it must be said the decoration of the carriages had been carried to an extreme. soon as the chairs were set down in the house, the prince and lael descended the stairs. the latter was attired in a semi-greek costume, very rich and becoming; to embroidery of gold, she added bracelets, and a necklace of large pearls strung between spheres of gold equally large. a coronet graced her head, and it was so bejewelled that in bright light it seemed some one was sprinkling her with an incessant shower of sparkles. the two took their seats. the carriers, two to each litter, stalwart men, uniformly clad in loose white garments, raised the poles on their shoulders. syama threw the door of the house open, and at a signal from the prince the procession sallied into the street. the crowd, in expectant waiting there, received it in silent wonder. it is due the truth to say now that the common eye was attracted by the appearance of nilo as much as by the rarities wrought in the panelling of the carriages. he strode ten or twelve feet in advance of lael who, in the place of honor, was completely under the prince's observation. the negro's costume was of a king of kash-cush. the hair stood on end in stiff cues, sharply pointed, and held by a chain of silver medals; an immense ring of silver hung from the cartilage of his nose. the neck was defended by a gorget of leather bristling with the fangs and claws of tigers in alternating rows. a robe of scarlet cloth large enough to envelop the man was thrown behind the massive shoulders. the body, black as polished ebony, was naked to the waist, whence a white skirt fell to the knees. the arms and legs were adorned with bracelets and anklets of ivory, while the straps of the heavy sandals were bordered with snail-shells. on the left arm he bore a round shield of rhinoceros hide embossed in brass; in the right hand, a pointless lance. towering high above the heads of the crowd which opened before him with alacrity, the admiration received by the prince's ally and friend was but a well-deserved tribute. "a tiger-hunter!" said one, to a friend at his elbow. "i should call him king of the tiger-hunters," the friend replied. "only a prince of india would carry such a pensioner with him," another remarked. "what a man!" said a woman, half afraid. "an infidel, no doubt," was the answer. "it is not a christian wish, i know," the first added; "still i should like to see him face a lion in the cynegion." "ay, him they call tamerlane, because he is shorn of two toes." the prince, casting a glance of scarce concealed contempt over the throng, sighed, as he muttered, "if now i could meet the emperor!" the exclamation was from his heart. we have seen the idea which lured him to mecca, and brought him to constantinople. in the years since flown, it was held subordinate to his love of lael--subordinate merely. latterly it had revived with much of its original force, and he was now for the first time seriously scheming for an interview with the emperor. no doubt a formal request would have secured the honor; but it was in his view better policy to be sought than seek, and with all his wealth, there was nothing he could so well afford to pay for success as time. in his study, he was continually saying to himself: "it cannot be that the extravagances to which i am going will fail. he will hear of me, or we may meet--then the invitation!--and then i will propose the brotherhood--god help me! but it is for him to invite me. patience, o my soul!" extravagances! the exclamation helps us to an understanding of the style he was carrying before the public--the silvering on his own black velvet robe, the jewels in lael's coronet bursting with light, the gorgeous finish of the sedans, the barbaric costuming of nilo. they were not significant of his taste. except for what they might bring him, he did not care for jewels. and as for lael, he would have loved her for her name's sake, and her honest, untarnished jewish blood. let us believe so at least until we find otherwise. nilo, by this time familiar with every quarter of the city, was told the boat was in readiness for the party at a landing near the grand gate of blacherne; to make which, it being on the golden horn well up in the northwest, he must turn the hill back of the prince's residence, and pursue one of the streets running parallel with the wall. thither he accordingly bent his steps, followed by the porters of the sedans, and an increasing but respectful assemblage of curious citizens. scarcely had the progress begun before the prince, watching through his front window, saw a man approach the side of lael's chair, and peer into it. his wit served him well and instantly. "'tis he--the insolent!--close up!" he cried, to his porters. the intruder at the sound of his voice looked at him once, then disappeared in the throng. he was young, handsome, showily dressed, and beyond question the person of whom lael had complained. though smarting under the insult, and a suspicion, suddenly engendered, of a watch kept over his house, the prince concluded the stranger was of noble connection, and that the warrant for his boldness was referable to family influence. while his subtle mind was pothering with schemes of detection, the affair presented itself in another light, and he laughed at his own dulness. "'tis nothing," he reflected--"nothing! the boy is in love, and allowing his passion to make a fool of him. i have only to see my pretty gul-bahar does not return the madness." deciding then to make inquiry and satisfy himself who the young admirer was, he dismissed the subject. presently nilo turned into a street of some width compared with the generality of thoroughfares in the city. on the left hand were shops and pretentious houses; on the right, towered the harbor wall. the people attending the procession increased instead of dispersing; but as they continued in good nature, they gave him no concern. their comments amongst themselves were about equally divided between nilo and lael. "beautiful, beautiful!" one said, catching sight of the latter through the windows of the chair. "who is she?" "a daughter of a prince of india." "and the prince--who is he?" "ask some one who knows. there he is in the second chair." once a woman went close to lael, snatched a look, and stepped back, with clasped hands, crying: "'tis the sweet mother herself!" without other incident, the procession passed the gate of st. peter, and was nearing that of blacherne, when a flourish of trumpets announced a counter pageant coming down the street from the opposite direction. a man near by shouted: "the emperor! the emperor!" another seconded him. "long live the good constantine!" the words were hardly uttered before they were answered: "the _azymite_! the _azymite_! down with the betrayer of christ!" in less than a minute the prince was being borne along in the midst of two howling factions. scarcely knowing whether to take lael into a house or go on, he tried to communicate with nilo; but in unconsciousness of the tempest so suddenly risen, that grandson of a king marched on in unremitted stateliness, until directly a band of trumpeters in magnificent livery confronted him. the astonishment was mutual. nilo halted, dropping his headless lance in defence; the trumpeters quit blowing, and, opening order, filed hastily by him, their faces saying with a distinctness words could not have helped: "a son of satan! beware!" the chairs were also brought to a halt. thereupon the people, now a mob apparently ready to tear each other into bloody ribbons, refused to give way to the trumpeters. nilo finally comprehending the situation returned to lael just as the prince on foot came up to her. she was pale and trembling with fear. the deadlock between the musicians and the mob was brought to an end by the appearance of a detachment of the imperial guard. a mounted officer, javelin in hand, rode up and shouted: "the emperor! make way for the emperor!" while he was speaking, the horsemen behind him came on steadily. there was irresistible persuasion in the glitter of their spears; besides it was matter of universal knowledge that the steel panoply of each rider concealed a mercenary foreigner who was never so happy as when riding over a greek. one yell louder and more defiant than any yet uttered--"the azymite, the azymite!"--and the mob broke and fled. at a signal from the officer, the guards, as they came on, opened right and left of the chairs, and passed them with scarce notice. a few words from the prince to lael dispelled her fears. "it is an every-day affair," he said, lightly; "an amusement of the people, the roman factionists against the greek. nobody is ever hurt, except in howling he opens his jaws too wide." the levity was affected, but mastering the irritation he really felt, the prince was about to make acknowledgment to the officer for his timely intervention, when another personage appeared, claiming his attention. indeed his heart began beating unusually fast, and in spite of himself his face flushed--he knew he had his wish--the meeting with constantine was come! the last emperor of the byzantines sat in an open chair borne upon the shoulders of eight carriers in striking livery--a handsome man in his forty-sixth year, though apparently not more than thirty-eight or forty. his costume was that of basileus, which was a religious dignity. a close-fitting cap of red velvet covered his head, with a knot of purple silk triply divided on the top; while a pliable circlet of golden scales, clearing the brows, held the cap securely in place. on each scale a ruby of great size sparkled in solitaire setting. the circlet was further provided with four strings of pearls, two by each ear, dangling well down below in front of the shoulders. a loose drab robe or gown, drawn close at the waist, clothed him, neck, arms, body and nether limbs, answering excellently as ground for a cope the color of the cap, divided before and behind into embroidered squares defined by rows of pearls. boots of purple leather, also embroidered, gave finish to the costume. instead of sword or truncheon, he carried a plain ivory crucifix. the people staring at him from the doors and windows knew he was going to sancta sophia intent on some religious service. while the emperor was thus borne down upon the prince, his dark eyes, kindly looking, glanced from nilo to lael, and finally came to rest full upon the face of the master. the officer returned to him. a few paces off, the imperial chair stopped, and a conversation ensued, during which a number of high officials who were of the sovereign's suite on foot closed up in position to separate their lord from a mounted rear guard. the prince of india kept his mind perfectly. having exchanged glances with the emperor, he was satisfied an impression was made strong enough to pique curiosity, and at the same time fix him in the royal memory. with a quick sense of the proprieties, he thereupon addressed himself to moving his carriages to the left, that when the conference with the officers was concluded the emperor might have the right of way with the least possible obstruction. presently the acolyte--such the officer proved to be--approached the prince. "his imperial majesty," he said, courteously, "would be pleased could i inform him the name and title of the stranger whose progress he has been so unfortunate as to interrupt." the prince answered with dignity: "i thank you, noble sir, for the fair terms in which you couch the inquiry, not less than the rescue i and my daughter owe you from the mob." the acolyte bowed. "and not to keep his imperial majesty waiting," the prince continued, "return him the compliments of a prince of india, at present a resident of this royal and ancient capital. say also it will give me happiness far beyond the power of words when i am permitted to salute him, and render the veneration and court to which his character and place amongst the rulers of the earth entitle him." at the conclusion of the complex, though courtierly reply, the speaker walked two steps forward, faced the emperor, and touched the ground with his palms, and rising, carried them to his forehead. the answer duly delivered, the emperor responded to the salaam with a bow and another message. "his imperial majesty," the acolyte said, "is pleased at meeting the prince of india. he was not aware he had a guest of such distinction in his capital. he desires to know the place of residence of his noble friend, that he may communicate with him, and make amends for the hindrance which has overtaken him to-day." the prince gave his address, and the interview ended. it is of course the reader's privilege to pass judgment upon the incidents of this rencounter; at least one of the parties to it was greatly pleased, for he knew the coveted invitation would speedily follow. while the emperor was borne past, lael received his notice more especially than her guardian; when they were out of hearing, he called the acolyte to his side. "didst thou observe the young person yonder?" he asked. "the coronet she wears certifies the prince of india to be vastly rich," the other answered. "yes, the princes of india, if we may judge by common report, are all rich; wherefore i thought not of that, but rather of the beauty of his daughter. she reminded me of the madonna on the panagia in the transept of our church at blacherne." chapter viii racing with a storm one who has seen the boats in which fishermen now work the eddies and still waters of the bosphorus will not require a description of the vessel the prince and lael stepped into when they arrived at the grand gate of blacherne. he need only be told that instead of being pitch-black outside and in, it was white, except the gunwale which was freshly gilt. the untravelled reader, however, must imagine a long narrow craft, upturned at both ends, graceful in every line, and constructed for speed and beauty. well aft there was a box without cover, luxuriously cushioned, lined with chocolate velvet, and wide enough to seat two persons comfortably; behind it, a decked space for a servant, pilot or guard. this arrangement left all forward for the rowers, each handling two oars. ten rowers, trained, stout, and clad in white headkerchiefs, shirts and trousers of the same hue, and greek jackets of brilliant scarlet, profusely figured over with yellow braid, sat stolidly, blades in hand and ready dipped, when the passengers took their places, the prince and lael in the box, and nilo behind them as guard. the vessel was too light to permit a ceremonious reception. in front of the party, on the northern shore of the famous harbor, were the heights of pera. the ravines and grass-green benches into which they were broken, with here and there a garden hut enclosed in a patch of filbert bushes--for pera was not then the city it now is--were of no interest to the prince; dropping his eyes to the water, they took in a medley of shipping, then involuntarily turned to the cold gray face of the wall he was leaving. and while seeing in vivid recollection the benignant countenance of constantine bent upon him from the chair in the street, he thought of the horoscope he had spent the night in taking and the forenoon in calculating. with a darkened brow, he gave the word, and the boat was pushed off and presently seeking the broader channel of the bosphorus. the day was delightful. a breeze danced merrily over the surface of the water. soft white summer clouds hung so sleepily in the southwest they scarce suggested motion. seeing the color deepen in lael's cheeks, and listening to her questions, he surrendered himself to the pleasures of the situation, not the least being the admiration she attracted. by ships at anchor, and through lesser craft of every variety they sped, followed by exclamations frequently outspoken: "who is she? who can she be?" thus pursued, they flew past the gate of st. peter, turned the point of galata, and left the fish market port behind; proceeding then in parallelism with the north shore, they glided under the great round tower so tall and up so far overhead it seemed a part of the sky. off tophane, they were in the bosphorus, with scutari at their right, and point serail at their backs. viewed from the harbor on the sea, the old historic point leaves upon the well informed an impression that in a day long gone, yielding to a spasm of justice, asia cast it off into the waves. its beauty is circean. almost from the beginning it has been the chosen place in which men ran rounds gay and grave, virtuous and wanton, foolish and philosophic, brave and cowardly--where love, hate, jealousy, avarice, ambition and envy have delighted to burn their lights before heaven--where, possibly with one exception, providence has more frequently come nearer lifting its veil than in any other spot of earth. again and again, the prince, loth to quit the view, turned and refilled his eyes with sancta sophia, of which, from his position, the wall at the water's edge, the lesser churches of the virgin hodegetria and st. irene, and the topmost sections far extending of the palaces of bucoleon seemed but foundations. the edifice, as he saw it then, depended on itself for effect, the turk having not yet, in sign of mohammedan conversion, broken the line of its marvellous dome with minarets. at length he set about telling stories of the point. off the site of the present palace of dolma-batchi he told of euphrosyne, the daughter of the empress irene; and seeing how the sorrowful fortune of the beautiful child engaged lael's sympathies, he became interested as a narrator, and failed to notice the unusual warmth tempering the air about tchiragan. neither did he observe that the northern sky, before so clear and blue, was whitening with haze. to avoid the current running past arnoot-kouy, the rowers crossed to the asiatic side under the promontory of candilli. other boats thronged the charming expanse; but as most of them were of a humbler class sporting one rower, the prince's, with its liveried ten, was a surpassing attraction. sometimes the strangers, to gratify their curiosity, drew quite near, but always without affronting him; knowing the homage was to lael, he was happy when it was effusively rendered. his progress was most satisfactory until he rounded candilli. then a flock of small boats came down upon him pell-mell, the rowers pulling their uttermost, the passengers in panic. the urgency impelling them was equally recognized by the ships and larger vessels out in the channel. anchors were going down, sails furling, and oars drawing in. above them, moreover, much beyond their usual levels of flight troops of gulls were circling on rapid wings screaming excitedly. the prince had reached the part of greatest interest in the story he was telling--how the cruel and remorseless emperor michel, determined to wed the innocent and helpless euphrosyne, shamelessly cheated the church and cajoled the senate--when nilo touched his shoulder, and awoke him to the situation. a glance over the water--another at the sky--and he comprehended danger of some kind was impending. at the same moment lael commenced shivering and complaining of cold. the air had undergone a sudden change. presently nilo's red cloak was sheltering her. the boat was in position to bring everything into view, and he spoke to the rowers: "a storm is rising." they ceased work, and looked over their shoulders, each for himself. "a blow from the sea, and it comes fast. what we shall do is for my lord to say," one of them returned. the prince grew anxious for lael. what was done must be for her--he had no thought else. a cloud was forming over the whole northeastern quarter of the sky, along the horizon black, overhead a vast gray wave, in its heart copper-hued, seething, interworking, now a distended sail, now a sail bursted; and the wind could be heard whipping the shreds into fleece, and whirling them a confusion of vaporous banners. yet glassy, the water reflected the tint of the cloud. the hush holding it was like the drawn breath of a victim waiting the first turn of the torturous wheel. the asiatic shore offered the prince a long stretch, and he persisted in coasting it until the donjon of the white castle--that terror to christians--arrested his eye. there were houses much nearer, some of them actually overhanging the water; but the donjon seemed specially inviting; at all events, he coolly reflected, if the governor of the castle denied him refuge, the little river near by known as the sweet waters of asia would receive him, and getting under its bank, he might hope to escape the fury of the wind and waves. he shouted resolutely: "to the white castle! make it before the wind strikes, my men, and i will double your hire." "we may make it," the rower answered, somewhat sullenly, "but"-"what?" asked the prince. "the devil has his lodgings there. many men have gone into its accursed gates on errands of peace, and never been heard of again." the prince laughed. "we lose time--forward! if there be a fiend in the castle, i promise you he is not waiting for us." the twenty oars fell as one, and the boat jumped like a steed under a stab of the spur. thus boldly the race with the storm was begun. the judgment of the challenger, assuming the prince to be such, may be questioned. the river was the goal. could he reach it before the wind descended in dangerous force?--that was the very point of contest. the chances, it is to be remembered next, were not of a kind to admit weighing with any approach to certainty; it was difficult even to marshal them for consideration. the distance was somewhat less than three-quarters of a mile; on the other part, the competing cloud was wrestling with the mountain height of alem daghy, about four miles away. the dead calm was an advantage; unfortunately it was more than offset by the velocity of the current which, though not so strong by the littoral of candilli as under the opposite bluffs of roumeli-hissar, was still a serious opposing force. the boatmen were skilful, and could be relied upon to pull loyally; for, passing the reward offered in the event of their winning, the dangers of failure were to them alike. treating the contest as a race, with the storm and the boat as competitors, the prince was not without chances of success. but whatever the outcome of the venture, lael would be put to discomfort. his care of her was so habitually marked by tender solicitude one cannot avoid wondering at him now. after all he may have judged the affair more closely than at first appears. the sides of the boat were low, but danger from that cause might be obviated by the skill of the rowers; and then alem daghy was not a trifling obstacle in the path of the gale. it might be trusted to hold the cloud awhile; after which a time would be required by the wind to travel the miles intervening. certainly it had been more prudent to make the shore, and seek refuge in one of the houses there. but the retort of the spirited jew of that day, as in this, was a contemptuous refusal of assistance, and the degree to which this son of israel was governed by the eternal resentment can be best appreciated by recalling the number of his days on earth. at the first response to the vigorous pull of the oarsmen, lael drew the red cloak over her face, and laid her head against the prince. he put his arm around her, and seeing nothing and saying nothing, she trusted in him. the rowers, pulling with strength from the start, gradually quickened the stroke, and were presently in perfect harmony of action. a short sough accompanied each dip of the blades; an expiration, like that of the woodman striking a blow with his axe, announced the movement completed. the cords of their brawny necks played fast and free; the perspiration ran down their faces like rain upon glass. their teeth clinched. they turned neither right nor left; but with their straining eyes fixed upon him, by his looks they judged both their own well-doing and the progress of their competitor. seeing the boat pointed directly toward the castle, the prince watched the cloud. occasionally he commended the rowers. "well done, my men!--hold to that, and we will win!" the unusual brightness of his eyes alone betrayed excitement. once he looked over the yet quiet upper field of water. his was the only vessel in motion. even the great ships were lying to. no--there was another small boat like his own coming down along the asiatic shore as if to meet him. its position appeared about as far above the mouth of the river as his was below it; and its three or five rowers were plainly doing their best. with grim pleasure, he accepted the stranger as another competitor in the race. the friendly heights of alem, seen from the bosphorus, are one great forest always beautifully green. even as the prince looked at them, they lost color, as if a hand out of the cloud had suddenly dropped a curtain of white gauze over them. he glanced back over the course, then forward. the donjon was showing the loopholes that pitted its southern face. excellent as the speed had been, more was required. half the distance remained to be overcome--and the enemy not four miles away. "faster, men!" he called out. "the gust has broken from the mountain. i hear its roaring." they turned involuntarily, and with a look measured the space yet to be covered, the distance of the foe, and the rate at which he was coming. nor less did they measure the danger. they too heard its warning, the muffled roar as of rocks and trees snatched up and grinding to atoms in the inner coils of the cloud. "it is not a blow," one said, speaking quick, "but a"-"storm." the word was the prince's. "yes, my lord." just then the water by the boat was rippled by a breath, purring, timorous, but icy. the effect on the oarsmen was stronger than any word from the master could have been. they finished a pull long and united; then while the oars swung forward taking reach for another, they all arose to their feet, paused a moment, dipped the blades deeper, gave vent to a cry so continuous it sounded like a wail, and at the same time sunk back into their seats, pulling as they fell. this was their ultimate exertion. a jet of water spurted from the foot of the sharp bow, and the bubbles and oar eddies flew behind indistinguishably. "well done!" said the prince, his eyes glowing. thenceforward the men continued to rise at the end of a stroke, and fall as they commenced delivery of another. their action was quick, steady, machine-like; they gripped the water deep, and made no slips; with a thought of the exhilaration an eagle must feel when swooping from his eyrie, the prince looked at the cloud defiantly as a challenger might. each moment the donjon loomed up more plainly. he saw now, not merely the windows and loopholes, but the joinery of the stones in their courses. suddenly he beheld another wonder--an army of men mounted and galloping along the river bank toward the castle. the array stretched back into the woods. in its van were two flags borne side by side, one green, the other red. both were surrounded by a troop in bright armor. no need for him to ask to whom they belonged. they told him of mecca and mahomet--on the red, he doubted not seeing the old ottomanic symbols, in their meaning poetic, in their simplicity beautiful as any ever appropriated for martial purposes. the riders were turks. but why the green flag? where it went somebody more than the chief of a sanjak, more than the governor of a castle, or even a province, led the way. the number trailing after the flags was scarcely less mysterious. they were too many to be of the garrison; and then the battlements of the castle were lined with men also under arms. not daring to speak of this new apparition lest his oarsmen might take alarm, the prince smiled, thinking of another party to the race--a fourth competitor. he sought the opposing boat next. it had made good time. there were five oarsmen in it; and, like his own, they were rising and falling with each stroke. in the passengers' place, he could make out two persons whom he took to be women. a roll of thunder from the cloud startled the crew. clear, angry, majestic, it filled the mighty gorge of the bosphorus. under the sound the water seemed to shrink away. lael looked out from her hiding, but as quickly drew back, crowding closer to the prince. to calm her he said, lightly, "fear nothing, o my gul bahar! a pretty race we are having with the cloud yonder; we are winning, and it is not pleased. there is no danger." she answered by doubling the folds of the gown about her head. steadily, lithely, and with never an error the rowers drove through the waves--steadily, and in exact time, their cry arose cadencing each stroke. they did their part truly. well might the master cry them, "good, good." but all the while the wind was tugging mightily at its cloudy car; every instant the rattle of its wheels sounded nearer. the trees on the hills behind the castle were bending and bowing; and not merely around the boat, but far as could be seen the surface of the ancient channel was a-shirr and a-shatter under beating of advance gusts. and now the mouth of the sweet waters, shallowed by a wide extended osier bank, came into view; and the castle was visible from base to upper merlon, the donjon, in relief against the blackened sky, rising more ghostly than ever. and right at hand were the flags, and the riders galloping with them. and there, coming bravely in, was the competing boat. over toward roumeli-hissar the sea birds congregated in noisy flocks, alarmed at the long line of foam the wind was whisking down the current. behind the foam, the world seemed dissolving into spray. then the boats were seen from the castle, and a company of soldiers ran out and down the bank. a noise like the rushing of a river sounded directly overhead. the wind struck the castle, and in the thick of the mists and flying leaves hurled at it, the donjon disappeared. "we win, we win, my men!" the prince shouted. "courage--good spirit--brave work--treble wages! wine and wassail to-morrow!" the boat, with the last word, shot into the little river, and up to the landing of the castle just as the baffled wind burst over the refuge. and simultaneously the van of the army galloped under the walls and the competing boat arrived. chapter ix in the white castle the landing was in possession of dark-faced, heavily bearded men, with white turbans, baggy trousers, gray and gathered at the ankles, and arms of every kind, bows, javelins, and cimeters. the prince, stepping from his boat, recognized them as turkish soldiers. he had hardly time to make the inspection, brief as it was, before an officer, distinguished by a turban, kettle-shaped and elaborately infolded, approached him. "you will go with me to the castle," he said. the official's tone and manner were imperative. suppressing his displeasure, the prince replied, with dignity: "the governor is courteous. return to him with my thanks, and say that when i decided to come on in the face of the storm, i made no doubt of his giving me shelter until it would be safe to resume my journey. i fear, however, his accommodations will be overtaxed; and since the river is protected from the wind, it would be more agreeable if he would permit me to remain here." the response betrayed no improvement in manner: "my order is to bring you to the castle." some of the boatmen at this raised their eyes and hands toward heaven; others crossed themselves, and, like men taking leave of hope, cried out, "o holy mother of god!" yet the prince restrained himself. he saw contention would be useless, and said, to quiet the rowers: "i will go with you. the governor will be reasonable. we are unfortunates blown to his hands by a tempest, and to make us prisoners under such circumstances would be an abuse of one of the first and most sacred laws of the prophet. the order did not comprehend my men; they may remain here." lael heard all this, her face white with fear. the conversation was in the greek tongue. at mention of the law, the turk cast a contemptuous look at the prince, much as to say, dog of an unbeliever, what dost thou with a saying of the prophet? then dropping his eyes to lael and the boatmen, he answered in disdain of argument or explanation: "you--they--all must go." with that, he turned to the occupants of the other boat, and raising his voice the better to be heard, for the howling of the wind was very great, he called to them: "come out." they were a woman in rich attire, but closely veiled, and a companion at whom he gazed with astonishment. the costume of the latter perplexed him; indeed, not until that person, in obedience to the order, erected himself to his full stature upon the landing, was he assured of his sex. they were the princess irene and sergius the monk. the conversation between them in the homeric palace has only to be recalled to account for their presence. departing from therapia at noon, according to the custom of boatmen wishing to pass from the upper bosphorus, they had been carried obliquely across toward the asiatic shore where the current, because of its greater regularity, is supposed to facilitate descent. when the storm began to fill the space above alem daghy, they were in the usual course; and then the question that had been put to the prince of india was presented to the princess irene. would she land in asia or recross to europe? the general greek distrust of the turks belonged to her. from infancy she had been horrified with stories of women prisoners in their hands. she preferred making roumeli-hissar; but the boatmen protested it was too late; they said the little river by the white castle was open, and they could reach it before the storm; and trusting in their better judgment, she submitted to them. sergius, on the landing, pushed the cowl back, and was about to speak, but the wind caught his hair, tossing the long locks into tangle. seeing him thus in a manner blinded, the princess took up the speech. drawing the veil aside, she addressed the officer: "art thou the governor of the castle?" "no." "are we to be held guests or prisoners?" "that is not for me to say." "carry thou then a message to him who may be the governor. tell him i am the princess irene, by birth near akin to constantine, emperor of the greeks and romans; that, admitting this soil is lawfully the property of his master the sultan, i have not invaded it, but am here in search of temporary refuge. tell him if i go to his castle a prisoner, he must answer for the trespass to my royal kinsman, who will not fail to demand reparation; on the other hand, if i become his guest, it must be upon condition that i shall be free to depart as i came, with my friend and my people, the instant the wind and waves subside. yes, and the further condition, that he wait upon me as becomes my station, and personally offer such hospitality as his castle affords. i shall receive his reply here." the officer, uncouth though he was, listened with astonishment not in the least disguised; and it was not merely the speech which impressed him, nor yet the spirit with which it was given; the spell was in the unveiled face. never in his best dream of the perfected moslem paradise had he seen loveliness to compare with it. he stood staring at her. "go," she repeated. "there will be rain presently." "who am i to say thou art?" he asked. "the princess irene, kinswoman of the emperor constantine." the officer made a low salaam to her, and walked hurriedly off to the castle. his soldiers stood in respectful remove from the prisoners--such the refugees must for the present be considered--leaving them grouped in close vicinity, the prince and the monk ashore, the princess and lael seated in their boats. calamity is a rough master of ceremonies; it does not take its victims by the hand, and name them in words, but bids them look to each other for help. and that was precisely what the two parties now did. unsophisticated, and backward through inexperience, sergius was nevertheless conscious of the embarrassing plight of the princess. he had also a man's quick sense of the uselessness of resistance, except in the way of protest. to measure the stranger's probable influence with the turks, he looked first at the prince, and was not, it must be said, rewarded with a return on which to found hope or encouragement. the small, stoop-shouldered old man, with a great white beard, appeared respectable and well-to-do in his black velvet cap and pelisse; his eyes were very bright, and his cheeks hectic with resentment at the annoyance he was undergoing; but that he could help out of the difficulty appeared absurd. having by this time rescued his hair from the wind, and secured it under his cowl, he looked next at lael. his first thought was of the unfitness of her costume for an outing in a boat under the quietest of skies. a glance at the princess, however, allayed the criticism; while the display of jewelry was less conspicuous, her habit was quite as rich and unsubstantial. it dawned upon him then that custom had something to do with the attire of greek women thus upon the water. that moment lael glanced up at him, and he saw how childlike her face was, and lovely despite the anxiety and fear with which it was overcast. he became interested in her at once. the monk's judgment of the little old man was unjust. that master of subtlety had in mind run forward of the situation, and was already providing for its consequences. he shared the surprise of the turk when the princess raised her veil. overhearing then her message to the governor, delivered in a manner calm, self-possessed, courageous, dignified, and withal adroit, he resolved to place lael under her protection. "princess," he said, doffing his cap unmindful of the wind, and advancing to the side of her boat, "i crave audience of you, and in excuse for my unceremoniousness, plead community in misfortune, and a desire to make my daughter here safe as can be." she surveyed him from head to foot; then turned her eyes toward lael, sight of whom speedily exorcised the suspicion which for the instant held her hesitant. "i acknowledge the obligation imposed by the situation." she replied; "and being a christian as well as a woman, i cannot without reason justifiable in sight of heaven deny the help you ask. but, good sir, first tell me your name and country." "i am a prince of india exercising a traveller's privilege of sojourning in the imperial city." "the answer is well given; and if hereafter you return to this interview, o prince, i beg you will not lay my inquiry to common curiosity." "fear not," the prince answered; "for i learned long ago that in the laws prescribed for right doing prudence is a primary virtue; and making present application of the principle, i suggest, if it please you to continue a discourse which must be necessarily brief, that we do so in some other tongue than greek." "be it in latin then," she said, with a quick glance at the soldiers, and observing his bow of acquiescence, continued, "thy reverend beard, o prince, and respectable appearance, are warranties of a wisdom greater than i can ever attain; wherefore pray tell me how i, a feeble woman, who may not be able to release herself from these robbers, remorseless from religious prejudice, can be of assistance to thy daughter, now my younger sister in affliction." she accompanied the speech with a look at lael so kind and tender it could not be misinterpreted. "most fair and gentle princess, i will straight to the matter. out on the water, midway this and the point yonder, when too late for me to change direction or stay my rowers, i saw a body of horsemen, whom i judged to be soldiers, moving hurriedly down the river bank toward the castle. a band richly caparisoned, carrying two flags, one green, the other red, moved at their head. the former, you may know, has a religious signification, and is seldom seen in the field except a person of high rank be present. it is my opinion, therefore, that our arrest has some reference to the arrival of such a personage. in confirmation you may yet hear the musical flourish in his honor." "i hear drums and trumpets," she replied, "and admit the surmise an ingenious accounting for an act otherwise unaccountable." "nay, princess, with respect to thyself at least, call it a deed intolerable, and loud with provocation." "from your speech, o prince, i infer familiarity with these faithless barbarians. perhaps you can make your knowledge of them so far serviceable as to tell me the great man's name." "yes, i have had somewhat to do with turks; yet i cannot venture the name, rank or purpose of the newcomer. pursuing the argument, however, if my conjecture be true, then the message borne the governor, though spirited, and most happily accordant with your high degree, will not accomplish your release, simply because the reason of the capture in the first place must remain a reason for detaining you in the next. in brief, you may anticipate rejection of the protest." "what, think you they will hold me prisoner?" "they are crafty." "they dare not!" and the princess' cheek reddened with indignation. "my kinsman is not powerless--and even the great amurath"-"forgive me, i pray; but there was never mantle to cover so many crimes as the conveniences kings call 'reasons of state.'" she looked vaguely up the river which the tempest was covering with promiscuous air-blown drifting; but recovering, she said: "it is for me to pray pardon, prince. i detain you." "not at all," he answered. "i have to remark next, if my conjecture prove correct, a lady of imperial rank might find herself ill at ease and solitary in a hold like this castle, which, speaking by report, is now kept to serve some design of war to come more particularly than domestic or social life." the imagination of the princess caught the idea eagerly, and, becoming active, presented a picture of a moslem lair without women or apartments for women. her mind filled with alarm. "oh, that i could recall the message!" she exclaimed. "i should not have tempted the governor by offering to become his guest upon any condition." "nay, do not accuse yourself. the decision was brave and excellent in every view," he said, perceiving his purpose in such fair way. "for see--the storm increases in strength; yonder"--he pointed toward alem daghy--"the rain comes. not by thy choice, o princess, but the will of god, thou art here!" he spoke impressively, and she bent her head, and crossed herself twice. "a sad plight truly," he continued. "fortunately it may be in a measure relieved. here is my daughter, lael by name. the years have scarcely outrun her childhood. more at mercy than thyself, because without rank to make the oppressor careful, or an imperial kinsman to revenge a wrong done her, she is subject to whatever threatens you--a cell in this infidel stronghold, ruffians for attendants, discomforts to cast her into fever, separation from me to keep her afraid. why not suffer her to go with you? she can serve as tirewoman or companion. in villany the boldest often hesitate when two are to be overcome." the speech was effective. "o prince, i have not words to express my gratitude. i am thy debtor. heaven may have brought this crisis, but it has not altogether deserted me--and in good time! see--my messenger, with a following! let thy daughter come, and sit with me now--and do thou stand by to lend me of thy wisdom in case appeal to it become necessary. quick! nay, prince, sergius is young and strong. permit him to bring the child to me." the monk made haste. drawing the boat close to the shore, he gave lael his strong hand. directly she was delivered to the princess, and seated beside her. "now they may come!" thus the princess acknowledged the strength derivable from companionship. the result was perceptible in her voice once more clear, and her face actually sparkling with confidence and courage. then, drawn together in one group, the refugees awaited the officer. "the governor is coming," that worthy said, saluting the princess. looking toward the castle, the expectants beheld a score or more men issuing from the gate on foot. they were all in armor, and each complemented the buckler on his arm with a lance from which a colored pennon blew out straight and stiff as a panel. one walked in front singly, and immediately the prince and princess fixed upon him as the governor, and kept him in eye curiously and anxiously. that instant rain in large drops began to fall. the governor appeared to notice the premonition, for looking at the angry sky he halted, and beckoned to his followers, several of whom ran to him, received an order, and then hastily returned to the castle. he came on in quickened gait. here the prince, with his greater experience, noticed a point which escaped his associates; and that was the extraordinary homage paid the stranger. at the landing the officer and soldiers would have prostrated themselves, but with an imperious gesture, he declined the salutation. the observers, it may be well believed, viewed the man afar with interest; when near, they scanned him as persons under arraignment study the judge, that from his appearance they may glean something of his disposition. he was above the average height of men, slender, and in armor--the armor of the east, adapted in every point to climate and light service. a cope or hood, intricately woven of delicate steel wire, and close enough to refuse an arrow or the point of a dagger, defended head, throat, neck, and shoulders, while open at the face; a coat, of the same artistic mail, beginning under the hood, followed closely the contour of the body, terminating just above the knees as a skirt. amongst teutonic and english knights, on account of its comparative lightness, it would have been distinguished from an old-fashioned hauberk, and called _haubergeon_. a sleeveless _surcoat_ of velvet, plain green in color, overlaid the mail without a crease or wrinkle, except at the edge of the skirt. _chausses_, or leggins, also of steel, clothed the nether limbs, ending in shoes of thin lateral scales sharply pointed at the toes. a slight convexity on top, and the bright gold-gilt band by which, with regular interlacement, the cope was attached, gave the cap surmounting the head a likeness to a crown. in style this armor was common. the preference eastern cavaliers showed it may have been due in part at least to the fact that when turned out by a master armorer, after years of painstaking, it left the wearer his natural graces of person. such certainly was the case here. the further equipment of the man admits easy imagining. there were the gauntlets of steel, articulated for the fingers and thumbs; a broad flexible belt of burnished gold scales, intended for the cimeter, fell from the waist diagonally to the left hip; light spurs graced the heels; a dagger, sparkling with jewels, was his sole weapon, and it served principally to denote the peacefulness of his errand. as there was nothing about him to rattle or clank his steps were noiseless, and his movements agile and easy. these martial points were naturally of chief attraction to the prince of india, whose vast acquaintanceship with heroes and famous warriors made comparison a habit. on her side, the princess, to whom accoutrement and manner were mere accessories, pleasing or otherwise, and subordinate, sought the stranger's face. she saw brown eyes, not very large, but exceedingly bright, quick, sharp, flying from object to object with flashes of bold inquiry, and quitting them as instantly; a round forehead on brows high-arched; a nose with the curvature of a roman's; mouth deep-cornered, full-lipped, and somewhat imperfectly mustached and bearded; clear, though sunburned complexion--in brief, a countenance haughty, handsome, refined, imperious, telling in every line of exceptional birth, royal usages, ambition, courage, passion, and confidence. most amazing, however, the stranger appeared yet a youth. surprised, hardly knowing whether to be pleased or alarmed, yet attracted, she kept the face in steady gaze. halting when a few steps from the group, the stranger looked at them as if seeking one in especial. "have a care, o princess! this is not the governor, but he of whom i spoke--the great man." the warning was from the prince of india and in latin. as if to thank him for a service done--possibly for identifying the person he sought--the subject of the warning slightly bowed to him, then dropped his eyes to the princess. a light blown out does not vanish more instantly than his expression changed. wonder--incredulity--astonishment--admiration chased each other over his face in succession. calling them emotions, each declared itself with absolute distinctness, and the one last to come was most decided and enduring. thus he met her gaze, and so ardent, intense and continuous was his, that she reddened cheek and forehead, and drew down the veil; but not, it should be understood, resentfully. the disappearance of the countenance, in effect like the sudden extinguishment of a splendor, aroused him. advancing a step, he said to her, with lowered head and perceptible embarrassment: "i come to offer hospitality to the kinswoman of the emperor constantine. the storm shows no sign of abatement, and until it does, my castle yonder is at her order. while not sumptuous in appointment as her own palace, fortunately there are comfortable apartments in it where she can rest securely and with reserve. the invitation i presume to make in the name of my most exalted master sultan amurath, who takes delight in the amity existing between him and the lord of byzantium. to lay all fear, to dispel hesitation, in his name again, together with such earnest of good faith as lies in an appeal to the most holy prophet of god, i swear the princess irene shall be safe from interruption while in the castle, and free to depart from it at her pleasure. if she chooses, this tender of courtesy may, by agreement, here in the presence of these witnesses, be taken as an affair of state. i await her answer." the prince of india heard the speech more astonished by the unexceptional latin in which it was couched than the propriety of the matter or the grace of its delivery, though, he was constrained to admit, both were very great. he also understood the meaning of the look the stranger had given him at the conclusion of his warning to the princess, and to conceal his vexation, he turned to her. that moment two covered chairs, brought from the castle, were set down near by, and the rain began to fall in earnest. "see," said the governor, "the evidence of my care for the comfort of the kinswoman of the most noble emperor constantine. i feared it would rain before i could present myself to her; nor that alone, fair princess--the chair must convict me of a wholesome dread of accusation in constantinople; for what worse could be said than that i, a faithful moslem, to whom hospitality is an ordination of religion, refused to open my gates to women in distress because they were christians. most noble and fair lady, behold how much i should esteem acceptance of my invitation!" irene looked at the prince of india, and seeing assent in his face, answered: "i will ask leave to report this courtesy as an affair of state that my royal kinsman may acknowledge it becomingly." the governor bowed very low while saying: "i myself should have suggested the course." "also that my friends"--she pointed to the prince of india, and the monk--"and all the boatmen, be included in the safeguard." this was also agreed to; whereupon she arose, and for assistance offered her hand to sergius. lael was next helped from the boat. then, taking to the chairs, the two were carried into the castle, followed by the prince and the monk afoot. chapter x the arabian story-teller the reader will doubtless refer the circumstance to the jealousy which is supposed to prompt the faithful where women are required to pass before men; yet the best evidence of the governor's thoughtfulness for his female guests met them at their approach to the castle. there was not a man visible except a sentinel on the battlement above the gate, and he stood faced inwardly, making it impossible for him to see them when they drew near. "where are the horsemen of whom you spoke? and the garrison, where are they?" sergius asked the prince. the latter shrugged his shoulders, as he answered: "they will return presently." further proof of the same thoughtfulness was presented when the two chairs were set down in the broad stone-paved passage receiving from the front door. the sole occupant there was a man, tall as the monk, but unnaturally slender; indeed, his legs resembled those of a lay figure, so thin were they, while the residue of his person, although clad in a burnoose gorgeously embroidered, would have reminded a modern of the skeletons surgeons keep for office furniture. besides blackness deep as the unlighted corner of a cellar, he had no beard. the prince of india recognized him as one of the indispensables of an eastern harem, and made ready to obey him without dissent--only the extravagance of the broidery on the burnoose confirmed him in the opinion that the chief just arrived outranked the governor. "this is the kislar aga of a prince," he said to himself. the eunuch, like one accustomed to the duty, superintended the placement of the chairs; then, resting the point of a very bright crescent-shaped sword on the floor, he said, in a voice more incisive than the ordinary feminine tenor: "i will now conduct the ladies, and guard them. no one will presume to follow." the prince replied: "it is well; but they will be comforted if permitted to abide together." he spoke with deference, and the black responded: "this is a fort, not a palace. there is but one chamber for the two." "and if i wish to communicate with them or they with me?" "_bismillah!_" the eunuch replied. "they are not prisoners. i will deliver what thou hast for them or they for thee." thereupon the princess and lael stepped from the chairs, and went with their guide. when they were gone, word sped through the castle, and with clamor and clangor, doors opened, and men poured forth in companies. and again the prince reflected: "such discipline pertains to princes only." now the office of eunuch was by no means an exclusive pagan institution; time out of mind it had been a feature of byzantine courts; and constantine dragases, the last, and probably the most christian of greek emperors, not only tolerated, but recognized it as honorable. with this explanation the reader ought not to be surprised if the princess irene accepted the guidance offered her without fear or even hesitation. doubtless she had been in similar keeping many times. climbing a number of stairways, the eunuch brought his fair charges into a part of the castle where there were signs of refinement. the floors were swept; the doors garnished with rugs; a delicate incense lingered in the air; and to rescue the tenants, whoever they might be, from darkness, lighted lamps swung from the ceiling, and were affixed to the walls. stopping finally before a portiere, he held it aside while saying: "enter here, and be at home. upon the table yonder there is a little bell; ring, and i will answer." and seeing lael clinging closely to the princess, he added: "be not afraid. know ye rather that my master, when a child, heard the story of hatim, a warrior and poet of the arabs, and ever since he has lived believing hospitality a virtue without which there can be no godliness. do not forget the bell." they entered and were alone. to their amazement the room was more than comfortably furnished. what may be termed a chandelier swung from the ceiling with many lamps ready for lighting; under it there was a circular divan; then along the four sides a divan extended continuously, with pillows at the corners in heaps. matting covered the floor, and here and there rugs of gay dyes offered noticeable degrees of warmth and coloring. large trays filled the deep recesses of the windows, and though the smell of musk overpowered the sweet outgivings of the roses blooming in them, they sufficed to rouge the daylight somewhat scantily admitted. the roughness and chill of the walls were provided against by woollen drapery answering for arras. they went first to one of the windows, and peered out. below them the world was being deluged with fiercely driven rain. there was the bosphorus lashed into waves already whitened with foam. the european shore was utterly curtained from sight. gust after gust raved around the castle, whistling and moaning; and as she beheld the danger escaped, the princess thought of the saying of the prince of india and repeated it in a spirit of thanksgiving: "by the will of god thou art here." the reflection reconciled her to the situation, and led on till presently the face and martial figure of the governor reproduced themselves to her fancy. how handsome he appeared--how courteous--how young!--scarcely older than herself! how readily she had yielded to his invitation! she blushed at the thought. lael interrupted the revery, which was not without charm, and for that reason would likely return, by bringing her a child's slipper found near the central divan; and while examining the embroidery of many-colored beads adorning it, she divined the truth. isolated as the castle was on a frontier of the islamic world, and crowded with men and material of war, yet the governor was permitted his harem, and this was its room in common. here his wives, many or few, for the time banished to some other quarters, were in the habit of meeting for the enjoyment of the scant pleasantries afforded by life like theirs. again she was interrupted. the arras over one of the walls was pushed aside, and two women came in with refreshments. a third followed with a small table of turkish pattern which she placed on the floor. the viands, very light and simple, were set upon the table; then a fourth one came bringing an armful of shawls and wraps. the last was a greek, and she explained that the lord of the castle, her master, was pleased to make his guests comfortable. in the evening later a more substantial repast would be served. meantime she was appointed to wait on them. the guests, assured by the presence of other women in the castle, partook of the refection; after which the table was removed, and the attendants for the present dismissed. wrapping themselves then in shawls, for they had not altogether escaped the rain, and were beginning to feel the mists stealing into the chamber through the unglazed windows, they took to the divan, piling the cushions about them defensively. in this condition, comfortable, cosey, perfectly at rest, and with the full enjoyment of the sensations common to every one in the midst of a novel adventure, the princess proceeded to draw from lael an account of herself; and the ingenuousness of the girl proved very charming, coupled as it was with a most unexpected intelligence. the case was the not unusual one of education wholly unsupported by experience. the real marvel to the inquisitor was that she should have made discovery of two such instances the same day, and been thrown into curious relation with them. and as women always run parallels between persons who interest them, the princess was struck with the similarities between sergius and lael. they were both young, both handsome, both unusually well informed and at the same time singularly unsophisticated. in the old pagan style, what did fate mean by thus bringing them together? she determined to keep watch of the event. and when, in course of her account, lael spoke of the prince of india, irene awoke at once to a mystery connected with him. lacking the full story, the narrator could give just enough of it to stimulate wonder. who was he? where was cipango? he was rich--learned--knew all the sciences, all the languages--he had visited countries everywhere, even the inhabited islands. to be sure, he had not appeared remarkable; indeed, she gave him small attention when he was before her; she recalled him chiefly by his eyes and velvet pelisse. while she was mentally resolving to make better study of him, the eunuch appeared under the portiere, and, coming forward, said, with a half salaam to the princess: "my master does not wish his guests to think themselves forgotten. the kinswoman of the most august emperor constantine, he remembers, is without employment to lighten the passage of a time which must be irksome to her. he humbly prays her to accept his sympathy, and sends me to say that a famous story-teller, going to the court of the sultan at adrianople, arrived at the castle to-day. would the princess be pleased to hear him?" "in what tongue does he recite?" she asked. "arabic, turkish, greek, latin, hebrew," was the reply. "oh, a most wise man!" irene consulted lael, and thinking to offer her amusement, assented to the suggestion, with thanks to the governor. "have the veils ready," the eunuch said, as he retreated backward to the door. "the story-teller is a man, and he will come directly." the story-teller was ushered in. he walked to the divan where his auditors sat, slowly, as if he knew himself under close observation, and courted it. now caravans were daily shows in constantinople. the little bell of the donkey leading its string of laden camels through the narrow streets might be heard any hour, and the shaykh in charge was almost invariably an arab. so the princess had seen many of the desert-born, and was familiar with their peculiarities; never, however, had chance brought a nobler specimen of the race before her. as he approached, stepping as modern stage heroes are wont, she saw the red slippers, the white shirt falling to the ankles and girdled at the waist, its bosom a capacious pocket, the white and red striped cloak over the shoulders. she marked the material of which they were made, the shirt of selected angora wool, the cloak of camel's hair, in its fineness iridescent and soft as velvet. she saw in the girdle an empty scabbard for a yatagan elaborately covered with brilliants. she saw on the head a kerchief of mixed silk and cotton, tasselled, heavily striated red and yellow, and secured by the usual cord; but she scarcely more than noticed them--the air of the man, high, stately, king-like, was a superior attraction, and she gazed at his face unconscious that her own was uncovered. the features were regular, the complexion sunburned to the hue of reddish copper, the beard thin, the nose sharp, the cheeks hollow, the eyes, through the double shade of brows and kerchief, glittered like balls of polished black amber. his hands were crossed above the girdle after the manner of eastern servants before acknowledged superiors; his salutation was expressive of most abject homage; yet when he raised himself, and met the glance of the princess, his eyes lingered, and brightened, and directly he cast off or forgot his humility, and looked lordlier than an emir boasting of his thousand tents, with ten spears to each, and a score of camels to the spear. she endured the gaze awhile; for it seemed she had seen the face before--where, she could not tell; and when, as presently happened, she began to feel the brightness of the eyes intenser growing, the sensation reminded her of the governor at the landing. could this be he? no, the countenance here was of a man already advanced in life. and why should the governor resort to disguise? the end, nevertheless, was the same as on the landing--she drew down the veil. then he became humble again, and spoke, his eyes downcast, his hands crossed: "this faithful servant"--he pointed to the eunuch "my friend"--the eunuch crossed his hands, and assumed an attitude of pleased attention--"brought me from his master--may the most merciful and compassionate continue a pillow to the good man here and to his soul hereafter!--how a kinswoman of the emperor whose capital is to the earth a star, and he as the brightness thereof, had taken refuge with him from the storm, and was now his guest, and languishing for want of amusement. would i tell her a story? i have a horde of parables, tales, and traditions, and many nations have contributed to it; but, alas, o princess! they are simple, and such as beguile tentmen and tentwomen shut in by the desert, their fancies tender as children's. i fear your laughter. but here i am; and as the night bird sings when the moon is risen, because the moon is beautiful and must be saluted, even so i am obedient. command me." the speech was in greek, with the slightest imperfection of accent; at the conclusion the princess was silent. "knowest thou"--she at length said--"knowest thou of one hatim, renowned as a warrior and poet of the arabs?" the eunuch saw the reference, and smiled. asking of hatim now was only another form of inquiry after his master; not merely had the latter been in her mind; she wished to know more about him. on his part, the story-teller arose from his servile posture, and asked with the animation of one to whom a favorite theme is presented: "noble lady, know you aught of the desert?" "i have never been there," the princess answered. "though not beautiful, it is the home of mysteries," he said, with growing enthusiasm. "when he whom in the same breath you worship as god and the son of god--an opposition beyond the depth of our simple faith--made ready to proclaim himself, he went for a time into the wilderness, and dwelt there. so likewise our prophet, seeing the dawn of his day, betook himself to hiva, a rock, bleak, barren, waterless. why, o princess, if not for purification, and because god of preference has founded his dwelling there, wasting it indeed the better to nurse his goodness in a perfected solitude? granting this, why may i not assert without shocking you that the sons of the desert are the noblest of men?-"such was hatim! "in the hijaz and the nejd, they tell of him thus: "in the day the compassionate set about world-making, which is but a pastime with him, nor nearly so much as nest-building to a mother-dove, he rested. the mountains and rivers and seas were in their beds, and the land was variegated to please him, here a forest, there a grassy plain; nothing remained unfinished except the sand oceans, and they only wanted water. he rested. "now, if, with their sky, a sun-field in the day, a gallery of stars at night, and their winds, flying from sea to sea, but gathering no taint, the deserts are treeless, and unknowing the sweetness of gardens and the glory of grass, it was not by accident or forgetfulness; for with him, the compassionate, the merciful, there are no accidents or lapses of any kind. he is all attention and ever present. thus the throne verse--'drowsiness overcomes him not nor sleep.... his firmament spans the heaven and the earth, and the care of them does not distress him.' "why then the yellowness and the burning, the sameness and solitude, and the earth intolerant of rain and running stream, and of roads and paths--why, if there was neither accident nor forgetfulness? "he is the high and the great! accuse him not! "in that moment of rest, not from weariness or overburden, but to approve the work done, and record the approval as a judgment, he said, speaking to his almightiness as to a familiar: 'as it is it shall stay. a time will come when with men i, and the very name of me, shall go out utterly like the green of last year's leaf. he who walks in a garden thinks of it only; but he who abides in a desert, wanting to see the beautiful, must look into the sky, and looking there he shall be reminded of me, and say aloud and as a lover, 'there is no god but him, the compassionate, the merciful.... the eyes see him not, but he seeth the eyes; and he is the gracious, the knowing'.... so also comes a time when religion shall be without heart, dead, and the quickening of worship lost in idolatry; when men shall cry, god, my god, to stones and graven images, and sing to hear their singing, and the loud music it goes with. and that time shall be first in lands of growth and freshness, in cities where comforts and luxuries are as honey in hives after the flowering of palms. wherefore--lo, the need of deserts. there i shall never be forgotten. and out of them, out of their hardness and heat, out of their yellow distances and drouth, religion shall arise again, and go forth purified unto universality; for i shall be always present there, a life-giver. and against those days of evil, i shall keep men there, the best of their kind, and their good qualities shall not rust; they shall be brave, for i may want swords; they shall keep the given word, for as i am the truth, so shall my chosen be; there shall be no end to charity among them, for in such lands charity is life, and must take every form, friendship, love of one another, love of giving, and hospitality, unto which are riches and plenty. and in their worship, i shall be first, and honor next. and as truth is the soul of the world, it being but another of my names, for its salvation they shall speak with tongues of fire, this one an orator, that one a poet; and living in the midst of death, they shall fear me not at all, but dishonor more. mine are the sons of the desert--the word-keepers!--the unconquered and conquerless! for my name's sake, i nominate them mine, and i alone am the high and the great.... and there shall be amongst them exemplars of this virtue and that one singly; and at intervals through the centuries standards for emulation among the many, a few, in whom all the excellences shall be blent in indivisible comeliness.' "so came hatim, of the bene-tayyi, lustrous as the moon of ramazan to eager watchers on high hilltops, and better than other men, even as all the virtues together are better than any one of them, excepting charity and love of god. "now hatim's mother was a widow, poor, and without relations, but beloved by the compassionate, and always in his care, because she was wise beyond the men of her time, and kept his laws, as they were known, and taught them to her son. one day a great cry arose in the village. everybody rushed to see the cause, and then joined in the clamor. "up in the north there was an appearance the like of which had never been beheld, nor were there any to tell what it was from hearsay. some pooh-poohed, saying, contemptuously: "'tis only a cloud.' "others, observing how rapidly it came, in movement like a bird sailing on outspread motionless wings, said: "'a roc! a roc!' "when the object was nearer, a few of the villagers, in alarm, ran to their houses, shrieking: "'israfil, israfil! he is bringing the end of time!' "soon the sight was nearly overhead; then it was going by, its edge overhead, the rest of it extending eastwardly; and it was long and broad as a pasture for ten thousand camels, and horses ten thousand. it had no likeness earthly except a carpet of green silk; nor could those standing under describe what bore it along. they thought they heard the sound of a strong wind, but as the air above far and near was full of birds great and small, birds of the water as well as the land, all flying evenly with the carpet, and making a canopy of their wings, and shade deeper than a cloud's, the beholders were uncertain whether the birds or the wind served it. in passing, it dipped gently, giving them a view of what it carried--a throne of pearl and rainbow, and a crowned king sitting in majesty; at his left hand, an army of spirits, at his right, an army of men in martial sheen. "while the prodigy was before them, the spectators stirred not; nor was there one brave enough to speak; most of them with their eyes devoured it all, king and throne, birds, men and spirits; though afterwards there was asking: "'did you see the birds?' "'no.' "'the spirits?' "'no.' "'the men?' "'i saw only the king upon his throne.' "in the passing, also, a man, in splendor of apparel, stood on the carpet's edge and shouted: "'god is great! i bear witness there is no god but god.' "the same instant something fell from his hand. when the marvel was out of sight in the south, some bethought them, and went to see what it was which fell. they came back laughing, 'it was only a gourd, and as we have much better on our camel-saddles, we threw it away.' "but the mother of hatim, listening to the report, was not content. in her childhood she heard what was tradition then; how solomon, at the completion of his temple in jerusalem, journeyed to mecca upon a carpet of silk wafted by the wind, with men, spirits, and birds. wherefore, saying to herself, 'it was solomon going to mecca. not for nothing threw he the gourd,' she went alone, and brought it in, and opened it, finding three seeds--one red, like a ruby; a second blue, like a sapphire; the third green, like an emerald. "now she might have sold the seeds, for they were beautiful as gems cut for a crown, and enriched herself; but hatim was all the world to her. they were for him, she said, and getting a brown nut such as washes up from vines in the sea, she cut it, put the treasures into it, sealed them there, and tied them around the boy's neck. "'thanks, o solomon,' she said. 'there is no god but god; and i shall teach the lesson to my hatim in the morning, when _al hudhud_ flies for water; at noon, when it whistles to itself in the shade; and at night, when it draws a wing over its head to darken the darkness, and sleep.' "and from that day through all his days hatim wore the brown nut with the three seeds in it; nor was there ever such an amulet before or since; for, besides being defended by the genii who are solomon's servants, he grew one of the exemplars promised by god, having in himself every virtue. no one braver than he; none so charitable; none so generous and merciful; none so eloquent; none on whose lips poetry was such sweet speech for the exalting of souls; above all, never had there been such a keeper of his word of promise. "and of this judge you by some of the many things they tell of him. "a famine fell upon the land. it was when hatim had become sheik of his tribe. the women and children were perishing. the men could no more than witness their suffering. they knew not whom to accuse; they knew no one to receive a prayer. the time predicted was come--the name of god had gone out utterly, like the green of last year's leaf. in the sheik's tent even, as with the poorest, hunger could not be allayed--there was nothing to eat. the last camel had been devoured--one horse remained. more than once the good man went out to kill him, but the animal was so beautiful--so affectionate--so fleet! and the desert was not wide enough to hold his fame! how much easier to say, 'another day--to-morrow it may rain.' "he sat in his tent telling his wife and children stories, for he was not merely the best warrior of his day; he was the most renowned poet and storyteller. riding into battle, his men would say, 'sing to us, o hatim--sing, and we will fight.' and they he loved best, listening to him, had nigh forgot their misery, when the curtain of the tent was raised. "'who is there?' he asked. "'thy neighbor,' and the voice was a woman's. 'my children are anhungred and crying, and i have nothing for them. help, o sheik, help or they die.' "'bring them here,' he said, rising. "'she is not worse off than we,' said his wife, 'nor are her children more hungry than ours. what will you do?' "'the appeal was to me,' he answered. "and passing out, he slew the horse, and kindled a fire; then, while the stranger and her children were sharing piece by piece with his own, 'shame, shame!' he said, 'that ye alone should eat;' and going through the dowar, he brought the neighbors together, and he only went hungry. there was no more of the meat left. was ever one merciful like hatim? in combat, he gave lives, but took none. once an antagonist under his foot, called to him: 'give me thy spear, hatim,' and he gave it. "'foolish man!' his brethren exclaimed. "'what else was there?' he answered. 'did not the poor man ask a gift of me?' "never a captive besought his help vainly. on a journey once, a prisoner begged him to buy his liberty; but he was without the money required, and on that account he was sorely distressed. to his entreaties, the strangers listened hard-heartedly; at last he said to them: "am not i--hatim--good as he? let him go, and take me.' "and knocking the chains from the unfortunate, he had them put on himself, and wore them until the ransom came. "in his eyes a poet was greater than a king, and than singing a song well the only thing better was being the subject of a song. perpetuation by tombs he thought vulgar; so the glory unremembered in verse deserved oblivion. was it wonderful he gave and kept giving to story-tellers, careless often if what he thus disposed of was another's? "once in his youth--and at hearing this, o princess, the brown-faced sons of the desert, old and young, laugh, and clap their hands--he gave of his grandfather's store until the prudent old man, intending to cure him of his extravagance, sent him to tend his herds in the country. alas! "across the plain hatim one day beheld a caravan, and finding it escorting three poets to the court of the king of el-herah, he invited them to stop with him, and while he killed a camel for each of them, they recited songs in his praise, and that of his kin. when they wished to resume the journey, he detained them. "'there is no gift like the gift of song,' he said. 'i will do better by you than will he, the king to whom you are going. stay with me, and for every verse you write i will give you a camel. behold the herd!' "and at departing, they had each a hundred camels, and he three hundred verses. "'where is the herd?' the grandfather asked, when next he came to the pasture. "'see thou. here are songs in honor of our house,' hatim answered, proudly--'songs by great poets; and they will be repeated until all arabia is filled with our glory.' "'alas! thou hast ruined me!' the elder cried, beating his breast. "'what!' said hatim, indignantly. 'carest thou more for the dirty brutes than for the crown of honor i bought with them?'" here the arab paused. the recitation, it is to be remarked, had been without action, or facial assistance--a wholly unornate delivery; and now he kept stately silence. his eyes, intensely bright in the shadow of the _kufiyeh,_ may have produced the spell which held the princess throughout; or it may have been the eyes and voice; or, quite as likely, the character of hatim touched a responsive chord in her breast. "i thank you," she said, adding presently: "in saying i regret the story ended so soon, i pray you receive my opinion of its telling. i doubt if hatim himself could have rendered it better." the arab recognized the compliment with the faintest of bows, but made no reply in words. irene then raised her veil, and spoke again. "thy hatim, o eloquent arab, was warrior and poet, and, as thou hast shown him to me, he was also a philosopher. in what age did he live?" "he was a shining light in the darkness preceding the appearance of the prophet. that period is dateless with us." "it is of little consequence," she continued. "had he lived in our day, he would have been more than poet, warrior and philosopher--he would be a christian. his charity and love of others, his denial of self, sound like the christ. doubtless he could have died for his fellow-men. hast thou not more of him? surely he lived long and happily." "yes," said the arab, with a flash of the eyes to denote his appreciation of the circumstance. "he is reported to have been the most wretched of men. his wife--i pray you will observe i am speaking by the tradition--his wife had the power, so dreadful to husbands, of raising iblis at pleasure. it delighted her to beat him and chase him from his tent; at last she abandoned him." "ah!" the princess exclaimed. "his charities were not admirable in her eyes." "the better explanation, princess, may be found in a saying we have in the desert--'a tall man may wed a small woman, but a great soul shall not enter into bonds with a common one.'" there was silence then, and as the gaze of the story-teller was again finding a fascination in her face, irene took refuge behind her veil, but said, presently: "with permission, i will take the story of hatim for mine; but here is my friend--what hast thou for her?" the story-teller turned to lael. "her pleasure shall be mine," he said. "i should like something indian," the girl answered, timidly, for the eyes oppressed her also. "alas! india has no tales of love. her poetry is about gods and abstract religions. wherefore, if i may choose, i will a tale from persia next. in that country there was a verse-maker called firdousi, and he wrote a great poem, _the shah nameh_, with a warrior for hero. this is how rustem, in single combat, killed sohrab, not knowing the youth was his son until after the awful deed was done." the tale was full of melancholy interest, and told with singular grace; but it continued until after nightfall; of which the party was admonished by the attendants coming to light the lamps. at the conclusion, the arab courteously apologized for the time he had wrested from them. "in dealing with us, o princess," he said, "patience is full as lovely as charity." lifting the veil again, she extended her hand to him, saying, "the obligation is with us. i thank you for making light and pleasant an afternoon which else had been tedious." he kissed her hand, and followed the eunuch to the door. then the supper was announced. chapter xi the turquoise ring the prince of india, left in the passage of the castle with sergius, was not displeased with the course the adventure appeared to be taking. in the first place, he felt no alarm for lael; she might be uncomfortable in the quarter to which she had been conducted, but that was all, and it would not last long. the guardianship of the eunuch was in his view a guaranty of her personal safety. in the next place, acquaintance with the princess might prove serviceable in the future. he believed lael fitted for the highest rank; she was already educated beyond the requirements of the age for women; her beauty was indisputable; as a consequence, he had thought of her a light in the court; and not unpleasantly it occurred to him now that the fair princess might carry keys for both the inner and outer doors of the royal residence. generally the affair which was of concern to lael was an affair of absorbing interest to the prince; in this instance, however, another theme offered itself for the moment a superior attraction. the impression left by the young master of ceremonies in the reception at the landing was of a kind to arouse curiosity. his appearance, manner, speech and the homage paid him denoted exalted rank; while the confidence with which he spoke for sultan amurath was most remarkable. his acceptance of the terms presented by the princess irene was little short of downright treaty-making; and what common official dared carry assumption to such a height? finally the prince fell to thinking if there was any person the actual governor of the castle would quietly permit to go masquerading in his authority and title. then everything pointed him to prince mahommed. the correspondence in age was perfect; the martial array seen galloping down the bank was a fitting escort for the heir-apparent of the gray sultan; and he alone might with propriety speak for his father in a matter of state. "a mistake cannot be serious," said the prince to himself, at the end of the review. "i will proceed upon the theory that the young man is prince mahommed." this was no sooner determined than the restless mind flew forward to an audience. the time and place--midnight in the lonesome old castle--were propitious, and he was prepared for it. indeed it was the very purpose he had in view the night of the repast in his tent at el zaribah where he so mysteriously intrusted the emir mirza with revelations concerning the doom of constantinople. once more he ran over the scheme which had brought him from cipango. if islam could not be brought to lead in the project, christendom might be more amenable to reason. the moslem world was to be reached through the kaliph whom he expected to find in egypt; wherefore his contemplated trip down the nile from kash-cush. if driven to the christian, constantine was to be his operator. such in broadest generality was the plan of execution he had resolved upon. but to these possibilities he had appended another of which it is now necessary to speak. enough has been given to apprise the reader of the things to which the prince preferably devoted himself. these were international affairs, and transcendently war. if indeed the latter were not the object he had always specially in mind, it was the end to which his management usually conducted. for mere enjoyment in the sight of men facing the death which strangely passed him by, he delighted in hovering on the edge of battle until there was a crisis, and then plunging into its heated heart. he had also a peculiar method of bringing war about. this consisted in providing for punishments in case his enterprises miscarried. invariably somebody suffered for such failures. in that way he soothed the pangs of wounded vanity. when he was inventing the means for executing his plots, and forming the relations essential to them, it was his habit to select instruments of punishment in advance. probably no better illustration of this feature of his dealings can be given than is furnished by the affair now engaging him. if he failed to move the kaliph to lead the reform, he would resort to constantine; if the emperor also declined, he would make him pay the penalty; then came the reservation. so soon after his arrival from cipango as he could inform himself of the political conditions of the world to which he was returning, he fixed upon mahommed to avenge him upon the offending greek. the meeting with mirza at el zaribah was a favorable opportunity to begin operating upon the young turk. the tale the emir received that night under solemn injunctions of secrecy was really intended for his master. how well it was devised for the end in view the reader will be able to judge from what is now to follow. the audience with mahommed determined upon by the prince of india, our first point of interest is in observing how he set about accomplishing it. his promptness was characteristic. directly the ladies had disappeared with the eunuch, the soldiers poured from their hiding places in the castle, and seeing one whom he judged an officer, the prince called to him in turkish: "ho, my friend!" the man was obliging. "present my salutations to the governor of the castle, and say the prince of india desires speech with him." the soldier hesitated. "understand," said the prince, quickly, "my message is not to the great lord who received me at the landing. but the governor in fact. bring him here." the confident manner prevailed. presently the messenger returned with a burly, middle-aged person in guidance. a green turban above a round face, large black eyes in muffling of fleshy lids, pallid cheeks lost in dense beard, a drab gown lined with yellow fur, a naked cimeter in a silk-embroidered sash, bespoke the turk; but how unlike the handsome, fateful-looking masquerader at the river side! "the prince of india has the honor of speech with the governor of the castle?" "god be praised," the governor replied. "i was seeking your highness. besides wishing to join in your thanks for happy deliverance from the storm, i thought to discharge my duty as a moslem host by conducting you to refreshments and repose. follow me, i pray." a few steps on the way, the governor stopped: "was there not a companion--a younger man--a dervish?" "a monk," said the prince; "and the question reminds me of my attendant, a negro. send for him--or better, bring them both to me. i wish them to share my apartment." in a short time the three were in quarters, if one small room may be so dignified. the walls were cold gray stone; one oblong narrow port-hole admitted scanty light; a rough bench, an immense kettle-drum shaped like the half of an egg-shell, and propped broadside up, some piles of loose straw, each with folded sheepskins on it, constituted the furnishment. sergius made no sign of surprise or disappointment. possibly the chamber and its contents were reproductions of his cell up in bielo-osero. nilo gave himself to study of the drum, reminded, doubtless, of similar warlike devices in kash-cush. the prince alone expostulated. taking a stand between the governor and the door, he said: "a question before thou goest hence." the turk gazed at him silently. "to what accommodations have the princess irene and her attendant been taken? are they vile as these?" "the reception room of my harem is the most comfortable the castle affords," the governor answered. "and they?" "they are occupying it." "not by courtesy of thine. he who could put the hospitality of the prince mahommed to shame by maltreating one of his guests." he paused, and grimly surveyed the room. "such a servant would be as evil-minded to another guest; and that the other is a woman, would not affect his imbruited soul." "the prince mahommed!" the governor exclaimed. "yes. what brings him here, matters not; his wish to keep the romans in ignorance of his near presence, i know as well as thou; none the less, it was his royal word we accepted. as for thee--thou mightest have promised faith and hospitality with thy hand on the prophet's beard, yet would i have bidden the princess trust herself to the tempest sooner." sergius was now standing by, but the conversation being in turkish, he listened without understanding. "thou ass!" the prince continued. "not to know that the kinswoman of the roman emperor, under this roof by treaty with the mighty amurath, his son the negotiator, is our guardian! when the storm shall have spent itself, and the waters quieted down, she will resume her journey. then--it may be in the morning--she will first ask for us, and then thy master will require to know how we have passed the night. ah, thou beginnest to see!" the governor's head was drooping; his hands crossed themselves upon his stomach; and when he raised his eyes, they were full of deprecation and entreaty. "your highness--most noble lord--condescend to hear me." "speak. i am awake to hear the falsehood thou hast invented in excuse of thy perfidy to us, and thy treason to him, the most generous of masters, the most chivalrous of knights." "your highness has greatly misconceived me. in the first place you have forgotten the crowded state of the castle. every room and passage is filled with the suite and escort of"-he hesitated, and turned pale, like a man dropped suddenly into a great danger. the shrewd guest caught at the broken sentence and finished it: "of prince mahommed!" "with the suite and escort," the governor repeated.... "in the next place, it was not my intention to leave you unprovided. from my own apartments, light, beds and seats were ordered to be brought here, with meats for refreshment, and water for cleansing and draught. the order is in course of execution now. indeed, your highness, i swear by the first chapter of the koran"-"take something less holy to swear by," cried the prince. "then, by the bones of the faithful, i swear i meant to make you comfortable, even to my own deprivation." "by thy young master's bidding?" the governor bent forward very low. "well," said the prince, softening his manner--"the misconception was natural." "yes--yes." "and now thou hast only to prove thy intention by making it good." "trust me, your highness." "trust thee? ay, on proof. i have a commission"-the prince then drew a ring from his finger. "take this," he said, "and deliver it to the emir mirza." the assurance of the speech was irresistible; so the turk held out his hand to receive the token. "and say to the emir, that i desire him to thank the most compassionate and merciful for the salvation of which we were witnesses at the southwest corner of the kaaba." "what!" exclaimed the governor. "art thou a moslem?" "i am not a christian." the governor, accepting the ring, kissed the hand offering it, and took his departure, moving backward, and with downcast eyes, his manner declarative of the most abject humility. hardly was the door closed behind the outgoing official, when the prince began to laugh quietly and rub his hands together--quietly, we say, for the feeling was not merriment so much as self-gratulation. there was cleverness in having doubted the personality of the individual who received the refugees at the landing; there was greater cleverness in the belief which converted the governor into the prince mahommed; but the play by which the fact was uncovered--if not a stroke of genius, how may it be better described? the prince of india thought as he laughed: "not long now until amurath joins his fathers, and then--mahommed." presently he stopped, a step half taken, his gaze upon the floor, his hands clasped behind him. he stood so still it would not have been amiss to believe a thought was all the life there was in him. he certainly did believe in astrology. had not men been always ruled by what they imagined heavenly signs? how distinctly he remembered the age of the oracle and the augur! upon their going out he became a believer in the stars as prophets, and then an adept; afterwhile he reached a stage when he habitually mistook the commonest natural results, even coincidences, for confirmations of planetary forecasts. and now this halting and breathlessness was from sudden recollection that the horoscope lying on his table in constantinople had relation to mahommed in his capacity of conqueror. how marvellous also that from the meeting with constantine in the street of the city, he should have been blown by a tempest to a meeting with mahommed in the white castle! these circumstances, trifling to the reader, were of deep influence to the prince of india. while he stands there rigid as a figure marbleized in mid action, he is saying to himself: "the audience will take place--heaven has ordered it. would i knew what manner of man this mahommed is!" he had seen a handsome youth, graceful in bearing, quick and subtle in speech, cultivated and evidently used to governing. very good, but what an advantage there would be in knowing the bents and inclinations of the royal lad beforehand. presently the schemer's head arose. the boyish prince was going about in armor when soft raiment would be excusable--and that meant ambition, dreams of conquest, dedication to martial glory. very good indeed! and then his manner under the eyes of the girlish princess--how quickly her high-born grace had captivated him! something impossible were he not of a romantic turn, a poet, sentimentalist, knight errant. the prince clapped his hands. he knew the appeals effective with such natures. let the audience come.... ah, but-again he sunk into thought. youths like mahommed were apt to be wilful. how was he to be controlled? one expedient after another was swiftly considered and as swiftly rejected. at last the right one! like his ancestors from ertoghrul down, the young turk was a believer in the stars. not unlikely he was then in the castle by permission of his astrologer. indeed, if mirza had repeated the conversation and predictions at el zaribah, the prince of india was being waited for with an impatience due a master of the astral craft. again the wanderer cried, "let the audience come!" and peace and confidence were possessing him when a loud report and continuous rumble in the room set the solid floor to quaking. he looked around in time to see the big drum quivering under a blow from nilo. from the negro his gaze wandered to sergius standing before the one loophole by which light and air were let into the dismal chamber; and recalling the monk as the sole attendant of the princess irene, he thought it best to speak to him. drawing near, he observed the cowl thrown back, and that the face was raised, the eyes closed, the hands palm to palm upon the breast. involuntarily he stopped, not because he was one of those who always presume the most holy presence when prayer is being offered--he stopped, wondering where he had seen that countenance. the delicate features, the pallid complexion, the immature beard, the fair hair parted in the middle, and falling in wavy locks over the shoulders, the aspect manly yet womanly in its refinement, were strangely familiar to him. it was his first view of the monk's face. where had he seen it? his memory went back, far back of the recent. a chill struck his heart. the features, look, air, portrait, the expression indefinable except as a light of outcoming spirit, were those of the man he had helped crucify before the damascus gate in the holy city, and whom he could no more cast out of mind than he could the bones from his body. his feet seemed rooting into the flinty flags beneath them. he heard the centurion call to him: "ho, there! if thou knowest the golgotha, come show it." he felt the sorrowful eyes of the condemned upon him. he struck the bloody cheek, and cried as to a beast: "go faster, jesus!" and then the words, wrung from infinite patience at last broken: "i am going, but do thou tarry till i come." for relief, he spoke: "what dost thou, my friend?" sergius opened his eyes and answered simply, "i am praying." "to whom?" "to god." "art thou a christian?" "yes." "god is for the jew and the moslem." "nay," said sergius, looking at the prince without taking down his hands, "all who believe in god find happiness and salvation in him--the christian as well as the jew and the moslem." the questions had been put with abrupt intensity; now the inquisitor drew back astonished. he heard the very postulate of the scheme to which he was devoting himself--and from a boy so like the dead christ he was working to blot out of worship he seemed the christ arisen! the amazement passed slowly, and with its going the habitual shrewdness and capacity to make servants of circumstances apparently the most untoward returned. the youth had intellect, impressiveness, aptitude in words, and a sublime idea. but what of his spirit--his courage--his endurance in the faith? "how came this doctrine to thee?" the prince spoke deferentially. "from the good father hilarion." "who is he?" "the archimandrite of bielo-osero." "a monastery?" "yes." "how did he receive it?" "from the spirit of god, whence christ had his wisdom--whence all good men have their goodness--by virtue of which they, like him, become sons of god." "what is thy name?" "sergius." "sergius"--the prince, now fully recovered, exerted his power of will--"sergius, thou art a heretic." at this accusation, so terrible in those days, the monk raised the rosary of large beads dangling from his girdle, kissed the cross, and stood surveying the accuser with pity. "that is," the prince continued with greater severity, "speak thou thus to the patriarch yonder"--he waved a hand toward constantinople--"dare repeat the saying to a commission appointed to try thee for heresy, and thou wilt thyself taste the pangs of crucifixion or be cast to the beasts." the monk arose to his great height, and replied, fervently: "knowest thou when death hath the sweetness of sleep? i will tell thee"--a light certainly not from the narrow aperture in the wall collected upon his countenance, and shone visibly--"it is when a martyr dies knowing both of god's hands are a pillow under his head." the prince dropped his eyes, for he was asking himself, was such sweetness of sleep appointed for him? resuming his natural manner, he said: "i understand thee, sergius. probably no man in the world, go thou east or west, will ever understand thee better. god's hands under my head, welcome death!--let us be friends." sergius took his offered hand. just then there was a noise at the door, and a troop of servants entered with lighted lamps, rugs, a table, stools, and beds and bedding, and it was not long until the apartment was made habitable. the prince, otherwise well satisfied, wanted nothing then but a reply from mirza; and in the midst of his wonder at the latter's delay, a page in brilliant costume appeared, and called out: "the emir mirza!" chapter xii the ring returns the prince, at the announcement of mirza, took position near the centre of the room where the light was ample. his black velvet pelisse contrasting strongly with his white hair and beard, he looked a mysterious indian potentate to whom occult nature was a familiar, and the stars oracular friends. mirza's cheeks were scarcely so sun and sand stained as when we first beheld him in conduct of the caravan to mecca; in other respects he was unchanged. his attire, like the lord mahommed's at the reception on the landing, was of chain mail very light and flexible. he carried a dagger in his belt, and to further signify confidence in the prince, the flat steel cap forming his headgear was swinging loosely from his left arm; or he might have intended to help his friend to a more ready recognition by presenting himself bareheaded. he met his survey with unaffected pleasure, took the hand extended in greeting, and kissed it reverentially. "forgive me, o prince, if my first greeting have the appearance of a reproach," mirza said, as he gave up the hand. "why have you kept us waiting so long?" the prince's countenance assumed a severe expression. "emir, i gave you confidence under seal." the emir flushed deeply. "was it knightly to betray me? to whom have you told the secret? how many have been waiting for my coming?" "be merciful, i pray." "but the stars. you have made me culprit with them. i may pardon you; can you assure me of their pardon?" the emir raised his head, and with an expostulatory gesture, was about to reply, when the prince continued, "put thy words in the tongue coinage of italy, for to be overheard now were to make me an offender like unto thyself." mirza glanced hastily at sergius, still praying before the loophole, and at nilo; then he surveyed the cell critically, and said, in italian, "this is the prison of the castle--and thou--can it be i see thee a prisoner?" the prince smiled. "the governor led me here with my friends; and what you behold of accommodations he sent in afterwards, saying the better rooms were filled with soldiery." "he will rue the deed. my lord is swift at righting a wrong, and trust me, o prince, to make report. but to return"--mirza paused, and looked into the prince's eyes earnestly--"is your accusation just? hear me; then by the motive judge. when i stood before my master, prince mahommed, a returned pilgrim, if not taller in fact, his bearing was more majestic. i kissed his hand wondering if some servant of the compassionate, some angel or travelling jinn, had not arrived before me, and whispered him of what you told me, speaking for the stars. and when we were alone, he would have account of the countries journeyed through, of the people met, of medina and mecca, and the other holy places; nor would he rest until he had from me the sayings i had heard on the way, everything from calls to prayer to the khatib's sermon. when i told him i had not heard the sermon, nor seen the preacher or his camel, he demanded why, and--what else was there to do, o prince?--i related how we had been pursued by the terrible yellow air; how it had overtaken me; how i fell down dying at the corner of the kaaba, and by whom i was saved even as the life was departing. this last directed him to you. my efforts to put him off but whetted his desire. he would not be diverted or denied. he insisted--urged--threatened. at last i told him all--of your joining us with the hajj from el khatif--your rank and train--your marches in the rear--the hundreds of miserables you saved from the plague--of our meeting at zaribah, your hospitality, your learning in all that pertains to the greatest of the prophets, your wisdom above the wisdom of other men. and you grew upon him as i proceeded. 'oh, a good man truly!' 'what courage!' 'what charity!' 'the prophet himself!' 'oh, that i had been you!' 'o foolish mirza, to suffer such a man to escape!' with such exclamations he kept breaking up my story. it was not long until he fastened upon our meeting in the tent. he plied me to know of what we talked--what you said, and all you said. o prince, if you did but know him; if you knew the soul possessing him, the intellectual things he has mastered, his sagacity, his art, his will, his day-dreams pursuing him in sleep, the deeds he is prepared to do, the depth and strength of his passions, his admiration for heroes, his resolve to ring the world with the greatness of his name--oh, knew you the man as i do, were you his lover as i am, his confidant--had you, for teaching him to ride and strike with sword and spear, his promise of a share in the glory beckoning him on, making his mighty expectations a part of you even as they are of him, would you--ah, prince, could you have withheld the secret? think of the revelation! the old east to awake, and march against the west! constantinople doomed! and he the leader for whom the opportunity is waiting! and to call my weakness betrayal! unsay it, unsay it, prince!" the face of the auditor as mirza proceeded with his defence would have been a profitable study. he saw himself succeeding in the purpose of his affected severity; he was drawing from mahommed's intimate the information he most desired; and thus advised in advance, his role in the interview coming would be of easy foresight and performance. not to appear too lightly satisfied, however, he said gravely, "i see the strain you underwent, my gallant friend. i see also the earnestness of your affection for your most noble pupil. he is to be congratulated upon the possession of a servant capable of such discernment and devotion. but i recall my question--how many are there waiting for me?" "your revelations, o prince, were imparted to my master alone; and with such certainty as you know yourself, you may believe them at rest in his bosom. no one better than he appreciates the importance of keeping them there under triple lock. more than one defeat--i think he would permit the confession--has taught him that secrecy is the life of every enterprise." "say you so, emir? i feel warmth returning to my hope. nay, listening to you, and not believing in improvised heroes, i see how your course may have been for the best. the years gone since you yielded to his importunities, wisely used, have doubtless served him providentially." the prince extended his hand again, and it was ardently taken; then, on his part, more than pleased, mirza said, "i bring you a message from my lord mahommed. i was with him when the governor came and delivered your ring to me--and, lest i forget a duty, prince, here it is--take it at some future time it may be serviceable as today." "yes, well thought!" the jew exclaimed, replacing the signet on his finger, and immediately, while looking at the turquoise eye, he dropped his tone into the solemn, "ay, the obligations of the pentagram endure--they are like a decree of god." the words and manner greatly impressed mirza. "my lord mahommed," he said, "observed the delivery of the ring to me by the governor; and when we were alone, and i had recounted the story of the jewels, 'what!' my lord cried, quite as transported as myself. 'that wonderful man--he here--here in this castle! he shall not escape me. send for him at once. i brook no delay.' he stamped his foot. 'lest he vanish in the storm--go!' when i was at the door, he bade me come back. 'the elder man with the white beard and black eyes, said you? it were well for me to begin by consulting his comfort. he may be tired, and in want of repose; his accommodations may be insufficient; wherefore go see him first, and ascertain his state and wishes.' and as i was going, he summoned me to return again. 'a moment--stay!' he said.'the circumstance enlarges with thought. thou knowest, mirza, i did not come here with a special object; i was drawn involuntarily; now i see it was to meet him. it is a doing of the stars. i shall hear from them!' o prince"--mirza's eyes sparkled, arid he threw up both his hands--"if ever man believed what he said, my master did." "a wise master truly," said the jew, struggling with his exultation. "what said he next?" "'while i am honoring their messenger'--thus my lord continued--'why not honor the stars? their hour is midnight, for then they are all out, from this horizon and that calling unto each other, and merging their influences into the harmony the preachers call the will of the most merciful. a good hour for the meeting. hear, mirza--at midnight--in this room. go now.' and so it is appointed." "and well appointed, emir." "shall i so report?" "with my most dutiful protestations." "look for me then at midnight." "i shall be awake, and ready." "meantime, prince, i will seek an apartment more in correspondence with the degree of my lord's most honored guest." "nay, good mirza, suffer me to advise in that matter. the bringing me into this place was a mistake of the governor's. he could not divine the merit i have in your master's eyes. he took me for a christian. i forgive him, and pray he may not be disturbed. he may be useful to me. upon the springing of a mischance--there is one such this instant in my mind's eye--i may be driven to come back to this castle. in such an event, i prefer him my servant rather than my enemy." "o prince!" "nay, emir, the idea is only a suggestion of one of the prophets whom allah stations at the turns in every man's career." "but every man cannot see the prophets." the jew finished gravely: "rather than disturb the governor further, soothe him for me; and when the lord mahommed goes hence, do thou see an instruction is left putting the castle and its chief at my order. also, as thou art a grateful friend, mirza, serve me by looking into the kettles out of which we are to have our refreshment, and order concerning them as for thyself. i feel a stir of appetite." the emir backed from the apartment, leaving a low salaam just outside the door. if the reader thinks the prince content now, he is not mistaken. true he paced the floor long and rapidly; but, feeling himself close upon a turn in his course, he was making ready for it perfectly as possible by consulting the prophet whom he saw waiting there. and as the lord mahommed failed not to remember them what time he betook himself to supper, the three guests up in the prison fared well, nor cared for the howling of the wind, and the bursting and beating of the rain still rioting without the walls. chapter xiii mahommed hears from the stars the second recall of the emir mirza departing with the appointment for the prince of india was remarkable, considering mahommed's usual quickness of conclusion and steadiness of purpose; and the accounting for it is noteworthy. so completely had the young turk been taken up by study and military service that leisure for love had been denied him; else he either despised the passion or had never met a woman to catch his fancy and hold it seriously. we have seen him make the white castle by hard galloping before the bursting of the storm. while at the gate, and in the midst of his reception there, the boats were reported making all speed to the river landing; and not wishing his presence at the castle to be known in constantinople, he despatched an under officer to seize the voyagers, and detain them until he had crossed the bosphorus _en route_ to adrianople. however, directly the officer brought back the spirited message of the princess irene to the governor of the castle, his mind underwent a change. "what," he asked, "sayst thou the woman is akin to the emperor constantine?" "such is her claim, my lord, and she looks it." "is she old?" "young, my lord--not more than twenty." mahommed addressed the governor: "stay thou here. i will take thy office, and wait upon this princess." dismounting, then, in the capacity of governor of the castle, he hastened to the landing, curious as well as desirous of offering refuge to the noble lady. he saw her first a short way off, and was struck with her composed demeanor. during the discussion of his tender of hospitality, her face was in fair view, and it astonished him. when finally she stepped from the boat, her form, delicately observable under the rich and graceful drapery, and so exquisitely in correspondence with her face, still further charmed him. before the chairs were raised, he sent a messenger to the castle with orders to place everybody in hiding, and for his kislar-aga, or chief eunuch, to be in the passage of entrance to receive and take charge of the kinswoman of the emperor and her attendant. by a further order the governor proper was directed to vacate his harem apartments for her accommodation. in the castle, after the princess had been thus disposed of, the impression she made upon him increased. "she is so high-born!--so beautiful!--she has such spirit and mind!--she is so calm under trial--so courageous--so decorous--so used to courtly life!" such exclamations attested the unwonted ferment going on in his mind. gradually, as tints under the brush of a skilful painter lose themselves in one effect, his undefined ideas took form. "o allah! what a sultana for a hero!" and by repetition this ran on into what may be termed the chorus of a love song--the very first of the kind his soul had ever sung. such was mahommed's state when mirza received the turquoise ring, and, announcing the prince of india, asked for orders. was it strange he changed his mind? indeed he was at the moment determining to see again the woman who had risen upon him like a moon above a lake; so, directly he had despatched the emir to the prince of india with the appointment for midnight, he sent for an arab sheik of his suite, arrayed himself in the latter's best habit, and stained his hands, neck, and face-turned himself, in brief, into the story-teller whom we have seen admitted to amuse the princess irene. at midnight, sharply as the hour could be determined by the uncertain appliances resorted to by the inmates of the castle, mirza appeared at his master's door with the mystical indian, and, passing the sentinel there, knocked like one knowing himself impatiently awaited. a voice bade them enter. the young turk, upon their entrance, arose from a couch of many cushions prepared for him under a canopy in the centre of the room. "this, my lord, is the prince of india" said mirza; then, almost without pause, he turned to the supposed indian, and added more ceremoniously: "be thou happy, o prince! the east hath not borne a son so worthy to take the flower from the tomb of saladin, and wear it, as my master here--the lord mahommed." then, his duty done, the emir retired. mahommed was in the garb used indoors immemorially by his race--sharply pointed slippers, immense trousers gathered at the ankles, a yellow quilted gown dropping below the knees, and a turban of balloon shape, its interfolding stayed by an aigrette of gold and diamonds. his head was shaven up to the edge of the turban, so that, the light falling from a cluster of lamps in suspension from the ceiling, every feature was in plain exposure. looking into the black eyes scarcely shaded by the upraised arching brows, the prince of india saw them sparkle with invitation and pleasure, and was himself satisfied. he advanced, and saluted by falling upon his knees, and kissing the back of his hands laid palm downward on the floor. mahommed raised him to his feet. "rise, o prince!" he said--"rise, and come sit with me." from behind the couch, the turk dragged a chair of ample seat, railed around except at the front, and provided with a cushion of camel's hair--a chair such as teachers in the mosques use when expounding to their classes. this he placed so while he sat on the couch the visitor would be directly before him, and but little removed. soon the two were sitting cross-legged face to face. "a man devout as the prince of india is reported to me," mahommed began, in a voice admirably seconding the respectful look he fixed upon the other, "must be of the rightly guided, who believe in god and the last day, and observe prayer, and pay the alms, and dread none but god--who therefore of right frequent the temples." "your words, my lord, are those of the veritable messenger of the most high heaven," the wanderer responded, bending forward as if about to perform a prostration. "i recognize them, and they give me the sensation of being in a garden of perpetual abode, with a river running beneath it." mahommed, perceiving the quotation from the koran, bent low in turn, saying: "it is good to hear you, for as i listen i say to myself, this one is of the servants of the merciful who are to walk upon the earth softly. i accost you in advance, welcome and peace." after a short silence, he continued: "a frequenter of mosques, you will see, o prince, i have put you in the teacher's place. i am the student. yours to open the book and read; mine to catch the pearls of your saying, lest they fall in the dust, and be lost." "i fear my lord does me honor overmuch; yet there is a beauty in willingness even where one cannot meet expectation. of what am i to speak?" mahommed knit his brows, and asked imperiously, "who art thou? of that tell me first." happily for the prince, he had anticipated this demand, and, being intensely watchful, was ready for it, and able to reply without blenching: "the emir introduced me rightly. i am a prince of india." "now of thy life something." "my lord's request is general--perhaps he framed it with design. left thus to my own judgment, i will be brief, and choose from the mass of my life." there was not the slightest sign of discomposure discernible in the look or tone of the speaker; his air was more than obliging--he seemed to be responding to a compliment. "i began walk as a priest--a disciple of siddhartha, whom my lord, of his great intelligence, will remember as born in central india. very early, on account of my skill in translation, i was called to china, and there put to rendering the thirty-five discourses of the father of the budhisattwa into chinese and thibettan. i also published a version of the lotus of the good law, and another of the nirvana. these brought me a great honor. to an ancestor of mine, maha kashiapa, buddha happened to have intrusted his innermost mysteries--that is, he made him keeper of the pure secret of the eye of right doctrine. behold the symbol of that doctrine." the prince drew a leaf of ivory, worn and yellow, from a pocket under his pelisse, and passed it to mahommed, saying, "will my lord look?" mahommed took the leaf, and in the silver sunk into it saw this sign: [illustration] "i see," he said, gravely. "give me its meaning." "nay, my lord, did i that, the doctrine of which, as successor of kashiapa, though far removed, they made me keeper--the very highest of buddhistic honors--would then be no longer a secret. the symbol is of vast sanctity. there is never a genuine image of buddha without it over his heart. it is the monogram of vishnu and siva; but as to its meaning, i can only say every brahman of learning views it worshipfully, knowing it the compression of the whole mind of buddha." mahommed respected the narrator's compunction, and returned the symbol, saying simply, "i have heard of such things." "to pursue," the prince then said, confident of the impression he was producing: "at length i returned to my own country enriched beyond every hope. a disposition to travel seized me. one day, passing the desert to baalbec, some bedouin made me prisoner, and carrying me to mecca, sold me to the scherif there; a good man who respected my misfortune and learning--may the youths ever going in paradise forget not his cup of flowing wine!--and wrought with me over the book of the one god until i became a believer like himself. then, as i had exchanged the hope of nirvana for the better and surer hope of islam, he set me free.... again in my native land, i betook myself to astrologic studies, being the more inclined thereto by reason of the years i had spent in contemplating the abstrusities of siddhartha. i became an adept--something, as my lord may already know, impossible to such as go about unknowing the whole earth and heavens, and the powers superior, those of the sky, and those lesser, meaning kings, emperors, and sultans." "how!" exclaimed mahommed. "is not every astrologer an adept?" the prince answered softly, seeing the drift was toward the professor in the young turk's service. "there is always a better until we reach the best. even the stars differ from each other in degree." "but how may a man know the superior powers?" "the sum of the observations kept by the wise through the ages, and recorded by them, is a legacy for the benefit of the chosen few. had my lord the taste, and were he not already devoted by destiny, i could take him to a college where what is now so curious to him is simple reading." the hard and doubting expression on mahommed's face began to soften, yet he persisted: "knowing the superior, why is it needful to know the inferior powers?" "my lord trenches now upon the forbidden, yet i will answer as his shrewdness deserves. never man heard from the stars in direct speech--that were almost like words with god. but as they are servants, they also have servants. moreover what we have from them is always in answer. they love to be sought after by the diligent. some ages ago an adept seeking this and that of them conjecturally, had reply, 'lo! a tribe of poor wanderers in the east. heed them, for they shall house their dominion in palaces now the glory of the west, and they shall dig the pit to compass the fall of the proud.' is it this tribe? is it that? but the seeker never knew. the children of ertoghrul were yet following their herds up and down the pastures they had from ala-ed-din, the iconian. not knowing their name, he could not ask of them from the decree-makers?" the mystic beheld the blood redden mahommed's open countenance, and the brightening of his eyes; and as he was speaking to his pride, he knew he was not amiss. "the saying of the stars," he went on, "descended to succeeding adepts. time came to their aid. when at length your fathers seated themselves in broussa, the mystery was in part revealed. anybody, even the low-browed herdsman shivering in the currents blowing from the trojan heights, could then have named the fortunate tribe. still the exposure was not complete; a part remained for finding out. we knew the diggers of the pit; but for whom was it? to this i devoted myself. hear me closely now--my lord, i have traversed the earth, not once, but many times--so often, you cannot name a people unknown to me, nor a land whither i have not been--no, nor an island. as the grandson of abd-el-muttalib was a messenger of god, i am a messenger of the predicting stars--not their prophet, only their interpreter and messenger. the business of the stars is my business." mahommed's lips moved, and it was with an effort he kept silent. the prince proceeded, apparently unconscious of the interest he was exciting: "here and there while i travelled, i kept communication with the planets; and though i had many of their predictions to solve, i asked them oftenest after the unnamed proud one for whom thy ottomanites were charged to dig a pit. i presented names without number--names of persons, names of peoples, and lest one should be overlooked, i kept a record of royal and notable families. was a man-child horn to any of them, i wrote down the minute of the hour of his birth, and how he was called. by visitations, i kept informed of the various countries, their conditions, and their relations with each other; for as the state of the earth points favorably or unfavorably to its vegetation, so do the conditions of nations indicate the approach of changes, and give encouragement to those predestined to bring the changes about. again i say, my lord, as the stars are the servants of god, they have their servants, whom you shall never know except as you are able to read the signs their times offer you for reading. moreover the servants are sometimes priests, sometimes soldiers, sometimes kings; among them have been women, and men of common origin; for the seed of genius falls directly from god's hand, and he chooses the time and field for the sowing; but whether high or low, white or black, good or bad, how shall a messenger interpret truly for the stars except by going before their elect, and introducing them, and making their paths smooth? must he not know them first?" a mighty impulsion here struck mahommed. recurring rather to what he had heard from mirza of the revelation dropped by the strange person met by him during the pilgrimage, he felt himself about to be declared of the elect, and unable to control his eagerness, he asked abruptly: "knowest thou me, o prince?" the manner of the mystic underwent a change. he had been deferential, even submissive; seldom a teacher so amiable and unmasterful; now he concentrated his power of spirit, and shot it a continuing flash from his large eyes. "know thee, lord mahommed?" he answered, in a low voice, but clear and searching, and best suited to the conflict he was ushering in--the conflict of spirit and spirit. "thou knowest not thyself as well." mahommed shrank perceptibly--he was astonished. "i mean not reference to thy father--nor to the christian princess, thy mother,--nor to thy history, which is of an obedient son and brave soldier,--nor to thy education, unusual in those born inheritors of royal power--i mean none of these, for they are in mouths everywhere, even of the beggars nursing their sores by the waysides.... in thy father's palace there was a commotion one night--thou wert about to be born. a gold-faced clock stood in the birth chamber, the gift of a german king, and from the door of the chamber eunuchs were stationed. exactly as the clock proclaimed midnight, mouth and mouth carried the cry to a man on the roof--'a prince is born! a prince is born! praised be allah!' he on the roof was seated at a table studying a paper with the signs of the zodiac in the usual formulary of a nativity. at the coming of the cry, he arose, and observed the heavens intently; then he shouted, 'there is no god but god! lo, mars, lord of the ascendant--mars, with his friends, saturn, venus, and jupiter in happy configuration, and the moon nowhere visible. hail the prince!' and while his answer was passing below, the man on the roof marked the planets in their houses exactly as they were that midnight between monday and tuesday in the year 1430. have i in aught erred, my lord?" "in nothing, o prince." "then i proceed.... the nativity came to me, and i cast and recast it for the aspects, familiarities, parallels and triplicities of the hour, and always with the same result. i found the sun, the angles and the quality of the ambient signs favorable to a career which, when run, is to leave the east radiant with the glory of an unsetting sun." here the jew paused, and bowed--"now doth my lord doubt if i know him best?" chapter xiv dreams and visions mahommed sat awhile in deep abstraction, his face flushed, his hands working nervously in their own clasp. the subject possessing him was very pleasurable. how could it be else? on his side the prince waited deferentially, but very observant. he was confident of the impression made; he even thought he could follow the young turk's reflections point by point; still it was wisest to let him alone, for the cooling time of the sober second thought would come, and then how much better if there were room for him to believe the decision his own. "it is very well, prince," mahommed said, finally, struggling to keep down every sign of excitement. "i had accounts of you from mirza the emir, and it is the truth, which neither of us will be the worse of knowing, that i see nothing of disagreement in what he told me, and in what you now tell me of yourself. the conceptions i formed of you are justified: you are learned and of great experience; you are a good man given to charity as the prophet has ordered, and a believer in god. at various times in the world's history, if we may trust the writers, great men have had their greatness foretold them; now if i think myself in the way of addition to the list of those so fortunate, it is because i put faith in you as in a friendly prophet." at this the prince threw up both hands. "friendly am i, my lord, more than friendly, but not a prophet. i am only a messenger, an interpreter of the superior powers." much he feared the demands upon him if he permitted the impression that he was a prophet to go uncontradicted; as an astrologer, he could in need thrust the stars between him and the unreasonable. and his judgment was quickly affirmed. "as you will, o prince," said mahommed. "messenger, interpreter, prophet, whichever pleases you, the burden of what you bring me is nevertheless of chiefest account. comes a herald, we survey him, and ask voucher for his pretensions; are we satisfied with them, why then he gives place in our interest, and becomes secondary to the matter he bears. is it not so?" "it is righteously said, my lord." "and when i take up this which you have brought me"--mahommed laid a hand upon his throat as if in aid of the effort he was making to keep calm and talk with dignity--"i cannot deny its power; for when was there an imaginative young man who first permitted ambition and love of glory to build golden palaces for their abiding in his heart, with self-control to stop his ears to promises apparently from heaven? o prince, if you are indeed my friend, you will not laugh at me when you are alone!... moreover i would not you should believe your tidings received carelessly or as a morsel sweet on my tongue; but as wine warms to the blood coursing to the brain, it has started inquiries and anxieties you alone can allay. and first, the great glory whose running is to fill the east, like an unsetting sun, tell me of it; for, as we all know, glory is of various kinds; there is one kind reserved for poets, orators, and professors cunning in the arts, and another for cheer of such as find delight in swords and bossy shields, and armor well bedight, and in horses, and who exult in battle, and in setting armies afield, in changing boundary lines, and in taking rest and giving respite in the citadels of towns happily assaulted. and as of these the regard is various, tell me the kind mine is to be." "the stars speak not doubtfully, my lord. when mars rises ascendant in either of his houses, they that moment born are devoted to war, and, have they their bent, they shall be soldiers; nor soldiers merely, but as the conjunctions are good, conquerors, and fortunate, and samael, his angel, becomes their angel. has my lord ever seen his nativity?" "yes." "then he knows whereof i speak." mahommed nodded affirmatively, and said, "the fame is to my taste, doubt not; but, prince, were thy words duly weighed, then my glory is to be surpassing. now, i am of a line of heroes. othman, the founder; orchan, father of the janissaries; solyman, who accepted the crescent moon seen in a dream by the sea at cyzicus as allah's bidding to pass the hellespont to tzympe in europe; amurath, conqueror of adrianople; bajazet, who put an end to christian crusading in the field of nicopolis--these filled the east with their separate renowns; and my father amurath, did he not subdue hunyades? yet, prince, you tell me my glory is to transcend theirs. now--because i am ready to believe you--say if it is to burst upon me suddenly or to signalize a long career. the enjoyment of immortality won in youth must be a pleasant thing." "i cannot answer, my lord" "cannot?" and mahommed's eagerness came near getting the better of his will. "i have nothing from the stars by which to speak, and i dare not assume to reply for myself." then mahommed's eyes became severely bright, and the bones of his hands shone white through the skin, so hard did he compress them. "how long am i to wait before the glory you promise me ripens ready for gathering? if it requires long campaigns, shall i summon the armies now?" a tone, a stress of voice in the question sent a shiver through the prince despite his self-command. his gaze upon mahommed's countenance, already settled, intensified, and almost before the last word passed he saw the idea he was expected to satisfy, and that it was the point to which his interrogator had been really tending from the commencement of the interview. to gain a moment, he affected not to clearly understand; after a repetition, he in turn asked, with a meaning look: "is not thy father, o prince, now in his eighty-fifth year?" mahommed leaned further forward. "and is it not eight and twenty years since he began reigning wisely and well?" mahommed nodded assent. "suffer me to answer now. besides his age which pleads for him, your father has not allowed greatness and power to shade the love he gave you heartily the hour he first took you in his arms. nature protests against his cutting off, and in this instance, o prince, the voice of nature is the voice of allah. so say i speaking for myself." mahommed's face relaxed its hardness, and he moved and breathed freely while replying: "i do not know what the influences require of me." "speak you of the stars, my lord," the other returned, "hear me, and with distinctness. as yet they have intrusted me with the one prediction, and that you have. in other words, they are committed to a horoscope based upon your nativity, and from it your glory has been rightly delivered. so much is permitted us by the astrologic law we practise. but this now asked me, a circumstance in especial, appertains to you as chief of forces not yet yours. wherefore--heed well, my lord--i advise you to make note of the minute of the hour of the day you gird yourself with the sword of sovereignty which, at this speaking, is your great father's by sanction of heaven; then will i cast a horoscope for mahommed the sultan, not mahommed, son of amurath merely--then, by virtue of my office of interpreter of the stars, having the proper writing in my hand, i will tell you this you now seek, together with all else pertaining to your sovereignty intrusted me for communication. i will tell you when the glory is open to you, and the time for setting forward to make it yours--even the dawning of the term of preparation necessarily precedent to the movement itself. now am i understood? will my lord tell me i am understood?" an observation here may not be amiss. the reader will of course notice the clever obtrusion of the stars in the speech; yet its real craft was in the reservations covered. presuming it possible for the prince to have fixed a time to mahommed's satisfaction, telling it would have been like giving away the meat of an apple, and retaining the rind. the wise man who sets out to make himself a need to another will carefully husband his capital. moreover it is of importance to keep in mind through this period of our story that with the prince of india everything was subsidiary to his scheme of unity in god. to which end it was not enough to be a need to mahommed; he must also bring the young potentate to wait upon him for the signal to begin the movement against constantinople; for such in simplicity was the design scarcely concealed under the glozing of "the east against the west." that is to say, until he knew constantine's disposition with respect to the superlative project, his policy was delay. what, in illustration, if the emperor proved a friend? in falconry the hawk is carried into the field hooded, and cast off only when the game is flushed. so the prince of india thought as he concluded his speech, and looked at the handsome face of the lord mahommed. the latter was disappointed, and showed it. he averted his eyes, knit his brows, and took a little time before answering; then a flash of passion seized him. "with all thy wisdom, prince, thou knowest not how hard waiting will be. there is nothing in nature sweeter than glory, and on the other hand nothing so intolerably bitter as hungering for it when it is in open prospect. what irony in the providence which permits us to harvest greatness in the days of our decline! i dream of it for my youth, for then most can be made of it. there was a greek--not of the byzantine breed in the imperial kennel yonder"--he emphasized the negative with a contemptuous glance in the direction of constantinople--"a greek of the old time of real heroes, he who has the first place in history as a conqueror. think you he was happy because he owned the world? delight in property merely, a horse, a palace, a ship, a kingdom, is vulgar: any man can be owner of something; the beggar polishes his crutch for the same reason the king gilds his throne--it belongs to him. possession means satiety. but achieve thou immortality in thy first manhood, and it shall remain to thee as the ring to a bride or as his bride to the bridegroom.--let it be as you say. i bow to the stars. between me and the sovereignty my father stands, a good man to whom i give love for love; and he shall not be disturbed by me or any of mine. in so far i will honor your advice; and in the other matter also, there shall be one ready to note the minute of the hour the succession falls to me. but what if then you are absent?" "a word from my lord will bring me to him; and his majesty is liable to go after his fathers at any moment"-"ay, and alas!" mahommed interposed, with unaffected sorrow, "a king may keep his boundaries clean, and even extend them thitherward from the centre, and be a fear unto men; yet shall death oblige him at last. all is from god." the prince was courtier enough to respect the feeling evinced. "but i interrupted you," mahommed presently added. "i pray pardon." "i was about to say, my lord, if i am not with you when his majesty, your father, bows to the final call--for the entertainment of such was paradise set upon its high hill!--let a messenger seek me in constantinople; and it may even serve well if the governor of this castle be instructed to keep his gates always open to me, and himself obedient to my requests." "a good suggestion! i will attend to it. but"-again he lapsed into abstraction, and the prince held his peace watchfully. "prince," mahommed said at length, "it is not often i put myself at another's bidding, for freedom to go where one pleases is not more to a common man than is freedom to do what pleases him to a sovereign; yet so will i with you in this matter; and as is the custom of moslems setting out on a voyage i say of our venture, 'in the name of god be its courses and its moorings.' that settled, hearken further. what you have given me is not all comprehensible. as i understand you, i am to find the surpassing glory in a field of war. tell me, lies the field far or near? where is it? and who is he i am to challenge? there will be room and occasion for combat around me everywhere, or, if the occasion exist not, my spahis in a day's ride can make one. there is nothing stranger than how small a cause suffices us to set man against man, life or death. but--and now i come to the very difficulty--looking here and there i cannot see a war new in any respect, either of parties, or objects, or pretence, out of which such a prodigious fame is to be plucked. you discern the darkness in which i am groping. light, o prince--give me light!" for an instant the mind of the jew, sown with subtlety as a mine with fine ore, was stirred with admiration of the quality so strikingly manifested in this demand; but collecting himself, he said, calmly, for the question had been foreseen: "my lord was pleased to say a short while ago that the emir mirza, on his return from the hajj, told him of me. did mirza tell also of my forbidding him to say anything of the predictions i then intrusted him?" "yes," mahommed answered, smiling, "and i have loved him for the disobedience. he satisfied me to whom he thought his duty was first owing." "well, if evil ensue from the disclosure, it may be justly charged to my indiscretion. let it pass--only, in reporting me, did not mirza say, lord mahommed, that the prohibition i laid upon him proceeded from a prudent regard for your interests?" "yes." "and in speaking of the change in the status of the world i then announced, and of the refluent wave the east was to pour upon the west"-"and of the doom of constantinople!" mahommed cried, in a sudden transport of excitement. "ay, and of the hero thou wert to be, my lord! said he nothing of the other caution i gave him, how absolute verity could only be had by a recast of the horoscope at the city itself? and how i was even then on my way thither?" "truly, o prince. mirza is a marvel!" "thanks, my lord. the assurance prepares me to answer your last demand." then, lowering his voice, the prince returned to his ordinary manner. "the glory you are to look for will not depend upon conditions such as parties to the war, or its immediate cause, or the place of its wagement." mahommed listened with open mouth. "my lord knows of the dispute long in progress between the pope of rome and the patriarch of constantinople; one claiming to be the head of the church of christ, the other insisting on his equality. the dispute, my lord also knows, has been carried from east to west, and back and back again, prelate replying to prelate, until the whole church is falling to pieces, and on every christian tongue the 'church east' and the 'church west' are common as morning salutations." mahommed nodded. "now, my lord," the prince continued, the magnetic eyes intensely bright, "you and i know the capital of christianity is yonder "--he pointed toward constantinople--"and that conquering it is taking from christ and giving to mahomet. what more of definition of thy glory wilt thou require? thus early i salute thee a sword of god." mahommed sprang from his couch, and strode the floor, frequently clapping his hands. upon the passing of the ecstasy, he stopped in front of the prince. "i see it now--the feat of arms impossible to my father reserved for me." again he walked, clapping his hands. "i pray your pardon," he said, when the fit was over. "in my great joy i interrupted you." "i regret to try my lord's patience further," the prince answered, with admirable diplomacy. "it were better, however, to take another step in the explanation now. a few months after separating from mirza in mecca, i arrived in constantinople, and every night since, the heavens being clear, i have questioned the stars early and late. i cannot repeat to my lord all the inquiries i made of them, so many were they, and so varied in form, nor the bases i laid hold of for horoscopes, each having, as i hoped, to do with the date of the founding of the city. what calculations i have made--tables of figures to cover the sky with a tapestry of algebraic and geometrical symbols: the walks of astrology are well known--i mean those legitimate--nevertheless in my great anxiety, i have even ventured into the arcana of magic forbidden to the faithful. the seven good angels, and the seven bad, beginning with jubanladace, first of the good, a celestial messenger, helmeted, sworded with flame, and otherwise beautiful to behold, and ending with barman, the lowest of the bad, the consort and ally of witches--i besought them all for what they could tell me. is the time of the running of the city now, to-morrow, next week--when? such the burden of my inquiry. as yet, my lord, no answer has been given. i am merely bid keep watch on the schism of the church. in some way the end we hope has connection with that rancor, if, indeed, it be not the grand result. with clear discernment of the tendencies, the roman pontiff is striving to lay the quarrel; but he speaks to a rising tide. we cannot hasten the event; neither can he delay it. our role is patience--patience. at last europe will fall away, and leave the greek to care of himself; then, my lord, you have but to be ready. the end is in the throes of its beginning now." "still you leave me in the dark," mahommed cried, with a frown. "nay, my lord, there is a chance for us to make the stars speak." the beguiler appeared to hesitate. "a chance?" mahommed asked. "it is dependent, my lord." "upon what?" "the life of the sultan, thy father." "speak not in riddles, o prince." "upon his death, thou wilt enter on the sovereignty." "still i see not clearly." "with the horoscope of mahommed the sultan in my hand, then certainly as the stars perform their circuits, being set thereunto from the first morning, they must respond to me; and then, find i mars in the ascendant, well dignified essentially and accidentally, i can lead my lord out of the darkness." "then, prince?" "he may see the christian capital at his mercy." "but if mars be not in the ascendant?" "my lord must wait." mahommed sprang to his feet, gnashing his teeth. "my lord," said the prince, calmly, "a man's destiny is never unalterable; it is like a pitcher filled with wine which he is carrying to his lips--it may be broken on the way, and its contents spilled. such has often happened through impatience and pride. what is waiting but the wise man's hour of preparation?" the quiet manner helped the sound philosophy. mahommed took seat, remarking, "you remind me, prince, of the saying of the koran, 'whatsoever good betideth thee, o man, it is from god, and whatsoever evil betideth, from thyself is it.' i am satisfied. only"-the prince summoned all his faculties again. "only i see two periods of waiting before me; one from this until i take up the sovereignty; the other thence till thou bringest me the mandate of the stars. i fear not the second period, for, as thou sayest, i can then lose myself in making ready; but the first, the meantime--ah, prince, speak of it. tell me how i can find surcease of the chafing of my spirit." the comprehension of the wily hebrew did not fail him. his heart beat violently. he was master! once more he was in position to change the world. a word though not more than "now," and he could marshal the east, which he so loved, against the west, which he so hated. if constantinople failed him, christianity must yield its seat to islam. he saw it all flash-like; yet at no time in the interview did his face betoken such placidity of feeling. the _meantime_ was his, not mahommed's--his to lengthen or shorten--his for preparation. he could afford to be placid. "there is much for my lord to do," he said. "when, o prince--now?" "it is for him to think and act as if constantinople were his capital temporarily in possession of another." the words caught attention, and it is hard saying what mahommed's countenance betokened. the reader must think of him as of a listener just awakened to a new idea of infinite personal concern. "it is for him now to learn the city within and without," the jew proceeded; "its streets and edifices; its halls and walls; its strong and weak places; its inhabitants, commerce, foreign relations; the character of its ruler, his resources and policies; its daily events; its cliques and clubs, and religious factions; especially is it for him to foment the differences latin and greek." it is questionable if any of the things imparted had been so effective upon mahommed as this one. not only did his last doubt of the man talking disappear; it excited a boundless admiration for him, and the freshest novitiate in human nature knows how almost impossible it is to refuse trust when once we have been brought to admire. "oh!" mahommed cried. "a pastime, a pastime, if i could be there!" "nay, my lord," said the insidious counsellor, with a smile, "how do kings manage to be everywhere at the same time?" "they have their ambassadors. but i am not a king." "not yet a king"--the speaker laid stress upon the adverb--"nevertheless public representation is one thing; secret agency another." mahommed's voice sank almost to a whisper. "wilt thou accept this agency?" "it is for me to observe the heavens at night, while calculations will take my days. i trust my lord in his wisdom will excuse me." "where is one for the service? name him, prince--one as good." "there is one better. bethink you, my lord, the business is of a long time; it may run through years." mahommed's brow knit darkly at the reminder. "and he who undertakes it should enter constantinople and live there above suspicion. he must be crafty, intelligent, courtly in manner, accomplished in arms, of high rank, and with means to carry his state bravely, for not only ought he to be conspicuous in the hippodrome; he should be welcome in the palace. along with other facilities, he must be provided to buy service in the emperor's bedroom and council chamber--nay, at his elbow. it is of prime importance that he possesses my lord's confidence unalterably. am i understood?" "the man, prince, the man!" "my lord has already named him." "i?" "only to-night my lord spoke of him as a marvel." "mirza!" exclaimed mahommed, clapping his hands. "mirza," the prince returned, and proceeded without pause: "despatch him to italy; then let him appear in constantinople, embarked from a galley, habited like a roman, and with a suitable italian title. he speaks italian already, is fixed in his religion, and in knightly honor. not all the gifts at the despot's disposal, nor the blandishments of society can shake his allegiance--he worships my lord." "my servant has found much favor with you, o prince?" accepting the remark as a question, the other answered: "did i not spend the night with him at el zaribah? was i not witness of his trial of faith at the holy kaaba? have i not heard from my lord himself how, when put to choice, he ignored my prohibition respecting the stars?" mahommed arose, and again walked to and fro. "there is a trouble in this proposal, prince," he said, halting abruptly. "so has mirza become a part of me, i am scarcely myself without him." another turn across the floor, and he seemed to become reconciled. "let us have done for to-night," he next said. "the game is imperative, but it will not be harmed by a full discussion. stay with me to-morrow, prince." the prince remembered the emperor. not unlikely a message from that high personage was at his house, received in course of the day. "true, very true, and the invitation is a great honor to me," he replied, bowing; "but i am reminded that the gossips in byzantium will feast each other when to-morrow it passes from court to bazaar how the princess irene and the prince of india were driven by the storm to accept hospitality in the white castle. and if it get abroad, that mahommed, son of the great amurath, came also to the castle, who may foretell the suspicions to hatch in the city? no, my lord, i submit it is better for me to depart with the princess at the subsidence of the waters." "be it so," mahommed returned, cordially. "we understand each other. i am to wait and you to communicate with me; and now, morning comes apace, good night." he held his hand to the jew; whereat the latter knelt and kissed the hand, but retained it to say: "my lord, if i know him rightly, will not sleep to-night; thought is an enemy to sleep; and besides the inspiration there is in the destiny promised, its achievement lies all before him. yet i wish to leave behind me one further topic, promising it is as much greater than any other as the heavens are higher than the earth." "rise, prince," said mahommed, helping him to his feet. "such ceremonious salutation whether in reception or at departure may be dispensed with hereafter; thou art not a stranger, but more than a guest. i count thee my friend whom everything shall wait upon--even myself. speak now of what thou callest the greater scheme. i am most curious." there was a silence while one might count ten slowly. the jew in that space concentrated the mysterious force of which he was master in great store, so it shone in his eyes, gave tone to his voice, and was an outgoing of will in overwhelming current. "lord mahommed," he said, "i know you are a believer in god." the young turk was conscious of a strange thrill passing through him from brain to body. "in nature and every quality the god of the jew, the christian, and the moslem is the same. take we their own sayings. christ and mahomet were witnesses sent to testify of him first, highest and alone--him the universal father. yet behold the perversity of man. god has been deposed, and for ages believers in him have been divided amongst themselves; wherefore hate, jealousies, wars, battle and the smoke of slaughter perpetually. but now is he at last minded to be restored. hear, lord mahommed, hear with soul and mortal ear!" the words and manner caught and exalted mahommed's spirit. as michael, with a sweep of his wings, is supposed to pass the nether depths, an impulsion bore the son of amurath up to a higher and clearer plane. he could not but hear. "be it true now that god permits his presence to be known in human affairs only when he has a purpose to justify his interposition; then, as we dare not presume the capital of christendom goes to its fall without his permission, why your designation for the mighty work? that you may be personally glorified, my lord? look higher. see yourself his chosen instrument--and this the deed! from the seat of the caesars, its conquest an argument, he means you to bring men together in his name. titles may remain--jew, moslem, christian, buddhist--but there shall be an end of wars for religion--all mankind are to be brethren in him. this the deed, my lord--unity in god, and from it, a miracle of the ages slow to come but certain, the evolution of peace and goodwill amongst men. i leave the idea with you. good night!" mahommed remained so impressed and confounded that the seer was permitted to walk out as from an empty room. mirza received him outside the door. chapter xv departure from the white castle the storm continued till near daybreak. at sunrise the wind abated, and was rapidly succeeded by a dead calm; about the same time the last cloud disappeared, leaving the sky an azure wonder, and the shores of the bosphorus far and near refreshed and purified. after breakfast, mirza conducted the prince of india to another private audience with mahommed. as the conference had relation to the subjects gone over in the night, the colloquy may be dispensed with, and only the conclusions given. mahommed admitted he had not been able to sleep; in good spirits, however, he agreed, if the prince were accountable for the wakefulness, he was to be forgiven, since he had fairly foretold it, and, like other prophets, was entitled to immunity. the invitation to remain at the castle was renewed, and again declined. mahommed next conceded the expediency of his waiting to hear what further the stars might say with respect to the great business before him, and voluntarily bound himself to passive conduct and silence; in assuagement of the impatience he knew would torment him, he insisted, however, upon establishing a line of couriers between his place of residence, wherever it might be, and the white castle. intelligence could thus be safely transmitted him from constantinople. in furtherance of this object the governor of the castle would be instructed to honor the requests of the prince of india. mahommed condescended next to approve the suggestion of a secret agency in constantinople. respecting a person for the service, the delicacy of which was conceded, he had reached the conclusion that there was no one subject to his control so fitted in every respect as mirza. the selection of the emir might prove troublesome since he was a favorite with the sultan; if investigations consequent on his continued absence were instituted, there was danger of their resulting in disagreeable exposure; nevertheless the venture was worth the while, and as time was important, the emir should be sent off forthwith under instructions in harmony with the prince's advice. or more clearly, he was to betake himself to italy immediately, and thence to the greek capital, a nobleman amply provided with funds for his maintenance there in essential state and condition. his first duty when in the city should be to devise communication with the white castle, where connection with the proposed line of couriers should be made for safe transmission of his own reports, and such intelligence as the prince should from time to time consider it advisable to forward. this of course contemplated recognition and concert between the emir and the prince. in token of his confidence in the latter, mahommed would constitute him the superior in cases of difference of opinion; though from his knowledge of mirza's romantic affection acquired in mecca and on the road thither, he had little apprehension of such a difference. mahommed and the prince were alike well satisfied with the conclusions between them, and their leave-taking at the end of the audience was marked with a degree of affection approaching that of father and son. about mid-afternoon the prince and sergius sallied from the castle to observe the water, and finding it quiet, they determined to embark. the formalities of reception in the castle were not less rigidly observed at the departure. in care of the eunuch the princess and lael descended to the hall of entrance where they were received by the supposed governor, who was in armor thoroughly cleansed of dust and skilfully furbished. his manner was even more gallant and dignified. he offered his hand to assist the princess to seat in the chair, and upon taking it she glanced furtively at his face, but the light was too scant for a distinct view. in the castle and out there were no spectators. passing the gate, the princess bethought her of the story-teller, and looked for him well as she could through the narrow windows. at the landing, when the governor had in silence, though with ease and grace, helped her from the carriage, the porters being withdrawn, she proceeded to acknowledgments. "i am sorry," she said, through her veil, "that i must depart without knowing the name or rank of my host." "had i greater rank. o princess," he returned, gravely. "i should have pleasure in introducing myself; for then there would be a hope that my name supported by a title of dignity, would not be erased from your memory by the gayeties of the city to which you are going. the white castle is a command suitable to one of humble grade, and to be saluted governor, because i am charged with its keeping, satisfies my pride for the present. it is a convenient title, moreover, should you ever again honor me with a thought or a word." "i submit perforce," she said. "yet, sir governor, your name would have saved me from the wonder of my kinsman, if not his open question, when, as i am bound to, i tell him of the fair treatment and high courtesy you have shown me and my friends here while in refuge in your castle walls. he knows it natural for the recipient of bounty to learn who the giver is, with name and history; but how amazed and displeased he will be when i barely describe your entertainment. indeed, i fear he will think me guilty of over description or condemn me for ingratitude." she saw the blood color his face, and noticed the air of sincerity with which he replied. "princess, if payment for what you have received at my hands were worthy a thought, i should say now, and all my days through, down to the very latest, that to have heard you speak so graciously is an overprice out of computation." the veil hid her responsive blush; for there was something in his voice and manner, possibly the earnestness marking them, which lifted the words out of the commonplace and formal. she could not but see how much more he left implied than actually expressed. for relief, she turned to another subject. "if i may allude to a part of your generous attention, sir governor, distinguishing it from the whole, i should like to admit the pleasure had from the recitation of the arabian story-teller. i will not ask his name; still it must be a great happiness to traverse the world with welcome everywhere, and everywhere and all the time accompanied and inspired by a mind stored with themes and examples beautiful as the history of el hatim." a light singularly bright shone in the governor's eyes, significant of a happy idea, and with more haste than he had yet evinced, he replied: "o princess, the name of the arab is aboo-obeidah; in the desert they call him the singing sheik, and among moslems, city bred and tent born alike, he is great and beloved. such is his sanctity that all doors he knocks at open to him, even those of harems zealously guarded. when he arrives at adrianople, in his first day there he will be conducted to the hanoum of the sultan, and at her signal the ladies of the household will flock to hear him. now, would it please you, i will prevail on him to delay his journey that he may visit you at your palace." "the adventure might distress him," she replied. "say not so. in such a matter i dare represent and pledge him. only give me where you would have him come, and the time, o princess, and he will be there, not a star in the sky more constant." "with my promise of good welcome to him then," she said, well pleased, "be my messenger, sir governor, and say in the morning day after to-morrow at my palace by therapia. and now thanks again, and farewell." so saying she held her hand to him, and he kissed it, and assisted her into the boat. the adieux of the others, the prince of india, sergius and lael, were briefer. the governor was polite to each of them; at the same time, his eyes, refusing restraint, wandered to where the princess sat looking at him with unveiled face. in the mouth of the river the boats were brought together, and, while drifting, she expressed the pleasure she had from the fortunate meeting with the prince; his presence, she doubted not, contributed greatly to the good conclusion of what in its beginning seemed so unpromising. "nor can i convey an idea of the confidence and comfortable feeling i derived from the society of thy daughter," she added, speaking to the prince, but looking at lael. "she was courageous and sensible, and i cannot content myself until she is my guest at therapia." "i would be greatly pleased," lael said, modestly. "will the princess appoint a time?" the wanderer asked. "to-morrow--or next week--at your convenience. these warm months are delightful in the country by the water side. at therapia, prince--thou and thine. the blessing of the saints go with you--farewell." then though the boats kept on down toward constantinople, they separated, and in good time the prince of india and lael were at home; while the princess carried sergius to her palace in the city. next day, having provided him with the habit approved by metropolitan greek priests, she accompanied him to the patriarchal residence, introduced him with expressions of interest, and left him in the holy keeping. sergius was accepted and rated a neophyte, the vanity of the byzantine clergy scorning thought of excellence in a russian provincial. he entered upon the life, however, with humility and zeal, governed by a friendly caution from the princess. "remember," she said to him, as they paused on the patriarchal doorsteps for permission to enter, "remember father hilarion is regarded here as a heretic. the stake, imprisonment in darkness for life, the lions in the cynegion, punishment in some form of approved cruelty awaits a follower of his by open avowal. patience then; and when endurance is tried most, and you feel it must break, come to me at therapia. only hold yourself in readiness, by reading and thought, to speak for our christian faith unsullied by human inventions, and bide my signal." and so did he observe everything and venture nothing that presently he was on the road to high favor. chapter xvi an embassy to the princess irene when the princess irene returned to therapia next day, she found awaiting her the dean of the court, an official of great importance to whom the settlement of questions pertinent to rank was confided. the state barge of fifteen oars in which he arrived was moored to the marbles of the quay in front of her palace, a handsomely ornamented vessel scarcely needing its richly liveried rowers to draw about it the curious and idle of the town in staring groups. at sight of it, the princess knew there was a message for her from the emperor. she lost no time in notifying the dean of her readiness to receive him. the interview took place in the reception room. the dean was a venerable man who, having served acceptably through the preceding reign, was immensely discreet, and thoroughly indurate with formalism and ceremony; wherefore, passing his speech and manner, it is better worth the while to give, briefly as may be, the substance of the communication he brought to the princess. he was sure she remembered all the circumstances of the coronation of his majesty, the emperor, and of his majesty's entry into constantinople; he was not so certain, however, of her information touching some matters distinguishable as domestic rather than administrative. or she might know of them, but not reliably. thus she might not have heard authentically that, immediately upon his becoming settled in the imperial seat, his majesty decided it of first importance to proceed to the selection of a spouse. the dean then expatiated on the difficulty of finding in all the world a woman suitable for the incomparable honor. so many points entered into the consideration--age, appearance, rank, education, religion, dowry, politics--upon each of which he dwelt with the gravity of a philosopher, the assurance of a favorite, and the garrulity of age. having at length presented the problem, and, he thought, sufficiently impressed the princess with its unexampled intricacies and perils, he next unfolded the several things resolved upon and attempted in the way of solution. every royal house in the west had been searched for its marriageable females. at one time a daughter of the doge of venice was nearly chosen. unfortunately there were influential greeks of greater pride than judgment to object to the doge. he was merely an elective chief. he might die the very day after celebrating the espousals, and then--not even the ducal robes were inheritable. no, the flower to deck the byzantine throne was not in the west. thereupon the east was explored. for a time the election trembled between a princess of trebizond and a princess of georgia. as usual the court divided on the question, when, to quiet the factions, his majesty ordered phranza, the grand chamberlain, a courtier of learning and diplomatic experience, who held the emperor's confidence in greater degree than any other court official, unless it might be the dean himself, to go see the rivals personally, and report with recommendation. the ambassador had been gone two years. from georgia he had travelled to trebizond; still nothing definite. the embassy, having been outfitted in a style to adequately impress the semi-barbarians, was proving vastly expensive. his majesty, with characteristic wisdom, had determined to take the business in his own keeping. there were many noble families in constantinople. why not seek a consort among them? the scheme had advantages; not least, if a byzantine could be found, the emperor would have the happiness of making the discovery and conducting the negotiations himself--in common parlance, of doing his own courting. there might be persons, the dean facetiously remarked, who preferred trusting the great affair of wife-choosing to ambassadors, but he had never seen one of them. the ground covered by the ancient in his statement is poorly represented by these paragraphs, ample as they may seem to the reader. indeed, the sun was falling swiftly into the lap of night when he thought of concluding. meantime the princess listened silently, her patience sustained by wonder at what it all meant. the enlightenment at last came. "now, my dear princess," he said, lowering his voice, "you must know "--he arose, and, as became one so endued with palace habits, peered cautiously around. "be seated, my lord," she said; "there are no eyes in my doors nor ears in my walls." "oh, the matter is of importance--a state secret!" he drew the stool nearer her. "you must know, dear princess, that the grand chamberlain, phranza, has been negligent and remiss in the time he has consumed, saying nothing of his lavishment of treasure so badly needed at home. notaras, the admiral, and the grand domestic, are both pursuing his majesty vigorously for funds and supplies; worse still, the patriarch lets slip no opportunity to bid him look at the furniture of the churches going to ruin. the imperial conscience being tender in whatever pertains to god and religion, he has little peace left for prayers. wherefore, there are of us who think it would be loyalty to help secure a bride for his majesty at home, and thus make an end to the wasteful and inconclusive touring of phranza." the dean drew yet nearer the princess, and reduced his voice to a tone slightly above a whisper. "now you must know further--i am the author and suggestor of the idea of his majesty's choosing an empress from the many noble and beautiful dames and maidens of this our ancient city of byzantium, in every respect the equals, and in many points mentionable the superiors of the best foreigner possible of finding." the dean pursed his white-bearded mouth, and posed himself proudly; but his auditor still holding her peace, he leaned forward further, and whispered, "my dear princess, i did more. i mentioned you to his majesty"-the princess started to her feet, whiter than whitest marble in the pentelic panelling of the room; yet in total misapprehension of her feeling, the venerable intriguant went on without pause: "yes, i mentioned you to his majesty, and to-morrow, princess--to-morrow--he will come here in person to see you, and urge his suit." he dropped on his knees, and catching her hand, kissed it. "o princess, fairest and most worthy, suffer me first of all the court to congratulate you on the superlative honor to which you will he invited. and when you are in the exalted position, may i hope to be remembered"-he was not permitted to finish the petition. withdrawing her hand with decisive action, she bade him be silent or speak to her questions. and he was silent through surprise. in such manner she gained an interval for thought. the predicament, as she saw it, was troublesome and unfortunate. honor was intended her, the highest in the imperial gift, and the offer was coming with never a doubt of its instantaneous and grateful acceptance. remembering her obligations to the emperor, her eyes filled with tears. she respected and venerated him, yet could not be his empress. the great title was not a sufficient inducement. but how manage the rejection? she called on the virgin for help. directly there was a way exposed. first, she must save her benefactor from rejection; second, the dean and the court must never know of the course of the affair or its conclusion. "rise, my lord," she said, kindly though with firmness. "the receiver of great news, i thank you, and promise, if ever i attain the throne to hold you in recollection. but now, so am i overwhelmed by the prospect, i am not myself. indeed, my lord, would you increase my indebtedness to its utmost limit, take every acknowledgment as said, and leave me--leave me for preparation for the morrow's event. god, his son and angels only know the awfulness of my need of right direction and good judgment." he had the wit to see her agitation, and that it was wisest for him to depart. "i will go, princess," he said, "and may the holy mother give you of her wisdom also." she detained him at the door to ask: "only tell me, my lord, did his majesty send you with this notice?" "his majesty honored me with the message." "at what hour will he come?" "in the forenoon." "report, i pray you then, that my house will be at his service." chapter xvii the emperor's wooing about ten o'clock the day following the extraordinary announcement given, a galley of three banks of oars, classed a _trireme_, rounded the seaward jut of the promontory overhanging the property of the princess irene at therapia. the hull of the vessel was highly ornate with gilding and carving. at the how, for figure-head, there was an image of the madonna of the _panagia_, or holy banner of constantinople. the broad square sail was of cherry-red color, and in excellent correspondence, the oars, sixty to a side, were painted a flaming scarlet. when filled, the sail displayed a greek cross in golden filament. the deck aft was covered with a purple awning, in the shade of which, around a throne, sat a grave and decorous company in gorgeous garments; and among them moved a number of boys, white-shirted and bare of head, dispensing perfume from swinging censers. forward, a body guard, chosen from the household troops and full armed, were standing at ease, and they, with a corps of trumpeters and heralds in such splendor of golden horns and tabards of gold as to pour enrichment over the whole ship, filled the space from bulwark to bulwark. the emperor occupied the throne. this galley, to which the harmonious movement of the oars gave a semblance of life, in the distance reminding one of a great bird fantastically feathered and in slow majestic motion, was no sooner hove in sight than the townspeople were thrown into ferment. a flotilla of small boats, hastily launched, put out in racing order to meet and escort it into the bay, and before anchorage was found, the whole shore was astir and in excited babblement. a detachment of the guard was first landed on the quay in front of the princess' gate. accepting the indication, thither rushed the populace; for in truth, since the occupation of the asiatic shore of the bosphorus by the turks, the emperor seldom extended his voyages far as therapia. then, descending the sides by carpeted stairs, the suite disembarked, and after them, amidst a tremendous flourish from the trumpet corps, constantine followed. the emperor, in his light boat, remained standing during the passage to the shore that he might be seen by the people; and as he then appeared, helmed and in close-fitting cuirass, his arms in puffed sleeves of red silk, his legs, below a heavily embroidered narrow skirt, clothed in pliant chain mail intricately linked, his feet steel-shod, a purple cloak hanging lightly at the back from neck to heel, and spurred and magnificently sworded, and all agleam with jewels and gold, it must be conceded he justified his entitlement. at sight of his noble countenance, visible under the raised visor, the spectators lifted their voices in hearty acclamations--"god and constantine! live the emperor!" it really seemed as if the deadly factiousness of the capital had not reached therapia. in the lifted head, the brightened eyes, the gracious though stately bows cast right and left, constantine published the pleasure the reception was giving him. a long flourish timed his march through the kiosk of the gate, and along the shell-strewn, winding road, to the broad steps leading to the portico of the palace; there, ascending first, he was received by the princess. amid a group of maids in attendance, all young, fair, high-born, she stood, never more tastefully attired, never more graceful and self-possessed, never more lovely, not even in childhood before the flitting of its virginal bloom; and though the portico was garden-like in decoration, vines, roses and flowering shrubs everywhere, the sovereign had eyes for her alone. just within the line of fluted pillars he halted, and drew himself up, smiling as became a suitor, yet majestic as became a king. then she stepped forward, and knelt, and kissed his hand, and when he helped her to her feet, and before the flush on her forehead was gone, she said: "thou art my sovereign and benefactor; nor less for the goodnesses thou hast done to thy people, and art constantly doing, welcome, o my lord, to the house thou didst give me." "speak not so," he replied. "or if it please thee to give me credit, be it for the things which in some way tried me, not those i did for reward." "reward!" "ay, for such are pleasure and peace of mind." then one by one, she naming them as they advanced, her attendants knelt, and kissed the floor in front of him, and had each a pleasant word, for he permitted none to excel him in decorous gallantry to good women. in return, he called the officers of his company according to their rank; his brother, who had afterward the grace to die with him; the grand domestic, general of the army; the grand duke notaras, admiral of the navy; the grand equerry (_protostrator_); the grand chancellor of the empire (_logothete_); the superintendent of finance; the governor of the palace (_curopalate_); the keeper of the purple ink; the keeper of the secret seal; the first valet; the chief of the night guard (_grand drumgaire_); the chief of the huntsmen (_protocynege_); the commander of the body guard of foreigners (_acolyte_); the professor of philosophy; the professor of elocution and rhetoric; the attorney general (_nornophylex_); the chief falconer (_protojeracaire_) and others--these he called one by one, and formally presented to the princess, not minding that with many of them she was already acquainted. they were for the most part men advanced in years, and right well skilled in the arts of courtiership. the _empressement_ of manner with which they saluted her was not lost upon her woman's instinct; infinitely quick and receptive, she knew without a word spoken, that each left his salute on her hand believing it the hand of his future empress. last of those presented was the dean of the court. he was noticeably formal and distant; besides being under the eye of his master, the wily diplomat was more doubtful of the outcome of the day's visit than most of his colleagues. "now," the princess said, when the presentation was finished, "will my most noble sovereign suffer me to conduct him to the reception room?" the emperor stepped to her side, and offered his hand. "pardon, sire," she added, taking the hand. "it is necessary that i speak to the dean." and when the worthy came to her, she said to him: "beyond this, under the portico, are refreshments for his majesty's suite. serve me, i pray, by leading thy colleagues thither, and representing me at the tables. command the servants whom thou wilt find there." now the reader must not suppose he is having in the foregoing descriptions examples of the style of ceremonials most in fashion at the greek court. had formality been intended, the affair would have been the subject of painstaking consideration at a meeting of officials in the imperial residence, and every point within foresight arranged; after which the revolution of the earth might have quickened, and darkness been unnaturally precipitated, without inducing the slightest deviation from the programme. when resolving upon the visit, constantine considerately thought of the princess' abhorrence of formality, and not to surprise her, despatched the dean with notice of the honor intended. whereupon she arranged the reception to suit herself; that is, so as to remain directress of the occasion. hence the tables under the portico for the entertainment of the great lords, with the garden open to them afterward. this management, it will be perceived, left constantine in her separate charge. so, while the other guests went with the dean, she conducted the emperor to the reception room, where there were no flowers, and but one armless chair. when he was seated, the two alone, she knelt before him, and without giving him time to speak, said, her hands crossed upon her bosom: "i thank my lord for sending me notice of his coming, and of his purpose to invite me to share his throne. all night i have kept the honor he intended me in mind, believing the blessed mother would listen to my prayers for wisdom and right direction; and the peace and confidence i feel, now that i am at my lord's feet, must be from her.... oh, my lord, the trial has not been what i should do with the honor, but how to defend you from humiliation in the eyes of your court. i wish to be at the same time womanly and allegiant. how gentle and merciful you have been to me! how like a benignant god to my poor father! if i am in error, may heaven forgive me; but i have led you here to say, without waiting for the formal proposal, that while you have my love as a kinswoman and subject, i cannot give you the love you should have from a wife." constantine was astonished. "what!" he said. before he could get further, she continued, sinking lower at his feet: "ah me, my lord, if now thou art thinking me bold and forward, and outcast from natural pride, what can i but plead the greater love i bear you as my benefactor and sovereign? ... it may be immodest to thus forestall my lord's honorable intent, and decline being his wife before he has himself proposed it; yet i pray him to consider that with this avowal from me, he may go hence and affirm, god approving the truth, that he thought better of his design, and did not make me any overture of marriage, and there will be no one to suffer but me.... the evil-minded will talk, and judge me punished for my presumption. against them i shall always have a pure conscience, and the knowledge of having rescued my lord from an associate on his throne who does not love him with wifely devotion." pausing there, the princess looked into his face, her own suffused. his head drooped; insomuch that the tall helmet with its glitter, and the cuirass, and fine mail reenforced by the golden spurs and jewelled sword and sword-harness, but deepened the impression of pain bewrayed on his countenance. "then it is as i have heard," he said, dejectedly. "the rustic hind may have the mate of his choice, and there is preference allowed the bird and wild wolf. the eye of faith beholds marriages of love in meeting waters and in clouds brought together from diverse parts. only kings are forbidden to select mates as their hearts declare. i, a master of life and death, cannot woo, like other men." the princess moved nearer him. "my lord," she said, earnestly, "is it not better to be denied choice than to be denied after choosing?" "speakest thou from experience?" he asked. "no," she answered, "i have never known love except of all god's creatures alike." "whence thy wisdom then?" "perhaps it is only a whisper of pride." "perhaps, perhaps! i only know the pain it was intended to relieve goes on." then, regarding her moodily, not angrily, nor even impatiently, he continued: "did i not know thee true as thou art fair, o princess, and good and sincere as thou art brave, i might suspect thee." "of what, my lord?" "of an intent to compass my misery. thou dost stop my mouth. i may not declare the purpose with which i came--i to whom it was of most interest--or if i do, i am forestopped saying, 'i thought better of it, and told her nothing.' yet it was an honorable purpose nursed by sweet dreams, and by hopes such as souls feed upon, strengthening themselves for trials of life; i must carry it back with me, not for burial in my own breast, but for gossips to rend and tear, and make laughter of--the wonder and amusement of an unfeeling city. how many modes of punishment god keeps in store for the chastening of those who love him!" "it is beggarly saying i sympathize"-"no, no--wait!" he cried, passionately. "now it breaks upon me. i may not offer thee a seat on my throne, or give a hand to help thee up to it; for the present i will not declare i love thee; yet harm cannot come of telling thee what has been. thou hadst my love at our first meeting. i loved thee then. as a man i loved thee, nor less as an emperor because a man. thou wast lovely with the loveliness of the angels. i saw thee in a light not of earth, and thou wert transparent as the light. i descended from the throne to thee thinking thou hadst collected all the radiance of the sun wasting in the void between stars, and clothed thyself in it." "oh, my lord"-"not yet, not yet"-"blasphemy and madness!" "be it so!" he answered, with greater intensity. "this once i speak as a lover who was--a lover making last memories of the holy passion, to be henceforth accounted dead. dead? ah, yes!--to me--dead to me!" she timidly took the hand he dropped upon his knee at the close of a long sigh. "it may rest my lord to hear me," she said, tearfully. "i never doubted his fitness to be emperor, or if ever i had such a doubt, it is no more. he has conquered himself! indeed, indeed, it is sweet to hear him tell his love, for i am woman; and if i cannot give it back measure for measure, this much may be accepted by him--i have never loved a man, and if the future holds such a condition in store for me, i will think of my lord, and his strength and triumph, and in my humbler lot do as he has so nobly done. he has his empire to engage him, and fill his hours with duties; i have god to serve and obey with singleness. out of the prison where my mother died, and in which my father grew old counting his years as they slowly wore away, a shadow issued, and is always at hand to ask me, 'who art thou? what right hast thou to happiness?' and if ever i fall into the thought so pleasant to woman, of loving and being loved, and of marriage, the shadow intervenes, and abides with me until i behold myself again bounden to religion, a servant vowed to my fellow creatures sick, suffering, or in sorrow." then the gentle emperor fell to pitying her, and asked, forgetful of himself, and thinking of things to lighten her lot, "wilt thou never marry?" "i will not say no, my lord," she answered. "who can foresee the turns of life? take thou this in reply--never will i surrender myself to wedlock under urgency of love alone. but comes there some great emergency, when, by such sacrifice, i may save my country, or my countrymen in multitude, or restore our holy religion overthrown or in danger, then, for the direct god-service there may be in it, i could give myself in contract, and would." "without love?" he asked. "yes, without loving or being loved. this body is not mine, but god's, and he may demand it of me for the good of my fellow-men; and, so there be no tarnishment of the spirit, my lord, why haggle about the husk in which the spirit is hidden?" she spoke with enthusiasm. doubt of her sincerity would have been blasphemous. that such fate should be for her, so bright, pure and heroic! not while he had authority! and in the instant he vowed himself to care of her by resolution strong as an oath. in thought of the uncertainties lowering over his own future, he saw it was better she should remain vowed to heaven than to himself; thereupon he arose, and standing at her side, laid a hand lightly upon her head, and said solemnly: "thou hast chosen wisely. may the blessed mother, and all the ministering angels, in most holy company, keep guard lest thou be overtaken by calamity, sorrow and disappointment. and, for me, o irene!"--his voice shook with emotion--"i shall be content if now thou wilt accept me for thy father." she raised her eyes, as to heaven, and said, smiling: "dear god! how thou dost multiply goodnesses, and shower them upon me!" he stooped, and kissed her forehead. "amen, sweet daughter!" then he helped her to her feet. "now, while thou wert speaking, irene, it was given me to see how the betrothal i was determined upon would have been a crime aside from wresting thee from the service of thy choice. phranza is a true and faithful servant. how know i but, within his powers, and as he lawfully might, he has contracted me by treaty to acceptance of the georgian? thou hast saved me, and my ancient chamberlain. those under the portico are conspirators. but come, let us join them." chapter xviii the singing sheik it was about ten o'clock when the emperor and princess irene appeared on the portico, and, moving toward the northern side, wended slowly through the labyrinth of flowers, palms, and shrubs. the courtiers and dignitaries, upon their approach, received them in respectful silence, standing in groups about the tables. a chair, with arms, high back, and a canopy, looking not unlike a sedilium, had been set in an open space. the reservation was further marked by a table in front of the chair, and two broad-branched palm trees, one on each side. thither the princess conducted the sovereign; and when he was seated, at a signal from her, some chosen attendants came bearing refreshments, cold meats, bread, fruits, and wines in crystal flagons, which they placed on the table, and retiring a little way, remained in waiting, while their mistress, on a stool at the left of the board, did the honors. the introduction of a queen into a palace is usually the signal for a change of the existing domestic regime. old placeholders go out; new favorites come in; and not seldom the revolution reaches the highest official circles of the government. the veterans of the suite, to some of whom this bit of knowledge had come severely home, were very watchful of the two superior personages. had his majesty really exposed his intent to the princess? had he declared himself to her? had she accepted? the effect was to trebly sharpen the eyes past which the two were required to go on their way to the reserved table. mention has been made of phranza, the grand chamberlain, at the moment absent on a diplomatic search for an imperial consort. of all attaches of the court, he was first in his master's regard; and the distinction, it is but just to say, was due to his higher qualities and superior character. the term _favorite_, as a definition of relationship between a despot and a dependent, is historically cloudy; wherefore it is in this instance of unfair application. intimate or confidante is much more exactly descriptive. but be that as it may, the good understanding between the emperor and his grand chamberlain was amply sufficient to provoke the jealousy of many of the latter's colleagues, of whom duke notaras, grand admiral, and the most powerful noble of the empire, was head and front. the scheme for the elevation of the princess to the throne originated with him, and was aimed malevolently at phranza, of whom he was envious, and constantine, whom he hated on religious grounds. interest in the plot brought him to therapia; yet he held himself aloof, preferring the attitude of a spectator coldly polite to that of an active partisan in the affair. he declined sitting at a table, but took position between two of the columns whence the view of the bay was best. there were numbers of the suite, however, who discredited the motive with which he chose the place. "see notaras," said one of a group, whispering to friends drinking wine a little way off. "the scene before him is charming, but is he charmed with it as he appears?" "there was an old demi-god with an eye in his forehead. notaras' best orb just now is in the back of his head. he may be looking at the bay; he is really watching the portico"--such was the reply. "out! he cares nothing for us." "very true--we are not the emperor." "my lord duke is not happy to-day," was remarked in another coterie. "wait, my dear friend. the day is young." "if this match should not be made after all"-"he will know it first." "yes, nothing from the lovers, neither smile nor sigh, can escape him." the professor of philosophy and his brother the professor of rhetoric ate and drank together, illustrating the affinity of learning. "our phranza is in danger," said the latter, nervously. "as thou art a subscriber to the doctrine of the _phaedon_, i wish we could disembody our souls, if only for an hour." "oh, a singular wish! what wouldst thou?" "tell it not; but"--the voice dropped into a whisper--"i would despatch mine in search of the wise chamberlain to warn him of what is here in practice." "ah, my brother, thou didst me the honor to read and approve my treatise on the philosophy of conspiracy. dost thou remember the confounding elements given in the thesis?" "yes--goodness is one." "under condition; that is, when the result is dependent upon a party of virtuous disposition." "i remember now." "well, we have the condition here." "the princess!" "and therefore the duke, not our phranza, is in danger. she will discomfit him." "may heaven dispose so!" and the rhetorician almost immediately added, "observe thou. notaras has established himself within easy hearing of the two. he has actually invaded the space reserved for them." "as if to confirm my forecast!" then the philosopher raised a cup. "to phranza!" "to phranza!" the rhetorician responded. this episode hardly concluded when the emperor's brother sauntered to the duke's side; and on the appearance of the emperor and the princess, he exclaimed, enthusiastically: "come of it what may, my lord, the damsel is comely, and i fear not to compare her with the best of trebizond or georgia." the duke did not answer. indeed, the lords were all intent upon exactly the same subject. whether there had been an overture and an acceptance, or an overture and a declination, they believed the principals could not conceal the result; a look, a gesture, or something in the manner of one or both of them, would tell the tale to eyes of such practical discernment. by the greater number the information would be treated as news for discussion merely; a few had hopes or fears at stake; none of them was so perilously involved as notaras; in his view, failure meant the promotion of phranza, of all consequences, not excepting his own loss of favor and prestige, the most intolerable. on the other part, constantine was not less concerned in misleading his court. at the proper time he would give out that he had changed his mind at the last moment; before engaging himself to the princess, he had concluded it best to wait and hear from phranza. accordingly, in passing along the portico, he endeavored to look and behave like a guest; he conversed in an ordinary tone; he suffered his hostess to precede him; and, well seconded by her, he was installed in the state chair, without an argument yes or no for the sharp reviewers. at the table he appeared chiefly solicitous to appease an unusual hunger, which he charged to the early morning air on the bosphorus. notaras, whom nothing of incident, demeanor or remark escaped, began very early to be apprehensive. upon beholding his master's unlover-like concession to appetite, he remarked sullenly, "verily, either his courage failed, and he did not submit a proposal, or she has rejected him." "my lord duke," the emperor's brother replied, somewhat stung, "dost thou believe it in woman to refuse such an honor?" "sir," the duke retorted, "women who go about unveiled are above or below judgment." the princess, in her place at the table, began there to recount her adventure at the white castle, but when far enough in the recital to indicate its course the emperor interrupted her. "stay, daughter," he said, gently. "the incident may prove of international interest. if not objectionable to you, i should be pleased to have some of my friends hear it." then raising his voice, he called out: "notaras, and thou, my brother, come, stand here. our fair hostess had yesterday an astonishing experience with the turks on the other shore, and i have prevailed on her to narrate it." the two responded to the invitation by drawing nearer the emperor at his right hand. "proceed now, daughter," the latter said. "daughter, daughter, indeed!" the duke repeated to himself, and so bitterly it may be doubted if his master's diplomacy availed to put him at rest. the paternalism of the address was decisive--phranza had won. then, presently overcoming her confusion, the princess succeeded in giving a simple but clear account of how she was driven to the castle, and of what befell her while there. when she finished, the entire suite were standing about the table listening. twice she had been interrupted by the emperor. "a moment!" he said to her, while she was speaking of the turkish soldiery whose arrival at the ancient stronghold had been so nearly simultaneous with her own. then he addressed himself to the grand domestic and the admiral. "my lords, in passing the castle, on our way up, you remember i bade the pilot take our ship near the shore there. it seemed to me the garrison was showing unusually large, while the flags on the donjon were strange, and the tents and horses around the walls implied an army present. you remember?" "and we have now, sire, the justification of your superior wisdom," the grand domestic replied, rising from a low salutation. "i recall the circumstance, my lords, to enjoin you not to suffer the affair to slip attention when next we meet in council--i pray pardon, daughter, for breaking the thread of your most interesting and important narrative. i am prepared to listen further." then, after description of the governor, and his reception of the fugitives on the landing, his majesty, with apologies, asked permission to offer another inquiry. "of a truth, daughter, the picture thou hast given us under the title of governor beareth no likeness to him who hath heretofore responded to that dignity. at various times i have had occasion to despatch messengers to the commandant, and returning, they have reported him a coarse, unrefined, brutish-looking person, of middle age and low rank; and much i marvel to hear the freedom with which this person doth pledge my august friend and ally, sultan amurath. my lords, this will furnish us an additional point of investigation. obviously the castle is of military importance, requiring an old head full of experience to keep it regardful of peace and clear understanding between the powers plying the bosphorus. we are always to be apprehensive of the fire there is in young blood." "with humility, your majesty," said the grand domestic, "i should like to hear from the princess, whose loveliness is now not more remarkable than her courage and discretion, the evidence she has for the opinion that the young man is really the governor." she was about to reply when lysander, the old servant, elbowed himself through the brilliant circle, and dropped his javelin noisily by her chair. "a stranger calling himself an arab is at the gate," he said to her, with the semblance of a salutation. the simplicity of the ancient, his zeal in the performance of his office, his obliviousness to the imperial presence, caused a ripple of amusement. "an arab!" the princess exclaimed, in momentary forgetfulness. "how does the man appear?" lysander was in turn distraught; after a short delay, however, he managed to answer: "his face is dark, almost black; his head is covered with a great cloth of silk and gold; a gown hides him from neck to heels; in his girdle there is a dagger. he has a lordly air, and does not seem in the least afraid. in brief, my mistress, he looks as if he might be king of all the camel drivers in the world." the description was unexpectedly graphic; even the emperor smiled, while many of the train, presuming license from his amusement, laughed aloud. in the midst of the merriment, the princess, calmly, and with scarce a change from her ordinary tone, proceeded to an explanation. "your majesty," she said, "i am reminded of an invitation left with the person whose identity was in discussion the instant of this announcement. in the afternoon, while i was sojourning in the white castle, an arab story-teller was presented to me under recommendation of my courteous host. he was said to be of great professional renown in the east, a sheik travelling to adrianople for the divertisement of the hanoum of the sultan. in the desert they call him endearingly the _singing sheik_. i was glad to have the hours assisted in their going, and he did not disappoint me. so charmed was i by his tales and manner of telling them, by his genius, that in taking my departure from what proved a most agreeable retreat, and in acknowledging the hospitable entertainment given me, i referred to the singer, and requested the governor to prevail on him to extend his journey here, in order to favor me with another opportunity to hear him. had i then known it was in my lord's purposes to visit me with such a company of most noble gentlemen, or could i have even anticipated the honor, i should not have appointed to-day for the audience with him. but he is in attendance; and now, with full understanding of the circumstances, it is for your majesty to pronounce upon his admission. perhaps"--she paused with a look of deprecation fairly divisible share and share alike between the emperor and the lords around her--"perhaps time may hang heavy with my guests this morning; if so, i shall hold myself obliged to the singing sheik if he can help me entertain them." now, was there one present to attach a criticism to the favor extended the arab, he dismissed it summarily, wondering at her easy grace. the emperor no doubt shared the admiration with his suite; but concealing it, he said, with an air of uncertainty, "thy recommendation, daughter, is high; and if i remain, verily, it will be with expectation wrought up to a dangerous degree; yet having often heard of the power of the strolling poets of whom this one is in probability an excellent example, i confess i should be pleased to have thee admit him." of the admiral, he then asked, "we were to set out in return about noon, were we not?" "about noon, your majesty." "well, the hour is hardly upon us. let the man appear, daughter; only, as thou lovest us, contrive that he keep to short recitals, which, without holding us unwillingly, will yet suffice to give an idea of his mind and methods. and keep thyself prepared for an announcement of our departure, and when received, mistake it not for discontent with thyself. admit the arab." chapter xix two turkish tales the situation now offered the reader is worth a pause, if only to fix it in mind. constantine and mahommed, soon to be contestants in war, are coming face to face, lovers both of the same woman. the romance is obvious; yet it is heightened by another circumstance. one of them is in danger. we of course know aboo-obeidah, the singing sheik, is prince mahommed in disguise; we know the prince also as heir of amurath the sultan, a very old man liable to vacate place and life at any moment. suppose now the rash adventurer--the term fits the youth truly as if he were without rank--should be discovered and denounced to the emperor. the consequences can only be treated conjecturally. in the first place, to what extremities the prince would be put in explaining his presence there. he could plead the invitation of the princess irene. but his rival would be his judge, and the judge might find it convenient to laugh at the truth, and rest his decision on the prisoner's disguise, in connection with his own presence--two facts sufficiently important to serve the most extreme accusation. constantine, next, was a knightly monarch who knew to live nobly, and dared die as he lived; yet, thinking of what he might do with mahommed fallen into his hands under circumstances so peculiar, there was never a caesar not the slave of policy. in the audience to manuel the sailor, we have seen how keenly sensitive he was to the contraction the empire had suffered. since that day, to be sure, he had managed to keep the territory he came to; none the less, he felt the turk to whom the stolen provinces invariably fell was his enemy, and that truce or treaty with him did not avail to loosen the compression steadily growing around his capital. over and over, daytime and night, the unhappy emperor pondered the story of the daughter of tantalus; and often, starting from dreams in which the ottoman power was a serpent slowly crawling to its victim, he would cry in real agony--"o constantinople--niobe! who can save thee but god? and if he will not--alas, alas!" the feeling thus engendered was not of a kind to yield readily to generosity. mahommed once securely his, everything might be let go--truth, honor, glory--everything but the terms of advantage purchasable with such an hostage. the invitation to the imaginary sheik had been a last act of grace by irene, about to embark for the city. mahommed, when he accepted, knew therapia by report a village very ancient historically, but decaying, and now little more than a summer resort and depot of supplies for fishermen. that its proverbial quietude would be disturbed, and the sleepy blood of its inhabitants aroused, by a royal galley anchoring in the bay to discharge the personnel of the empire itself, could have had no place in his anticipations. so when he stepped into a boat, the aboo-obeidah of his eulogy, and suffered himself, without an attendant, to be ferried across to roumeli-hissar; when he there took an humble wherry of two oars, and bade the unliveried greeks who served them pull for therapia, it was to see again the woman who was taking his fancy into possession, not constantine and his court bizarre in splendor and habitude. in other words, mahommed on setting out had no idea of danger. love, or something very like it, was his sole inspiration. the trireme, with the white cross on its red sail, its deck a martial and courtly spectacle, had been reported to him as the hundred and twenty flashing scarlet blades, in their operation a miracle of unity, whisked it by the old castle, and he had come forth to see it. where are they going? he asked those around him; and they, familiar with the bosphorus, its shipping and navigation, answered unanimously, to exercise her crew up in the black sea; and thinking of the breadth of the dark blue fields there, the reply commended itself, and he dismissed the subject. the course chosen by his boatmen when they put off from roumeli-hissar kept him close to the european shore, which he had leisure to study. then, as now, it was more favored than its asiatic opposite. the winds from the sea, southward blowing, unloaded their mists to vivify its ivy and myrtle. the sunlight, tarrying longest over its pine-clad summits, coaxed habitations along the shore; here, a palace; there, under an overhanging cliff, a hamlet; yonder, a long extended village complaisantly adapting itself to the curvatures of the brief margin left it for occupancy. wherever along the front of the heights and on the top there was room for a field the advantage had been seized. so the prince had offered him the sight of all others most significant of peace among men--sight of farmers tilling the soil. with the lucid sky above him summer-laden, the water under and about him a liquid atmosphere, the broken mountain-face changing from lovely to lovelier, and occasionally awakening him with a superlative splendor, the abodes so near, and the orchards and strawberry and melon patches overhead, symbolizing goodwill and fraternity and happiness amongst the poor and humble--with these, and the rhythmic beating of the oars to soothe his spirit, fierce and mandatory even in youth, he went, the time divided between views fair enough for the most rapturous dreams, and the greek, of whom, with all their brightness, they were but dim suggestions. past the stream-riven gorge of balta-liman he went; past emirghian; past the haven of stenia, and the long shore-town of yenikeui; then, half turning the keuibachi bend, lo! therapia, draggling down the stony steep, like a heap of bangles on a brown-red cheek. and there, in the soft embracement of the bay, a bird with folded wings asleep--the _trireme_! the sight startled the prince. he spoke to the rowers, and they ceased fighting the current, and with their chins over their shoulders, looked whither he pointed. from ship to shore he looked; then, pursuing the curve inland to the bridge at the upper end; thence down what may be called the western side, he beheld people crowding between a quay and a red kiosk over which pended a wooded promontory. "there is a princess living in this vicinity," said he to one of the rowers, slightly lifting the handkerchief from his face. "where is her palace?" "in the garden yonder. you see the gate over the heads of the men and women." "what is her name?" "princess irene. she is known on this shore as the good princess." "irene--a sound pleasant to the ear"--mahommed muttered. "why is she called good?" "because she is an angel of mercy to the poor." "that is not usual with the great and rich," he said next, yielding to a charm in the encomiums. "yes," the boatman responded, "she is great, being akin to the emperor, and rich, too, though"-here the man broke off to assist in bringing the boat back from its recession with the current, at this point boisterously swift. "you were saying the princess is rich," mahommed said, when the oars were again at rest. "oh, yes! but i cannot tell you, my friend, how many are partners in her wealth. every widow and orphan who can get to her comes away with a portion. isn't it so?" his companion grunted affirmatively, adding: "down yonder a man with a crooked back lives in an arched cell opening on the water. perhaps the stranger saw it as he came up." "yes," mahommed answered. "well, in the back part of the cell he has an altar with a crucifix and a picture of the blessed mother on it, and he keeps a candle burning before them day and night--something he could not do if we did not help him, for candles of wax are costly. he has named the altar after the princess, sta. irene. we often stop and go in there to pray; and i have heard the blessings in the light of that candle are rich and many as the patriarch has for sale in sta. sophia." these praises touched mahommed; for, exalted as he was in station, he was aware of the proneness of the poor to berate the rich and grumble at the great, and that such had been a habit with them from the commencement of the world. again the boat slipped down the current; when it was brought back, he asked: "when did the ship yonder come up?" "this morning." "oh, yes! i saw it then, but thought the crew were being taken to the sea for practice." "no," the boatman replied, "it is the state galley of his majesty the emperor. did you not see him? he sat on the throne with all his ministers and court around him." mahommed was startled. "where is the emperor now?" he inquired. "i should say, seeing the crowd yonder, that his majesty is in the palace with the princess." "yes," said the second rower, "they are waiting to see him come out." "row out into the bay. i should like to have the view from that quarter." while making the detour, mahommed reflected. naturally he remembered himself the son of amurath; after which it was easy to marshal the consequences of exposure, if he persisted in his venture. he saw distinctly how his capture would be a basis of vast bargaining with his father, or, if the sturdy old warrior preferred revenge to payment of a ruinous ransom, how the succession and throne might slip to another, leaving him a prisoner for life. yet another matter presented itself to him which the reader may decide worthy a separate paragraph. its mention has been waiting this opportunity. the prince from magnesia, his seat of government, was on the way to adrianople, called thither by his father, who had chosen a bride for him, daughter of a renowned emir. regularly he would have crossed the hellespont at gallipoli; a whim, however, took him to the white castle--whim or destiny, one being about as satisfactory as the other. pondering silently whether it were not best to return, he thought, apropos the princess irene, of the nuptials to be celebrated, and of his bride expectant; and a christian, pausing over the suggestion, may be disposed to condemn him for inconstancy. in countries where many wives are allowed the same husband he is not required to love any of them. indeed, his fourth spouse may be the first to command him; hers the eyes for his enslavement; hers the voice of the charmer charming both wisely and forever. mahommed did now think of the emir's daughter, but not with compunction, nor even in comparison. he had never seen her face, and would not until after the wedding days. he thought of her but to put her aside; she could not be as this christian was, neither so accomplished nor courtly; besides which, it was dawning upon him that there were graces of mind and soul as well as of person, while perfection was a combination of all the graces in equal degree. gleams of the latter had visited him while gazing into the radiant face of the emperor's kinswoman; and how, at such favoring times, his fancy had gone out to her and come back warmed, enlivened, glorified! there is a passion of the mind and a passion of the blood; and though one and one make two, two is still a multiple of one. looking thus at the galley, mahommed thought of the tales in the east not less common than in the west, and believed in them faithfully, for chivalry was merely on the wane--tales of beauteous damsels shut up in caves or adamantine castles, with guardian lions couchant at the gates, and of well-sworded heroes who marched boldly up to the brutes, and slew them, and delivered the captives always with reward. of course, in making the application, the princess was the prisoner, the ship the lion, and himself--well, in want of a sword, he laid hand upon his dagger, precisely as a liberating knight up to the ideal would do. nor was this all. the revelations of the prince of india were still fresh to him. he wished to see his competitor. how did he look? was there enough of him to make battle? he smiled thinking of the pleasure there would be in slyly studying the princess and the emperor at the same time. he drew the handkerchief down, looked at his brown-stained hands, and adjusted the folds of his burnoose. the disguise was perfect. "take me to the landing--there before the gate of the good princess," he said, with the air of a traveller above suspicion. his resolution was taken. challenging all chances, he would respond to the invitation of the princess. and so completely were doubt and hesitation dismissed with our adventurer, that it was not mahommed who stepped from the boat where the populace was in densest assemblage, but aboo-obeidah, the singing sheik, and as such we will speak of him. the guard at the gate, viewing him askance, detained him until he could be reported. a fair conception of the scene presented when the sheik stood on the floor of the portico is probably in the reader's mind; yet a glance at it may be pardoned. it was at first like a sudden introduction to an oriental garden. there were the vines, flowering shrubs, fruiting trees, many-fronded palms, and the effect of outdoors derived from the shadows of the pillars, and the sunshine streaming brilliantly through the open intervals. the tables bore proofs of the collation served upon them. overhead was the soft creaminess of pure marble in protected state mellowed by friendly touches of time. at the end of the vista, the company was indistinctly visible through the verdure of obtruding branches. voices came to him from that part, and gleams of bright garments; and to get to them it seemed he must pass through a viridescent atmosphere flecked with blooms, and faintly sweet with odors. for in losing the masculinity of their race the greeks devoted themselves more and more to refined effeminacies. moving slowly forward under the guidance of lysander, whose javelin beating the floor accentuated the rasping shuffle of his sandals, the sheik came presently to a full view of the concourse. he stopped, partly in obedience to a fine instinct of propriety teaching him he was now subject to the pleasure of his hostess, and partly to single out the royal enemy against whom he believed he was about to be pitted by destiny. constantine was sitting at ease, his left elbow resting on an arm of the sedilium, his forefinger supporting his cheek, his cloak across his lap. the attitude was reflective; the countenance exposed under the lifted visor of the helmet, was calm and benignant; except there was no suggestion of an evil revery holding the current of his thought, or casting a shade of uncertainty over his soul, he looked not unlike the famous il penseroso familiar to art-seekers in the medici chapel of florence. then the eyes of the rivals met. the greek was in no wise moved. how it would have been with him could he have seen through the disguise of the sheik may never be said. on the other part, the sheik lifted his head, and seemed taking on increase of stature. a projecting fold of the head-kerchief overhung his face, permitting nothing to be seen but red-hued cheeks, a thin beard, and eyes black and glittering. the review he felt himself undergoing did not daunt him; it only sent his pride mounting, like a leap of flame. "by the virgin!" said one of the courtiers to another, in a louder tone than the occasion demanded. "we may indeed congratulate ourselves upon having seen the king of camel drivers." there was a disposition to laugh amongst the lighter-minded of the guests, but the princess checked it by rising. "bid the sheik approach," she said, to the old domestic; and, at a sign from her, the waiting-women drew closer about her chair. the figure of the princess clad all in white, a bracelet of plain gold upon her left arm, fillets in her hair, one red, the other blue, a double strand of pearls about her neck--this figure, with the small head, perfect in turn, set matchlessly upon the sloping shoulders, the humid eyes full of violet light, the cheeks flushed with feeling--this figure so bright in its surroundings, admitted no rivalry in attention, none in admiration; the courtiers, old and young, turned from the sheik, and the sheik from the emperor. in a word, every eye centred upon the princess, every tongue bade hush lest what she said might be lost. etiquette required the sheik's presentation to the emperor first, but seeing her about to comply with the rule, he prostrated himself at her feet. as he arose, she said: "when i invited you to come and give me more of the cheer there is in your art, o sheik, i did not know my gracious kinsman, to whom every greek is proud and happy to be allegiant, designed visiting me to-day. i pray you will not suffer too much from his presence, but regard him a royal auditor who delights in a tale well told, and in verses when the theme and measure go lovingly together. his majesty, the emperor!" "hist! didst hear?" whispered the professor of philosophy to the professor of rhetoric. "thyself couldst not have spoken better." "ay, truly," the other answered. "save a trifle of stiffness, the speech might have served longinus." with her last word, the princess stepped aside, leaving mahommed and constantine front to front. had the sheik been observant of the monarch's dues, he would have promptly prostrated himself; but the moment for the salutation passed, and he remained standing, answering the look he received calmly as it was given. the reader and the writer know the reason governing him; the suite, however, were not so well informed, and they began to murmur. the princess herself appeared embarrassed. "lord of constantinople," the sheik said, seeing speech was his, "were i a greek, or a roman, or an ottoman, i should make haste to kiss the floor before you, happy of the privilege; for--be the concession well noted"--he glanced deferentially around him as he spoke--"the report which the world has of you is of a kind to make it your lover. after a few days--allah willing--i shall stand before amurath the sultan. though in reverencing him i yield not to any one simply his friend, he will waive prostration from me, knowing what your majesty may not. in my country we cleanse the ground with our beards before no one but god. not that we are unwilling to conform to the rules of the courts in which we find ourselves; with us it is a law--to kiss a man's hand maketh him the master; prostrate thyself to him, and without other act, thou becomest his subject. i am an arab!" the sheik was not in the least defiant; on the contrary, his manner was straightforward, simple, sincere, as became one interposing conscience against an observance in itself rightful enough. only in the last exclamation was there a perceptible emphasis, a little marked by a lift of the head and a kindling of the eyes. "i see your majesty comprehends me," he said, continuing; "yet to further persuade your court, and especially the fair and high-born lady, whose guest, with all my unworthiness, i am, from believing me moved in this matter by disrespect for their sovereign, i say next, if by prostration i made myself a roman, the act would be binding on the tribe whose sheik i am by lawful election. and did i that, o thou whose bounties serve thy people in lieu of rain! though my hand were white, like the first prophet's, when, to assure the egyptian, he drew it from his bosom, it would char blacker than dust of burned willow--then, o thou, lovelier than the queen the lost lapwing reported to solomon! though my breath were as the odor of musk, it would poison, like an exhalation from a leper's grave--then, o my lords! like karoon in his wickedness, i should hear allah say of me, o earth, swallow him! for as there are crimes and crimes, verily the chief who betrays his brethren born to the practice of freedom, shall wander between tents all his days, crying, oh, alas! oh, alas! who now will defend me against god?" when the sheik paused, as if for judgment, he was not only acquitted of intentional disrespect; the last grumbler was anxious to hear him further. "what astonishing figures!" the philosopher whispered to the rhetorician. "i begin to think it true that the east hath a style of its own." "i commend thy sagacity, my brother," the other replied. "his peroration was redolent of the koran--a wonderful fellow nevertheless!" presently the whole concourse was looking at the emperor, with whom it rested whether the sheik should be dismissed or called on for entertainment. "daughter," said constantine to the princess, "i know not enough of the tribal law of thy guest to have an opinion of the effect upon him and his of the observance of our ancient ceremony; wherefore we are bound to accept his statement. moreover it does not become our dignity to acquire subjects and dominion, were they ever so desirable, in a method justly liable to impeachment for treachery and coercion. besides which--and quite as important, situated as we are--thy hospitality is to be defended." here the sheik, who had been listening to the emperor, and closely observing him, thrice lightly clapped his hands. "it remains for us, therefore, to waive the salutation in this instance." a ripple of assent proceeded from the suite. "and now, daughter," constantine pursued, "thy guest being present to give thee of his lore, it may be he will be pleased to have us of his audience as well. having heard much of such performances, and remembering their popularity when we were in our childhood, we will esteem ourselves fortunate if now favored by one highly commended as a master in his guild." the sheik's eyes sparkled brighter as he answered, "it is written for us in our holiest, the very word of the compassionate,--'if ye are greeted with a greeting, then greet ye with a better greeting, or at least return it.' verily my lord dispenseth honor with so light a hand as not to appear aware of the doing. when my brethren under the black tents are told of my having won the willing ear of their majesties of byzantium and adrianople, they will think of me as one who has been permitted to walk in the light of two suns simultaneous in shining." so saying, he bowed very low. "my only unhappiness now is in not knowing the direction in which my lord's preferences run; for as a stream goes here and there, but all the time keeps one general course, seeking the sea, so with taste; though it yield a nod now, and then a smile, it hath always a deeper delight for the singer's finding. i have the gay and serious--history, traditions--the heroics of men and nations, their heart-throbs in verse and prose--all or any for the lord of constantinople and his kinswoman, my hostess,--may her life never end until the song of the dove ceases to be heard in the land!" "what say you, my friends?" asked constantine, glancing graciously at those around him. then they looked from him to the princess, and in thought of the betrothal, replied, "love--something of love!" "no," he returned, unflinchingly. "we are youths no longer. there is enlightenment in the traditions of nations. our neighbors, the turks--what hast thou of them, sheik?" "didst thou hear?" said notaras to one at his elbow. "he hath recanted; the empress will not be a greek." there was no answer; for the sheik, baring his head, hung the kerchief and cord upon his arm, preliminaries which gave him perfectly to view. a swarthy face; hair black, profuse, closely cut along the temples; features delicate but manly--these the bystanders saw in a general way, being more attracted by the repressed fire in the man's eyes, and his air high and severely noble. when the princess caught sight of the countenance, she fell into a confusion. she had seen it, but where and when? the instant he was beginning he gazed at her, and in the exchange of glances she was reminded of the governor bidding her adieu on the shore of the sweet waters. but he was youthful, while this one--could it be he was old? the feeling was a repetition of that she had in the castle when the storyteller appeared the first time. "i will tell how the turks became a nation." then, in greek but a little broken, the sheik began a recital. alaeddin and ertoghrul i a tale of ertoghrul!- how when the chief lay one day nooning with his stolen herds, a sound of drumming smote him from the east, and while he stood to see what came of it, the west with like notes fainter, echo-like, made answer; then two armies rode in view, horses and men in steel, the sheen of war about them and above, and wheeling quick from column into line, drew all their blades, shook all their flags, and charged and lost themselves in depths of dusty clouds, which yet they tore with blinding gleams of light, and yells of rage, and cheers so high and hoarse they well might seem the rolling thunder of a mountain storm. long time the hosts contended; but at last the lesser one began to yield the ground, oppressed in front, and on its flanks o'erwhelmed: and hasted then the end, a piteous sight, most piteous to the very brave who know from lessons of their lives, how seldom 'tis despair can save where valor fails to win. then ertoghrul aroused him, touched to heart. "my children, mount, and out with cimeter! i know not who these are, nor whence they come; nor need we care. 'twas allah led them here, and we will honor him--and this our law; what though the weak may not be always right, we'll make it always right to help the weak. deep take the stirrups now, and ride with me, _allah-il-allah!"_ thus spake ertoghrul; and at the words, with flying reins, and all his eager tribe, four hundred sworded men, headlong he rode against the winning host. ii beneath the captured flags, the spoils in heaps around him laid, the rescued warrior stood, a man of kingly mien, while to him strode his unexpected friend. "now who art thou?" the first was first to ask. "sheik ertoghrul am i." "the herds i see--who calls them his?" laughed ertoghrul, and showed his cimeter. "the sword obeys my hand, the hand my will, and given will and hand and sword, i pray thee tell me, why should any man be poor?" "and whose the plain?" "comes this way one a friend of mine, and leaves his slippers at my door, why then, 'tis his." "and whose the hills that look upon the plain?" "my flocks go there at morn, and thence they come at night--i take my right of allah." "no," the stranger mildly said, "'twas allah made them mine." frowned ertoghrul, while darkened all the air; but from his side full pleasantly the stranger took a sword, its carven hilt one royal emerald, its blade both sides with legends overwrought, some from the koran, some from solomon, all by the cunning eastern maker burned into the azure steel-his sword he took, and held it, belt, and scabbard too, in sign of gift. "the herds, the plain, the hills were mine; but take thou them, and with them this in proof of title." lifted ertoghrul his brows, and opened wide his eyes. "now who art thou?" he asked in turn. "oh, i am alaeddin- sometimes they call me alaeddin the great." "i take thy gifts--the herds, the plain, the hills," said ertoghrul; "and so i take the sword; but none the less, if comes a need, 'tis thine. let others call thee alaeddin the great; to me and mine thou'rt alaeddin the good and great." with that, he kissed the good king's hand; and making merry, to the sheik's dowar they rode. and thus from nothing came the small; and now the lonely vale which erst ye knew, and scorned, because it nursed the mountain's feet, doth cradle mornings on the mountain's top. _mishallah!_ the quiet which held the company through the recitation endured a space afterwards, and--if the expression be allowed--was in itself a commentary upon the performance. "where is our worthy professor of rhetoric?" asked constantine. "here, your majesty," answered the man of learning, rising. "canst thou not give us a lecture upon the story with which thy arabian brother hath favored us?" "nay, sire, criticism, to deal justly, waiteth until the blood is cool. if the sheik will honor me with a copy of his lines, i will scan and measure them by the rules descended to us from homer, and his attic successors." the eyes of the emperor fell next upon the moody, discontented face of duke notaras. "my lord admiral, what sayest thou of the tale?" "of the tale, nothing; of the story-teller--i think him an insolent, and had i my way, your majesty, he should have a plunge in the bosphorus." presuming the sheik unfamiliar with latin, the duke couched his reply in that tongue; yet the former raised his head, and looked at the speaker, his eyes glittering with intelligence--and the day came, and soon, when the utterance was relentlessly punished. "i do not agree with you, my lord," constantine said, in a melancholy tone. "our fathers, whether we look for them on the roman or the greek side, might have played the part of ertoghrul. his was the spirit of conquest. would we had enough of it left to get back our own!--sheik," he added, "what else hast thou in the same strain? i have yet a little time to spare--though it shall be as our hostess saith." "nay," she answered, with deference, "there is but one will here." and taking assent from her, the sheik began anew. el jann and his parable _bismillah!_ ertoghrul pursued a wolf, and slew it on the range's tallest peak, above the plain so high there was nor grass nor even mosses more. and there he sat him down awhile to rest; when from the sky, or the blue ambiency cold and pure, or maybe from the caverns of the earth where solomon the king is wont to keep the monster genii hearkening his call, el jann, vast as a cloud, and thrice as black, appeared and spoke- "art thou sheik ertoghrul?" and he undaunted answered: "even so." "well, i would like to come and sit with thee." "thou seest there is not room for both of us." "then rise, i say, and get thee part way down the peak." "'twere easier," laughed ertoghrul, "madest thou thyself like me as thin and small; and i am tired." a rushing sound ran round and up and down the height, most like the whir of wings through tangled trees of forests old and dim. a moment thus--the time a crisped leaf, held, armlength overhead, will take to fall- and then a man was sitting face to face with ertoghrul. "this is the realm of snow," he said, and smiled--"a place from men secure, where only eagles fearless come to nest, and summer with their young." the sheik replied, "it was a wolf--a gaunt gray wolf, which long had fattened on my flocks--that lured me here. i killed it." "on thy spear i see no blood; and where, o sheik, the carcass of the slain? i see it not." around looked ertoghrul- there was no wolf; and at his spear- upon its blade no blood. then rose his wrath, a mighty pulse. "the spear hath failed its trust- i'll try the cimeter." a gleam of light- a flitting, wind-borne spark in murk of night- then fell the sword, the gift of alaeddin; edge-first it smote the man upon his crown- between his eyes it shore, nor staying there, it cut his smile in two--and not yet spent, but rather gaining force, through chin and chine, and to the very stone on which he sat it clove, and finished with a bell-like clang of silvern steel 'gainst steel. "aha! aha!"- but brief the shout; for lo! there was no stain upon the blade withdrawn, nor moved the man, nor changed he look or smile. "i was the wolf that ran before thee up the mountain side; 'twas i received thy spear as now thy sword; and know thou further, sheik, nor wolf nor man am i, nor mortal thing of any kind; only a thought of allah's. canst thou kill a thought divine? not solomon himself could that, except with thought yet more divine. yield thee thy rage; and when thou think'st of me hereafter, be it as of one, a friend, who brought a parable, and made display before thee, saying- "lo! what allah wills." therewith he dropped a seed scarce visible into a little heap of sand and loam between them drawn. "lo! allah wills." and straight the dust began to stir as holding life. again el jann- "behold what allah wills!" a tiny shoot appeared; a waxen point close shawled in many folds of wax as white, it might have been a vine to humbly creep- a lily soon to sunward flare its stars- a shrub to briefly coquette with the winds. again the cabalism- "lo! allah's will." the apparition budded, leafed, and branched, and with a flame of living green lit all the barrenness about. and still it grew- until it touched the pillars of the earth, and lapped its boundaries, the far and near, and under it, as brethren in a tent, the nations made their home, and dwelt in peace forever. "lo!"- and ertoghrul awoke. _mishallah!_ this recitation commanded closer attention than the first one. each listener had a feeling that the parable at the end, like all true parables, was of continuous application, while its moral was in some way aimed at him. the looks the sheik received were by no means loving. the spell was becoming unpleasant. then the emperor arose, as did the princess, to whom, as hostess, the privilege of sitting had been alone conceded. "our playtime is up--indeed, i fear, it has been exceeded," he said, glancing at the dean, who was acting master of ceremonies. the dean responded with a bow low as his surroundings admitted; whereupon the emperor went to the princess, and said, "we will take leave now, daughter, and for myself and my lords of the court, i acknowledge a most agreeable visit, and thank you for it." she respectfully saluted the hand he extended to her. "our gate and doors at blacherne are always open to you." the adieu was specially observed by the courtiers, and they subsequently pronounced it decorous for a sovereign, cordial as became a relative, but most un-loverlike. indeed, it was a strong point in the decision subsequently of general acceptance, by which his majesty was relieved of the proposal of marriage to the princess. the latter took his offered arm, and accompanied him to the steps of the portico, where, when he had descended, the lords one by one left a kiss on her hand. nor should it be forgotten, that as constantine was passing the sheik, he paused to say to him in his habitually kind and princely manner: "the tree sheik ertoghrul saw in his dream has spread, and is yet spreading, but its shadow has not compassed all the nations; and while god keeps me, it will not. had not i myself invited the parable, it might have been offensive. for the instruction and entertainment given me, accept thou this--and go in peace." the sheik took the ring offered him, and the gaze with which he followed the imperial giver was suggestive of respect and pity. chapter xx mahommed dreams it was a trifle after noon. the trireme and the assemblage of admiring townspeople had disappeared, leaving the bay and its shores to their wonted quiet. the palace, however, nestling in the garden under the promontory, must be permitted to hold our interest longer. aboo-obeidah had eaten and drunk, for being on a journey, he was within the license of the law as respects wine; and now he sat with the princess alone at the end of the portico lately occupied by the emperor and his suite. a number of her attendants amused themselves out of hearing of the two, though still within call. she occupied the sedilium; he a seat by the table near her. save a fine white veil on an arm and a fan which she seldom used, her appearance was as in the morning. it is to be admitted now that the princess was finding a pleasure in the society of the sheik. if aware of the fact, which was doubtful, it is still more doubtful if she could have explained it. we are inclined to think the mystery attaching to the man had as much to do with the circumstance as the man himself. he was polite, engaging, and handsome; the objection to his complexion, if such there were, was at least offset by a very positive faculty of entertaining; besides which, the unspeakable something in manner, always baffling disguises, always whispering of other conditions, always exciting suggestions and expectations, was present here. if she thought him the bedouin he assumed to be, directly a word changed the opinion; did she see the governor of the old castle in his face, an allusion or a bit of information dropped by him unaware spoke of association far beyond such a subordinate; most perplexing, however, where got the man his intelligence? did learning like his, avoiding cloisters, academies, and teachers of classical taste, comport with camel-driving and tent-life in deserts harried by winds and sand? the mystery, together with the effort to disentangle it, resolved the princess into an attentive auditor. the advantages in the conversation were consequently with the sheik; and he availed himself of them to lead as he chose. "you have heard, o princess, of the sacred fig-tree of the hindus?" "no." "in one of their poems--the bhagavad gita, i think--it is described as having its roots above and its branches downward; thus drawing life from the sky and offering its fruit most conveniently, it is to me the symbol of a good and just king. it rose to my mind when thy kinsman--may allah be thrice merciful to him!--passed me with his speech of forgiveness, and this gift "--he raised his hand, and looked at the ring on one of the fingers-"in place of which i was more deserving burial in the bosphorus, as the black-browed admiral said." a frown dark as the admiral's roughened his smooth brow. "why so?" she inquired. "the tales i told were of a kind to be spared a greek, even one who may not cover his instep with the embroidered buskin of an emperor." "nay, sheik, they did not ruffle him. on the tongue of a turk, i admit, the traditions had been boastful, but you are not a turk." the remark might have been interrogative; wherefore with admirable address, he replied: "an ottoman would see in me an arab wholly unrelated to him, except as i am a moslem. let it pass, o princess--he forgave me. the really great are always generous. when i took the ring, i thought, now would the young mahommed have so lightly pardoned the provocation?" "mahommed!" she said. "not the prophet," he answered; "but the son of amurath." "ah, you know him?" "i have sat with him, o princess, and at table often helped him to meat and bread. i have been his cupbearer and taster, and as frequently shared his outdoor sports; now hunting with hawk, and now with hound. oh, it were worth a year of common days to gallop at his right hand, and exult with him when the falcon, from its poise right under the sun, drops itself like an arrow upon its enemy! i have discoursed with him also on themes holy and profane, and given and taken views, and telling him tales in prose and verse, have seen the day go out, then come again. in knightly practice i have tilted with him, and more than once, by his side in battle, loosened rein at the same cry and charged. his sultana mother knows him well; but, by the lions and the eagles who served solomon, i know him, beginning where her knowledge left off--that is, where the horizon of manhood stretched itself to make room for his enlarging soul." the awakening curiosity of his listener was not lost upon the sheik. "you are surprised to hear a kindly speech of the son of amurath," he said. she flushed slightly. "i am not a person, sheik, whose opinions are dangerous to the peace of states, and of whom diplomacy is required; yet it would grieve me to give offence to you or your friend, the prince mahommed. if now i concede a wish to have some further knowledge of one who is shortly to inherit the most powerful of the eastern kingdoms, the circumstance ought not to subject me to harsh judgment." "princess," the sheik said, "nothing so becomes a woman as care where words may be the occasion of mischief. as a flower in a garden, such a woman would rank as the sovereign rose; as a bird, she would be the bulbul, the sweetest of singers, and in beauty, a heron with throat of snow, and wings of pink and scarlet; as a star, she would be the first of the evening, and the last to pale in the morning--nay, she would be a perpetual morning. of all fates what more nearly justifies reproach of allah than to have one's name and glory at the mercy of a rival or an enemy? i am indeed mahommed's friend--i know him--i will defend him, where sacred truth permits defence. and then"--his glance fell, and he hesitated. "and what then?" she asked. he gave her a grateful look, and answered: "i am going to adrianople. the prince will be there, and can i tell him of this audience, and that the princess irene regrets the evil reported of him in constantinople, and is not his enemy, straightway he will number himself of those the most happy and divinely remembered, whose books are to be given them in their right hands." the princess looked at the singer, her countenance clear, serene, fair as a child's, and said: "i am the enemy of no one living. report me so to him. the master i follow left a law by which all men and women are neighbors whom i am to love and pray for as i love and pray for myself. deliver him the very words, o sheik, and he will not misunderstand me." a moment after she asked: "but tell me more of him. he is making the world very anxious." "princess," the sheik began, "ebn hanife was a father amongst dervishes, and he had a saying, 'ye shall know a plant by its flower, a vine by its fruit, and a man by his acts; what he does being to the man as the flower to the plant, and the fruit to the vine; if he have done nothing, prove him by his tastes and preferences, for what he likes best that he will do when left to himself.' by these tests let us presume to try the prince mahommed.... there is nothing which enthralls us like the exercise of power--nothing we so nearly carry with us into the tomb to be a motive there; for who shall say it has not a part in the promise of resurrection? if so, o princess, what praise is too great for him who, a young man placed upon a throne by his father, comes down from it at his father's call?" "did mahommed that?" "not once, o princess, but twice." "in so much at least his balance should be fair." "to whom is the pleasant life in a lofty garden, its clusters always near at hand--to whom, if not to the just judges of their fellow-men?" the sheik saluted her twice by carrying his right hand to his beard, then to his forehead. "attend again, o princess," he continued, more warmly than in the outset. "mahommed is devoted to learning. at night in the field when the watches are set, the story-tellers, poets, philosophers, lawyers, preachers, experts in foreign tongues, and especially the inventors of devices, a class by themselves, supposed generally to live on dreams as others on bread--all these, finding welcome in his tent, congregate there. his palace in the city is a college, with recitations and lectures and instructive conversations. the objection his father recognized the times he requested him to vacate the throne was that he was a student. his ancestors having been verse makers, poetry is his delight; and if he does not rival them in the gentle art, he surpasses them in the number of his acquirements. the arab, the hebrew, the greek, the latin address him and have answers each in his mother's tongue. knew you ever a scholar, o princess, whose soul had utterly escaped the softening influence of thought and study? it is not learning which tames the barbarian so much as the diversion of mind from barbaric modes required of him while in the pursuit of learning." she interrupted him, saying pleasantly: "i see, o sheik, if to be at the mercy of an enemy is sad, how fortunate where one's picture is intended if the artist be a friend. where had the prince his instructors?" there was a lurking smile in the sheik's eyes, as he replied: "the sands in my country drink the clouds dry, and leave few fountains except of knowledge. the arab professors in cordova, whom the moorish kaliphs deemed themselves honored in honoring, were not despised by the bishops of rome. amurath, wanting teachers for mahommed, invited the best of them to his court. ah--if i had the time!" observing his sigh had not failed its mark, he continued: "i would speak of some of the books i have seen on the prince's table; for as a licensed friend, i have been in his study. indeed, but for fear of too greatly recommending myself, i would have told you earlier, o princess, how he favoured me as one of his teachers." "of poetry and story-telling, i suppose?" "why not?" he asked. "our history is kept and taught in such forms. have we a hero not himself a poet, he keeps one.... upon the prince's table, in the central place, objects of his reverence, the sources to which he most frequently addresses himself when in need of words and happy turns of expression, his standards of comparison for things beautiful in writing and speech, mirrors of the most merciful, whispering galleries wherein the voice of the most compassionate is never silent, are the koran, with illustrations in gold, and the bible in hebrew, copied from _torahs_ of daily use in the synagogues." "the bible in hebrew! does he read it?" "like a jewish elder." "and the gospels?" the sheik's face became reproachful. "art thou--even thou, o princess--of those who believe a moslem must reject christ because the prophet of islam succeeded him with later teachings?" dropping then into the passionless manner, he continued: "the koran does not deny christ or his gospels. hear what it says of itself: 'and this koran is not a forgery of one who is no god, but it hath been sent down as a confirmation of those books which have been before it, and an explanation of the scriptures from the lord of the worlds.' [footnote: the koran] ... that verse, o princess, transcribed by the prince mahommed himself, lies between the bible and the koran; the two being, as i have said, always together upon his table." "what then is his faith?" she asked, undisguisedly interested. "would he were here to declare it himself!" this was said disconsolately; then the sheik broke out: "the truth now of the son of amurath! listen!--he believes in god. he believes in the scriptures and the koran, holding them separate wings of the divine truth by which the world is to attain righteousness. he believes there have been three prophets specially in the confidence of god: moses, the first one; jesus, who was greater than moses; mahomet, the very greatest--not for speaking better or sublimer things, but because he was last in their order of coming. above all, o princess, he believes worship due to the most high alone; therefore he prays the prayer of islam, god is god, and mahomet is his prophet--meaning that the prophet is not to be mistaken for god." the sheik raised his dark eyes, and upon meeting them the princess looked out over the bay. that she was not displeased was the most he could read in her face, the youthful light of which was a little shaded by thinking. he waited for her to speak. "there were other books upon the prince's table?" she presently asked. "there were others, o princess." "canst thou name some of them?" the sheik bowed profoundly. "i see the pearls of ebn hanife's saying were not wasted. mahommed is now to be tried by his tastes and preferences. let it be so.... i saw there, besides dictionaries greek, latin, and hebrew, the encyclopaedia of sciences, a rare and wonderful volume by a granadian moor, ibn abdallah. i saw there the astronomy and astronomical tables of ibn junis, and with them a silver globe perfected from the calculations of almamon the kaliph, which helps us to the geographical principle not yet acknowledged in rome, that the earth is round. i saw there the book of the balance of wisdom by alhazan, who delved into the laws of nature until there is nothing phenomenal left. i saw there the philosophy of azazzali the arab, for which both christian and moslem should be grateful, since it has given philosophy its true place by exalting it into a handmaiden of religion. i saw there books treating of trade and commerce, of arms and armor, and machines for the assault and defence of cities, of military engineering, and the conduct of armies in grand campaigns, of engineering not military, dealing with surveying, and the construction of highways, aqueducts, and bridges, and the laying out of towns. there, also, because the soul of the student must have rest and diversion, i saw volumes of songs and music loved by lovers in every land, and drawings of mosques, churches and palaces, masterpieces of indian and saracenic genius; and of gardens there was the zebra, created by abderrahman for the best loved of his sultanas. of poetry, o princess, i saw many books, the lord of them a copy of homer in arabic, executed on ivory from the translation ordered by haroun al-raschid." during this recital the princess scarcely moved. she was hearing a new version of mahommed; and the sheik, like a master satisfied with his premises, proceeded to conclusions. "my lord has a habit of dreaming, and he does not deny it--he believes in it. in his student days, he called it his rest. he used to say, when his brain reeled in overtask dreaming was a pillow of down and lavender; that in moments of despair, dreaming took his spirit in its hands softer than air, and, nurse-like, whispered and sung to it, and presently it was strong again. not many mornings ago he awoke to find that in a deep sleep some ministrant had come to him, and opened the doors of his heart, and let out its flock of boyish fantasies. he has since known but three visions. would it please you, o princess, to hear of them? they may be useful as threads on which to hang the dervish father's pearls of saying." she re-settled herself, resting her cheek on her hand, and her elbow on the arm of the chair, and replied: "i will hear of them." "the visions have all of them reference to the throne he is soon to ascend, without which they would be the mere jingling of a jester's rattle. "first vision.... he will be a hero. if his soul turned from war, he were not his father's son. but unlike his father, he holds war the servant of peace, and peace the condition essential to his other visions. "second vision.... he believes his people have the genius of the moors, and he will cultivate it in rivalry of that marvellous race." "of the moors, o sheik?" the princess said, interrupting him. "of the moors? i have always heard of them as pillagers of sacred cities--infidels sunk in ignorance, who stole the name of god to excuse invasions and the spilling of rivers of blood." the sheik lifted his head haughtily. "i am an arab, and the moors are arabs translated from the east to the west." "i crave thy pardon," she said, gently. and calming himself, he rejoined: "if i weary you, o princess, there are other subjects to which i can turn. my memory is like the box of sandal-wood a lady keeps for her jewelry. i can open it at will, and always find something to please--better probably because i have it from another." "no," she returned, artlessly, "a hero in actual life transcends the best of fancies--and besides, sheik, you spoke of a third vision of your friend, the prince mahommed." he dropped his eyes lest she should see the brightness with which they filled. "war, my lord says, is a necessity which, as sultan, he cannot avoid. were he disposed to content himself with the empire descending from his great father, envious neighbors would challenge him to the field. he must prove his capacity in defence. that done, he vows to tread the path made white and smooth by abderrahman, the noblest and best of the western kaliphs. he will set out by founding a capital somewhere on the bosphorus. such, o princess, is my lord mahommed's third vision." "nay, sheik--on the marmora--at broussa, perhaps." "i am giving the vision as he gave it to me, princess. for where else, he asks, has the spreading earth diviner features than on the bosphorus? where bends a softer sky above a friendlier channel by nature moulded for nobler uses? where are there seas so bridled and reduced? does not the rose bloom here all the year? yonder the east, here the west--must they be strangers and enemies forever? his capital, he declares, shall be for their entertainment as elder and younger brother. within its walls, which he will build strong as a mountain's base, with gates of brass invulnerable, and towers to descry the clouds below the horizon, he will collect unselfishly whatever is good and beautiful, remembering he serves allah best who serves his fellow-men." "all his fellow-men, sheik?" "all of them." then she glanced over the bay, and said very softly: "it is well; for 'if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?'" the sheik smiled, saying: "and thus the latest prophet, o princess. 'turn away evil by that which is better; and lo, he between whom and thyself was enmity, shall become as though he were a warm friend.'" [footnote: koran] she answered, "a goodly echo." "shall i proceed?" he then asked. "yes." "i was speaking of the third vision.... to make his capital the centre of the earth, he will have a harbor where ships from every country, and all at once, can come and lie, oars slung and sails furled: and near by for trade, a bazaar with streets of marble, and roofed with glass, and broad and long enough for a city unto itself; and in the midst a khan for lodging the merchants and travellers who have not other houses. and as did abderrahman, he will build a university of vast enclosure; here temples, there groves; nor may a study be named without its teacher, and he the most famous; so the votaries of music and poetry, philosophy, science, and the arts, and the hundred-handed mechanics shall dwell together like soldiers in a holy league. and comes that way one religious, of him but a question, believest thou in god? and if he answer yes, then for him a ready welcome. for of what moment is it, my lord asks, whether god bear this name or that? or be worshipped with or without form? or on foot or knee? or whether the devout be called together by voice or bell? is not faith everything?" the picture wrought upon the princess. her countenance was radiant, and she said half to herself, but so the sheik heard her: "it is a noble vision." then the sheik lowered his voice: "if, with such schemes, excluding races and religions--hear me again, o princess!--if with such schemes or visions, as thou wilt, the lord mahommed allows himself one selfish dream, wouldst thou condemn him?" "what is the selfish dream?" she asked. "he has an open saying, princess, 'light is the life of the world, while love is the light of life.' didst thou ever hear how othman wooed and won his malkatoon?" "no." "it is a turkish tale of love. mahommed had it from his mother when he was a lad, and he has been haunted ever since with a belief which, to his dreaming, is like the high window in the eastern front of a palace, outwardly the expression-giver, within the principal source of light. the idea is strongest what times the moon is in the full; and then he mounts a horse, and hies him, as did othman, to some solitary place where, with imagination for cup-bearer, he drinks himself into happy drunkenness." the sheik, bending forward, caught her eyes with his, and held them so not a glance escaped him. "he thinks--and not all the genii, the winged and the unwinged, of the wisest of kings could win him from the thought--that he will sometime meet a woman who will have the mind, the soul of souls, and the beauty of the most beautiful. when she will cross his vision is one of the undelivered scriptories which time is bringing him; yet he is looking for her, and the more constantly because the first sight of her will be his first lesson in the mystery called love. he will know her, for at seeing her a lamp will light itself in his heart, and by it, not the glare of the sun, his spirit will make sure of her spirit. therefore in his absoluteness of faith, o princess, there is a place already provided for her in his promised capital, and even now he calls it this house of love. ah, what hours he has spent planning that abode! he will seat it in the garden of perfection, for the glorifying which, trees, birds, flowers, summer-houses, water, hill-tops and shaded vales shall be conquered. has he not studied the zehra of abderrahman? and divided it as it was into halls, courts and chambers, and formed and proportioned each, and set and reset its thousand and more columns, and restored the pearls and gold on its walls, and over the wide alhambran arches hung silken doors sheened like paradisean birds? and all that when he shall have found her, his queen, his malkatoon, his spirit of song, his breath of flowers, his lily of summer, his pearl of oman, his moon of radjeb, monotony shall never come where she dwells nor shall she sigh except for him absent. such, o princess irene, is the one dream the prince has builded with the world shut out. does it seem to you a vanity of wickedness?" "no," she returned, and covered her face, for the sheik's look was eager and burning bright. he knelt then, and kissed the marble at her feet. "i am prince mahommed's ambassador, o princess," he said, rising to his knees. "forgive me, if i have dared delay the announcement." "his ambassador! to what end?" "i am afraid and trembling." he kissed the floor again. "assure me of pardon--if only to win me back my courage. it is miserable to be shaken with fear." "thou hast done nothing, sheik, unless drawing thy master's portrait too partially be an offence. speak out." "it is not three days, princess, since you were mahommed's guest." "i his guest--mahommed's!" she arose from her chair. "he received you at the white castle." "and the governor?" "he was the governor." she sunk back overcome with astonishment. the sheik recalled her directly. "prince mahommed," he said, "arrived at the castle when the boats were discovered, and hastened to the landing to render assistance if the peril required it.... and now, o princess, my tongue falters. how can i without offending tell of the excitement into which seeing you plunged him? suffer me to be direct. his first impression was supported by the coincidences--your coming and his, so nearly at the same instant--the place of the meeting so out of the way and strange--the storm seemingly an urgency of heaven. beholding and hearing you, 'this is she! this is she! my queen, my malkatoon!' he cried in his heart. and yesterday"-"nay, sheik, allow the explanation to wait. bearest thou a message from him to me?" "he bade me salute thee, princess irene, as if thou wert now the lady of his house of love in his garden of perfection, and to pray if he might come and in person kiss thy hand, and tell thee his hopes, and pour out at thy feet his love in heartfuls larger than ever woman had from man." while speaking, the sheik would have given his birthright to have seen her face. then, in a low voice, she asked: "does he doubt i am a christian?" the tone was not of anger; with beatings of heart trebly quickened, he hastened to reply: "'that she is a christian'--may god abandon my mouth, if i quote him unfaithfully!--'that she is a christian, i love her the more. for see you, sheik'--by the faith of an arab, princess, i quote him yet, word for word--'my mother was a christian.'" in the morning of this very day we have seen her put to like question by constantine, and she did not hesitate; now the reply took a time. "say to prince mahommed," she at length returned, "that his message presents itself honorably, for which it is deserving a soft answer. his fancy has played him false. i cannot be the woman of his dream. she is young; i am old, though not with years. she is gay; i am serious. she is in love with life, hopeful, joyous; i was born to sorrow, and in sorrow brought up, and the religion which absorbed my youth is now life's hold on me. she will be delighted with the splendors he has in store for her; so might i, had not the wise man long since caught my ear and judgment by the awful text, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. while her charms endure she will keep him charmed with the world; i could not so much, for the world to come has possession of me, and the days here are but so many of a journey thither. tell him, o sheik, while he has been dreaming of palaces and gardens in rivalry of abderrahman the kaliph, i have been dreaming of a house in splendor beyond the conception of architects; and asks he more about it, tell him i know it only as a house not made with hands. tell him i speak not in denial of possibilities; for by the love i have never failed to accord the good and noble, i might bend my soul to his; to this hour, however, god and his son the christ, and the holy mother, and the angels and deserving men and women have taken up my heart and imagination, and in serving them i have not aspired to other happiness. a wife i might become, not from temptation of gain or power, or in surrender to love--i speak not in derision of the passion, since, like the admitted virtues, it is from god--nay, sheik, in illustration of what may otherwise be of uncertain meaning to him, tell prince mahommed i might become his wife could i by so doing save or help the religion i profess. then, if i brought him love, the sacrifice would rescue it from every taint. canst thou remember all this? and wilt thou deliver it truly?" the sheik's demeanor when she ended was greatly changed; his head was quite upon his breast; his attitude and whole appearance were disconsolate to the last degree. "alas, princess! how can i carry such speech to him, whose soul is consuming with hunger and thirst for thy favor?" "sheik," she said in pity, "no master, i think, had ever a more faithful servant than thou hast proved thyself. thy delivery of his message, could it be preserved, would be a model for heralds in the future." thereupon she arose, extended her hand to him, and he kissed it; and as she remained standing, he arose also. "be seated," she then said, and immediately that they were both in their chairs again, she took direction of the interview. "you asked me, sheik, if i had heard how othman wooed and won his malkatoon, and said it was a turkish romance. the othman, i take it, was founder of prince mahommed's house. now, if thou art not too weary, tell me the story." as the recital afforded him the opportunities to give poetic expression to his present feeling, he accepted the suggestion gladly, and, being in the right mood, was singularly effective. half the time listening she was in tears. it was past three o'clock when he finished. the audience then terminated. in no part of it had her manner been more gracious than when she conducted him along the portico, or her loveliness so overwhelming as when she bade him adieu at the head of the steps. standing between columns near the sedilium, she saw him gain his boat, take something from the sitting-box, step ashore again, and return to her gate, where he remained awhile pounding with a stone. the action was curious, and when he was out of sight rounding the water front of the promontory, she sent lysander to investigate. "the infidel has fixed a brass plate to the right-hand post of the kiosk," the ancient reported, in bad humor. "it may be a curse." the princess then called her attendants, and went with them to see the brass plate. there it was, an arm's reach overhead, and affixed firmly to the post, the corners turned down to serve the tacking. graven on its polished surface was the following: [illustration] wholly unable to decipher it, she sent for a dervish, long resident in the town, and returned to the portico. "princess," the old man said, having viewed the mysterious plate, "he who did the posting was a turk; and if he were aged, i should say thou hast entertained unaware the great amurath, sultan of sultans." "but the man was young." "then was he the son of amurath, prince mahommed." the princess turned pale. "how canst thou speak so positively?" she asked. "it is a _teukra_; in the whole world, o princess, there are but two persons with authority to make use of it." "and who are they?" "the sultan, and mahommed, next him in the succession." in the silence which ensued, lysander officiously proposed to remove the sign. the dervish interposed. "wilt thou hear me, o princess," he said, with a low reverence, "whether the plate proceeded from amurath or mahommed, or by the order of either of them, the leaving it behind signifies more than friendship or favor--it is a safeguard--a proclamation that thou and thy people and property here are under protection of the master of all the turks. were war to break out to-morrow, thou mightest continue in thy palace and garden with none to make thee afraid save thine own countrymen. wherefore consider well before acceding to the rancor of this ancient madman." thus the truth came to the princess irene. the singing sheik was prince mahommed! twice he had appeared before her; in the white castle once, and now in her palace; and having announced himself her lover, and proposed marriage, he intended her to know him, and also that he was not departing in despair. hence the plate on the gate! the circumstance was novel and surprising. her present feelings were too vague and uncertain for definition: but she was not angry. meantime mahommed, returning to the old castle, debated with himself. he loved the princess irene with the passion of a soul unused to denial or disappointment, and before he reached the roumelian hissar he swore a moslem oath to conquer constantinople, less for islam and glory, than for her. and from that hour the great accomplishment took hold of him to the exclusion of all else. at hissar he ascended the mountain, and, standing on the terreplein of the precipice in front of what is now robert college, he marked the narrowness of the bosphorus below, and thinking of the military necessity for a crossing defended on both shores, he selected a site for a castle on the european side opposite the white castle in asia. in due time we will have occasion to notice the creation of the walls and towers of the stupendous fortification yet standing between bebek and hissar, a monument to his energy and sagacity more imposing than anything left by him in constantinople. book iv the palace of blacherne chapter i the palace of blacherne the prince of india was not given to idle expectations. he might deceive others, but he seldom deceived himself. his experience served him prophetically in matters largely dependent on motives ordinarily influential with men. he was confident the emperor would communicate with him, and soon. the third day after the adventure at the white castle, a stranger, mounted, armed, and showily caparisoned, appeared at the prince's door under guidance of uel. in the study, to which he was hidden, he announced himself the bearer of a complimentary message from his majesty, concluding with an invitation to the palace of blacherne. if agreeable, his majesty would be pleased to receive the indian dignitary in the afternoon at three o'clock. an officer of the guard would be at the grand gate for his escort. the honor, needless to say, was accepted in becoming terms. when the prince descended to the hall of entry on the ground floor to take the sedan there, the unusual care given his attire was apparent. his beard was immaculately white. his turban of white silk, balloon in shape, and with a dazzle of precious stones in front, was a study. over a shirt of finest linen, with ruffles of lace at the throat and breast, there was a plain gown of heavy black velvet, buttoned at the neck, but open down to a yellow sash around the waist. the sash was complemented by a belt which was a mass of pearls in relief on a ground of gold embroidery. the belt-plate and crescented sword scabbard were aflame with brilliants on blue enamelling. his trousers, ample as a skirt, were of white satin overflowing at the ankles. pointed red slippers, sparkling with embroidery of small golden beads, completed the costume. the procession in the street was most striking. first nilo, as became a king of kash-cush, barbarously magnificent; the sedan next, on the shoulders of four carriers in white livery; at the rear, two domestics arrayed _a la cipango_, their strange blue garments fitting them so close as to impede their walking; yet as one of them bore his master's paper sunshade and ample cloak, and the other a cushion bloated into the proportions of a huge pillow, they were by no means wanting in self-importance. syama, similarly attired, though in richer material, walked at the side of the sedan, ready to open the door or answer such signal as he might receive from within. the appearance of this retinue in the streets was a show to the idle and curious, who came together as if rendered out of the earth, and in such numbers that before fairly reaching the thoroughfare by which the grand gate of blacherne was usually approached from the city side, the gilded box on the shoulders of its bearers looked, off a little way, not unlike a boat rocking in waves. fortunately the people started in good humor, and meeting nothing to break the mood, they permitted the prince to accomplish his journey without interruption. the companionship of the crowd was really agreeable to him; he hardly knew whether it were pleasanter to be able to excite such respectful curiosity than to gratify it successfully. it might have been otherwise had lael been with him. the very high residence, as the palace of blacherne was generally spoken of by greeks, was well known to the prince of india. the exclamation with which he settled himself in the sedan at setting out from his house--"again, again, o blacherne!"--disclosed a previous personal acquaintance with the royal property. and over and over again on the way he kept repeating, "o blacherne! beautiful blacherne! bloom the roses as of old in thy gardens? do the rivulets in thy alabaster courts still run singing to the mosaic angels on the walls?" as to the date of these recollections, if, as the poets tell us, time is like a flowing river, and memory a bridge for the conveniency of the soul returning to its experiences, how far had this man to travel the structure before reaching the blacherne he formerly knew? over what tremendous spaces between piers did it carry him! the street traversed by the prince carried him first to the grate of st. peter on the golden horn, and thence, almost parallel with the city wall, to balat, a private landing belonging to the emperor, at present known as the gate of blacherne. at the edge of an area marble paved, the people stopped, it being the limit of their privilege. crossing the pavement, the visitor was set down in front of the grand gate of the very high residence. history, always abominating lapses, is yet more tender of some places than others. there, between flanking towers, an iron-plated valve strong enough to defy attack by any of the ancient methods was swung wide open, ready nevertheless to be rolled to at set of sun. the guard halted the prince, and an officer took his name, and apologizing for a brief delay, disappeared with it. alighting from his sedan, the worthy proceeded to take observation and muse while waiting. the paved area on which he stood was really the bottom of a well-defined valley which ran off and up irregularly toward the southeast, leaving an ascent on its right memorable as the seventh hill of constantinople. a stone wall marked here and there by sentinel boxes, each with a red pennon on its top, straggled down along the foot of the ascent to the grand gate. there between octangular towers loopholed and finished battlement style was a covered passage suggestive of egypt. two victories in high relief blew trumpets at each other across the entrance front. ponderous benches of porphyry, polished smooth by ages of usage, sat one on each side for the guards; fellows in helmets of shining brass, cuirasses of the same material inlaid with silver, greaves, and shoes stoutly buckled. those of them sitting sprawled their bulky limbs broadly over the benches. the few standing seemed like selected giants, with blond beards and blue eyes, and axes at least three spans in length along their whetted edges. the prince recognized the imperial guards--danes, saxons, germans, and swiss--their nationalities merged into the corps entitled _varangians_. conscious, but unmindful of their stare, he kept his stand, and swept the hill from bottom to top, giving free rein to memory. in 449 a. d.--he remembered the year and the circumstance well--an earthquake threw down the wall then enclosing the city. theodosius restored it, leaving the whole height outside of this northwestern part a preserve wooded, rocky, but with one possession which had become so infinitely sanctified in byzantine estimation as to impart the quality to all its appurtenances, that was the primitive but very holy church of blacherne, dedicated to the virgin. near the church there was a pleasure house to which the emperors, vainly struggling to escape the ceremonies the clergy had fastened upon them to the imbitterment of life, occasionally resorted, and down on the shore of the golden horn a zoological garden termed the cynegion had been established. the latter afterwhile came to have a gallery in which the public was sometimes treated to games and combats between lions, tigers, and elephants. there also criminals and heretics were frequently carried and flung to the beasts. nor did the prince fail to recall that in those cycles the sovereigns resided preferably in the bucoleon, eastwardly by the sea of marmora. he remembered some of them as acquaintances with whom he had been on close terms--justinian, heraclius, irene, and the porphyrogentes. the iconoclastic masters of that cluster of magnificent tenements, the bucoleon, had especial claims upon his recollection. had he not incited them to many of their savageries? they were incidents, it is true, sadly out of harmony with his present dream; still their return now was with a certain fluttering of the spirit akin to satisfaction, for the victims in nearly every case had been christians, and his business of life then was vengeance for the indignities and sufferings inflicted on his countrymen. with a more decided flutter, he remembered a scheme he put into effect just twenty years after the restoration of the wall by theodosius. in the character of a pious christianized israelite resident in jerusalem, he pretended to have found the vestments of the holy mother of christ. the discovery was of course miraculous, and he reported it circumstantially to the patriarchs galvius and candidus. for the glory of god and the exaltation of the faith, they brought the relics to constantinople. there, amidst most solemn pomp, the emperor assisting, they were deposited in the church of saints peter and mark, to be transferred a little later to their final resting-place in the holier church of the virgin of blacherne. there was a world of pious propriety in the idea that as the vestments belonged to the mother of god they would better become her own house. the _himation_ or _maphorion_, as the robe of the virgin was called, brought the primitive edifice in the woods above the cynegion a boundless increase of sanctity, while the discoverer received the freedom of the city, the reverence of the clergy, and the confidence of the basileus. nor did the prodigious memory stay there. the hill facing the city was of three terraces. on the second one, half hidden among cypress and plane trees, he beheld a building, low, strong, and, from his direction, showing but one window. some sixteen years previous, during his absence in cipango, a fire had destroyed the church of the virgin, and owing to the poverty of the people and empire, the edifice had not been rebuilt. this lesser unpretentious structure was the chapel of blacherne which the flames had considerately spared. he recognized it instantly, and remembered it as full of inestimable relics--amongst them the _himation_, considered indestructible; the holy cross which heraclius, in the year 635, had brought from jerusalem, and delivered to sergius; and the _panagia blachernitissa_, or all holy banner of the image of the virgin. then rose another reminiscence, and though to reach him it had to fly across a chasm of hundreds of years, it presented itself with the distinctness of an affair of yesterday. in 626, heraclius being emperor, a legion of avars and persians sacked scutari, on the asiatic side of the bosphorus, and laid siege to constantinople. the byzantines were in awful panic; and they would have yielded themselves had not sergius the patriarch been in control. with a presence of mind equal to the occasion, he brought the _panagia_ forth, and supported by an army of clerics and monks, traversed the walls, waving the all holy banner. a volley of arrows from invisible archers fell upon the audacious infidels, and the havoc was dreadful; they fled, and their prince, the khagan, fled with them, declaring he had seen a woman in shining garments but of awful presence on the walls. the woman was the holy mother; and with a conceit easily mistaken for gratitude, the byzantines declared their capital thenceforward guarded by god. when they went out to the church in the woods and found it unharmed by the enemy, they were persuaded the mother had adopted them; in return, what could they else than adopt her? pisides, the poet, composed a hymn, to glorify her. the church consecrated the day of the miraculous deliverance a fete day observable by greeks forever. the emperor removed the old building, and on its site raised another of a beauty more expressive of devotion. to secure it from ravage and profanation, he threw a strong wall around the whole venerated hill, and by demolishing the ancient work of theodosius, made blacherne a part of the city. by and by the church required enlargement, and it was then cruci-formed by the addition of transepts right and left. still later, a chapel was erected specially for the relics and the all holy banner. this was contiguous to the church, and besides being fireproof, it covered a spring of pure water, afterwards essential in many splendid ceremonies civil as well as religious. the chamber of relics was prohibited to all but the basileus. he alone could enter it. by great favor, the prince of india was once permitted to look into the room, and he remembered it large and dimly lighted, its shadows alive, however, with the glitter of silver and gold in every conceivable form, offered there as the wise men laid their gifts before the child in the cave of the nativity. again and again the church was burned, yet the chapel escaped. it seemed an object of divine protection. the sea might deliver tempests against the seven hills, earthquakes shake the walls down and crack the hanging dome of st. sophia, cinders whiten paths from the porphyry column over by the hippodrome to the upper terrace of blacherne; yet the chapel escaped--yet the holy fountain in its crypt flowed on purer growing as the centuries passed. the prince, whose memories we are but weaving into words, did not wonder at the increase of veneration attaching to the chapel and its precious deposits--manuscripts, books, bones, flags, things personal to the apostles, the saints, the son and his mother, parings of their nails, locks of their hair, spikes and splinters of the cross itself--he did not wonder at it, or smile, for he knew there is a devotional side to every man which wickedness may blur but cannot obliterate. he himself was going about the world convinced that the temple of solomon was the house of god. the guards sprawling on the benches kept staring at him; one of them let his axe fall without so much as attracting the prince's attention. his memory, with a hold on him too firm to be disturbed by such trifles, insisted on its resurrectionary work, and returned him to the year 865. constantinople was again besieged, this time by a horde from the russian wilderness under the chiefs dir and askold. they had passed the upper sea in hundreds of boats, and disembarking on the european shore, marched down the bosphorus, leaving all behind them desolate. photius was then patriarch. when the fleet was descried from the walls, he prevailed on the emperor to ask the intervention of the virgin. the _maphorion_ or sacred robe was brought out, and in presence of the people on their knees, the clergy singing the hymn of pisides, the holy man plunged it into the waves. a wind arose under which the water in its rocky trough was as water in a shaken bowl. the ships of the invaders sunk each other. not one survived. of the men, those who lived came up out of the vortexes praying to be taken to the church of blacherne for baptism. this was two hundred years and more after the first deliverance of the city, and yet the mother was faithful to her chosen!--constantinople was still the guarded of god!--the _penagia_ was still the all holy! having repulsed the muscovite invasion, what excuse for his blasphemy would there be left the next to challenge its terrors? the prince of india saw the blackened walls of the burned church, an appealing spectacle which the surrounding trees tried to cover with their foliage, but could not; then he lifted his eyes to the palace upon the third terrace. to the hour decay sets in the touches of time are usually those of an artist who loves his subject, and wishes merely to soften or ennoble its expression. so had he dealt with the very high residence. it began in the low ground down by the cynegion, and arose with the city wall, which was in fact its southwestern front. though always spoken of in the singular, like the bucoleon, it was a collection of palaces, vast, irregular, and declarative of the taste of the different eras they severally memorialized. the spaces between them formed courts and _places_ under cover; yet as the architects had adhered to the idea of a main front toward the northeast, there appeared a certain unity of design in the structures. this main front, now under the prince's view, was frequently broken, advancing here, retreating there; one section severely plain and sombre; another relieved by porticos with figured friezes resting on tall columns. the irregularities were pleasing; some of them were stately; and they were all helped not a little by domes and pavilions without which the roof lines would have been monotonous. lifting his gaze up the ascent from the low ground, it rested presently on a tower built boldly upon the heraclian wall. this was the highest pinnacle of the palace, first to attract the observer, longest to hold his attention. no courier was required to tell its history to him through whose eyes we are now looking--it was the tower of isaac angelus. how clearly its outlines cut the cloudless sky! how strong it seemed up there, as if built by giants! yet with windows behind balconies, how airy and graceful withal! the other hills of the city, and the populated valleys between the hills, spread out below it, like an unrolled map. the warders of the bucoleon, or what is now point serail, the home-returning mariner shipping oars off scutari, the captain of the helmeted column entering the golden gate down by the seven towers, the insolent genoese on the wharves of galata, had only to look up, and lo! the perch of isaac. and when, as often must have happened, the privileged lord himself sat midafternoons on the uppermost balcony of the tower, how the prospect soothed the fever of his spirit! if he were weary of the city, there was the marmora, always ready to reiterate the hues of the sky, and in it the isles of the princes, their verdurous shades permeated with dreamful welcome to the pleasure-seeker as well as the monk; or if he longed for a further flight, old asia made haste with enticing invitation to some of the villas strewing its littoral behind the isles; and yonder, to the eye fainting in the distance, scarce more than a pale blue boundary cloud, the mountain beloved by the gods, whither they were wont to assemble at such times as they wished to learn how it fared with ilium and the sons of priam, or to enliven their immortality with loud symposia. a prospect so composed would seem sufficient, if once seen, to make a blind man's darkness perpetually luminous. sometimes, however, the superlative magnate preferred the balcony on the western side of the tower. there he could sit in the shade, cooled by waftures from a wide campania southward, or, peering over the balustrade, watch the peasantry flitting through the breaks of the kosmidion, now the purlieus of eyoub. again the prince was carried back through centuries. it had been determined to build at blacherne; but the hill was steep. how could spaces be gained for foundations, for courts and gardens? the architects pondered the problem. at last one of bolder genius came forward. we will accept the city wall for a western front, he said, and build from it; and for levels, allow us to commence at the foot of the height, and rear arches upon arches. the proposal was accepted; and thereafter for years the quarter was cumbered with brick and skeleton frames, and workingmen were numerous and incessantly busy as colonized ants. thus the ancient pleasure house disappeared, and the first formal high residence took its place; at the same time the bucoleon, for so many ages the glory of constantinople, was abandoned by its masters. who was the first permanent occupant of the palace of blacherne? the memory, theretofore so prompt, had now no reply. no matter--the prince recalled sessions had with angelus on the upper balcony yonder. he remembered them on account of his host one day saying: "here i am safe." the next heard of him he was a captive and blind. passing on rapidly, he remembered the appearance of peter the hermit in the gorgeous reception room of the palace in 1096. quite as distinctly, he also remembered the audience alexis i. tendered godfrey of bouillon and his barons in the same high residence. what a contrast the host and his guests presented that day! the latter were steel clad from head to foot and armed for battle, while alexis was a spectacle of splendor unheard of in the barbarous west. how the preachers and eunuchs in the silk-gowned train of the one trembled as the redoubtables of the west mangled the velvet carpets with their cruel spurs! how peculiarly the same redoubtables studied the pearls on the yellow stole of the wily comnene and the big jewels in his basilean mitre--as if they were counting and weighing them mentally, preliminary to casting up at leisure a total of value! and the table ware--this plate and yon bowl--were they really gold or some cunning deception? the greeks were so treacherous! and when the guests were gone, the greeks, on their part, were not in the least surprised at the list of spoons and cups subtly disappeared--gifts, they supposed, intended by the noble "crosses" for the most holy altar in jerusalem! still other remembrances of the prince revived at sight of the palace--many others--amongst them, how the varangians beat the boastful montferrat and the burly count of flanders in the assault of 1203, specially famous for the gallantry of old dandolo, operating with his galleys on the side of the golden horn. brave fellows, those varangians! was the corps well composed now as then? he glanced at the lusty examples before him on the stone benches, thinking they might shortly have to answer the question. these reminiscences, it must not be forgotten, were of brief passage with the prince, much briefer than the time taken in writing them. they were interrupted by the appearance of a military official whose uniform and easy manner bespoke palace life. he begged to be informed if he had the honor of addressing the prince of india; and being affirmatively assured, he announced himself sent to conduct him to his majesty. the hill was steep, and the way somewhat circuitous; did the prince need assistance? the detention, he added, was owing to delay in getting intelligence of the prince's arrival to his majesty, who had been closely engaged, arranging for certain ceremonies which were to occur in the evening. perhaps his majesty had appointed the audience imagining the ceremonies might prove entertaining to the prince. these civilities, and others, were properly responded to, and presently the cortege was in motion. the lower terrace was a garden of singular perfection. on the second terrace, the party came to the ruined church where, during a halt, the officer told of the fire. his majesty had registered a vow, he said, at the end of the story, to rebuild the edifice in a style superior to any former restoration. the prince, while listening, observed the place. excepting the church, it was as of old. there the grove of cypresses, very ancient, and tall and dark. there, too, the chapel of purplish stone, and at one side of it the sentry box and bench, and what seemed the identical detail of varangians on duty. there the enclosed space between the edifices, and the road across the pavement to the next terrace only a little deeper worn. there the arched gateway of massive masonry through which the road conducted, the carving about it handsome as ever; and there, finally, from the base of the chapel, the brook, undiminished in volume and song, ran off out of sight into the grove, an old acquaintance of the prince's. moving on through the arched way, the guide led up to the third and last terrace. near the top there was a cut, and on its right embankment a party of workmen spreading and securing a canopy of red cloth. "observe, o prince," the officer said. "from this position, if i mistake not, you will witness the ceremony i mentioned as in preparation." the guest had time to express his gratification, when the palace of blacherne, the very high residence, burst upon him in long extended view, a marvel of imperial prodigality and byzantine genius. chapter ii the audience the sedan was set down before a marble gate on the third terrace. "my duty is hardly complete. suffer me to conduct you farther," the officer said, politely, as the prince stepped from the box. "and my servants?" "they will await you." the speakers were near the left corner of a building which projected considerably from the general front line of the palace. the wall, the gateway, and the building were of white marble smoothly dressed. after a few words with syama, the prince followed his guide into a narrow enclosure on the right of which there was a flight of steps, and on the left a guard house. ascending the steps, the two traversed a passage until they came to a door. "the waiting-room. enter," said the conductor. four heavily curtained windows lighted the apartment. in the centre there were a massive table, and, slightly removed from it, a burnished copper brazier. bright-hued rugs covered the floor, and here and there stools carven and upholstered were drawn against the painted walls. the officer, having seen his charge comfortably seated, excused himself and disappeared. hardly was he gone when two servants handsomely attired came in with refreshments--fruits in natural state, fruits candied, sweetened bread, sherbet, wine and water. a chief followed them, and, with much humility of manner, led the prince to a seat at the table, and invited him to help himself. the guest was then left alone; and while he ate and drank he wondered at the stillness prevalent; the very house seemed in awe. ere long another official entered, and after apologizing for introducing himself, said: "i am dean of the court. in the absence of my lord phranza, it has fallen to me to discharge, well as i can, the duties of grand chamberlain." the prince, observant of the scrutinizing glance the dean gave his person, acknowledged the honor done him, and the pleasure he derived from the acquaintance. the dean ought to be happy; he had great fame in the city and abroad as a most courteous, intelligent, and faithful servant; there was no doubt he deserved preeminently the confidence his royal master reposed in him. "i am come, o prince," the old functionary said, after thanks for the friendly words, "to ascertain if you are refreshed, and ready for the audience." "i am ready." "let us to his majesty then. if i precede you, i pray pardon." drawing the portiere aside, the dean held it for the other's passage. they entered an extensive inner court, surrounded on three sides by a gallery resting on pillars. on the fourth side, a magnificent staircase ascended to a main landing, whence, parting right and left, it terminated in the gallery. floor, stairs, balustrading, pillars, everything here was red marble flooded with light from a circular aperture in the roof open to the sky. along the stairs, at intervals, officers armed and in armor were stationed, and keeping their positions faced inwardly, they seemed like statues. other armed men were in the galleries. the silence was impressive. coming presently to an arched door, the prince glanced into a deep chamber, and at the further end of it beheld the emperor seated in a chair of state on a dais curtained and canopied with purple velvet. "take heed now, o prince," said the dean, in a low voice. "yonder is his majesty. do thou imitate me in all things. come." with this kindly caution the dean led into the chamber of public audience. just within the door, he halter, crossed hands upon his breast, and dropped to his knees, his eyes downcast; rising, he kept on about halfway to the dais, and again knelt; when near his person's length from the dais, he knelt and fully prostrated himself. the prince punctiliously executed every motion, except that at the instant of halting the last time he threw both hands up after the manner of orientals. a velvet carpet of the accepted imperial color stretched from door to dais greatly facilitated the observances. a statuesque soldier, with lance and shield, stood at the left of the dais, a guard against treachery; by the chair, bare-headed, bare-legged, otherwise a figure in a yellow tunic lightly breastplated, appeared the sword-bearer, his slippers stayed with bands of gold, a blade clasped to his body by the left forearm, the hilt above his shoulder; and spacious as the chamber was, a row of dignitaries civil, military, and ecclesiastical lined the walls each in prescribed regalia. the hush already noticed was observable here, indicative of rigid decorum and awful reverence. "rise, prince of india," the emperor said, without movement. the visitor obeyed. the last of the palaeologae was in basilean costume; a golden circlet on his head brilliantly jewelled and holding a purple velvet cap in place; an overgown of the material of the cap but darker in tint, and belted at the waist; a mantle stiff with embroidery of pearls hanging by narrow bands so as to drop from the shoulder over the breast and back, leaving the neck bare; an ample lap-robe of dark purple cloth sparkling with precious stones covering his nether limbs. the chair was square in form without back or arms; its front posts twined and intricately inlaid with ivory and silver, and topped each with a golden cone for hand-rest. the bareness of the neck was relieved by four strings of pearls dropped from the circlet two on a side, and drawn from behind the ears forward so as to lightly tip the upper edge of the mantle. the right hand rested at the moment on the right cone of the chair; the left was free. the attitude of the figure thus presented was easy and unconstrained, the countenance high and noble, and altogether the guest admitted to himself that he had seldom been introduced to royalty more really imposing. there was hardly an instant allowed for these observations. to set his guest at ease, constantine continued: "the way to our door is devious and upward. i hope it has not too severely tried you." "your majesty, were the road many times more trying i would willingly brave it to be the recipient of honors and attentions which have made the emperor of constantinople famous in many far countries, and not least in mine." the courtierly turn of the reply did not escape the emperor. it had been strange if he had not put the character of his guest to question; indeed, an investigation had proceeded by his order, with the invitation to audience as a result; and now the self-possession of the stranger, together with his answer, swept the last doubt from, the imperial mind. an attendant, responding to a sign, came forward. "bring me wine," and as the servant disappeared with the order, constantine again addressed his visitor. "you maybe a brahman or an islamite," he said, with a pleasant look to cover any possible mistake: "in either case, o prince, i take it for granted that the offer of a draught of chian will not be resented." "i am neither a mohammedan, nor a devotee of the gentle son of maya. i am not even a hindoo in religion. my faith leads me to be thankful for all god's gifts to his creatures. i will take the cup your majesty deigns to propose." the words were spoken with childlike simplicity of manner; yet nowhere in these pages have we had a finer example of the subtlety which, characteristic of the speaker, seemed inspiration rather than study. he knew from general report how religion dominated his host, and on the spur of the moment, thought to pique curiosity with respect to his own faith; seeing, as he fancied, a clear path to another audience, with ampler opportunity to submit and discuss the idea of universal brotherhood in god. the glance with which he accompanied assent to the cup was taken as a mere accentuation of gratitude; it was, however, for discovery. had the emperor noticed the declaration of what he was not? did his intelligence suggest how unusual it was for an indian to be neither a mohammedan, nor a brahman, nor even a buddhist in religion? he saw a sudden lifting of the brows, generally the preliminary of a question; he even made an answer ready; but the other's impulse seemed to spend itself in an inquiring look, which, lingering slightly, might mean much or nothing. the prince resolved to wait. constantine, as will be seen presently, did observe the negations, and was moved to make them the subject of remark at the moment; but inordinately sensitive respecting his own religious convictions, he imagined others like himself in that respect, and upon the scruple, for which the reader will not fail to duly credit him, deferred inquiry until the visitor was somewhat better understood. just then the cupbearer appeared with the wine; a girlish lad he was, with long blond curls. kneeling before the dais, he rested a silver platter and the liquor sparkling on it in a crystal decanter upon his right knee, waiting the imperial pleasure. taking the sign given him, the dean stepped forward and filled the two cups of chased gold also on the platter, and delivered them. then the emperor held his cup up while he said in a voice sufficiently raised for general hearing: "prince of india, i desired your presence to-day the rather to discharge myself of obligations for important assistance rendered my kinswoman, the princess irene of therapia, during her detention at the white castle; a circumstance of such late occurrence it must be still fresh in your memory. by her account the governor was most courteous and hospitable, and exerted himself to make her stay in his stronghold agreeable as possible. something truly extraordinary, considering the forbidding exterior of the house, and the limited means of entertainment it must have to offer, she declared he succeeded in converting what threatened to be a serious situation into an adventure replete with pleasant surprises. a delegate is now at the castle assuring the governor of my appreciation of his friendly conduct. by her account, also, i am bounden to you, prince, scarcely less than to him." the gravity of the visitor at hearing this was severely attacked. great as was his self-control, he smiled at thought of the dilemma the governor was in, listening to a speech of royal thanks and receiving rich presents in lieu of his young master mahommed. when the envoy returned and reported, if perchance he should describe the turk whom he found in actual keeping of the castle, the discrepancy between his picture of the man and that of the princess would be both mysterious and remarkable. "your majesty," the prince returned, with a deprecating gesture, "the storm menaced me quite as much as the princess, and calls for confession of my inability to see wherein i rendered her service free of regard for myself. indeed, it is my duty to inform your majesty, all these noble witnesses hearing me, that i am more beholden to your noble kinswoman for help and deliverance in the affair than she can be to me. but for the courage and address, not to mention the dignity and force with which she availed herself of her royal relationship, resolving what was at first a simple invitation to refuge into a high treaty between the heads of two great powers, i and my daughter"-"daughter, said you?" "yes, your majesty--heaven has so favored me--i, my daughter, and my frightened boatmen would have been committed to the river near the castle, without recourse except in prayer to heaven. nay, your majesty, have i permission to say on, charity had never a sweeter flowering than when the princess remembered to take the stranger under her protection. i am past the age of enthusiasm and extravagance--my beard and dimming eyes prove the admission--yet i declare, weighing each word, she has the wit, the spirit, the goodness, the loveliness to be the noblest of queens to the best of kings; and fails she such choice, it will be because destiny has been struck by some unaccountable forgetfulness." by this time the courtiers, drawn in from the walls, composed a very brilliant circle around the throne, each one curious to hear the stranger as he had been to see him; and they were quick to point his last sentence; for most of them had been with the emperor in the voyage to therapia, which was still a theme of wager and wrangle scarcely less interesting than in its first hour. by one impulse they ventured a glance at the royal face, seeking a revelation; but the countenance was steady as a mask. "the encomium is well bestowed, and approves thy experience, prince, as a reader of women," constantine said, with just enough fervor. "henceforth i shall know the degree of trust to repose in thy judgment, other problems as difficult being in controversy. nevertheless, is the lady to be believed, then, o prince, i repeat my acknowledgment of indebtedness. it pleases me to greatly estimate thy influence and good judgment happily exerted. mayst thou live long, prince of india, and always find thyself as now among friends who charge themselves to be watchful for opportunities to befriend thee." he raised the cup. "it is your majesty's pleasure," the guest replied, and they drank together. "a seat for the prince of india," the emperor next directed. the chair, when brought, was declined. "in my palace--for at home i exercise the functions of a king--it often falls to me to give audiences; if public, we call them _durbars;_ and then an inferior may not sit in my presence. the rule, like all governing the session, is of my own enactment. i see plainly how greatly your majesty designs to heap me with honors; and if i dare decline this one, it is not from disposition to do a teacher's part, but from habit which has the sanction of heredity, and the argument self addressed: shall i despise my own ordinances? god forbid!" a murmur from the concourse was distinctly audible, which the dean interpreted by repeated affirmative nods. in other words, by this stroke the able visitor won the court as he had already won its head; insomuch that the most doubting of the doubters would not have refused to certify him on belief the very prince of india he claimed to be. the emperor, on his part, could not but defer to scruples so cogently and solemnly put; at the same time, out of his very certainty respecting the guest, he passed to a question which in probability the reader has been for some time entertaining. "the makers of a law should be first to observe it; for having done so, they then have god's license to exert themselves in its enforcement; and when one is found observant of a principle which has root so perceptibly in conscience, to deny him his pleasure were inexcusable. have thy will, prince." the applause which greeted the decision of his majesty was hardly out of ear when he proceeded: "again i pray you, sir guest--i greatly misapprehend the travellers who tell of india, if the people of that venerable country are not given to ceremonials religious as well as secular. many of our own observances of a sacred nature are traceable to study and discernment of the good effects of form in worship, and since some of them are unquestionably borrowed from temples of the pagan gods, yet others may be of hindoo origin. who shall say? wherefore, speaking generally, i should fear to ask you to any of our church mysteries which i did not know were purely greek. one such we have this evening. we call it _pannychides_. its principal feature is a procession of monastic brethren from the holy houses of the city and islands--all within the jurisdiction of our eastern church, which, please god, is of broader lines than our state. the fathers have been assembling for the celebration several days. they will form in the city at set of sun, throwing the march into the night. here, within our grounds, more particularly at the door of the chapel of our holy virgin of blacherne, i will meet them. they will pass the night in prayer, an army on bended knees, sorrowing for the pains of our saviour in gethsemane. i was uncertain what faith you profess; yet, prince, i thought--forgive me, if it was an error--a sight of the spirit of our churchmen as it will be manifested on this occasion might prove interesting to you; so i have taken the liberty of ordering a stand erected for your accommodation at a position favorable to witnessing the procession in movement up the terraces. no one has seen the spectacle without realizing as never before the firmness of the hold christ has taken upon the souls of men." the last words startled the prince. christ's hold upon the souls of men! the very thing he wanted to learn, and, if possible, measure. a cloud of thoughts fell about him; yet he kept clear head, and answered quietly: "your majesty has done me great kindness. i am already interested in the mystery. since we cannot hope ever to behold god with these mortal eyes, the nearest amend for the deprivation is the privilege of seeing men in multitudes demonstrating their love of him." constantine's eyes lingered on the prince's face. the utterances attracted him. the manner was so artfully reverential as not to leave a suspicion of the guile behind it. going down great galleries, every one has had his attention suddenly arrested; he pauses, looks, and looks again, then wakes to find the attraction was not a picture, but only a flash within his own mind. so, with the guest before him, the emperor was thinking of the man rather than seeing him--thinking of him with curiosity fully awakened, and a desire to know him better. and had he followed up the desire, he would have found its source in the idea that india was a region in which reflection and psychological experiment had been exhausted--where if one appeared with a thought it turned old ere it could be explained--where wisdom had fructified until there was no knowledge more--where the teaching capacity was all there was remaining. that is to say, in the day of the last byzantine emperor, centuries ago, humanity in india was, as now, a clock stopped, but stopped in the act of striking, leaving a glory in the air imaginable like the continuing sound of hushed cathedral bells. "prince," he at length said, "you will remain here until the procession is announced at the grand gate. i will then give you a guide and a guard. our steward has orders to look after your comfort." turning then to the acting chamberlain, he added: "good dean, have we not a little time in which to hear our guest further?" "your majesty, an hour at least." "you hear, o prince? provided always that it be not to your displeasure, tell me what i am to understand by the disclaimer which, broadly interpreted, leaves you either a jew or a christian?" chapter iii the new faith proclaimed the question came earlier than the prince expected, and in different form. those in position to observe his face saw it turn a trifle pale, and he hesitated, and glanced around uneasily, as though not altogether assured of his footing. this might have been by-play; if so, it was successful; every countenance not sympathetic was serious. "your majesty's inquiry must be for information. i am too humble for an unfriendly design on the part of one so exalted as the emperor of constantinople. it might be otherwise if i represented a church, a denomination, or a recognized religion; as it is, my faith is my own." "but bethink thee, prince, thou mayst have the truth--the very god's truth," constantine interposed, with kindly intent. "we all know thy country hath been the cradle of divine ideas. so, speak, and fear not." the glance the emperor received was winsomely grateful. "indeed, your majesty, indeed i have need of good countenance. the question put me has lured more men to bloody graves than fire, sword and wave together. and then why i believe as i believe demands time in excess of what we have; and i am the bolder in this because in limiting me your majesty limits yourself. so i will now no more than define my faith. but first, it does not follow from my disclaimer that i can only be a jew or a christian; for as air is a vehicle for a multitude of subtleties in light, faith in like manner accommodates a multitude of opinions." while speaking, the prince's voice gradually gained strength; his color returned, and his eyes enlarged and shone with strange light. now his right hand arose, the fingers all closed except the first one, and it was long and thin, and he waved it overhead, like a conjuring wand. if the concourse had been unwilling to hear him, they could not have turned away. "i am not a hindoo, my lord; because i cannot believe men can make their own gods." the father confessor to the emperor, at the left of the dais in a stole of gold and crimson cloth, smiled broadly. "i am not a buddhist," the prince continued; "because i cannot believe the soul goes to nothingness after death." the father confessor clapped his hands. "i am not a confucian; because i cannot reduce religion to philosophy or elevate philosophy into religion." the blood of the audience began to warm. "i am not a jew; because i believe god loves all peoples alike, or if he makes distinctions, it is for righteousness' sake." here the chamber rang with clapping. "i am not an islamite; because when i raise my eyes to heaven, i cannot tolerate sight of a man standing between me and god--no, my lord, not though he be a prophet." the hit was palpable, and from hate of the old enemy, the whole assemblage broke into an uproar of acclamation. only the emperor kept his gravity. leaning heavily on the golden cone at the right of his chair, his chin depressed, his eyes staring, scarcely breathing, he waited, knowing, that having gone so far, there was before the speaker an unavoidable climax; and seeing it in his face, and coming, he presently aroused, and motioned for silence. "i am not"-the prince stopped, but when the hush was deepest went on--"i am not a christian; because--because i believe--god is god." the father confessor's hands were ready to clap, but they stayed so; the same spell took hold of the bystanders, except that they looked at the emperor, and he alone seemed to comprehend the concluding phrase. he settled back easily in his seat, saying, "thy faith then is--" "god!" the monosyllable was the prince's. and with clear sight of the many things reprobated--images, saints, the canonized, even the worship of christ and the holy mother--with clear sight also of the wisdom which in that presence bade the guest stop with the mighty name--at the same time more curious than ever to hear in full discourse the man who could reduce religion to a single word and leave it comprehensible, constantine drew a breath of relief, and said, smiling, "of a surety, o prince, there was never a faith which, with such appearance of simplicity in definition, is capable of such infinity of meaning. i am full of questions; and these listening, my lords of the court, are doubtless in a similar mood. what sayest thou, o my most orthodox confessor?" the father bowed until the hem of his blazing stole overlaid the floor. "your majesty, we too are believers in god; but we also believe in much beside; so, if but for comparison of creeds, which is never unprofitable while in good nature, i should like to hear the noble and fair speaking guest further." "and you, my lords?" the throng around answered, "yes, yes!" "we will have it so then. look, good logothete, for the nearest day unoccupied." a handsome man of middle age approached the dais, and opening a broad-backed book, evidently the record of the royal appointments, turned a number of leaves, and replied: "your majesty, two weeks from tomorrow." "note the same set aside for the prince of india.-dost hear, prince?" the latter lowered his face the better to conceal his pleasure. "all days are alike to me," he answered. "in this our palace, then--two weeks from to-morrow at the hour of noon. and now"--the rustle and general movement of the courtiers was instantly stayed--"and now, prince, didst thou not speak of exercising the functions of a king at home? thy capital must be in india, but where, pray? and how callest thou thyself? and why is this city so fortunate as to have attracted thy wandering feet? it is not every king so his own master as to turn traveller, and go about making study of the world; although, i admit, it would be better could every king do so." these questions were rapidly put, but as the prince was prepared for them, he responded pleasantly: "in answering the questions your majesty now honors me with. i am aware how serious the mistake would be did i think of your curiosity alone. a most excellent quality in a great man is patience. alas, that it should be one of the most abused! ... among the oldest of hindoo titles is _rajah_. it means king rather than prince, and i was born to it. your majesty may have heard of oodeypoor, the bosom jewel of rajpootana, the white rose just bloomed of indian cities. at the foot of a spur of the arawalli mountains, a river rises, and on its right bank reposes the city; from which, southeast a little way, a lake lies outspread, like a mirror fallen face upward. and around the lake are hills, tall and broken as these of the bosphorus; and seen from the water the hills are masses of ivy and emerald woods thickly sprinkled with old fortresses and temples, and seven-roofed red pagodas, each the home of a great gold-decked buddha, with lesser buddhas in family. and in the lake are islands all palaces springing from the water line in open arches, and sculptured walls, and towered gates; and of still days their wondrous cunning in the air is renewed afresh in the waveless depths below them. if they are glorious then, what are they when reconstructed for festal nights in shining lamps? for be it said, my lord, if a stranger in the walls of this centre of empire may speak a word which has the faintest savor of criticism, the indian genius analyzed beauty before there was a west, and taking suggestions from spark and dewdrop, applied them to architecture. smile not, i pray, for you may see the one in the lamp multiplied for outline traceries, and the other in the fountain, the cascade, and the limpid margin at the base of walls. or if still you think me exaggerating, is not the offence one to be lightly forgiven where the offender is telling of his birthplace? in one of the palaces of that lake of palaces i was born, the oldest son of the rajah of meywar, oodeypoor his capital. in these words, which i hope may be kindly judged, your majesty will find answers to one, if not two of the questions you were pleased to ask me--why i am here? and why making study of the world? will your majesty pardon my boldness, if i suggest that a reply to those inquiries would be better at the audience set for me next? i fear it is too long for telling now." "be it so," said constantine, "yet a hint of it may not be amiss. it may set us to thinking; and, prince, a mind prepared for an idea is like ground broken and harrowed for seed." the prince hesitated. "your majesty--my lord"--he then said firmly, "the most sorrowful of men are those with conceptions too great for them, and which they must carry about with nothing better to sustain their sinking spirits than a poor hope of having them one day adopted; for until that day they are like a porter overladen and going from house to house unknowing the name of the owner of his burden or where to look for him. i am such an unfortunate.... oodeypoor, you must understand, is more than comely to the eye of a native; it is a city where all religions are tolerated. the taing, the brahman, the hindoo, the mohammedan, the buddhist live together there, protected and in peace, with their worship and houses of worship; nor is there any shutting of mouths, because controversy long since attained finality amongst them; or perhaps it were better saying, because opinions there have now their recognized grooves, and run in them from generation to generation--opinions to which men are born as to their property, only without right of change or modification; neither can they break away from them. there is no excuse if an intelligent man in such a situation does not comprehend all the religions thus in daily practice; or if one does comprehend them he should not flatter himself possessed of any superior intellect.... the rajah, my father, died, and i mounted his silver throne, and for ten years administered justice in the hall of durbars to which he had been used, he and his father's father, children of the sun, most pure of blood. by that time i was of mature mind, and having given myself up to study, came to believe there is but one doctrine--principle--call it what you will, my lord--but one of heavenly origin--one primarily comprehensible by all--too simple indeed to satisfy the egotism of men; wherefore, without rejecting, they converted it into a foundation, and built upon it each according to his vanity, until, in course of ages, the foundation was overlaid with systems of belief, childish, unnatural, ridiculous, indecent, or else too complicated for common understanding"-"this principle--what is it, prince?" constantine asked nervously. "your majesty, i have already once named it." "mean you god?" "and now, my lord, thou hast pronounced it." the stillness in the chamber was very deep. every man seemed to be asking, what next? "one day, your majesty--it was in my tenth year of government--a function was held in a tent erected for the purpose--a _shamiana_ vastly larger than any hall. i went up to it in state, passing through lines of elephants, an hundred on either hand, covered with cloth of gold and with houdahs of yellow silk roofed with the glory of peacocks. behind the mighty brutes soldiery blotted out the landscape, and the air between them and the sky was a tawny cloud of flaunting yak-tails; nor had one use for ears, so was he deafened by beat of drums and blowing of brazen horns twice a tall man's height. i sat on a throne of silver and gold, all my ministers present. my brother entered, he the next entitled. halfway down the aisle of chiefs i met him, and then led him to my seat, and saluted him rajah of meywar. your majesty, so i parted with crown and title--laid them down voluntarily to search the world for men in power in love with god enough to accept him as their sum of faith. behold why i travel making the earth a study! behold why i am in constantinople!" constantine was impressed. "where hast thou been?" he at length asked--"where before coming here?" "it were easier did your majesty ask where i have not been. for then i could answer, everywhere, except rome." "dost thou impugn our devotion to god?" "not so, not so, my lord! i am seeking to know the degree of your love of him." "how, prince?" "by a test." "what test?" no man listening could have said what mood the emperor was in; yet the guest replied with an appearance of rising courage: "a trial, to find all the other things entering into faith which your majesty and your majesty's lords and subjects are willing to lay down for god's sake." with a peremptory gesture constantine silenced the stir and rustle in the chamber. "it is right boldly put," he said. "but none the less respectfully. my lord, i am striving to be understood." "you speak of a trial. to what end?" "one article of faith, the all-essential of universal brotherhood in religion." "a magnificent conception! but is it practicable?" fortunately or unfortunately for the prince, an officer that moment made way through the courtiers, and whispered to the dean, who at once addressed himself to the emperor. "i pray pardon, but it pleased your majesty to bid me notify you when it is time to make ready for the mystery to-night. the hour is come; besides which a messenger from scholarius waits for an interview." constantine arose. "thanks, worthy dean," he said; "we will not detain the messenger. the audience is dismissed." then descending from the dais, he gave his hand to the prince. "i see the idea you have in mind, and it is worthy the bravest effort. i shall look forward to the next audience with concern. forget not that the guestship continues. my steward will take you in charge. farewell." the prince, sinking to his knees, kissed the offered hand, whereupon the emperor said as if just reminded: "was not your daughter with my kinswoman in the white castle?" "your majesty, the princess on that occasion most graciously consented to accept my daughter as her attendant." "were she to continue in the same attendance, prince, we might hope to have her at court some day." "i lay many thanks at your majesty's feet. she is most honored by the suggestion." constantine in lead of his officers then passed out, while, in care of the steward, the prince was conducted to the reception room, and served with refreshments. afterwhile through the windows he beheld the day expiring, and the first audience finished, and the second appointed, he was free to think of the approaching mystery. be it said now he was easy in feeling--satisfied with the management of his cause--satisfied with the impression he had made on the emperor and the court as well. had not the latter applauded and voted to hear him again? when taken with the care habitually observed by leading personages in audiences formal as that just passed, how broadly sympathetic the expressions of the monarch had been. in great cheerfulness the prince ate and drank, and even occupied the wine-colored leisure conning an argument for the occasion in prospect--noon, next day two weeks! and more clearly than ever his scheme seemed good. could he carry it through--could he succeed--the good would be recognized--never a doubt of that. if men were sometimes blind, god was always just. in thought he sped forward of the coming appointment, and saw himself not only the apostle of the reform, but the chosen agent, the accredited go-between of constantine and the young mahommed. he remembered the points of negotiation between them. he would not require the turk to yield the prophetic character of mahomet; neither should the byzantine's faith in christ suffer curtailment; he would ask them, however, to agree to a new relation between mahomet and christ on the one side and god on the other--that, namely, long conceded, as having existed between god and elijah. and then, an article of the utmost materiality, the very soul of the recast religion, he would insist that they obligate themselves to worship god alone, worship being his exclusive prerogative, and that this condition of exclusive worship be prescribed the only test of fraternity in religion; all other worship to be punishable as heresy. nor stopped he with mahommed and constantine; he doubted not bringing the rabbis to such a treaty. how almost identical it was with the judaism of moses. the bishop of rome might protest. what matter? romanism segregated must die. and so the isms of the brahman and the hindoo, so the buddhist, the confucian, the mencian--they would all perish under the hammering of the union. then, too, time would make the work perfect, and gradually wear christ and mahomet out of mind--he and time together. what if the task did take ages? he had an advantage over other reformers--he could keep his reform in motion--he could guide and direct it--he could promise himself life to see it in full acceptance. in the exuberance of triumphant feeling, he actually rejoiced in his doom, and for the moment imagined it more than a divine mercy. chapter iv the pannychides an invitation from the emperor to remain and view the procession marching up the heights of blacherne had been of itself a compliment; but the erection of a stand for the prince turned the compliment into a personal honor. to say truth, however, he really desired to see the pannychides, or in plain parlance, the vigils. he had often heard of them as of prodigious effect upon the participants. latterly they had fallen into neglect; and knowing how difficult it is to revive a dying custom, he imagined the spectacle would be poor and soon over. while reflecting on it, he looked out of the window and was surprised to see the night falling. he yielded then to restlessness, until suddenly an idea arose and absorbed him. suppose the emperor won to his scheme; was its success assured? so used was he to thinking of the power of kings and emperors as the sole essential to the things he proposed that in this instance he had failed to concede importance to the church; and probably he would have gone on in the delusion but for the mysteries which were now to pass before him. they forced him to think of the power religious organizations exercise over men. and this church--this old byzantine church! ay, truly! the byzantine conscience was under its direction; it was the father confessor of the empire; its voice in the common ear was the voice of god. to cast christ out of its system would be like wrenching a man's heart out of his body. it was here and there--everywhere in fact--in signs, trophies, monuments--in crosses and images--in monasteries, convents, houses to the saints, houses to the mother. what could the emperor do, if it were obstinate and defiant? the night beheld through the window crept into the wanderer's heart, and threatened to put out the light kindled there by the new-born hope with which he had come from the audience. "the church, the church! it is the enemy i have to fear," he kept muttering in dismal repetition, realizing, for the first time, the magnitude of the campaign before him. with a wisdom in wickedness which none of his successors in design have shown, he saw the christian idea in the bosom of the church unassailable except a substitute satisfactory to its professors could be found. was god a sufficient substitute? perhaps--and he turned cold with the reflection--the pannychides were bringing him an answer. it was an ecclesiastical affair, literally a meeting of churchmen _en masse_. where--when--how could the church present itself to any man more an actuality in the flesh? perhaps--and a chill set his very crown to crawling--perhaps the opportunity to study the spectacle was more a mercy of god than a favor of constantine. to his great relief, at length the officer who had escorted him from the grand gate came into the room. "i am to have the honor," he said, cheerfully, "of conducting you to the stand his majesty has prepared that you may at ease behold the mysteries appointed for the night. the head of the procession is reported appearing. if it please you, prince of india, we will set out." "i am ready." the position chosen for the prince was on the right bank of a cut through which the road passed on its ascent from the arched gateway by the chapel to the third terrace, and he was borne thither in his sedan. upon alighting, he found himself on a platform covered by a canopy, carpeted and furnished with one chair comfortably cushioned. at the right of the chair there was a pyramid of coals glowing in a brazier, and lest that might not be a sufficient provision against the damps of the hours, a great cloak was near at hand. in front of the platform he observed a pole securely planted and bearing a basket of inflammables ready for conversion into a torch. in short, everything needful to his well-being, including wine and water on a small tripod, was within reach. before finally seating himself the prince stepped out to the brow of the terrace, whence he noticed the chapel below him in the denser darkness of the trees about it like a pool. the gleam of armor on the area by the grand gate struck him with sinister effect. flowers saluted him with perfume, albeit he could not see them. not less welcome was the low music with which the brook cheered itself while dancing down to the harbor. besides a cresset burning on the landing outside the port entrance, two other lights were visible; one on the pharos, the other on the great galata tower, looking in the distance like large stars. with these exceptions, the valley and the hill opposite blacherne, and the wide-reaching metropolis beyond them, were to appearances a blacker cloud dropped from the clouded sky. a curious sound now came to him from the direction of the city. was it a rising wind? or a muffled roll from the sea? while wondering, some one behind him said: "they are coming." the voice was sepulchral and harsh, and the prince turned quickly to the speaker. "ah, father theophilus!" "they are coming," the father repeated. the prince shivered slightly. the noise beyond the valley arose more distinctly. "are they singing?" he asked. "chanting," the other answered. "why do they chant?" "knowest thou our scriptures?" the wanderer quieted a disdainful impulse, and answered: "i have read them." the father continued: "presently thou wilt hear the words of job: 'oh, that thou wouldst hide me in the grave, that thou wouldst keep me in secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldst appoint me a set time and remember me.'" the prince was startled. why was one in speech so like a ghost selected his companion? and that verse, of all to him most afflicting, and which in hours of despair he had repeated until his very spirit had become colored with its reproachful plaint--who put it in the man's mouth? the chant came nearer. of melody it had nothing; nor did those engaged in it appear in the slightest attentive to time. yet it brought relief to the prince, willing as he was to admit he had never heard anything similar--anything so sorrowful, so like the wail of the damned in multitude. and rueful as the strain was, it helped him assign the pageant a near distance, a middle distance, and then interminability. "there appear to be a great many of them," he remarked to the father. "more than ever before in the observance," was the reply. "is there a reason for it?" "our dissensions." the father did not see the pleased expression of his auditor's face, but proceeded: "yes, our dissensions. they multiply. at first the jar was between the church and the throne; now it is the church against the church--a roman party and a greek party. one man among us has concentrated in himself the learning and devotion of the christian east. you will see him directly, george scholarius. by visions, like those in which the old prophets received the counsel of god, he was instructed to revive the _pannychides._ his messengers have gone hither and thither, to the monasteries, the convents, and the eremitic colonies wherever accessible. the greater the presence, he says, the greater the influence." "scholarius is a wise man," the prince said, diplomatically. "his is the wisdom of the prophets," the father answered. "is he the patriarch?" "no, the patriarch is of the roman party--scholarius of the greek." "and constantine?" "a good king, truly, but, alas; he is cumbered with care of the state." "yes, yes," said the prince. "and the care leads to neglect of his soul. kings are sometimes to be pitied. but there is then a special object in the vigils?" "the vigils to-night are for the restoration of the unities once more, that the church may find peace and the state its power and glory again. god is in the habit of taking care of his own." "thank you, father, i see the difference. scholarius would intrust the state to the holy virgin; but constantine, with a worldlier inspiration, adheres to the craft held by kings immemorially. the object of the vigils is to bring the emperor to abandon his policy and defer to scholarius?" "the emperor assists in the mystery," the father answered, vaguely. the procession meantime came on, and when its head appeared in front of the grand gate three trumpeters blew a flourish which called the guards into line. a monk advanced and held parley with an officer; after which he was given a lighted torch, and passed under the portal in lead of the multitude. the trumpeters continued plying their horns, marking the slow ascent. "were this an army," said father theophilus, "it would not be so laborious; but, alas! the going of youth is nowhere so rapid as in a cloister; nor is age anywhere so feeble. ten years kneeling on a stony floor in a damp cell brings the anchorite to forget he ever walked with ease." the prince scarcely heard him; he was interested in the little to be seen crossing the area below--a column four abreast, broken into unequal divisions, each division with a leader, who, at the gate, received a torch. occasionally a square banner on a cross-stick appeared--occasionally a section in light-colored garments; more frequently a succession of heads without covering of any kind; otherwise the train was monotonously rueful, and in its slow movement out of the darkness reminded the spectator on the height of a serpent crawling endlessly from an underground den. afterwhile the dim white of the pavement was obscured by masses stationary on the right and left of the column; these were the people stopping there because for them there was no further pursuit of the spectral parade. the horns gave sonorous notice of the progress during the ascent. now they were passing along the first terrace; still the divisions were incessant down by the gate--still the chanting continued, a dismal dissonance in the distance, a horrible discord near by. if it be true that the human voice is music's aptest instrument, it is also true that nothing vocalized in nature can excel it in the expression of diabolism. suddenly the first torch gleamed on the second terrace scarce an hundred yards from the chapel. "see him now there, behind the trumpeters--scholarius!" said father theophilus, with a semblance of animation. "he with the torch?" "ay!--and he might throw the torch away, and still be the light of the church." the remark did not escape the prince. the man who could so impress himself upon a member of the court must be a power with his brethren of the gown generally. reflecting thus, the discerning visitor watched the figure stalking on under the torch. there are men who are causes in great events, sometimes by superiority of nature, sometimes by circumstances. what if this were one of them? and forthwith the observer ceased fancying the mystical looking monk drawing the interminable train after him by the invisible bonds of a will mightier than theirs in combination--the fancy became a fact. "the procession will not stop at the chapel," the father said; "but keep on to the palace, where the emperor will join it. if my lord cares to see the passage distinctly, i will fire the basket here." "do so," the prince replied. the flambeau was fired. it shed light over the lower terraces right and left, and brought the palace in the upper space into view from the base of the forward building to the tower of isaac; and here, close by, the chapel with all its appurtenances, paved enclosure, speeding brook, solemn cypresses, and the wall and arched gateway at the hither side stood out in almost daytime clearness. the road in the cut underfoot must bring the frocked host near enough to expose its spirit. the bellowing of the horns frightened the birds at roost in the melancholy grove, and taking wing, they flew blindly about. then ensued the invasion of the enclosure in front of the chapel--scholarius next the musicians. the prince saw him plainly; a tall man, stoop-shouldered, angular as a skeleton; his hood thrown back; head tonsured; the whiteness of the scalp conspicuous on account of the band of black hair at the base; the features high and thin, cheeks hollow, temples pinched. the dark brown cassock, leaving an attenuated neck completely exposed, hung from his frame apparently much too large for it. his feet disdained sandals. at the brook he halted, and letting the crucifix fall from his right hand, he stooped and dipped the member thus freed into the water, and rising flung the drops in air. resuming the crucifix, he marched on. it cannot be said there was admiration in the steady gaze with which the prince kept the monk in eye; the attraction was stronger--he was looking for a sign from him. he saw the tall, nervous figure cross the brook with a faltering, uncertain step, pass the remainder of the pavement, the torch in one hand, the holy symbol in the other; then it disappeared under the arch of the gate; and when it had come through, the sharp espial was beforehand with it, and waiting. it commenced ascending the acute grade--now it was in the cut--and now, just below the prince, it had but to look up, and its face would be on a level with his feet. at exactly the right moment, scholarius did look up, and--stop. the interchange of glances between the men was brief, and can be likened to nothing so aptly as sword blades crossing in a red light. possibly the monk, trudging on, his mind intent upon something which was part of a scene elsewhere, or on the objects and results of the solemnities in celebration, as yet purely speculative, might have been disagreeably surprised at discovering himself the subject of study by a stranger whose dress proclaimed him a foreigner; possibly the prince's stare, which we have already seen was at times powerfully magnetic, filled him with aversion and resentment; certain it is he raised his head, showing a face full of abhorrence, and at the same time waved the crucifix as if in exorcism. the prince had time to see the image thus presented was of silver on a cross of ivory wrought to wonderful realism. the face was dying, not dead; there were the spikes in the hands and feet, the rent in the side, the crown of thorns, and overhead the initials of the inscription: this is the king of the jews. there was the worn, buffeted, bloodspent body, and the lips were parted so it was easy to think the sufferer in mid-utterance of one of the exclamations which have placed his divinity forever beyond successful denial. the swift reversion of memory excited in the beholder might have been succeeded by remorse, but for the cry: "thou enemy of jesus christ--avaunt!" it was the voice of scholarius, shrill and high; and before the prince could recover from the shock, before he could make answer, or think of answering, the visionary was moving on; nor did he again look back. "what ails thee, prince?" the sepulchral tone of father theophilus was powerful over the benumbed faculties of his majesty's guest; and he answered with a question: "is not thy friend scholarius a great preacher?" "on his lips the truth is most unctuous." "it must be so--it must be so! for"--the prince's manner was as if he were settling a grave altercation in his own mind--"for never did a man offer me the presence so vitalized in an image. i am not yet sure but he gave me to see the holy son of the immaculate mother in flesh and blood exactly as when they put him so cruelly to death. or can it be, father, that the effect upon me was in greater measure due to the night, the celebration, the cloud of ministrants, the serious objects of the vigils?" the answer made father theophilus happy as a man of his turn could be--he was furnished additional evidence of the spiritual force of scholarius, his ideal. "no," he answered, "it was god in the man." all this time the chanting had been coming nearer, and now the grove rang with it. a moment, and the head of the first division must present itself in front of the chapel. could the wanderer have elected then whether to depart or stay, the _pannychides_ would have had no further assistance from him--so badly had the rencounter with scholarius shaken him. not that he was afraid in the vulgar sense of the term. before a man can habitually pray for death, he must be long lost to fear. if we can imagine conscience gone, pride of achievement, without which there can be no mortification or shame in defeat, may yet remain with him, a source of dread and weakness. the chill which shook brutus in his tent the evening before philippi was not in the least akin to terror. so with the prince at this juncture. there to measure the hold of the christian idea upon the church, it seemed scholarius had brought him an answer which finished his interest in the passing vigils. in brief, the reformer's interest in the mystery was past, and he wished with his whole soul to retreat to the sedan, but a fascination held him fast. "i think it would be pleasanter sitting," he said, and returned to the platform. "if i presume to take the chair, father," he added, "it is because i am older than thou." hardly was he thus at ease when a precentor, fat, and clad in a long gown, stepped out of the grove to the clear lighted pavement in front of the chapel. his shaven head was thrown back, his mouth open to its fullest stretch, and tossing a white stick energetically up and down in the air, he intoned with awful distinctness: "the waters wear the stones. thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth, and thou destroyest the hopes of man." the prince covered his ears with his hands. "thou likest not the singing?" father theophilus asked, and continued: "i admit the graces have little to do with musical practice in the holy houses of the fathers." but he for whom the comfort was meant made no reply. he was repeating to himself: "thou prevailest forever against him, and he passeth." and to these words the head of the first division strode forward into the light. the prince dropped his hands in time to hear the last verse: "but his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn." for whom was this? did the singers know the significancy of the text to him? the answer was from god, and they were merely messengers bringing it. he rose to his feet; in his rebellious passion the world seemed to melt and swim about him. he felt a longing to burn, break, destroy--to strike out and kill. when he came to himself, father theophilus, who thought him merely wonder struck by the mass of monks in march, was saying in his most rueful tone: "good order required a careful arrangement of the procession; for though the participants are pledged to godly life, yet they sometimes put their vows aside temporarily. the holiest of them have pride in their establishments, and are often too ready to resort to arms of the flesh to assert their privileges. the fathers of the islands have long been jealous of the fathers of the city, and to put them together would be a signal for riot. accordingly there are three grand divisions here--the monks of constantinople, those of the islands, the shores of the bosphorus and the three seas, and finally the recluses and hermits from whatever quarter. lo! first the fathers of the studium--saintly men as thou wilt see anywhere." the speech was unusually long for the father; a fortunate circumstance of which the prince availed himself to recover his self-possession. by the time the brethren eulogized were moving up the rift at his feet, he was able to observe them calmly. they were in long gowns of heavy gray woollen stuff, with sleeves widening from the shoulders; their cowls, besides covering head and visage, fell down like capes. cleanly, decent-looking men, they marched slowly and in order, their hands united palm to palm below their chins. the precentor failed to inspire them with his fury of song. "these now coming," father theophilus said of the second fraternity, "are conventuals of petrion, who have their house looking out on the harbor here. and these," he said of the third, "are of the monastery of anargyres--a very ancient society. the emperor michael, surnamed the paphlegonian, died in one of their cells in 1041. brotherhood with them is equivalent to saintship." afterwhile a somewhat tumultuous flock appeared in white skirts and loose yellow cloaks, their hair and beard uncut and flying. the historian apologized. "bear with them," he said; "they are mendicants from the retreats of periblepte, in the quarter of psammatica. you may see them on the street corners and quays, and in all public places, sick, blind, lame and covered with sores. they have st. lazarus for patron. at night an angel visits them with healing. they refuse to believe the age of miracles is past." the city monastics were a great host carrying banners with the name of their brotherhoods inscribed in golden letters; and in every instance the hegumen, or abbot, preceded his fraternity torch in hand. a company in unrelieved black marched across the brook, and their chanting was lugubrious as their garb. "petra sends us these fathers," said theophilus--"petra over on the south side. they sleep all day and watch at night. the second coming they say will happen in the night, because they think that time most favorable for the trumpeting herald and the splendor of the manifestations." half an hour of marching--men in gray and black and yellow, a few in white--men cowled--men shorn and unshorn--barefooted men and men in sandals--a river of men in all moods, except jovial and happy, toiling by the observing stand, seldom an upturned face, spectral, morose, laden body and mind--young and old looking as if just awakened after ages of entombment;--a half hour of dismal chanting the one chapter from the book of the man in the land of uz, of all utterances the most dismal;--a half hour of waiting by the prince for one kindly sign, without discovering it--a half hour, in which, if the comparison be not too strong, he was like a soul keeping watch over its own abandoned body. then father theophilus said: "from the cloisters of st. james of manganese! the richest of the monasteries of constantinople, and the most powerful. it furnishes sancta sophia with renowned preachers. its brethren cultivate learning. their library is unexcelled, and they boast that in the hundreds of years of their society life, they had never an heretic. before their altars the candles are kept burning and trimmed forever. their numbers are recruited from the noblest families. young men to whom the army is open prefer god-service in the elegant retirement of st. james of manganese. they will interest you, prince; and after them we will have the second grand division." "brethren of the islands?" "yes, of the islands and the sea-shores." upon the pavement then appeared a precentor attired like a greek priest of the present day; a rimless hat black and high, and turned slightly outward at the top; a veil of the same hue; the hair gathered into a roll behind, and secured under the hat; a woollen gown very dark, glossy, and dropping in ample folds unconfined from neck to shoe. the hegumen followed next, and because of his age and infirmities a young man carried the torch for him. the chanting was sweet, pure, and in perfect time. all these evidences of refinement and respectability were noticed by the prince, and looking at the torch-bearer again, he recognized the young monk, his room-mate in the white castle. "knowest thou the youth yonder?" he asked, pointing to sergius. "a russian recently arrived," the father replied. "day before yesterday he was brought to the palace and presented to the emperor by the princess irene. he made a great impression." the two kept their eyes on the young man until he disappeared ascending the hill. "he will be heard from;" and with the prediction the prince gave attention to the body of the brotherhood. "these men have the bearing of soldiers," he said presently. "their vows respecting war are liberal. if the _panagia_ were carried to the walls, they would accompany it in armor." the prince smiled. he had not the faith in the virgin of blacherne which the father's answer implied. the st. james' were long in passing. the prince kept them in sight to the last four. they were the aristocracy of the church, prim, proud; as their opportunities were more frequent, doubtless they were more wicked than their associates of the humbler fraternities; yet he could not promise himself favor from their superior liberality. on the contrary, having a great name for piety to defend, if a test offered, they were the more certain to be hard and vindictive--to send a heretic to the stake, and turn a trifling variation from the creed into heresy. "who is this?" the prince exclaimed, as a noble-looking man in full canonicals stepped out of the cypress shadows, first of the next division. "master of ceremonies for the church," father theophilus replied. "he is the wall between the islanders and the metropolitans." "and he who walks with him singing?" "the _protopsolete_--leader of the patriarch's choir." behind this singer the monks of the isles of the princes! in movement, order, dress, like their predecessors in the march--hegumen with their followers in gray, black and white--hands palm to palm prayerfully--chanting sometimes better, sometimes worse--never a look upward but always down, as if heaven were a hollow in the earth, an abyss at their feet, and they about to step into it. the prince was beginning to tire. suddenly he thought of the meeting of pilgrims at el zaribah. how unlike was the action there and here! that had been a rush, an inundation, as it were, by the sea, fierce, mad, a passion of faith fostered by freedom; this, slow, solemn, sombre, oppressive--what was it like? death in life, and burial by programme so rigid there must not be a groan more or a tear less. he saw law in it all--or was it imposition, force, choice smothered by custom, fashion masquerading in the guise of faith? the hold of christ upon the church began to look possible of measurement. "roti first!" said the father. "rocky and bare, scarce a bush for a bird or grass for a cricket. ah, verily he shall love god dearly or hate the world mortally who of free will chooses a cloister for life at roti!" the brethren of the three convents of the island marched past clad in short brown frocks, bareheaded, barefooted. the comments of the historian were few and brief. "poor they look," he said of the first one, "and poor they are, yet michael rhangabe and romain lacapene were glad to live and die with them." of the second: "when romain diogenes built the house these inhabit, he little dreamed it would shelter him, a refugee from the throne." of the third: "dardanes was a great general. in his fortunate days he built a tower on roti with one cell in it; in an evil hour he aspired to the throne--failed--lost his eyes, retired to his lonesome tower--by his sanctity there drew a fraternity to him, and died. that was hundreds of years ago. the brethren still pray for his soul. be it that evil comes of good; not less does good come of evil--and so god keeps the balances." in the same manner he descanted on the several contingents from antigone as they strode by; then of those from god's houses at halki, the pearl of the marmora; amongst them the monastery of john the precursor, and the convents of st. george, hagia trias, and lastly the very holy house of the all holy mother of god, founded by john viii. palaeologus. after them, in turn, the consecrated from prinkipo, especially those from the kamares of the basilissa, irene, and the convent of the transfiguration. the faithful few from the solitary convent on the island of oxia, and the drab-gowned abstinents of the monastery of plati, miserables given to the abnormity of mixing prayer and penance with the cultivation of snails for the market in constantinople, were the last of the islanders. then in a kind of orderly disorganization the claustral inculpables from holy houses on olympus down by the dardanelles, the bosphorus, and the bithynian shore behind the isles of the princes, and some from retreats in the egean and along the peloponnesus, their walls now dust, their names forgotten. "where is the procession going?" the prince now asked. "look behind you--up along the front of the palace." and casting his eyes thither, the questioner beheld the ground covered with a mass of men not there before. "what are they doing?" "awaiting the emperor. only the third grand division is wanting now; when it is up his majesty will appear." "and descend to the chapel?" "yes." for a time a noise more like the continuous, steady monotone of falling water than a chant had been approaching from the valley, making its darkness vocal. it threatened the gates awhile; now it was at the gates. the prince's wonder was great, and to appease it father theophilus explained: "the last division is at hand." in the dim red light over the area by the gate below, the visitor beheld figures hurriedly issuing from the night--figures in the distance so wild and fantastic they did not at first seem human. they left no doubt, however, whence the sound proceeded. the white sand of the road up the terraces was beaten to dust under the friction and pressure of the thousands of feet gone before; this third division raised it into an attending cloud, and the cloud and the noise were incessant. once more the prince went out to the brink of the terrace. the monotony of the pageant was broken; something new was announcing itself. spectres--devils--gnomes and jinn of the islamitic solomon--rakshakas and hanumen of the eastern iliads--surely this miscellany was a composition of them all. they danced along the way and swung themselves and each other, howling like dervishes in frenzy. again the birds took wing and flew blindly above the cypresses, and the end of things seemed about to burst when a yell articulate yet unintelligible shook the guarded door of the venerable chapel. then the demoniacs--the prince could not make else of them--leaping the brook, crowding the pent enclosure, hasting to the arched exit, were plainly in view. men almost naked, burned to hue of brick-dust; men in untanned sheepskin coats and mantles; men with every kind of headgear, turbans, handkerchiefs, cowls; men with hair and beard matted and flying; now one helped himself to a louder yell by tossing in air the dirty garment he had torn from his body, hirsute as a goat's; now one leaped up agile as a panther; now one turned topsy-turvy; now groups of them swirled together like whimsical eddies in a pool. some went slowly, their arms outspread in silent ecstasy; some stalked on with parted lips and staring eyes, trance-like or in dead drunkenness of soul; nevertheless the great majority of them, too weary and far spent for violent exertion, marched with their faces raised, and clapping their hands or beating their breasts, now barking short and sharp, like old hounds dreaming, then finishing with long-drawn cries not unlike the ending of a sorrowful chorus. through the gate they crowded, and at sight of their faces full of joy unto madness, the prince quit pitying them, and, reminded of the wahabbees at el zaribah, turned to father theophilus. "in god's name," he said, "who are these?" "a son of india thou, and not know them at sight?" there was surprise in the question, and a degree of unwarranted familiarity, yet the father immediately corrected himself, by solemnly adding: "look there at that one whirling his mantle of unshorn skin over his head. he has a cave on mt. olympus furnished with a stool, a crucifix, and a copy of the holy scriptures; he sleeps on the stone; the mantle is his bedding by night, his clothing by day. he raises vegetables, and they and snow-water seeping through a crevice in his cavern subsist him.... and the next him--the large man with the great coat of camel's hair which keeps him scratched as with thorns--he is from the monastery of st. auxentius, the abode of a powerful fraternity of ascetics. a large proportion of this wing of the celebrants is of the same austere house. you will know them by the penitential, dun-colored garment--they wear no other.... yonder is a brother carrying his right arm at a direct angle above his shoulder, stiff and straight as a stick of seasoned oak. he is of a colony of stylites settled on this shore of the upper bosphorus overlooking the black sea. he could not lower the arm if he wished to; but since it is his certificate of devoutness, the treasures of the earth laid at his feet in a heap would be insufficient to induce him to drop it though for an instant. his colony is one of many like it. spare him thy pity. he believes the clinch of that hand holds fast the latch of heaven.... the shouters who have just entered the arch in a body have hermitaries in close grouping around the one failing monastery on plati, and live on lentils and snails; aside from which they commit themselves to christ, and so abound in faith that the basileus in his purple would be very happy were he true master of a tithe of their happiness.... hast thou not enough, o prince? those crossing the brook now?--ah, yes! they are anchorites from anderovithos, the island. pitiable creatures looked at from the curtained windows of a palace--pitiable, and abandoned by men and angels! be not sure. everything is as we happen to see it--a bit of philosophy, which, as they despise the best things secularly considered of this life, steels them to indifference for what you and i, and others not of their caste, may think. they have arrived at a summit above the corrupting atmosphere of the earth, where every one of them has already the mansion promised him by our blessed lord, and where the angels abide and delight to serve him.... for the rest, o prince, call them indifferently recluses, hermits, anticenobites, mystics, martyrs, these from europe, those from isolations deep somewhere in asia. who feeds them? did not ravens feed elijah? offer them white bread and robes of silk, yesterday's wear of a king. 'what!' they will ask. 'shall any man fare better than john the forerunner?' speak to them of comfortable habitations, and they will answer with the famous saying, 'foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the son of man hath not where to lay his head.' what more is there to be said? thou seest them, thou knowest them." yes, the prince knew them. like the horde which stood by the black stone envious of mirza's dying, these were just as ready to die for christ. he smiled grimly, and thought of mahommed, and how easy the church had made the conquest of which he was dreaming. it was with a sense of relief he beheld the tail of the division follow its body up to the palace. then, last of all, came the dignitaries of the church, the cartulaire, least in rank, with many intermediates, up to the cyncelle, who, next to the absent patriarch, represented him. if what had preceded in the procession was poor and unpretentious, this part was splendid to excess. they were not more than eighteen or twenty in number, but they walked singly with considerable intervals between them; while on the right and left of each, a liveried servant carried a torch which gave him to be distinctly seen. and the flashing of gold on their persons was wonderful to the spectator. why not? this rare and anointed body was the church going in solemnity to assist the basileus in a high ceremony. afterwhile the emperor appeared descending to the chapel. to the prince's amazement, he was in a plain, priestly black frock, without crown, sword, sceptre or guard; and so did his guise compare with the magnificence of the ecclesiastics surrounding him, he actually seemed in their midst a prisoner or a penitent. he passed his visitor like one going from the world forgetting and forgot. "an explanation, father," said the prince. "the church is in its robes, but my august friend, the emperor, looks as if he had suffered dethronement." "thou wilt presently see his majesty enter the chapel alone. the legend supposes him there in presence directly of god; if so, what merit would there be in regalia? would his sword or sceptre make his supplication more impressive?" the prince bowed. and while he watched, the gold-clad escort halted before the holy house, the door opened, and constantine went in unattended. then, the door being shut behind him, the clergy knelt, and remained kneeling. the light from the torches was plenteous there, making the scene beautiful. and yet further, while he stood watching, the trumpeting and chanting on the level in front of the palace behind him ceased, and a few minutes afterwards, he was aware of the noise of many feet rushing in a scramble from all directions to the chapel. here and there flambeaux streamed out, with hundreds of dark-gowned excited figures speeding after them as best they could. the bank the prince occupied was overrun, like other contiguous spaces. the object of the invaders was to secure a position near the revered building as possible; for immediately on attaining it they dropped to their knees, and began counting their rosaries and mumbling prayers. at length it befell that the terraces far and near were densely crowded by monks in low recitation. "my lord," said father theophilus, in a tone of reserved depth, "the mystery is begun. there is no more to be seen. good-night!" and without ado, he too knelt where he stood, beads in hand, eyes fixed upon the one point of devotional interest. when the sedan was brought, the prince gave one last glance at the scene, feeling it was to be thenceforward and forever a burden on his memory. he took in and put away the weather-stained chapel, centre of so much travail; the narrow court in front of it brilliantly lighted and covered with priests high and low in glittering vestments; the cypresses looming skyward, stately and stiff, like conical monuments: the torches scattered over the grounds, revealing patches of men kneeling, their faces turned toward the chapel: the mumbling and muttering from parts unlighted telling of other thousands in like engagement. he had seen battle-fields fresh in their horrors; decks of ships still bloody; shores strewn with wreckage and drowned sailors, and the storm not spent; populous cities shaken down by earthquakes, the helpless under the ruins pleading for help; but withal never had he seen anything which affected him as did that royal park at mid of night, given up to that spectral multitude! it seemed he could not get away from the spectacle soon enough; for after issuing from the grand gate, he kept calling to his carriers, impatiently: "faster, my men, faster!" chapter v a plague of crime sergius' life in constantinople had been almost void of incident. his introduction to the patriarch by the princess irene started him well with that reverend official, whose confidence and love she commanded to a singular degree. his personal qualities, however, were very helpful. the gentleness of his nature, his youth, his simplicity, respectfulness, intelligence and obvious piety were all in his favor; at the same time the strongest attraction he possessed with the strangers amongst whom he found himself was his likeness according to the received byzantine ideal to christ. he had a habit, moreover, of walking slowly, and with a quiet tread, his head lowered, his hands clasped before him. coming in this mood suddenly upon persons, he often startled them; at such times, indeed, the disturbed parties were constrained to both observe and forgive him--he reminded them so strikingly of the nazarene as he must have looked while in solitary walks by the sea or along the highways of galilee. whatever the cause, it is very certain his serenity, the patriarch, from mere attention to the young russian, passed speedily to interest in him, and manifested it in modes pleasant and noticeable. by his advice, sergius attached himself to the brotherhood of the monastery of st. james of manganese. this was the first incident in his city life out of the usual. the second was his presentation at court, where he was not less successful with the emperor than he had been with the patriarch. yet sergius was not happy. his was the old case of a spirit willing, even anxious, to do, but held in restraint. he saw about him such strong need of saving action; and the christian plan, as he understood it, was so simple and efficacious. there was no difference in the value of souls. taking christ's own words, everything was from the father, and he held the gates of heaven open for the beggar and the emperor alike. why not return to the plan devised, practised, and exemplified by the saviour himself? the idea bore heavily upon his mind, and accounted for the bent head and slow step fast becoming habitudes. at times the insurgent impulses seemed beyond control. this was particularly when he walked in crowded places; for then the people appeared an audience summoned and ready to hear him; he had only to go into their midst, call to them, and begin speaking; but often as he beheld the calm, patient, pleading face of the princess irene, and heard her say ever so gently: "wait, wait! i know the situation--you do not. our object is the most good. god will send the opportunity. then martyrdom, if it come, is going to heaven. wait--i will give you the signal. you are to speak for me as well as yourself. you are to be my voice"--so often he grew reconciled. there was another trouble more difficult of comprehension and description. under its influence the sky did not look so blue as formerly; the breeze was less refreshing; the sun where it scattered its golden largesse over the sea failed to relieve it of dulness; and in all things, himself included, there was something wanting--exactly what he could not tell. however, as he had been indulging comparisons of life in constantinople with life in bielo-osero, and longing for the holy quiet of the latter, he concluded he was homesick, and was ashamed. it was childishness! the great example had no home! and with that thought he struggled manfully to be a man forever done with such weaknesses. it became his wont of afternoons when the weather was tolerable to seek the city wall opposite the old chalcedonian point. in going thither, he sometimes passed through the hippodrome and sta. sophia, both in such contact to the collection of palaces known as the bucoleon that each might have been fairly considered an appurtenance of the other. the exercises in the spacious palaestrae had small interest for him; there was always such evident rancor between the factions blue and green. the dome of the great church he regarded man's best effort at construction, beyond which there was nothing more attainable; but how it dwindled and faded when from the wall he looked at the sky, the sea, and the land, the handiworks of god! on the wall, at a point marked by a shallow angle, there was a cracked stone bench, offering seawardly a view of the isles of the princes, and the asian domain beyond broussa to the olympian heights; westwardly, the bucoleon and its terraced gardens were near by, and above them in the distance the tower of isaac angelus arose over blacherne, like a sentinel on guard against the opposing summits of galata and pera. from the bench, the walk, besides being wide and smooth, extended, with a slight curvature northward to the acropolis, now point serail, and on the south to the port of julian. the airy promenade thus formed was reached by several stairs intermediate the landmarks mentioned; yet the main ascent was near the imperial stables, and it consisted of a flight of stone steps built against the inner face of the wall, like a broad buttress. this latter was for the public, and of sunny days it was used incessantly. everybody in the category of invalids affected it in especial, since litters and sedans were not inhibited there. in short, the popularity of this mural saunter can be easily imagined. the afternoon of the day the prince of india was in audience by the emperor's invitation, sergius was the sole occupant of the stone bench. the hour was pleasant; the distant effects were perfect; birds and boats enlivened the air and water; and in listening to the swish of waves amongst the rocks and pebbles below, so like whisperings, he forgot where he was, and his impatience and melancholy, and the people strolling negligently past. one of his arms lay along the edge of the bulwark before him, and he was not thinking so much as simply enjoying existence. to such as noticed him he appeared a man in the drowsy stage next to sleep. afterwhile a voice aroused him, and, without moving, he became aware of two men stopped and talking. he could not avoid hearing them. "she is coming," said one. "how do you know?" the other asked. "have i not told you i keep a spy on the old prince's house? a messenger from him has just reported the chair arrived for her; and this being her favorite stroll, she will be here presently." "have you considered the risks of your project?" "risks? pah!" the exclamation was with a contemptuous laugh. "but they have grown since last night," the other persisted. "the indian is now at the palace, his majesty's guest." "yes, i had report of that also; but i have studied the game, and if you fear to join me, i will see it through alone. as an offence against law, it is abduction, not murder; and the penalty, imprisonment, can be easily changed to banishment, which with me means at the utmost a short absence to give friends an opportunity to prepare for my return. consider, moreover, the subject of the offence will be a woman. can you name an instance in which the kidnapper of a woman has been punished?--i mean in our time?" "true, women are the cheapest commodity in the market; therefore"-"i understand," the first speaker interposed, a little impatiently, "but princes of india are not common in constantinople, while their daughters are less so. see the temptation! besides, in the decadence of our byzantine empire, the criminal laws fail worse and worse of execution. only last night my father, delivering a lecture, said neglect in this respect was one of the reasons of the empire's going. only the poor and degraded suffer penalties now. and i--pah! what have i to fear? or thou? and from whom? when the girl's loss is discovered--you observe i am viewing the affair in its most malignant aspect--i know the course the prince will take. he will run to the palace; there he will fall at the emperor's feet, tell his tale of woe, and"-"and if thou art denounced?" the conspirator laughed again. "the worse for the prince," he at length replied. "the hegumen, my honored father, will follow him to the palace, and--but let the details go! the relations between the basileus and the church are strained to breaking; and the condition is not sanable while the quarrel between the patriarch and scholarius waxes hotter." "the patriarch and scholarius quarrelling? i had not heard of that." "openly, openly! his majesty and the patriarch are tenderly sympathetic. what more is wanting to set the prophet scolding? the patriarch, it is now known, will not be at the _pannychides_ to-night. his health began failing when, over his objection, it was decided to hold the mystery, and last week he betook himself to the holy mountain. this morning the prophet"-"thou meanest scholarius?" "scholarius denounced him as an _azymite_, which is bad, if true; as unfaithful to god and the church, which is worse; and as trying to convert the emperor into an adherent of the bishop of rome, which, considering the bishop is satan unchained, will not admit of a further descent in sin. the mystery tonight is scholarius' scheme in contravention of his serenity's efforts. oh, it is a quarrel, and a big one, involving church and state, and the infallibility of our newly risen jeremiah. thus full-handed, thinkest thou in a suit the prince of india against the venerable hegumen of all the st. james', his majesty will hesitate? is thy opinion of him as a politician so uncomplimentary? think again, i say--think again!" "thy father's brotherhood are his majesty's friends!" "ah, the very point! they despise scholarius now, and what an ado, what a political display, to drive them into his arms! the princes of india, though they were numerous as the spectre caravan, could not carry influence that far." here there was a rest in the conversation. "well, since thou wilt not be persuaded to let the enterprise go," the protesting friend next said, "at least agree with me that it is indiscreet to speak of it in a place public as this." the laugh of the conspirator was heartier than before. "ah, hadst thou warned me not to speak of it to the"-"enough of that! the prince of india is nothing to me--thou art my friend." "agree with me then that thou hast ears, while the public"-"have not, thou wouldst say. still there are things which may not be whispered in a desert without being overheard." "the pagans who went before us had a god of wisdom, and they called him hermes. i should say thou hast been to school to him. 'twas he, doubtless, who taught outlaws to seek safety in crowded cities. by the same philosophy, where can one talk treason more securely than on this wall? afraid of discovery! not i, unless thou mumblest in thy sleep. we go about our good intents--the improvement of our fortune for instance--with awful care, and step by step, fortifying. the practice is applicable to wickedness. i am no bungler. i will tell thee a tale.... thou knowest the brotherhood of the monastery of st. james of manganese is very ancient, and that the house in which it is quartered is about as old as the brotherhood. their archives are the richest in the empire. they have a special chamber and a librarian. were he of the mind, he might write a history of constantinople by original data without leaving his library. fortunately the mere keepers of books seldom write books.... my father's office is in the monastery, and i frequently find myself in his company there. he never fails to improve the opportunity to lecture me, for he is a good man. one day, by invitation, i accompanied the librarian to his place of keeping, and saw it, and wondered how he could be willing to give his days--he is now an old man--to such a mass of rot and smells. i spare you mention of the many things he showed me; for there was but one of real ado with what we are considering, an old document illuminated with an untarnished chrysobula. 'here,' said he, 'is something curious.' the text was short--writers in those days knew the tricks of condensation, and they practised them virtuously. i asked him to give it to me--he refused--he would sooner have given me the last lock on his head, which is a great deal, seeing that hair grows precious exactly as it grows scantier. so i made him hold the lamp while i read.... the document was dated about a.d. 1300--a century and a half gone, and proved to be a formal report by the patriarch to a council of bishops and hegumen.... thou knowest, i am sure, the great cistern; not the philoxenus, but the larger one, with an entrance west of sta. sophia, sometimes called the imperial, because built by the first constantine and enlarged by justinian." "i know it." "well, there was a great ceremony there one day; the same with which the report was concerned. the clergy attended in force and panoply led by his serenity in person--monks, nuns, deacons and deaconesses--in a word, the church was present. the cistern had been profaned. a son of satan, moved by a most diabolical ingenuity, had converted it into a den of wickedness surpassing sinful belief; and the procession and awful conclave were to assist his serenity in restoring the water to wholesomeness, impossible, in the belief of consumers, except by solemn exorcism.... heed now, my friend--i am about to tap the heart of my story. a plague struck the city--a plague of crime. a woman disappeared. there was search for her, but without success. the affair would have been dismissed within the three days usually allotted wonders of the kind, had not another like it occurred--and then another. the victims, it was noticed, were young and beautiful, and as the last one was of noble family the sensation was universal. the whole capital organized for rescue. while the hunt was at its height, a fourth unfortunate went the way of the others. sympathy and curiosity had been succeeded by anxiety; now the public was aroused to anger, and the parents of handsome girls were sore with fear. schemes for discovery multiplied; ingenuity was exhausted; the government took part in the chase--all in vain. and there being then a remission in the disappearance, the theory of suicide was generally accepted. quiet and confidence were returning, when, lo! the plague broke out afresh! five times in five weeks sta. sophia was given to funeral services. the ugly women, and the halt, and those long hopeless of husbands shared the common terror. the theory of suicide was discarded. it was the doing of the turks, everybody said. the turks were systematically foraging constantinople to supply their harems with christian beauty; or if the turks were innocent, the devil was the guilty party. on the latter presumption, the church authorities invented a prayer of special application. could anything better signify the despair of the community? a year passed--two years--three--and though every one resolved himself into a watchman and hunter; though heralds cried rewards in the emperor's name three times each day on the street corners, and in every place of common resort; though the fame of the havoc, rapine, spoliation, or whatsoever it may please thee to call the visitation, was carried abroad until everybody here and there knew every particular come to light concerning it, with the pursuit, and the dragging and fishing in the sea, never a clew was found. one--two--three years, during which at intervals, some long, some short, the ancient christian centre kept on sealing its doors, and praying. finally the disappearances were about to be accepted as incidents liable to happen at any time to any young and pretty woman. they were placed in the category with death. there was mourning by friends--that was about all. how much longer the mystery would have continued may not be said.... now accidents may not have brought the world about, yet the world could not get along without accidents. to illustrate. a woman one day, wanting water for her household, let a bucket down one of the wells of the cistern, and drew up a sandal slippery and decaying. a sliver buckle adhered to it. upon inspecting the prize, a name was observed graven on its underside. the curious came to see--there was discussion--at length an examiner blessed with a good memory coupled the inscription with one of the lost women. it was indeed her name! a clew to the great mystery was at last obtained. the city was thrown into tumult, and an exploration of the cistern demanded. the authorities at first laughed. 'what!' they said. 'the royal reservoir turned into a den of murder and crime unutterable by christians!' but they yielded. a boat was launched on the darkened waters--but hold!" the voice of the speaker changed. something was occurring to stop the story. sergius had succumbed to interest in it; he was listening with excited sense, yet kept his semblance of sleep. "hold!" the narrator repeated, in an emphatic undertone. "see what there is in knowing to choose faithful allies! my watchman was right. she comes--she is here!" "who is here?" "she--the daughter of the old indian. in the sedan to my left--look!" sergius, catching the reply, longed to take the direction to himself, and look, for he was comprehending vaguely. a blindfolded man can understand quite well, if he is first informed of the business in progress, or if it be something with which he is familiar; imagination seems then to take the place of eyes. a detective, having overheard the conversation between the two men, had not required sight of them; but the young monk was too recently from the cloisters of bielo-osero to be quick in the discernment of villanies. he knew the world abounded in crime, but he had never dealt with it personally; as yet it was a destroying wolf howling in the distance. he yearned to see if what he dimly surmised were true--if the object at the moment so attractive to his dangerous neighbors were indeed the daughter of the strange indian he had met at the white castle. his recollection of her was wonderfully distinct. her face and demeanor when he assisted her from the boat had often reverted to his thought. they spoke to him so plainly of simplicity and dependence, and she seemed so pure and beautiful! and making the acknowledgment to himself, his heart took to beating quick and drum-like. he heard the shuffle and slide of the chairmen going; when they ceased a new and strange feeling came and possessed itself of his spirit, and led it out after her. still he managed to keep his head upon his arm. "by the saintly patron of thy father's brotherhood, she is more than lovely! i am almost persuaded." "ah, i am not so mad as i was!" the conspirator replied, laughing; then he changed to seriousness, and added, like one speaking between clinched teeth--"i am resolved to go on. i will have her--come what may, i will have her! i am neither a coward nor a bungler. thou mayst stay behind, but i have gone too far to retreat. let us follow, and see her again--my pretty princess!" "stay--a moment." perception was breaking in on sergius. he scarcely breathed. "well?" was the answer. "you were saying that a boat was launched in the cistern. then what?" "of discovery? oh, yes--the very point of my argument! a raft was found moored between four of the great pillars in the cistern, and there was a structure on it with furnished rooms. a small boat was used for going and coming." "wonderful!" "come--or we will lose the sight of her." "but what else?" "hooks, such as fishermen use in hunting lobsters were brought, and by dragging and fishing the missing women were brought to light--that is, their bones were brought to light. more i will tell as we go. i will not stay longer." sergius heard them depart, and presently he raised his head. his blood was cold with horror. he was having the awful revelation which sooner or later bursts upon every man who pursues a walk far in life. chapter vi a byzantine gentleman of the period sergius kept his seat on the bench; but the charm of the glorious prospect spread out before it was gone. two points were swimming in his consciousness, like motes in a mist: first, there was a conspiracy afoot; next, the conspiracy was against the daughter of the prince of india. when at the door of the old lavra upon the snow-bound shore of the white lake, he bade father hilarion farewell and received his blessing, and the commission of an evangel, the idea furthest from him was to signalize his arrival in constantinople by dropping first thing into love. and to be just, the idea was now as distant from him as ever; yet he had a vision of the child-faced girl he met on the landing at the white castle in the hands of enemies, and to almost any other person the shrinking it occasioned would have been strange, if not suspicious. his most definite feeling was that something ought to be done in her behalf. besides this the young monk had another incentive to action. in the colloquy overheard by him the chief speaker described himself a son of the hegumen of the st. james'. the st. james'! his own brotherhood! his own hegumen! could a wicked son have been born to that excellent man? much easier to disbelieve the conspirator; still there were traditions of the appearance of monsters permitted for reasons clear at least to providence. this might be an instance of the kind. doubtless the creature carried on its countenance or person evidences of a miracle of evil. in any event there could be no harm in looking at him. sergius accordingly arose, and set out in pursuit of the conspirators. could he overtake the sedan, they were quite certain to be in the vicinity, and he doubted not discovering them. the steps of the sedan-carriers, peculiarly quick and sliding, seemed in passing the bench to have been going northwardly toward point demetrius. thither he first betook himself. in the distance, over the heads of persons going and coming, he shortly beheld the top of a chair in motion, and he followed it rapidly, fearing its occupant might quit the wall by the stairs near the stables of the bucoleon. but when it was borne past that descent he went more leisurely, knowing it must meet him on the return. without making the point, however, the chair was put about toward him. unable to discover any one so much as suggestive of the plotters, and fearing a mistake, he peered into the front window of the painted box. a woman past the noon of life gave him back in no amiable mood the stare with which he saluted her. there was but one explanation: he should have gone down the wall southwardly. what was to be done? give up the chase? no, that would be to desert his little friend. and besides he had not put himself within hearing of the design against her--it was a doing of providence. he started back on his trace. the error but deepened his solicitude. what if the victim was then being hurried away? at the head of the stairway by the stables he paused; as it was deserted, he continued on almost running--on past the cracked bench--past the cleft gate. now, in front, he beheld the towers of the imperial residence bearing the name julian, and he was upbraiding himself for indecision, and loading his conscience with whatever grief might happen the poor girl, when he beheld a sedan coming toward him. it was very ornate, and in the distance shone with burnishments--it was the chair--hers. by it, on the right hand, strode the gigantic negro who had so astonished him at the white castle. he drew a long breath, and stopped. they would be bold who in daylight assailed that king of men! and he was taking note of the fellow's barbaric finery, the solemn stateliness of his air, and the superb indifference he manifested to the stare of passers-by, when a man approached the chair on the opposite side. the curtain of the front window was raised, and through it, sergius observed the inmate draw hastily away from the stranger, and drop a veil over her face. here was one of the parties for whom he was looking. where was the other? then the man by the left window looked back over his shoulder as if speaking, and out of the train of persons following the sedan, one stepped briskly forward, joined the intruder, and walked with him long enough to be spoken to, and reply briefly; after which he fell back and disappeared. this answered the inquiry. assured now of one of the conspirators in sight, the monk resolved to await the coming up. through the front window of the carriage, which was truly a marvel of polish and glitter, the girl might recognize him; perhaps she would speak; or possibly the negro might recall him; in either event he would have an excuse for intervention. meantime, calmly as he could--for he was young, and warm blooded, and in all respects a good instrument to be carried away by righteous indignation--he took careful note of the stranger, who kept his place as if by warrant, occasionally addressing the shrinking maiden. sergius was now more curious than angry; and he cared less to know who the conspirator was than how he looked. his surprise may be imagined when, the subject of investigation having approached near enough to be perfectly observed, instead of a monster marked, like cain, he appeared a graceful, though undersized person, with an agreeable countenance. the most unfavorable criticism he provoked was the loudness--if the word can be excused--of his dress. a bright red cloak, hanging in ample folds from an exaggerated buckle of purple enamel on his left shoulder, draped his left side; falling open on the right, it was caught by another buckle just outside the right knee. the arrangement loosed the right arm, but was a serious hamper to walking, and made it inconvenient to get out the rapier, the handle of which was protrusively suggested through the cloak. a tunic of bright orange color, short in sleeve and skirt, covered his body. where undraped, tight-fitting hose terminating in red shoes, flashed their elongated black and yellow stripes with stunning effect. a red cap, pointed at top, and rolled up behind, but with a long visor-like peak shading the eyes, and a white heron feather slanted in the band, brought the head into negligent harmony with the rest of the costume. the throat and left arm were bare, the latter from halfway above the elbow. this was the monk's first view of a byzantine gentleman of the period abroad in full dress to dazzle such of the gentler sex as he might chance to meet. if sergius' anticipation had been fulfilled; if, in place of the elegant, rakish-looking chevalier in florid garb, he had been confronted by an individual awry in body or hideous in feature, he would not have been confused, or stood repeating to himself, "my god, can this be a son of the hegumen?" that one so holy could have offspring so vicious stupefied him. the young man's sins would find him out--thus it was written--and then, what humiliation, what shame, what misery for the poor father! speeding his sympathy thus in advance, sergius waited until the foremost of the sedan carriers gave him the customary cry of warning. as he stepped aside, two things occurred. the occupant of the box lifted her veil and held out a hand to him. he had barely time to observe the gesture and the countenance more childlike because of the distress it was showing, when the negro appeared on the left side of the carriage. staying a moment to swing the javelin with which he was armed across the top of the buckler at his back, he leaped forward with the cry of an animal, and caught the gallant, one hand at the shoulder, the other at the knee. the cry and the seizure were parts of the same act. resistance had been useless had there been no surprise. the greek had the briefest instant to see the assailant--an instant to look up into the face blacker of the transport of rage back of it, and to cry for help. the mighty hands raised him bodily, and bore him swiftly toward the sea-front of the wall. there were spectators near by; amongst them some men; but they were held fast by terror. no one moved but sergius. having seen the provocation, he alone comprehended the punishment intended. the few steps to the wall were taken almost on the run. there, in keeping with his savage nature, the negro wished to see his victim fall, but a puff of wind blew the red cloak over his eyes, and he stopped to shake it aside. the greek in the interval seeing the jagged rocks below, and the waves rolling in and churning themselves into foam, caught at his enemy's head, and the teeth of the gold-gilt iron crown cut his palms, bringing the blood. he writhed, and into nilo's ears--pitiless if they had not been dead--poured screams for mercy. then sergius reached out, and caught him. nilo made no resistance. when he could free his eyes from the cloak he looked at the rescuer, who, unaware of his infirmity, was imploring him: "as thou lovest god, and hopest mercy for thyself, do no murder!" now, if not so powerful as nilo, sergius was quite as tall; and while they stood looking at each other, their faces a little apart, the contrast between them was many sided. and one might have seen the ferocity of the black visage change first with pleased wonder; then brighten with recognition. the byzantine gained his feet quickly, and in his turn taken with a murderous impulse, drew his sword. nilo, however, was quickest; the point of his javelin was magically promotive of sergius' renewed efforts to terminate the affair. a great many persons were now present. to bring a multitude in hot assemblage, strife is generally more potential than peace, assume what voice the latter may. these rallied to sergius' assistance; one brought the defeated youth his hat, fallen in the struggle; others helped him rearrange his dress; and congratulating him that he was alive, they took him in their midst, and carried him away. to have drawn upon such a giant! what a brave spirit the lad must possess! it pleased sergius to think he had saved the byzantine. his next duty was to go to the relief of the little princess. a dull fancy would have taught how trying the situation must have been to her; but with him the case was of a quick understanding quickened by solicitude. taking nilo with him, he made haste to the sedan. if we pause here, venturing on the briefest break in the narrative, it is for the reader's sake exclusively. he will be sure to see how fair the conditions are for a romantic passage between lael and sergius, and we fear lest he fly his imagination too high. it is true the period was still roseate with knighterrantry; men wore armor, and did battle behind shields; women were objects of devotion; conversation between lovers was in the style of high-flown courtesy, chary on one side, energized on the other by calls on the saints to witness vows and declarations which no saint, however dubious his reputation, could have listened to, much less excused; yet it were not well to overlook one or two qualifications. the usages referred to were by no means prevalent amongst christians in the east; in constantinople they had no footing at all. the two comneni, isaac and alexis, approached more nearly the western ideal of chivalry than any of the byzantine warriors; if not the only genuine knights of byzantium, they were certainly the last of them; yet even they stood aghast at the fantastic manners of the frankish armigerents who camped before their gates en route to the holy land. as a consequence, the language of ordinary address and intercourse amongst natives in the orient was simple and less discolored by what may be called pious profanity. their discourse was often dull and prolix, but never a composite of sacrilege and exaggeration. only in their writings were they pedantic. from this the reader can anticipate somewhat of the meeting between sergius and lael. it is to be borne in mind additionally that they were both young; she a child in years; he a child in lack of worldly experience. children cannot be other than natural. approaching the sedan anxiously, he found the occupant pale and faint. nilo being close at his side, she saw them both in the same glance, and reached her hand impulsively through the window. it was a question to which the member was offered. sergius hesitated. then she brought her face up unveiled. "i know you, i know you," she said, to sergius. "oh, i am so glad you are come! i was so scared--so scared--i will never go from home again. you will stay with me--say you will--it will be so kind of you.... i did not want nilo to kill the man. i only wanted him driven off and made let me alone. he has followed and persecuted me day after day, often as i came out. i could not set foot in the street without his appearing. my father would have me bring nilo along. he did not kill him, did he?" the hand remained held out during the speech, as if asking to be taken. meanwhile the words flowed like a torrent. the eyes were full of beseechment, and irresistibly lovely. if her speech was innocent, so was her appearance; and just as innocently, he took the hand, and held it while answering: "he was not hurt. friends have taken him away. do not be afraid." "you saved him. i saw you--my heart was standing still in my throat. oh, i am glad he is safe! i am no longer afraid. my father will be grateful; and he is generous--he loves me nearly as much as i love him. i will go home now. is not that best for me?" sergius had grown the tall man he was without having been so entreated--nay, without an adventure in the least akin to this. the hand lay in his folded lightly. he remembered once a dove flew into his cell. the window was so small it no doubt suggested to the poor creature a door to a nesting place. he remembered how he thought it a messenger from the heaven which he never gave over thinking of and longing for, and he wanted to keep it, for afterwhile he was sure it would find a way to tell him wherewith it was charged. and he took the gentle stray in his hand, and nursed it with exceeding tenderness. there are times when it seems such a blessing that memories lie shallow and easy to stir; and now he recalled how the winged nuncio felt like the hand he was holding--it was almost as soft, and had the same magnetism of life--ay, and the same scarce perceptible tremble. to be sure it was merely for the bird's sake he kept hold of the hand, while he answered: "yes, i think it best, and i will go with you to your father's door." to the carriers he said: "you will quit the wall at the grand stairs. the princess wishes to be taken home." the sensation of manliness incident to caring for the weak was refreshingly delightful. while the chair was passing he took place at the window. the fingers of the little hand still rested on the silken lining, like pinkish pearls. he beheld them longingly, but a restraint fell upon him. the pinkish pearls became sacred. he would have had them covered from the dust which the whisking breezes now blew up. the breezes were insolent. the sun, sinking in gold over the marmora, ought to temper the rays it let fall on them. long as the orb had shone, how curious that it never acquired art enough to know the things which too much of its splendor might spoil. then too he desired to speak with lael--to ask if she was any longer afraid--he could not. where had his courage gone? when he caught the young greek from nilo, the shortest while ago, he was wholly unconscious of timidity. the change was wonderful. nor was the awkwardness beginning to hamper his hands and feet less incomprehensible. and why the embarrassment when people paused to observe him? thus the party pursued on until the descent from the wall; he on the right side of the chair, and nilo on the left. down in the garden where they were following a walk across the terrace toward sta. sophia, lael put her face to the window, and spoke to him. his eagerness lest a word were lost was remarkable. he did not mind the stooping--and from his height that was a great deal--nor care much if it subjected him to remark. "have you seen the princess lately--she who lives at therapia?" lael asked. "oh, yes," he answered. "she is my little mother. i go up there often. she advises me in everything." "it must be sweet to have such a mother," lael said, with a smile. "it is sweet," he returned. "and how lovely she is, and brave and assuring," lael added. "why, i forgot when with her to be afraid. i forgot we were in the hands of those dreadful turks. i kept thinking of her, and not of myself." sergius waited for what more she had to say. "this afternoon a messenger came from her to my father, asking him to let me visit her." the heart of the monk gave a jump of pleasure. "and you will go?" a little older and wiser, and she would have detected a certain urgency there was in the tone with which he directed the inquiry. "i cannot say yet. i have not seen my father since the invitation was received; he has been with the emperor; but i know how greatly he admires the princess. i think he will consent; if so, i will go up to therapia to-morrow." sergius, silently resolving to betake himself thither early next morning, replied with enthusiasm: "have you seen the garden behind her palace?" "no." "well, of course i do not know what paradise is, but if it be according to my fancy, i should believe that garden is a piece of it." "oh, i know i shall be pleased with the princess, her garden--with everything hers." thereupon lael settled back in her chair, and nothing more was said till the sedan halted in front of the prince's door. appearing at the window there, she extended a hand to her escort. the pinkish pearls did not seem so far away as before, and they were now offered directly. he could not resist taking them. "i want you to know how very, very grateful i am to you," she said, allowing the hand to stay in his. "my father will speak to you about the day's adventure. he will make the opportunity and early.--but--but"-she hesitated, and a blush overspread her face. "but what?" he said, encouragingly. "i do not know your name, or where you reside." "sergius is my name." "sergius?" "yes. and being a monk, i have a cell in the monastery of st. james of manganese. i belong to that brotherhood, and humbly pray god to keep me in good standing. now having told you who i am, may i ask"-he failed to finish the sentence. happily she divined his wish. "oh," she said, "i am called gul-bahar by those who love me dearest, though my real name is lael." "by which am i to call you?" "good-by," she continued, passing his question, and the look of doubt which accompanied it. "good-by--the princess will send for me to-morrow." when the chair was borne into the house, it seemed to sergius the sun had rushed suddenly down, leaving a twilight over the sky. he turned homeward with more worldly matter to think of than ever before. for the first time in his life the cloister whither he was wending seemed lonesome and uncomfortable. he was accustomed to imagine it lighted and warmed by a presence out of heaven--that presence was in danger of supersession. occasionally, however, the girlish princess whom he was thus taking home with him gave place to wonder if the greek he had saved from nilo could be a son of the saintly hegumen; and the reflection often as it returned brought a misgiving with it; for he saw to what intrigues he might be subjected, if the claim were true, and the claimant malicious in disposition. when at last he fell asleep on his pillow of straw the vision which tarried with him was of walking with gul-bahar in the garden behind the homeric palace at therapia, and it was exceedingly pleasant. chapter vii a byzantine heretic while the venerable chapel on the way up the heights of blacherne was surrounded by the host of kneeling monastics, and the murmur of their prayers swept it round about like the sound of moaning breezes, a messenger found the hegumen of the st. james' with the compliments of the basileus, and a request that he come forward to a place in front of the door of the holy house. the good man obeyed; so the night long, maugre his age and infirmities, he stayed there stooped and bent, invoking blessings upon the emperor and empire; for he loved them both; and by his side sergius lingered dutifully torch in hand. twelve hours before he had engaged in the service worshipfully as his superior, nor would his thoughts have once flown from the mystery enacting; but now--alas, for the inconstancy of youth!--now there were intervals when his mind wandered. the round white face of the princess came again and again looking at him plainly as when in the window of the sedan on the promenade between the bucoleon and the sea. he tried to shut it out; but often as he opened the book of prayers which he carried in common with his brethren, trying to read them away; often as he shook the torch thinking to hide them in the resinous smoke, the pretty, melting, importunate eyes reappeared, their fascination renewed and unavoidable. they seemed actually to take his efforts to get away for encouragement to return. never on any holy occasion had he been so negligent--never had negligence on his part been so obstinate and nearly like sin. fortunately the night came to an end. a timid thing when first it peeped over the hills of scutari, the day emboldened, and at length filled the east, and left of the torches alive on the opposing face of blacherne only the sticks, the cups, and the streaming smoke. then the great host stirred, arose, and in a time incredibly brief, silently gave itself back to the city; while the basileus issued from his solitary vigils in the chapel, and, in a chastened spirit doubtless, sought his couch in one of the gilded interiors up somewhere under the tower of isaac. the hegumen of the st. james', overcome by the unwonted draughts upon his scanty store of strength, not to mention the exhaustion of spirit he had undergone, was carried home in a chair. sergius was faithful throughout. at the gate of the monastery he asked the elder's blessing. "depart not, my son; stay with me a little longer. thy presence is comforting to me." the adjuration prevailed. truth was, sergius wished to set out for therapia; but banishing the face of the little princess once more, he helped the holy man out of the chair, through the dark-stained gate, down along the passages, to his apartment, bare and penitential as that of the humblest neophyte of the brotherhood. having divested the superior of his robes, and, gently as he could, assisted him to lay his spent body on the narrow cot serving for couch, he then received the blessing. "thou art a good son, sergius," the hegumen said, with some cheer. "thou dost strengthen me. i feel thou art wholly given up to the master and his religion--nay, so dost thou look like the master that when thou art by i fancy it is he caring for me. thou art at liberty now. i give thee the blessing." sergius knelt, received the trembling hands on his bowed head, and kissed them with undissembled veneration. "father," he said, "i beg permission to be gone a few days." "whither?" "thou knowest i regard the princess irene as my little mother. i wish to go and see her." "at therapia?" "yes, father." the hegumen averted his eyes, and by the twitching of the fingers clasped upon his breast exposed a trouble at work in the depths of his mind. "my son," he at length said, "i knew the father of the princess irene, and was his sympathizer. i led the whole brotherhood in the final demand for his liberation from prison. when he was delivered, i rejoiced with a satisfied soul, and took credit for a large part of the good done him and his. it is not to magnify myself, or unduly publish my influence that the occurrence is recalled, but to show you how unnatural it would be were i unfriendly to his only child. so if now i say anything in the least doubtful of her, set it down to conscience, and a sense of duty to you whom i have received into the fraternity as one sent me specially by god.... the life the princess leads and her manners are outside the sanctions of society. there is no positive wrong in a woman of her degree going about in public places unveiled, and it must be admitted she does it most modestly; yet the example is pernicious in its effect upon women who are without the high qualities which distinguish her; at the same time the habit, even as she illustrates it, wears an appearance of defiant boldness, making her a subject of indelicate remark--making her, in brief, a topic for discussion. the objection, i grant, is light, being at worst an offence against taste and custom; much more serious is her persistence in keeping up the establishment at therapia. a husband might furnish her an excuse; but the turk is too near a neighbor--or rather she, a single woman widely renowned for beauty, is too tempting to the brutalized unbelievers infesting the other shore of the bosphorus. feminine timidity is always becoming; especially is it so when honor is more concerned than life or liberty. unmarried and unprotected, her place is in a holy house on the islands, or here in the city, where, aside from personal safety, she can have the benefit of holy offices. now rumor is free to accuse her of this and that, which charity in multitude and without stint is an insufficient mantle to save her from. they say she prefers guilty freedom to marriage; but no one, himself of account, believes it--the constitution of her household forbids the taint. they say she avails herself of seclusion to indulge uncanonized worship. in plain terms, my son, it is said she is a heretic." sergius started and threw up his hands. not that he was surprised at the charge, for the princess herself had repeatedly admitted it was in the air against her; but coming from the venerated chief of his brotherhood, the statement, though a hearsay, sounded so dreadfully he was altogether unprepared for it. knowing the consequences of heresy, he was also alarmed for her, and came near betraying himself. how interesting it would be to learn precisely and from the excellent authority before him, in what the heresy of the princess consisted. if there was criminality in her faith, what was to be said of his own? "father," he remarked, calmly as possible, "i mind not the other sayings, the reports which go to the princess' honor--they are the tarnishments which malice is always blowing on things white because they are white--but if it be not too trying to your strength, tell me more. wherein is she a heretic?" again, the gaunt fingers of the hegumen worked nervously, while his eyes averted themselves. "how can i satisfy your laudable question, my son, and be brief?" and with the words he brought his look back, resting it on the young man's face. "give attention, however, and i will try.... i take it you know the creed is the test of orthodoxy, and"--he paused and searched the eyes above his wistfully--"and that it has your unfaltering belief. you know its history, i am sure--at least you know it had issue from the council of nicaea over which constantine, the greatest of ail emperors, condescended to preside in person. never was proceeding more perfect; its perfection proved the divine mind in its composition; yet, sad to say, the centuries since the august council have been fruitful of disputes more or less related to those blessed canons, and sadder still, some of the disputes continue to this day. would to god there was no more to be said of them!" the good man covered his face with his hands, like one who would shut out a disagreeable sight. "but it is well to inform you, my son, of the questions whose agitation has at last brought the church down till only heaven can save it from rupture and ruin. oh, that i should live to make the acknowledgment--i who in my youth thought it founded on a rock eternal as nature itself!... a plain presentation of the subject in contention may help you to a more lively understanding of the gravity and untimeliness of the princess' departure.... first, let me ask if you know our parties by name. verily i came near calling them _factions_, and that i would not willingly, since it is an opprobrious term, resort to which would be denunciatory of myself--i being one of them." "i have heard of a roman party and of a greek party; but further, i am so recently come to constantinople, it would be safer did i take information of you." "a prudent answer, by our most excellent and holy patron!" exclaimed the hegumen, his countenance relaxing into the semblance of a smile. "be always as wise, and the st. james' will bless themselves that thou wert brought to us.... attend now. the parties are greek and roman; though most frequently its enemies speak of the latter as _azymites_, which you will understand is but a nickname. i am a romanist; the brotherhood is all roman; and we mind not when scholarius, and his arch-supporter, duke notaras, howl _azymite_ at us. a disputant never takes to contemptuous speeches except when he is worsted in the argument." the moderation of the hegumen had been thus far singularly becoming and impressive; now a fierce light gleamed in his eyes, and he cried, with a spasmodic clutch of the hands: "we are not of the forsworn! the curse of the perjured is not on our souls!" the intensity of his superior astonished sergius; yet he was shrewd enough to see and appreciate the disclosures of the outburst; and from that moment he was possessed of a feeling that the quarrel between the parties was hopelessly past settlement. if the man before him, worn with years, and actually laboring for the breath of life, could be so moved by contempt for the enemy, what of his co-partisans? age is ordinarily a tamer of the passions. here was an instance in which much contention long continued had counteracted the benign effect. as a teacher and example, how unlike this hegumen was to hilarion. the young man's heart warmed with a sudden yearning for the exile of the dear old lavra whose unfailing sweetness of soul could keep the frigid wilderness upon the white lake in summer purple the year round. never did love of man for man look so lovely; never did it seem so comprehensive and all sufficient! the nearest passion opposition could excite in that pure and chastened nature was pity. but here! quick as the reflection came, it was shut out. there was more to be learned. god help the heretic in the hands of this judge at this time! and with the mental exclamation sergius waited, his interest in the definition of heresy sharpened by personal concern. "there are five questions dividing the two parties," the hegumen continued, when the paroxysm of hate was passed. "listen and i will give them to you in naked form, trusting time for an opportunity to deal with them at large.... first then the procession of the holy ghost. that is, does the holy ghost proceed from the son, or from the father and the son? the greeks say from the son; the romans say the father and the son being one, the procession must needs be from both of them conjunctively.... next the nicene creed, as originally published, did undoubtedly make the holy ghost proceed from the father alone. the intent was to defend the unity of the godhead. subsequently the latins, designing to cast the assertion of the identity of the spirit of the father and the spirit of the son in a form which they thought more explicit, planted in the body of the creed the word _filioque_, meaning _from the son._ this the greeks declare an unwarranted addition. the latins, on their part, deny it an addition in any proper sense; they say it is but an explanation of the principle proclaimed, and in justification trace the usage from the fathers, greek and latin, and from councils subsequent to the nicene.... when we consider to what depths of wrangle the two themes have carried the children of god who should be brethren united in love, knowing rivalry only in zeal for the welfare of the church, that other subjects should creep in to help widen the already dangerous breach has an appearance like a judgment of god; yet it would be dealing unfairly with you, my son, to deny the pendency of three others in particular. of these we have first, shall the bread in the eucharist be leavened or unleavened? about six hundred years ago the latins began the use of unleavened bread. the greeks protested against the innovation, and through the centuries arguments have been bandied to and fro in good-natured freedom; but lately, within fifty years, the debate has degenerated into quarrel, and now--ah, in what terms suitable to a god-fearing servant can i speak of the temper signalizing the discussion now? let it pass, let it pass!... we have next a schism respecting purgatory. the greeks deny the existence of such a state, saying there are but two places awaiting the soul after death--heaven and hell." again the hegumen paused, arrested, as it were, by a return of vindictive passion. "oh, the schismatics!" he exclaimed. "not to see in the latin idea of a third place a mercy of god unto them especially! if only the righteous are admitted to the all holy father immediately upon the final separation of body and spirit; if there is no intermediate state for the purgation of such of the baptized as die sodden in their sins, what shall become of them?" sergius shuddered, but held his peace. "yet another point," the superior continued, ere the ruffle in his voice subsided--"another of which the wranglers have made the most; for as you know, my son, the greeks, thinking themselves teachers of all things intellectual, philosophy, science, poetry, art, and especially religion, and that at a period when the latins were in the nakedness of barbarism, are filled with pride, like empty bottles with air; and because in the light of history their pride is not unreasonable, they drop the more readily into the designs of the conspirators against the unity of the church--i speak now of the primacy. as if power and final judgment were things for distribution amongst a number of equals! as if one body were better of a hundred heads! who does not know that two wills equally authorized mean the absence of all will! of the foundations of god chaos alone is unorganized; and to such likeness scholarius would reduce christendom! god forbid! say so, my son--let me hear you repeat it after me--god forbid:" with an unction scarcely less fervid than his chief's, sergius echoed the exclamation; whereupon the elder looked at him, and said, with a flush on his face, "i fear i have given rein too freely to disgust and abhorrence. passion is never becoming in old men. lest you misjudge me, my son, i shall take one further step in explanation; it will be for you to then justify or condemn the feeling you have witnessed in me. a deeper wound to conscience, a grosser provocation to the divine vengeance, a perfidy more impious and inexcusable you shall never overtake in this life, though you walk in it thrice the years of noah.... there have been repeated attempts to settle the doctrinal differences to which i have referred. a little more than a hundred years ago--it was in the reign of andronicus iii.--one barlaam, a hegumen, like myself, was sent to italy by the emperor with a proposal of union; but benedict the pope resolutely refused to entertain the proposition, for the reason that it did not contemplate a final arrangement of the question at issue between the churches. was he not right?" sergius assented. "in 1369, john v. palaeologus, under heavy pressure of the turks, renewed overtures of reconciliation, and to effectuate his purpose, he even became a catholic. then john vi., the late emperor, more necessitous than his predecessor, submitted such a presentation to the papal court that nicolos of cusa was despatched to constantinople to study and report upon the possibilities of a doctrinal settlement and union. in november, 1437, the emperor, accompanied by joseph, the patriarch, besserion, archbishop of nicaea, and deputies empowered to represent the other patriarchs, together with a train of learned assistants and secretaries, seven hundred in all, set out for italy in response to the invitation of eugenius iv, the pope. landing at venice, the basileus was escorted to ferrara, where eugenius received him with suitable pomp. the council of basle, having been adjourned to ferrara for the better accommodation of the imperial guest, was opened there in april, 1438. but the plague broke out, and the sessions were transferred to florence where the council sat for three years. dost thou follow me, my son?" "with all my mind, father, and thankful for thy painstaking." "nay, good sergius, thy attention more than repays me.... observe now the essentials of all the dogmatic questions i named to you as to-day serving the conspiracy against the unity of our beloved church were settled and accepted at the council of florence. the primacy of the roman bishop was the last to be disposed of, because distinguishable from the other differences by a certain political permeation; finally it too was reconciled in these words--bear them in memory, i pray, that you may comprehend their full import--'the holy apostolic see and roman pontiff hold the primacy over all the world; the roman pontiff is the successor of peter, prince of apostles, and he is the true vicar of christ, the head of the whole church, the father and teacher of all christians.' [footnote: addis and arnold's catholic die. 349.] in italy, 1439--mark you, son sergius, but a trifle over eleven years ago--the members of the council from the east and west, the greeks with the latins--emperor, patriarchs, metropolitans, deacons, and lesser dignitaries of whatever title--signed a decree of union which we call the _hepnoticon_, and into which the above acceptances had been incorporated. i said all signed the decree--there were two who did not, mark of ephesus and the bishop stauropolis. the patriarch of constantinople, joseph, died during the council; yet the signatures of his colleagues collectively and of the emperor perfected the decree as to constantinople. what sayest thou, my son? as a student of holy canons, what sayest thou?" "i am but a student," sergius replied; "still to my imperfect perception the unity of the church was certainly accomplished." "in law, yes," said the hegumen, with difficulty rising to a sitting posture--"yes, but it remained to make the accomplishment binding on the consciences of the signatories. hear now what was done. a form of oath was draughted invoking the most awful maledictions on the parties who should violate the decree, and it was sworn to." "sworn to?" "ay, son sergius--sworn to by each and all of those attendant upon the council--from basileus down to the humblest catechumen inclusive, they took the oath, and by the taking bound their consciences under penalty of the eternal wrath of god. i spoke of certain ones forsworn, did i not?" sergius bowed. "and worse--i spoke of some whose souls were enduring the curse of the perjured. that was extreme--it was passion--i saw thee shudder at it, and i did not blame thee. hear me now, and thou wilt not blame me.... they came home, the basileus and his seven hundred followers. scarcely were they disembarked before they were called to account. the city, assembled on the quay, demanded of them: 'what have you done with us? what of our faith? have you brought us the victory?' the emperor hurried to his palace; the prelates hung their heads, and trembling and in fear answered: 'we have sold our faith--we have betrayed the pure sacrifice--we have become azymites.' [footnote: _hist. de l'eglise_ (l'abbe rohrbacher), 3d ed. vol. 22. 30. michel ducas.] thus spake bessarion; thus balsamon, archdeacon and guardian of the archives; thus gemiste of lacedaemon; thus antoine of heraclius; thus spake they all, the high and the low alike, even george scholarius, whom thou didst see marching last night first penitent of the vigils. 'why did you sign the decree?' and they answered, 'we were afraid of the franks.' perjury to impiety--cowardice to perjury!... and now, son sergius, it is said--all said--with one exception. some of the metropolitans, when they were summoned to sign the decree, demurred, 'without you pay us to our satisfaction we shall not sign.' the silver was counted down to them. nay, son, look not so incredulous--i was there--i speak of what i saw. what could be expected other than that the venals would repudiate everything? and so they did, all save metrophanes, the syncelle, and gregory, by grace of god the present patriarch. if i speak with heat, dost thou blame me? if i called the recusants forsworn and perjured, thinkest thou the pure in heaven charged my soul with a sin? answer as thou lovest the right?" "my father," sergius replied, "the denunciation of impiety cannot be sinful, else i have to unlearn all i have ever been taught; and being the chief shepherd of an honorable brotherhood, is it not thy duty to cry out at every appearance of wrong? that his serenity, the patriarch, receives thy acquittal and is notably an exception to a recusancy so universal, is comforting to me; to have to cast him out of my admiration would be grievous. but pardon me, if from fear thou wilt overlook it, i again ask thee to speak further of the heresy of the princess irene." sergius, besides standing with his back to the door of the cell, was listening to the hegumen with an absorption of sense so entire that he was unaware of the quiet entrance of a third party, who halted after a step or two but within easy hearing. "the request is timely--most timely," the hegumen replied, without regarding the presence of the newcomer. "i had indeed almost forgotten the princess.... with controversies such as i have recounted raging in the church, like wolves in a sheepfold, comes one with new doctrines to increase the bewilderment of the flock, how is he to be met? this is what the princess has done, and is doing." "still, father, you leave me in the dark." the hegumen faltered, but finally said: "apart from her religious views and novel habits, the princess irene is the noblest nature in byzantium. were we overtaken by some great calamity, i should look for her to rise by personal sacrifice into heroism. in acknowledgment of my fatherly interest in her, she has often entertained me at her palace, and spoken her mind with fearless freedom, leaving me to think her pursued by presentiments of a fatality which is to try her with terrible demands, and that she is already prepared to submit to them." "yes," said sergius, with an emphatic gesture, "there are who live martyrs all their days, reserving nothing for death but to bring them their crowns." the manner of the utterance, and the thought compelled the hegumen's notice. "my son," he said, presently, "thou hast a preacher's power. i wish i foreknew thy future. but i must haste or"-"nay, father, permit me to help you recline again." and with the words, sergius helped the feeble body down. "thanks, my son," he received, in return, "i know thy soul is gentle." after a rest the speech was resumed. "of the princess--she is given to the scriptures; in the reading, which else would be a praiseworthy usage, she refuses light except it proceed from her own understanding. we are accustomed when in doubt--thou knowest it to be so--to take the interpretations of the fathers; but she insists the son of god knew what he meant better than any whose good intentions are lacking in the inspirations of the holy ghost." a gleam of pleasure flitted over the listener's countenance. "so," the hegumen continued, "she hath gone the length of fabricating a creed for herself, and substituting it for that which is the foundation of the church--i mean the creed transmitted to us from the council of nicaea." "is the substitute in writing, father?" "i have read it." "then thou canst tell me whence she drew it." "from the gospels word and word.... there now--i am too weak to enter into discussion--i can only allude to effects." "forgive another request"--sergius spoke hastily--"have i thy permission, to look at what she hath written?" "thou mayst try her with a request; but remember, my son"--the hegumen accompanied the warning with a menacious glance--"remember proselyting is the tangible overt act in heresy which the church cannot overlook.... to proceed. the princess' doctrines are damnatory of the nicene; if allowed, they would convert the church into a stumbling-block in the way of salvation. they cannot be tolerated.... i can no more--the night was too much for me. go, i pray, and order wine and food. to-morrow--or when thou comest again--and delay not, for i love thee greatly--we will return to the subject." sergius saw the dew gathering on the hegumen's pallid forehead, and observed his failing voice. he stooped, took the wan hand from the laboring breast, and kissed it; then turning about quickly to go for the needed restoration, he found himself face to face with the young greek whom he rescued from nilo in the encounter on the wall. chapter viii the academy of epicurus "i would have a word with you," the greek said, in a low tone, as sergius was proceeding to the door. "but thy father is suffering, and i must make haste." "i will accompany thee." sergius stopped while the young man went to the cot, removed his hat and knelt, saying, "thy blessing, father." the hegumen laid a hand on the petitioner's head. "my son, i have not seen thee for many days," he said; "yet in hope that thou hast heard me, and abandoned the associates who have been endangering thy soul and my good name, and because i love thee--god knows how well--and remember thy mother, who lived illustrating every beatitude, and died in grace, praying for thee, take thou my blessing." with tears starting in his own eyes, sergius doubted not the effect of the reproof upon the son; and he pitied him, and even regretted remaining to witness the outburst of penitence and grief he imagined forthcoming. the object of his sympathy took down the hand, kissed it in a matter-of-fact way, arose, and said, carelessly: "this lamentation should cease. why can i not get you to understand, father, that there is a new byzantium? that even in the hippodrome nothing is as it used to be except the colors? how often have i explained to you the latest social discovery admitted now by everybody outside the religious orders, and by many within them--i mean the curative element in sin." "curative element in sin!" exclaimed the father. "ay--pleasure." "o god!" sighed the old man, turning his face hopelessly to the wall, "whither are we drifting?" he hardly heard the prodigal's farewell. "if you wish to speak with me, stay here until i return." this sergius said when the two passed out of the cell. going down the darkened passage, he glanced behind him, and saw the greek outside the door; and when he came back with the hegumen's breakfast, and reentered the apartment, he brushed by him still on the outside. at the cot, sergius offered the refreshment on his knees, and in that posture waited while his superior partook of it; for he discerned how the aged heart was doubly stricken--once for the church, deserted by so many of its children, and again for himself, forsaken by his own son. "what happiness to me, o sergius, wert thou of my flesh and blood!" the expression covered every feeling evoked by the situation. afterwhile another of the brotherhood appeared, permitting sergius to retire. "i am ready to hear you now," he said, to the greek at the door. "let us to your cell then." in the cell, sergius drew forth the one stool permitted him by the rules of the brotherhood. "be seated," he said. "no," the visitor returned, "i shall be brief. you do not know my father. the st. james' should relieve him of active duty. his years are sadly enfeebling him." "but that would be ungrateful in them." "heaven knows," the prodigal continued, complainingly, "how i have labored to bring him up abreast of the time; he lives entirely in the past. but pardon me; if i heard aright, my father called you sergius." "that is my monastic name." "you are not a greek?" "the great prince is my political sovereign." "well, i am demedes. my father christened me metrophanes, after the late patriarch; but it did not please me, and i have entitled myself. and now we know each other, let us be friends." sergius' veil had fallen over his face, and while replacing it under the hat, he replied, "i shall strive, demedes, to love you as i love myself." the greek, it should be remembered, was good featured, and of a pleasant manner; so much so, indeed, as to partially recompense him for his failure in stature; wherefore the overture was by no means repulsive. "you may wonder at my plucking you from my father's side; you may wonder still more at my presumption in seeking to attach myself to you; but i think my reasons good.... in the first place, it is my duty to acknowledge that but for your interference yesterday the gigantic energumen by whom i was unexpectedly beset would have slain me. in fact, i had given myself up for lost. the rocks at the foot of the wall seemed springing out of the water to catch me, and break every bone in my body. you will accept my thanks, will you not?" "the saving two fellow beings, one from murder, the other from being murdered, is not, in my opinion, an act for thanks; still, to ease you of a sense of obligation, i consent to the acknowledgment." "it does relieve me," demedes said, with a taking air; "and i am encouraged to go on." he paused, and surveyed sergius deliberately from head to foot, and the admiration he permitted to be seen, taken as a second to his continuing words, could not have been improved by a professed actor. "are not flesh and blood of the same significance in all of us? with youth and health superadded to a glorious physical structure, may we not always conclude a man rich in spirit and lusty impulses? is it possible a gown and priestly hat can entirely suppress his human nature? i have heard of anthony the anchorite." the idea excited his humor, and he laughed. "i mean no irreverence," he resumed; "but you know, dear sergius, it is with laughter as with tears, we cannot always control it.... anthony resolved to be a saint, but was troubled by visions of beautiful women. to escape them, he followed some children of islam into the desert. alas! the visions went with him. he burrowed then in a tomb--still the visions. he hid next in the cellar of an old castle--in vain--the visions found him out. he flagellated himself for eighty and nine years, every day and night of which was a battle with the visions. he left two sheepskins to as many bishops, and one haircloth shirt to two favorite disciples--they had been his armor against the visions. finally, lest the seductive goblins should assail him in death, he bade the disciples lose him by burial in an unknown place. sergius, my good friend"--here the greek drew nearer, and laid a hand lightly on the monk's flowing sleeve--"i heard some of your replies to my father, and respect your genius too much to do more than ask why you should waste your youth"-"forbear! go not further--no, not a word!" sergius exclaimed. "dost thou account the crown the saint at last won nothing?" demedes did not seem in the least put out by the demonstration; possibly he expected it, and was satisfied with the hearing continued him. "i yield to you," he said, with a smile, "and willingly since you convince me i was not mistaken in your perception.... my father is a good man. his goodness, however, but serves to make him more sensitive to opposition. the divisions of the church give him downright suffering. i have heard him go on about them hours at a time. probably his proneness to lamentation should be endured with respectful patience; but there is a peculiarity in it--he is blind to everything save the loss of power and influence the schisms are fated to entail upon the church. he fights valorously in season and out for the old orthodoxies, believing that with the lapse of religion as at present organized the respectability and dominion of the holy orders will also lapse. nay, sergius, to say it plainly, he and the brotherhood are fast keying themselves up to a point in fanaticism when dissent appears blackest heresy. to you, a straightforward seeker after information, it has never occurred, i suspect, to inquire how far--or rather how close--beyond that attainment lie punishments of summary infliction and most terrible in kind? torture--the stake--holocausts in the hippodrome--spectacles in the cynegion--what are they to the enthused churchmen but righteous judgments mercifully executed on wayward heretics? i tell you, monk--and as thou lovest her, heed me--i tell you the princess irene is in danger." this was unexpected, and forcibly put; and thinking of the princess, sergius lost the calmness he had up to this time successfully kept. "the princess--tortured--god forbid!" "recollect," the greek continued--"for you will reflect upon this--recollect i overheard the close of your interview with my father. to-morrow, or upon your return from therapia, be it when it may, he will interrogate you with respect to whatever she may confide to you in the least relative to the creed, which, as he states, she has prepared for herself. you stand warned. consider also that now i have in part acquitted myself of the obligation i am under to you for my life." the simple-mindedness of the monk, to whom the book of the world was just beginning to open, was an immense advantage to the greek. it should not be surprising, therefore, if the former relaxed his air, and leaned a little forward to hear what was further submitted to him. "have you breakfasted?" the prodigal asked, in his easy manner. "i have not." "ah! in concern for my father, you have neglected yourself. well, i must not be inconsiderate. a hungry man is seldom a patient listener. shall i break off now?" "you have interested me, and i may be gone several days." "very well. i will make haste. it is but justice to the belligerents in the spiritual war to admit the zeal they have shown; gregory the patriarch, and his latins, on the one side, and scholarius and his greeks on the other. they have occupied the pulpits alternately, each refusing presence to the other. they decline association in the sacramental rites. in sta. sophia, it is the papal mass to-day; to-morrow, it will be the greek mass. it requires a sharp sense to detect the opposition in smell between the incense with which the parties respectively fumigate the altars of the ancient house. i suppose there is a difference. yesterday the parabaloni came to blows over a body they were out burying, and in the struggle the bier was knocked down, and the dead spilled out. the greeks, being the most numerous, captured the labarum of the latins, and washed it in the mud; yet the monogram on it was identical with that on their own. still i suppose there was a difference." demedes laughed. "but seriously, sergius, there is much more of the world outside of the church--or churches, as you prefer--than on the inside. in the tearing each other to pieces, the militants have lost sight of the major part, and, as normally bound, it has engaged in thinking for itself. that is, the shepherd is asleep, the dogs are fighting, and the sheep, left to their individual conduct, are scattered in a hunt for fresher water and greener pasturage. have you heard of the academy of epicurus?" "no." "i will tell you about it. but do you take the seat there. it is not within my purpose to exhaust you in this first conference." "i am not tired." "well"--and the greek smiled pleasantly--"i was regardful of myself somewhat in the suggestion. my neck is the worse of having to look up so constantly.... the youth of byzantium, you must know, are not complaining of neglect; far from it--they esteem it a great privilege to be permitted to think in freedom. let me give you of their conclusions. there is no god, they say, since a self-respecting god would not tolerate the strife and babble carried on in his name to the discredit of his laws. religion, if not a deceit, is but the tinkling of brazen cymbals. a priest is a professor eking out an allowance of fine clothes and bread and wine; with respect to the multitude, he is a belled donkey leading a string of submissive camels. of what account are creeds except to set fools by the ears? which--not what--_which_ is the true christian faith? the patriarch tells us, 'verily it is this,' and scholarius replies, 'verily the patriarch is a liar and a traitor to god for his false teaching'--he then tells us it is that other thing just as unintelligible. left thus to ourselves--i acknowledge myself one of the wandering flock--flung on our own resources--we resorted to counselling each other, and agreed that a substitute for religion was a social necessity. our first thought was to revive paganism; worshipping many gods, we might peradventure stumble upon one really existent: whether good or bad ought not to trouble us, provided he took intelligent concern in the drift of things. to quarrel about his qualities would be a useless repetition of the folly of our elders--the folly of swimming awhile in a roaring swirl. some one suggested how much easier and more satisfactory it is to believe in one god than in many; besides which paganism is a fixed system intolerant of freedom. who, it was argued, would voluntarily forego making his own gods? the privilege was too delightful. then it was proposed that we resolve ourselves each into a god unto himself. the idea was plausible; it would at least put an end to wrangling, by giving us all an agreeable object to worship, while for mental demands and social purposes generally we could fall back on philosophy. had not our fathers tried philosophy? when had society a better well being than in the halcyon ages of plato and pythagoras? yet there was a term of indecision with us--or rather incubation. to what school should we attach ourselves? a copy of the enchiridion of epictetus fell into our hands, and after studying it faithfully, we rejected stoicism. the cynics were proposed; we rejected them--there was nothing admirable in diogenes as a patron. we next passed upon socratus. _sons of sophroniscus_ had a lofty sound; still his system of moral philosophy was not acceptable, and as he believed in a creative god, his doctrine was too like a religion. though the delphian oracle pronounced him the wisest of mankind, we concluded to look further, and in so doing, came to epicurus. there we stopped. his promulgations, we determined, had no application except to this life; and as they offered choice between the gratification of the senses and the practice of virtue, leaving us free to adopt either as a rule of conduct, we formally enrolled ourselves epicureans. then, for protection against the church, we organized. the departure might send us to the stake, or to tamerlane, king of the cynegion, or, infinitely worse, to the cloisters, if we were few; but what if we took in the youths of byzantium as an entirety? the policy was clear. we founded an academy--the academy of epicurus--and lodged it handsomely in a temple; and three times every week we have a session and lectures. our membership is already up in the thousands, selected from the best blood of the empire; for we do not confine our proselyting to the city." here sergius lifted his hand. he had heard the prodigal in silence, and it had been difficult the while to say which dominated his feeling--disgust, amazement, or pity. he was scarcely in condition to think; yet he comprehended the despairing cry of the hegumen, oh, my god! whither are we drifting? the possibilities of the scheme flew about him darkly, like birds in a ghastly twilight. he had studied the oppositions to religion enough to appreciate the attractive power there was for youth in the pursuit of pleasure. he knew also something of the race epicureanism had run in the old competitions of philosophy--that it had been embraced by more of the cultivated pagan world than the other contemporary systems together. it had been amongst the last, if not in fact the very last, of the conquests of christianity. but here it was again; nor that merely--here it was once more a subject of organized effort. who was responsible for the resurrection? the church? how wicked its divisions seemed to him! bishop fighting bishop--the clergy distracted--altars discredited--sacred ceremonies neglected--what did it all mean, if not an interregnum of the word? men cannot fight satan and each other at the same time. with such self-collection as he could command, he asked: "what have you in substitution of god and christ?" "a principle," was the reply. "what principle?" "pleasure, the purpose of this life, and its pursuit, an ennobled occupation." "pleasure to one is not pleasure to another--it is of kinds." "well said, o sergius! our kind is gratification of the senses. few of us think of the practice of virtue, which would be dreaming in the midst of action." "and you make the pursuit an occupation?" "in our regard the heroic qualities of human nature are patience, courage and judgment; hence our motto--patience, courage, judgment. the pursuit calls them all into exercise, ennobling the occupation." the greek was evidently serious. sergius ran him over from the pointed shoes to the red feather in the conical red hat, and said in accents of pity: "oh, alas! thou didst wrong in re-entitling thyself. depravity had been better than demedes." the greek lifted his brows, and shrugged his shoulders. "in the academy we are used to taking as well as giving," he said, wholly unembarrassed. "but, my dear sergius, it remains for me to discharge an agreeable commission. last night, in full session, i told of the affair on the wall. could you have heard my description of your intervention, and the eulogium with which i accompanied it, you would not have accused me of ingratitude. the brethren were carried away; there was a tempest of applause; they voted you a hero; and, without a dissent, they directed me to inform you that the doors of the academy were open"-"stop," said sergius, with both hands up as if to avert a blow. after looking at the commissioner a moment, his eyes fiercely bright, he walked the floor of the cell twice. "demedes," he said, halting in front of the greek, a reactionary pallor on his countenance, "the effort thou art making to get away from god proves how greatly he is a terror to thee. the academy is only a multitude thou hast called together to help hide thee from christ. thou art an organizer of sin--a disciple of satan"--he was speaking not loud or threateningly, but with a force before which the other shrank visibly--"i cannot say i thank thee for the invitation on thy tongue unfinished, but i am better of not hearing it. get thee behind me." he turned abruptly, and started for the door. the greek sprang after him, and took hold of his gown. "sergius, dear sergius," he said, "i did not intend to offend you. there is another thing i have to speak about. stay!" "is it something different?" sergius asked. "ay--as light and darkness are different." "be quick then." sergius was standing under the lintel of the door. demedes slipped past him, and on the outside stopped. "you are going to therapia?" he asked. "yes." "the princess of india will be there. she has already set out." "how knowest thou?" "she is always under my eyes." the mockery in the answer reminded sergius of the academy. the prodigal was designing to impress him with an illustration of the principle it had adopted in lieu of god. the motto, he was having it thus early understood, was not an empty formula, but an inspiring symbol, like the cross on the flag. this votary, the advertisement as much as said, was in pursuit of the little princess--he had chosen her for his next offering to the principle which, like another god, was insatiable of gifts, sacrifices, and honors. such the thoughts of the monk. "you know her?" demedes asked. "yes." "you believe her the daughter of the prince of india?" "yes." "then you do not know her." the greek laughed insolently. "the best of us, and the oldest can be at times as much obliged by information as by a present of bezants. the academy sends you its compliments. the girl is the daughter of a booth-keeper in the bazaar--a jew, who has no princely blood to spare a descendant--a dog of a jew, who makes profit by lending his child to an impostor." "whence hadst thou this--this--" the greek paid no attention to the interruption. "the princess irene gives a fete this afternoon. the fishermen of the bosphorus will be there in a body. i will be there. a pleasant time to you, and a quick awakening, o sergius!" demedes proceeded up the passage, but turned about, and said: "patience, courage, judgment. when thou art witness to all there is in the motto. o sergius, it may be thou wilt be more placable. i shall see to it that the doors of the academy are kept open for thee." the monk stood awhile under the lintel bewildered; for the introduction to wickedness is always stunning--a circumstance proving goodness to be the natural order. chapter ix a fisherman's fete the breakfast to which sergius addressed himself was in strict observance of the rules of the brotherhood; and being plain, it was quickly despatched. returning to his cell, he let his hair loose, and combed it with care; then rolling it into a glistening mass, he tucked it under his hat. selecting a fresher veil next, he arranged that to fall down his back and over the left shoulder. he also swept the dark gown free of dust, and cleansing the crucifix and large black horn beads of his rosary, lingered a moment while contemplating the five sublime mysteries allotted to the third chaplet, beginning with the resurrection of christ and ending with the coronation of the blessed virgin. in a calmness of spirit such as follows absolution, he finally sallied from the monastery, and ere long arrived at the landing outside the fish market gate on the golden horn. the detentions had been long; so for speed he selected a two-oared boat. "to therapia--by noon," he said to the rower, and, dropping into the passenger's box, surrendered himself to reflection. the waterway by which the monk proceeded is not unfamiliar to the reader, a general idea of it having been given in the chapter devoted to the adventures of the prince of india in his outing up the bosphorus to the sweet waters of asia. the impression there sought to be conveyed--how feebly is again regretfully admitted--was of a panorama remarkable as a composition of all the elements of scenic beauty blent together in incomparable perfection. now, however, it failed the tribute customary from such as had happily to traverse it. the restfulness of the swift going; the shrinking of the flood under the beating of the oars; the sky and the wooded heights, and the stretches of shore, town and palace lined; the tearing through the blue veil hanging over the retiring distances; the birds, the breezes, the ships hither coming and yonder going, and the sparkles shooting up in myriad recurrence on the breaking waves--all these pleasures of the most delicate of the receiving senses were tyrannically forbidden him. the box in which he sat half reclining was wide enough for another passenger side by side with him, and it seemed he imagined the vacant place occupied now by demedes, and now by lael, and that he was speaking to them; when to the former, it was with dislike, and a disposition to avoid the touch of his red cloak, though on the sleeve ever so lightly; when to the latter, his voice would lower, his eyes soften, and the angry spots on his brow and cheeks go out--not more completely could they have disappeared had she actually exorcised them with some of the sweet confessions lovers keep for emergencies, and a touch of finger besides. "so," he would say, demedes for the time on the seat, "thou deniest god, and hast a plot against christ. shameful in the son of a good father!... what is thy academy but defiance of the eternal majesty? as well curse the holy ghost at once, for why should he who of preference seeketh a bed with the damned he disappointed? or is thy audacity a blasphemous trial of the endurance of forgiveness?".... exit demedes, enter lael.... "the child--she is a child! by such proof as there is in innocence, and in the loveliness of blushing cheeks, and eyes which answer the heavenly light they let in by light as heavenly let out, she is a child! what does evil see in her to set it hungering after her? or is there in virtue a signal to its enemies--lo, here! a light to be blown out, lest it disperse our darkness!".... reenter demedes.... "abduct her!--how?--when? to that end is it thou keepest her always under eye? the princess irene gives a fisherman's fete--the child will be there--thou wilt be there. is this the day of the attempt? bravos as fishermen, to seize her--boats to carry her off--the bosphorus wide and deep, and the hills beyond a hiding-place, and in the sky over them the awful name turk. the crime and the opportunity hand in hand! let them prosper now, and i who have from the cradle's side despatched my soul faith in hand to lay it at heaven's gate may never again deny a merit in the invocation of sin virtuous as prayer".... to lael in the seat.... "but be not afraid. i will be there also. i"... a sudden fear fell upon him. if the abduction were indeed arranged for the afternoon, to what might he not be led by an open attempt to defeat it? bloodshed--violence! he whose every dream had been of a life in which his fellow-men might find encouragement to endure their burdens, and of walking before them an example of love and forbearance, submissive and meek that he might with the more unanswerable grace preach obedience and fraternity to them--merciful heaven! and he shuddered and drew the veil hastily over his face, as if, in a bloody tumult, the ideal life, so the ultimate happiness, were vanishing before his eyes. taking the confessions of such as have been greatly tried, few men, few even of those renowned for courage and fine achievement, ever pass their critical moments of decision unassailed by alternative suggestions due to fear. sergius heard them now. "return to thy cell, and to thy beads, and prayer," they seemed to say. "what canst thou, a stranger in a strange land, if once the academy of which thou wert this morning informed, becomes thy enemy? ay, return to thy cell! who is she for whom thou art putting thyself in the way of temptation? the daughter of a booth-keeper in the bazaar--a jew, who hath no princely blood to spare a descendant--a dog of a jew, who maketh profit by lending his child to an impostor." the suggestion was powerful. in the heat of the debate, however, an almost forgotten voice reached him, reciting one of the consolations of father hilarion: "temptations are for all of us; nor shall any man be free of them. the most we can hope is to be delivered from them. what vanity to think we can travel threescore and ten years from our cradles, if so long we live, without an overture of some kind from the common enemy! on the other side, what a triumph to put his blandishments by! the great exemplar did not fly from satan; he stayed, and overcame him." "be not afraid," sergius said, as if to lael, and firmly, like one resolved of fear and hesitation. "i will be there also." then looking about him, at his left hand he beheld the village of emirghian, bent round a mountain's base, in places actually invading the water. in face of such a view a susceptible nature must needs be very sick of soul to go blindly on. the brightly painted houses cast tremulous reflections to a vast depth in the limpid flood, and where they ceased, down immeasurably, the vivid green of the verdure on the mountain's breast suggested the beginning of the next of the seven mohammedan earths. above this borrowed glory he seemed afloat; and to help the impression, the sound of many voices singing joyously was borne to him. he waved his hand, and the rowers, resting from their labor, joined him in listening. the little gulf of stenia lies there landlocked, and out of it a boat appeared, skimming around the intervening promontory. in a mass of flowers, in a shade of garlands hanging from a low mast, its arms and shrouds wreathed with roses, the singers sat timing their song with their oars. the refrain was supported by zitheras, flutes and horns. the vessel turned northwardly when fairly out in the strait; and then another boat came round the point--and another--and another--and many others, all decorated, and filled with men, women and children making music. sergius' boatmen recognized the craft, deep in the water, black and long, and with graceful upturned ends. "fishermen!" they said. and he rejoined: "yes. the princess irene gives them a fete. make haste. i will go with them. fall in behind." "yes, yes--a good woman! of such are the saints!" they said, signing the cross on breast arid brow. the singing and the gala air of the party put sergius in his wonted spirits; and as here and there other boats fell into the line, similarly decorated, their occupants adding to the volume of the singing, by the time therapia was sighted the good-natured, happy fishermen had given him of their floral abundance, and adopted him. what a scene the therapian bay presented! boats, boats, boats--hundreds of them in motion, hundreds lining the shore, the water faithfully repeating every detail of ornature, and apparently a-quiver with pleasure. the town was gay with colors; while on the summit and sides of the opposite promontory every available point answered flaunt with flaunt. and there were song and shouting, gladsome cries of children, responses of mothers, and merriment of youth and maiden. byzantium might be in decadence, her provinces falling away, her glory wasting; the follies of the court and emperors, the best manhood of the empire lost in cloisters and hermitages, the preference of the nobility for intrigue and diplomacy might be all working their deplorable results--nay, the results might be at hand! still the passion of the people for fetes and holidays remained. tastes are things of heredity. in nothing is a byzantine of this day so nearly a classic greek as in his delicacy and appreciation where permitted to indulge in the beautiful. the boatmen passed through the gay entanglement of the bay slowly and skilfully, and finally discharged their passengers on the marble quay a little below the regular landing in front of the red pavilion over the entrance to the princess' grounds. the people went in and out of the gate without hindrance; nor was there guard or policeman visible. their amiability attested their happiness. the men were mostly black-bearded, sunburned, large-handed, brawny fellows in breeches black and amply bagged, with red sashes and light blue jackets heavily embroidered. the legs below the knees were exposed, and the feet in sandals. white cloths covered their heads. their eyes were bright, their movements agile, their air animated. many of them sported amulets of shell or silver suspended by ribbons or silken cords around their bare necks. the women wore little veils secured by combs, but rather as a headdress, and for appearances. they also affected the sleeveless short jacket over a snowy chemise; and what with bright skirts bordered with worsted chenille, and sandal straps carried artfully above the ankles, they were not wanting in picturesqueness. some of the very young amongst them justified the loveliness traditionally ascribed to the nymphs of hellas and the fair cycladean isles. much the greater number, however, were in outward seeming prematurely old, and by their looks, their voices ungovernably shrill, and the haste and energy with which they flung themselves into the amusement of the hour unconsciously affirmed that fishermen's wives are the same everywhere. one need not go far to find the frontiers of society--too frequently they are close under the favorite balcony of the king. something on the right cheek of the gate under the pavilion furnished an attraction to the visitors. when sergius came up, he was detained by a press of men and women in eager discussion; and following their eyes and the pointing of their fingers, he observed a brazen plate overhead curiously inscribed. the writing was unintelligible to him as to his neighbors. it looked turkish--or it might have been arabic--or it might not have been writing at all. he stayed awhile listening to the conjectures advanced. presently a gypsy approached leading a bear, which, in its turn, was drawing a lot of noisy boys. he stopped, careless of the unfriendly glances with which he was received, and at sight of the plate saluted it with a low salaam several times unctuously repeated. "look at the hamari there. he can tell what the thing means." "then ask him." "i will. see here, thou without a religion, consort of brutes! canst thou tell what this"--pointing to the plate--"is for? come and look at it!" "it is not needful for me to go nearer. i see it well enough. neither am i without a religion. i do not merely profess belief in god--i believe in him," the bear-keeper replied. the fisherman took the retort and the laugh it occasioned good-humoredly, and answered: "very well, we are even; and now perhaps thou canst tell me what i asked." "willingly, since thou canst be decent to a stranger.... the young mahommed, son of amurath, sultan of sultans"--the gypsy paused to salute the title--"the young mahommed, i say, is my friend." the bystanders laughed derisively, but the man proceeded. "he has resided this long time at magnesia, the capital of a prosperous province assigned to his governorship. there never was one of such station so civil to his people, and much learning has had a good effect upon his judgment; it has taught him that the real virtue of amusement lies in its variety. did he listen exclusively to his doctors discoursing of philosophy, or to his professor of mathematics, or to his poets and historians, he would go mad even as they are mad; wherefore, along with his studies, he hunts with hawk and hound; he tilts and tourneys; he plays the wandering minstrel; and not seldom joqard and i--hey, fellow, is it not so?" he gave the bear a tremendous jerk--"joqard and i have been to audience with him in his palace." "a wonderful prince no doubt; but i asked not of him. the plate, man--what of this plate? if nothing, then give way to joqard." "there are fools and fools--that is, there are plain fools and wise fools. the wise fool answering the plain fool, is always more particular with his premises than his argument." the laugh was with the hamari again; after which he continued: "so, having done with explanation, now to satisfy you." from the breast of his gown, he brought forth a piece of bronze considerably less than the plate on the gate, but in every other respect its counterpart. "see you this?" he said, holding the bronze up to view. there was quick turning from plate to plate, and the conclusion was as quick. "they are the same, but what of it?" "this--joqard and i went up one day and danced for the prince, and at the end he dismissed us, giving me a red silk purse fat with gold pieces, and to joqard this passport. mark you now. the evil minded used to beat us with cudgels and stones--i mean among the turk--but coming to a town now, i tie this to joqard's collar, and we have welcome. we eat and drink, and are given good quarters, and sped from morning to morning without charge." "there is some magic in the plate, then?" "no," said the hamari, "unless there is magic in the love of a people for the prince to be their ruler. it certifies joqard and i are of prince mahommed's friends, and that is enough for turks; and the same yonder. by the sign, i know this gate, these grounds, and the owner of them are in his protection. but," said the bear-keeper, changing his tone, "seeing one civil answer deserves another, when was prince mahommed here?" "in person? never." "oh, he must have been." "why do you say so?" "because of the brass plate yonder." "what does it prove?" "ah, yes!" the man answered laughingly. "joqard and i pick up many odd things, and meet a world of people--don't we, fellow?" another furious jerk of the leading strap brought a whine from the bear, "but it is good for us. we teach school as we go; and you know, my friend, for every _solidus_ its equivalent in _noumia_ is somewhere." "i will give you a _noumia_, if you will give me an answer." "a bargain--a bargain, with witnesses!" then after a glance into the faces around, as if summoning attention to the offer, the hamari proceeded. "listen. i say the brass up there proves prince mahommed was here in person. wishing to notify his people that he had taken in his care everything belonging to this property, the owner included, the prince put his signature to the proclamation." "proclamation?" "yes--you may call it plain brass, if you prefer; none the less the writing on it is _mahommed:_ and because such favors must bear his name on them, they are reserved for his giving. no other man, except the great sultan, his father, would bestow one of them. joqard had his from the prince's hand directly; wherefore--i hope, friend, you have the _noumia_ ready--the brass on this post must have been fixed there by the prince with his own hand." the fishermen were satisfied; and it was wonderful how interesting the safeguard then became to them. by report they knew mahommed the prospective successor of the terrible amurath; they knew him a soldier conspicuous in many battles; and from the familiar principle by which we admire or dread those possessed of qualities unlike and superior to our own, their ideas and speculations concerning him were wild and generally harsh. making no doubt now that he had really been to the gate, they asked themselves, what could have been his object? to look at the plate was next thing to looking at the man. even sergius partook of the feeling. to get a better view, he shifted his position, and was beset by inquietudes not in the understanding of the fishermen. the princess irene, her property and dependents, were subjects of protection by the moslem; that much was clear; but did she know the fact? had she seen the prince? then the hegumen's criticism upon the persistence with which she kept her residence here, a temptation to the brutalized unbeliever on the other shore, derived a point altogether new. sergius turned away, and passed into the well-tended grounds. while too loyal to the little mother, as he tenderly called the princess, to admit a suspicion against her, with painful clearness, he perceived the opportunity the affair offered her enemies for the most extreme accusations; and he resolved to speak to her, and, if necessary, to remonstrate. traversing the shelled roadway up to the portico of the palace, he looked back through the red pavilion, and caught a glimpse of joqard performing before a merry group of boys and elders male and female. chapter x the hamari the love of all things living which was so positively a trait of character with the princess irene was never stinted in her dealings with her own country folk. on this occasion her whole establishment at therapia was accorded her guests; yet, while they wandered at will merry-making through the gardens, and flashed their gay colors along the side and from the summit of the promontory, they seemed to have united in holding the palace in respectful reserve. none of them, without a special request, presumed to pass the first of the steps leading up into the building. when sergius, approaching from the outer gate, drew nigh the front of the palace, he was brought to a stop by a throng of men and women packed around a platform the purpose of which was declared by its use. it was low, but of generous length and breadth, and covered with fresh sail-cloth; at each corner a mast had been raised, with yard-arms well squared, and dressed profusely in roses, ferns, and acacia fronds. on a gallery swung to the base of the over-pending portico, a troupe of musicians were making the most of flute, cithara, horn, and kettle-drum, and not vainly, to judge from the flying feet of the dancers in possession of the boards. lifting his eyes above the joyous exhibition, he beheld the carven capitals of the columns, tied together with festoonery of evergreens, and relieved by garlands of shining flowers, and above the musicians, under a canopy shading her from the meridian sun, the princess irene herself. a bright carpet hanging down the wall enriched the position chosen by her, and in the pleasant shade, surrounded by young women, she sat with uncovered head and face, delighted with the music and the dancing--delighted that it was in her power to bring together so many souls to forget, though so briefly, the fretting of hard conditions daily harder growing. none knew better than she the rapidity of the national decadence. it was not long until the young hostess noticed sergius, taller of his high hat and long black gown; and careless as usual of the conventionalities, she arose, and beckoned to him with her fan; and the people, seeing whom she thus honored, opened right and left, and with good-will made way for him. upon his coming her attendants drew aside--all but one, to whom for the moment he gave but a passing look. the princess received him seated. the youthful loveliness of her countenance seemed refined by the happiness she was deriving from the spectacle before her. he took the hand she extended him, kissed it respectfully, with only a glance at the simple but perfected greek of her costume, and immediately the doubts, and fears, and questions, and lectures in outline he had brought with him from the city dropped out of mind. suspicion could not look at her and live. "welcome, sergius," she said, with dignity. "i was afraid you would not come to-day." "why not? if my little mother's lightest suggestions are laws with me, what are her invitations?" for the first time he had addressed her by the affectionate term, and the sound was startling. the faintest flush spread over her cheek, admonishing him that the familiarity had not escaped attention. greatly to his relief, she quietly passed the matter. "you were at the _pannychides?_" she asked. "yes, till daybreak." "i thought so, and concluded you would be too weary to see us to-day. the mystery is tedious." "it might become so if too frequently celebrated. as it was, i shall not forget the hillside, and the multitude of frocked and cowled figures kneeling in the dim red light of the torches. the scene was awful." "did you see the emperor?" she put the question in a low tone. "no," he returned. "his majesty sent for our hegumen to come to the chapel. the good man took me with him, his book and torch bearer; but when we arrived, the emperor had passed in and closed the door, and i could only imagine him on his knees alone in the room, except as the relics about him were company." "how unspeakably dismal!" she said with a shudder, adding in sorrowful reflection, "i wish i could help him, for he is a prince with a tender conscience; but there is no way--at least heaven does not permit me to see anything for him in my gift but prayer." sergius followed her sympathetically, and was surprised when she continued, the violet gray of her eyes changing into subtle fire. "a sky all cloud; the air void of hope; enemies mustering everywhere on land; the city, the court, the church rent by contending factions--behold how a christian king, the first one in generations, is plagued! ah, who can interpret for providence? and what a miracle is prophecy!" thereupon the princess bethought herself, and cast a hurried glance out over the garden. "no, no! if these poor souls can forget their condition and be happy, why not we? tell me good news, sergius, if you have any--only the good. but see! who is he making way through the throng yonder? and what is it he is leading?" the transition of feeling, though sudden and somewhat forced, was successful; the princess' countenance again brightened; and turning to follow her direction, sergius observed lael, who had not fallen back with the other attendants. the girl had been a modest listener; now there was a timid half smile on her face, and a glistening welcome in her eyes. his gaze stopped short of the object which had inspired his hostess with such interest, and dropped to the figured carpet at the guest's feet; for the feeling the recognition awakened was clouded with the taunt demedes had flung at him in the hall of the monastery, and he questioned the rightfulness of this appearance. if she were not the daughter of the prince of india, she was an--impostor was the word in his mind. "i was expecting you," she said to him, artlessly. sergius raised his face, and was about to speak, when the princess started from her seat, and moved to the low balustrade of the portico. "come," she called, "come, and tell me what this is." sergius left a friendly glance with lael. where the roadway from the gate led up to the platform an opening had been made in the close wall of spectators attracted by the music and dancing. in the opening, the hamari was slowly coming forward, his turban awry, his brown face overrun and shining with perspiration, his sharp gypsy eyes full of merriment. with the leading strap over a shoulder, he tugged at joqard. sergius laughed to see the surprise of the men and women, and at the peculiar yells and screams with which they struggled to escape. but everybody appearing in good nature, he said to the princess: "do not be concerned. a turk or persian with a trained bear. i passed him at the gate." he saw the opportunity of speaking about the brass plate on the post, and while debating whether to avail himself of it, the hamari caught sight of the party at the edge of the portico, stopped, surveyed them, then prostrated himself in the abjectest eastern manner. the homage was of course to the princess--so at least the assemblage concluded; and jumping to the idea that the bear-keeper had been employed by her for their divertisement, each man in the company resolved himself into an ally and proceeded to assist him. the musicians were induced to suspend their performance, and the dancers to vacate the platform; then, any number of hands helping them up, joqard and his master were promoted to the boards, sole claimants of attention and favor. the fellow was not in the least embarrassed. he took position on the platform in front of the princess, and again saluted her orientally, and with the greatest deliberation, omitting no point of the prostration. bringing the bear to a sitting posture with folded paws, he bowed right and left to the spectators, and made a speech in laudation of joqard. his grimaces and gesticulation kept the crowd in a roar; when addressing the princess, his manner was respectful, even courtierly. joqard and he had travelled the world over; they had been through the far east, and through the lands of the frank and gaul; they had crossed europe from paris to the black sea, and up to the crimea; they had appeared before the great everywhere--indian rajahs, tartar khans, persian shahs, turkish sultans; there was no language they did not understand. the bear, he insisted, was the wisest of animals, the most susceptible of education, the most capable and willing in service. this the ancients understood better than the moderns, for in recognition of his superiority they had twice exalted him to the heavens, and in both instances near the star that knew no deviation. the hamari was a master of amplification, and his anecdotes never failed their purpose. "now," he said, "i do not care what the subject of discourse may be; one thing is true--my audience is always composed of believers and unbelievers; and as between them"--here he addressed himself to the princess--"as between them, o most illustrious of women, my difficulty has been to determine which class is most to be feared. every philosopher must admit there is quite as much danger in the man who withholds his faith when it ought to be given, as in his opposite who hurries to yield it without reason. my rule as an auditor is to wait for demonstration. so"--turning to the assemblage--"if here any man or woman doubts that the bear is the wisest of animals, and joqard the most learned and accomplished of bears, i will prove it." then joqard was called on. "for attend, o illustrious princess!--and look ye, o men and women, pliers of net and boat!--look ye all! now shall joqard himself speak for joqard." the hamari began talking to the bear in a jargon utterly unintelligible to his hearers, though they fell to listening with might and main, and were silent that they might hear. nothing could have been more earnest than his communications, whatever they were; at times he put an arm about the brute's neck; at times he whispered in its ear; and in return it bowed and grunted assent, or growled and shook its head in refusal, always in the most knowing manner. in this style, to appearance, he was telling what he wanted done. then retaining the leading strap, the master stepped aside, and joqard, left to himself, proceeded to prove his intelligence and training by facing the palace, bringing his arms overhead, and falling forward. everybody understood the honor intended for the princess; the bystanders shouted; the attendants on the portico clapped their hands, for indeed never in their remembrance had the prostration been more profoundly executed. arising nimbly the performer wheeled about, reared on his hind feet, clasped his paws on his head, and acknowledged the favor of the commonalty by resolving himself into a great fur ball, and rolling a somersault. the acclamation became tumultuous. one admirer ran off and returned with an armful of wreaths and garlands, and presently joqard was wearing them royally. with excellent judgment the hamari proceeded next to hurry the exhibition, passing from one trick to another almost without pause until the wrestling match was reached. this has been immemorially the reliable point in performances of the kind he was giving, but he introduced it in a manner of his own. standing by the edge of the platform, as the friend and herald of joqard, he first loudly challenged the men before him, every one ambitious of honor and renown, to come up and try a fall; and upon their hanging back, he berated them. wherever a tall man stood observable above the level of heads, he singled him out. failing to secure a champion, he finally undertook the contest himself. "ho, joqard," he cried, while tying the leading strap around the brute's neck, "thou fearest nothing. thy dam up in the old caucasian cave was great of heart, and, like her, thou wouldst not quail before hercules, were he living. but thou shalt not lick thy paws and laugh, thinking hercules hath no descendant." retiring a few steps he tightened the belt about his waist, and drew his leathern jacket closer. "get ready!" he cried. joqard answered promptly and intelligently by standing up and facing him, and in sign of satisfaction with the prospect of an encounter so to his taste, he lolled the long red tongue out of his jaws. was he licking his chops in anticipation of a feast or merely laughing? the beholders became quiet; and sergius for the first time observed how very low in stature the hamari seemed. "look out, look out! o thou with the north star in the tip of thy tail! i am coming--for the honor of mankind, i am coming." they danced around each other watching for an opening. "aha! now thou thinkest to get the advantage. thou art proud of thy fame, and cunning, but i am a man. i have been in many schools. look out!" the hamari leaped in and with both hands caught the strap looped around joqard's neck; at the same time he was himself caught in joqard's ready arms. the growl with which the latter received the attack was angry, and lent the struggle much more than a mere semblance of danger. round and about they were borne; now forward, then back; sometimes they were likely to tumble from the boards. the hamari's effort was to choke joqard into submission; joqard's was to squeeze the breath out of the hamari's body; and they both did their parts well. after some minutes the man's exertions became intermittent. a little further on the certainty of triumph inspired joqard to fierce utterances; his growls were really terrible, and he hugged so mercilessly his opponent grew livid in the face. the women and children began to cry and scream, and many of the men shouted in genuine alarm: "see, see! the poor fellow is choking to death!" the excitement and fear extended to the portico; some of the attendants there, unable to endure the sight, fled from it. lael implored sergius to save the hamari. even the princess was undecided whether the acting was real or affected. finally the crisis came. the man could hold out no longer; he let go his grip on the strap, and, struggling feebly to loose his body from the great black arms, shouted hoarsely: "help, help!" as if he had not strength to continue the cry, he threw his hands up, and his head back gasping. the princess irene covered her eyes. sergius stepped over the balustrade; but before he could get further, a number of men were on the stage making to the rescue. and seeing them come, the hamari laid one hand on the strap, and with the other caught the tongue protruding from joqard's open jaws; as a further point in the offensive so suddenly resumed, he planted a foot heavily on one of his antagonist's. immediately the son of the proud caucasian dam was flat on the boards simulating death. then everybody understood the play, and the merriment was heightened by the speech the hamari found opportunity to make his rescuers before they could recover from their astonishment and break up the tableau they formed. the princess, laughing through her tears, flung the victor some gold pieces, and lael tossed her fan to him. the prostrations with which he acknowledged the favors were marvels to behold. by and by, quiet being restored, joqard was roused from his trance, and the hamari, calling the musicians to strike up, concluded the performance with a dance. by al haines. the prince of india or why constantinople fell by lew. wallace vol. ii. _rise, too, ye shapes and shadows of the past rise from your long forgotten grazes at last let us behold your faces, let us hear the words you uttered in those days of fear revisit your familiar haunts again the scenes of triumph and the scenes of pain and leave the footprints of your bleeding feet once more upon the pavement of the street_ longfellow contents book iv the palace of blacherne (_continued_) chapter xi. the princess hears from the world xii. lael tells of her two fathers xiii. the hamari turns boatman xiv. the princess has a creed xv. the prince of india preaches god to the greeks xvi. how the new faith was received xvii. lael and the sword of solomon xviii. the festival of flowers xix. the prince builds castles for his gul bahar xx. the silhouette of a crime xxi. sergius learns a new lesson xxii. the prince of india seeks mahommed xxiii. sergius and nilo take up the hunt xxiv. the imperial cistern gives up its secret book v mirza i. a cold wind from adrianople ii. a fire from the hegumen's tomb iii. mirza does an errand for mahommed iv. the emir in italy v. the princess irene in town vi. count corti in sancta sophia vii. count corti to mahommed viii. our lord's creed ix. count corti to mahommed x. sergius to the lion book vi constantine i. the sword of solomon ii. mahommed and count corti make a wager iii. the bloody harvest iv. europe answers the cry for help v. count corti receives a favor vi. mahommed at the gate st. romain vii. the great gun speaks viii. mahommed tries his guns again ix. the madonna to the rescue x. the night before the assault xi. count corti in dilemma xii. the assault xiii. mahommed in sancta sophia book iv the palace of blacherne (_continued_) chapter xi the princess hears from the world the sun shone clear and hot, and the guests in the garden were glad to rest in the shaded places of promenade along the brooksides and under the beeches and soaring pines of the avenues. far up the extended hollow there was a basin first to receive the water from the conduit supposed to tap the aqueduct leading down from the forest of belgrade. the noise of the little cataract there was strong enough to draw a quota of visitors. from the front gate to the basin, from the basin to the summit of the promontory, the company in lingering groups amused each other detailing what of fortune good and bad the year had brought them. the main features of such meetings are always alike. there were games by the children, lovers in retired places, and old people plying each other with reminiscences. the faculty of enjoyment changes but never expires. an array of men chosen for the purpose sallied from the basement of the palace carrying baskets of bread, fruits in season, and wine of the country in water-skins. dispersing themselves through the garden, they waited on the guests, and made distribution without stint or discrimination. the heartiness of their welcome may be imagined; while the thoughtful reader will see in the liberality thus characterizing her hospitality one of the secrets of the princess's popularity with the poor along the bosphorus. nor that merely. a little reflection will lead up to an explanation of her preference for the homeric residence by therapia. the commonalty, especially the unfortunate amongst them, were a kind of constituency of hers, and she loved living where she could most readily communicate with them. this was the hour she chose to go out and personally visit her guests. descending from the portico, she led her household attendants into the garden. she alone appeared unveiled. the happiness of the many amongst whom she immediately stepped touched every spring of enjoyment in her being; her eyes were bright, her cheeks rosy, her spirit high; in a word, the beauty so peculiarly hers, and which no one could look on without consciousness of its influence, shone with singular enhancement. news that she was in the garden spread rapidly, and where she went everyone arose and remained standing. now and then, while making acknowledgments to groups along the way, she recognized acquaintances, and for such, whether men or women, she had a smile, sometimes a word. upon her passing, they pursued with benisons, "god bless you!" "may the holy mother keep her!" not unfrequently children ran flinging flowers at her feet, and mothers knelt and begged her blessing. they had lively recollection of a sickness or other overtaking by sorrow, and of her boat drawing to the landing laden with delicacies, and bringing what was quite as welcome, the charm of her presence, with words inspiring hope and trust. the vast, vociferous, premeditated roman ovation, sonorously the triumph, never brought a consular hero the satisfaction this christian woman now derived. she was aware of the admiration which went with her, and the sensation was of walking through a purer and brighter sunshine. nor did she affect to put aside the triumph there certainly was in the demonstration; but she accounted it the due of charity--a triumph of good work done for the pleasure there was in the doing. at the basin mentioned as the landward terminus of the garden the progress in that direction stopped. thence, after gracious attentions to the women and children there, the princess set out for the summit of the promontory. the road taken was broad and smooth, and on the left hand lined from bottom to top with pine trees, some of which are yet standing. the summit had been a place of interest time out of mind. from its woody cover, the first inhabitants beheld the argonauts anchor off the town of amycus, king of the bebryces; there the vengeful medea practised her incantations; and descending to acknowledged history, it were long telling the notable events of the ages landmarked by the hoary height. when the builder of the palace below threw his scheme of improvement over the brow of the hill, he constructed water basins on different levels, surrounding them with raised walls artistically sculptured; between the basins he pitched marble pavilions, looking in the distance like airy domes on a cyclopean temple; then he drew the work together by a tesselated pavement identical with the floor of the house of caesar hard by the forum in rome. giving little heed to the other guests in occupancy of the summit, the attendants of the princess broke into parties sight seeing; while she called sergius to her, and conducted him to a point commanding the bosphorus for leagues. a favorite lookout, in fact, the spot had been provided with a pavement and a capacious chair cut from a block of the coarse brown limestone native to the locality. there she took seat, and the ascent, though all in shade, having been wearisome, she was glad of the blowing of the fresh upper air. from a place in the rear sergius had witnessed the progress to the present halt. every incident and demonstration had been in his view and hearing. the expressions of affection showered upon the princess were delightful to him; they seemed so spontaneous and genuine. as testimony to her character in the popular estimate at least, they left nothing doubtful. his first impression of her was confirmed. she was a woman to whom heaven had confided every grace and virtue. such marvels had been before. he had heard of them in tradition, and always in a strain to lift those thus favored above the hardened commonplace of human life, creatures not exactly angels, yet moving in the same atmosphere with angels. the monasteries, even those into whose gates women are forbidden to look, all have stories of womanly excellence which the monks tell each other in pauses from labor in the lentil patch, and in their cells after vesper prayers. in brief, so did sergius' estimate of the princess increase that he was unaware of impropriety when, trudging slowly after the train of attendants, he associated her with heroines most odorous in church and scriptural memories; with mothers superior famous for sanctity; with saints, like theckla and cecilia; with the prophetess who was left by the wayside in the desert of zin, and the later seer and singer, she who had her judgment-seat under the palm tree of deborah. withal, however, the monk was uncomfortable. the words of his hegumen pursued him. should he tell the princess? assailed by doubts, he followed her to the lookout on the edge of the promontory. seating herself, she glanced over the wide field of water below; from the vessels there, she gazed across to asia; then up at the sky, full to its bluest depth with the glory of day. at length she asked: "have you heard from father hilarion?" "not yet," sergius replied. "i was thinking of him," she continued. "he used to tell me of the primitive church--the church of the disciples. one of his lessons returns to me. he seems to be standing where you are. i hear his voice. i see his countenance. i remember his words: 'the brethren while of one faith, because the creed was too simple for division, were of two classes, as they now are and will always be'--ay, sergius, as they will always be!--'but,' he said, 'it is worthy remembrance, my dear child, unlike the present habit, the rich held their riches with the understanding that the brethren all had shares in them. the owner was more than owner; he was a trustee charged with the safe-keeping of his property, and with farming it to the best advantage, that he might be in condition to help the greatest number of the christian brotherhood according to their necessities.' i wondered greatly at the time, but not now. the delight i have today confirms the father; for it is not in my palace and garden, nor in my gold, but in the power i derive from them to give respite from the grind of poverty to so many less fortunate than myself. 'the divine order was not to desist from getting wealth'--thus the father continued--'for christ knew there were who, labor as they might, could not accumulate or retain; circumstances would be against them, or the genius might be wanting. poor without fault, were they to suffer, and curse god with the curse of the sick, the cold, the naked, the hungry? oh, no! christ was the representative of the infinitely merciful. under his dispensation they were to be partners of the more favored.' who can tell, who can begin to measure the reward there is to me in the laughter of children at play under the trees by the brooks, and in the cheer and smiles of women whom i have been able to draw from the unvarying routine of toil like theirs?" there was a ship with full spread sail speeding along so close in shore sergius could have thrown a stone on its deck. he affected to be deeply interested in it. the ruse did not avail him. "what is the matter?" receiving no reply, she repeated the question. "my dear friend, you are not old enough in concealment to deceive me. you are in trouble. come sit here.... true, i am not an authorized confessor; yet i know the principle on which the church defends the confessional. let me share your burden. insomuch as you give me, you shall be relieved." it came to him then that he must speak. "princess," he began, striving to keep his voice firm, "you know not what you ask." "is it what a woman may hear?" a step nearer brought him on the tesselated square. "i hesitate, princess, because a judgment is required of me. hear, and help me first." then he proceeded rapidly: "there is one just entered holy service. he is a member of an ancient and honorable brotherhood, and by reason of his inexperience, doubtless, its obligations rest the heavier on his conscience. his superior has declared to him how glad he would be had he a son like him, and confiding in his loyalty, he intrusted him with gravest secrets; amongst others, that a person well known and greatly beloved is under watch for the highest of religious crimes. pause now, o princess, and consider the obligations inseparable from the relation and trust here disclosed.... look then to this other circumstance. the person accused condescended to be the friend and patron of the same neophyte, and by vouching for him to the head of the church, put him on the road to favor and quick promotion. briefly, o princess, to which is obligation first owing? the father superior or the patron in danger?" the princess replied calmly, but with feeling: "it is not a supposition, sergius." though surprised, he returned: "without it i could not have your decision first." "thou, sergius, art the distressed neophyte." he held his hands out to her: "give me thy judgment." "the hegumen of the st. james' is the accuser." "be just, o princess! to which is the obligation first owing?" "i am the accused," she continued, in the same tone. he would have fallen on his knees. "no, keep thy feet. a watchman may be behind me now." he had scarcely resumed his position before she asked, still in the quiet searching manner: "what is the highest religious crime? or rather, to men in authority, like the hegumen of your brotherhood, what is the highest of all crimes?" he looked at her in mute supplication. "i will tell you--heresy." then, compassionating his suffering, she added: "my poor sergius! i am not upbraiding you. you are showing me your soul. i see it in its first serious trial.... i will forget that i am the denounced, and try to help you. is there no principle to which we can refer the matter--no christian principle? the hegumen claims silence from you; on the other side, your conscience--i would like to say preference--impels you to speak a word of warning for the benefit of your patroness. there, now, we have both the dispute and the disputants. is it not so?" sergius bowed his head. "father hilarion once said to me: 'daughter, i give you the ultimate criterion of the divineness of our religion--there cannot be an instance of human trial for which it does not furnish a rule of conduct and consolation.' a profound saying truly! now is it possible we have here at last an exception? i do not seek to know on which side the honors lie. where are the humanities? ideas of honor are of men conventional. on the other hand, the humanities stand for charity. if thou wert the denounced, o sergius, how wouldst thou wish to be done by?" sergius' face brightened. "we are not seeking to save a heretic--we are in search of quiet for our consciences. so why not ask and answer further: what would befall the hegumen, did you tell the accused all you had from him? would he suffer? is there a tribunal to sentence him? or a prison agape for him? or torture in readiness? or a king of lions? in these respects how is it with the friend who vouched for you to the head of the church? alas!" "enough--say no more!" sergius cried impulsively. "say no more. o princess, i will tell everything--i will save you, if i can--if not, and the worst come, i will die with you." womanlike the princess signalized her triumph with tears. at length she asked: "wouldst thou like to know if i am indeed a heretic?" "yes, for what thou art, that am i; and then"-"the same fire in the hippodrome may light us both out of the world." there was a ring of prophecy in the words. "god forbid!" he ejaculated, with a shiver. "god's will be done, were better! ... so, if it please you," she went on, "tell me all the hegumen told you about me." "everything?" he asked doubtfully. "why not?" "part of it is too wicked for repetition." "yet it was an accusation." "yes." "sergius, you are no match in cunning for my enemies. they are greeks trained to diplomacy; you are"--she paused and half smiled--"only a pupil of hilarion's. see now--if they mean to kill me, how important to invent a tale which shall rob me of sympathy, and reconcile the public to my sacrifice. they who do much good, and no harm"--she cast a glance at the people swarming around the pavilions--"always have friends. such is the law of kindness, and it never failed but once; but today a splinter of the cross is worth a kingdom." "princess, i will hold nothing back." "and i, sergius--god witnessing for me--will speak to each denunciation thou givest me." "there were two matters in the hegumen's mind," sergius began, but struck with the abruptness, he added apologetically: "i pray you, princess, remember i speak at your insistence, and that i am not in any sense an accuser. it may be well to say also the hegumen returned from last night's mystery low in spirits, and much spent bodily, and before speaking of you, declared he had been an active partisan of your father's. i do not think him your personal enemy." a mist of tears dimmed her eyes while the princess replied: "he was my father's friend, and i am grateful to him; but alas! that he is naturally kind and just is now of small consequence." "it grieves me"-"do not stop," she said, interrupting him. "at the father's bedside i received his blessing; and asked leave to be absent a few days. 'where?' he inquired, and i answered: 'thou knowest i regard the princess irene as my little mother. i should like to go see her.'" sergius sought his auditor's face at this, and observing no sign of objection to the familiarity, was greatly strengthened. "the father endeavored to persuade me not to come, and it was with that purpose he entered upon the disclosures you ask.... 'the life the princess leads'--thus he commenced--'and her manners, are outside the sanctions of society.'" here, from resting on her elbow, the listener sat upright, grasping the massive arm of the chair. "shall i proceed, o princess?" "yes." "this place is very public"--he glanced at the people above them. "i will hear you here." "at your pleasure.... the hegumen referred next to your going about publicly unveiled. while not positively wrong, he condemned the practice as a pernicious example; besides which there was a defiant boldness in it, he said, tending to make you a subject of discussion and indelicate remark." the hand on the stony arm trembled. "i fear, o princess," sergius continued, with downcast look, "that my words are giving you pain." "but they are not yours. go on." "then the father came to what was much more serious." sergius again hesitated. "i am listening," she said. "he termed it your persistence in keeping up the establishment here at therapia." the princess grew red and white by turns. "he said the turk was too near you; that unmarried and unprotected your proper place was in some house of god on the islands, or in the city, where you could have the benefit of holy offices. as it was, rumor was free to accuse you of preferring guilty freedom to marriage." the breeze fell off that moment, leaving the princess in the centre of a profound hush; except for the unwonted labor of her heart, the leaves overhead were not more still. the sight of her was too oppressive--sergius turned away. presently he heard her say, as if to herself: "i am indeed in danger. if my death were not in meditation, the boldest of them would not dare think so foul a falsehood.... sergius," she said. he turned to her, but she broke off diverted by another idea. had this last accusation reference to the emperor's dream of making her his wife? could the emperor have published what took place between them? impossible! "sergius, did the hegumen tell you whence this calumny had origin?" "he laid it to rumor merely." "surely he disclosed some ground for it. a dignitary of his rank and profession cannot lend himself to shaming a helpless woman without reason or excuse." "except your residence at therapia, he gave no reason." here she looked at sergius, and the pain in the glance was pitiful. "my friend, is there anything in your knowledge which might serve such a rumor?" "yes," he replied, letting his eyes fall. "what!" and she lifted her head, and opened her eyes. he stood silent and evidently suffering. "poor sergius! the punishment is yours. i am sorry for you--sorry we entered on this subject--but it is too late to retire from it. speak bravely. what is it you know against me? it cannot be a crime; much i doubt if it be a sin; my walk has been very strait and altogether in god's view. speak!" "princess," he answered, "coming down from the landing, i was stopped by a concourse studying a brass plate nailed to the right-hand pillar of your gate. it was inscribed, but none of them knew the import of the inscription. the hamari came up, and at sight of it fell to saluting, like the abject eastern he is. the bystanders chaffered him, and he retorted, and, amongst other things, said the brass was a safeguard directed to all turks, notifying them that this property, its owner, and inmates were under protection of the prince mahommed. give heed now, i pray you, o princess, to this other thing of the man's saying. the notice was the prince mahommed's, the inscription his signature, and the prince himself fixed the plate on the pillar with his own hand." sergius paused. "well," she asked. "the inferences--consider them." "state them." "my tongue refuses. or if i must, o princess, i will use the form of accusation others are likely to have adopted. 'the princess irene lives at therapia because prince mahommed is her lover, and it is a convenient place of meeting. therefore his safeguard on her gate.'" "no one could be bold enough to"-"one has been bold enough." "one?" "the hegumen of my brotherhood." the princess was very pale. "it is cruel--cruel!" she exclaimed. "what ought i to do?" "treat the safeguard as a discovery of to-day, and have it removed while the people are all present." she looked at him searchingly. on her forehead between the brows, he beheld a line never there before. more surprising was the failure of self-reliance observable in her request for counsel. heretofore her courage and sufficiency had been remarkable. in all dealings with him she had proved herself the directress, quick yet decided. the change astonished him, so little was he acquainted with the feminine nature; and in reply he spoke hastily, hardly knowing what he had said. the words were not straightforward and honest; they were not becoming him any more than the conduct suggested was becoming her; they lingered in his ear, a wicked sound, and he would have recalled them--but he hesitated. here a voice in fierce malediction was heard up at the pavilions, together with a prodigious splashing of water. laughter, clapping of hands, and other expressions of delight succeeded. "go, sergius, and see what is taking place," said the princess. glad of the opportunity to terminate the painful scene, he hastened to the reservoirs and returned. "your presence will restore quiet at once." the people made way for their hostess with alacrity. the hamari, it appeared, had just arrived from the garden. observing lael in the midst of the suite of fair ladies, he advanced to her with many strange salutations. alarmed, she would have run away had not joqard broken from his master, and leaped with a roar into the water. the poor beast seemed determined to enjoy the bath. he swam, and dived, and played antics without number. in vain the showman, resorting to every known language, coaxed and threatened by turns--joqard was self-willed and happy, and it were hard saying which appreciated his liberty most, he or the spectators of the scene. the princess, for the time conquering her pain of heart, interceded for the brute; whereupon the hamari, like a philosopher used to making the best of surprises, joined in the sport until joqard grew tired, and voluntarily returned to control. chapter xii lael tells of her two fathers word passed from the garden to the knots of people on the height: "come down quickly. they are making ready for the boat race." directly the reservoirs, the pavilions, and the tesselation about them were deserted. the princess irene, with her suite, made the descent to the garden more at leisure, knowing the regatta would wait for her. so it happened she was at length in charge of what seemed a rear guard; but how it befell that sergius and lael drew together, the very last of that rear guard, is not of such easy explanation. whether by accident or mutual seeking, side by side the two moved slowly down the hill, one moment in the shade of the kingly pines, then in the glowing sunshine. the noises of the celebration, the shouting, singing, calling, and merry outcries of children ascended to them, and through the verdurousness below, lucent as a lake, gleams of color flashed from scarfs, mantles, embroidered jackets, and flaming petticoats. "i hope you are enjoying yourself," he said to lael, upon their meeting. "oh, yes! how could i help it--everything is delightful. and the princess--she is so good and gracious. oh, if i were a man, i should go mad with loving her!" she spoke with enthusiasm; she even drew her veil partially aside; yet sergius did not respond; he was asking himself if it were possible the girl could be an impostor. presently he resolved to try her with questions. "tell me of your father. is he well?" at this she raised her veil entirely, and in turn asked: "which father do you mean?" "which father," he repeated, stopping. "oh, i have the advantage of everybody else! i have two fathers." he could do no more than repeat after her: "two fathers!" "yes; uel the merchant is one of them, and the prince of india is the other. i suppose you mean the prince, since you know him. he accompanied me to the landing this morning, and seated me in the boat. he was then well." there was no concealment here. yet sergius saw the disclosure was not complete. he was tempted to go on. "two fathers! how can such thing be?" she met the question with a laugh. "oh! if it depended on which of them is the kinder to me, i could not tell you the real father." sergius stood looking at her, much as to say: "that is no answer; you are playing with me." "see how we are falling behind," she then said. "come, let us go on. i can talk while walking." they set forward briskly, but it was noticeable that he moved nearer her, stooping from his great height to hear further. "this is the way of it," she continued of her own prompting. "some years ago, my father, uel, the merchant, received a letter from an old friend of his father's, telling him that he was about to return to constantinople after a long absence in the east somewhere, and asking if he, uel, would assist the servant who was bearer of the note in buying and furnishing a house. uel did so, and when the stranger arrived, his home was ready for him. i was then a little girl, and went one day to see the prince of india, his residence being opposite uel's on the other side of the street. he was studying some big books, but quit them, and picked me up, and asked me who i was? i told him uel was my father. what was my name? lael, i said. how old was i? and when i answered that also, he kissed me, and cried, and, to my wonder, declared how he had once a child named lael; she looked like me, and was just my age when she died"-"wonderful!" exclaimed sergius. "yes, and he then said heaven had sent me to take her place. would i be his lael? i answered i would, if uel consented. he took me in his arms, carried me across the street and talked so uel could not have refused had he wanted to." the manner of the telling was irresistible. at the conclusion, she turned to him and said, with emotion: "there, now. you see i really have two fathers, and you know how i came by them: and were i to recount their goodness to me, and how they both love me, and how happy each one of them is in believing me the object of the other's affection, you would understand just as well how i know no difference between them." "it is strange; yet as you tell it, little friend, it is not strange," he returned, seriously. they were at the instant in a bar of brightest sunlight projected across the road; and had she asked him the cause of the frown on his face, he could not have told her he was thinking of demedes. "yes, i see it--i see it, and congratulate you upon being so doubly blessed. tell me next who the prince of india is." she looked now here, now there, he watching her narrowly. "oh! i never thought of asking him about himself." she was merely puzzled by an unexpected question. "but you know something of him?" "let me think," she replied. "yes, he was the intimate of my father uel's father, and of his father before him." "is he so old then?" "i cannot say how long he has been a family acquaintance. of my knowledge he is very learned in everything. he speaks all the languages i ever heard of; he passes the nights alone on the roof of his house"-"alone on the roof of his house!" "only of clear nights, you understand. a servant carries a chair and table up for him, and a roll of papers, with pen and ink, and a clock of brass and gold. the paper is a map of the heavens; and he sits there watching the stars, marking them in position on the map, the clock telling him the exact time." "an astronomer," said sergius. "and an astrologer," she added; "and besides these things he is a doctor, but goes only amongst the poor, taking nothing from them. he is also a chemist; and he has tables of the plants curative and deadly, and can extract their qualities, and reduce them from fluids to solids, and proportionate them. he is also a master of figures, a science, he always terms it, the first of creative principles without which god could not be god. so, too, he is a traveller--indeed i think he has been over the known world. you cannot speak of a capital or of an island, or a tribe which he has not visited. he has servants from the farthest east. one of his attendants is an african king; and what is the strangest to me, sergius, his domestics are all deaf and dumb." "impossible!" "nothing appears impossible to him." "how does he communicate with them?" "they catch his meaning from the motion of his lips. he says signs are too slow and uncertain for close explanations." "still he must resort to some language." "oh, yes, the greek." "but if they have somewhat to impart to him?" "it is theirs to obey, and pantomime seems sufficient to convey the little they have to return to him, for it is seldom more than, 'my lord, i have done the thing you gave me to do.' if the matter be complex, he too resorts to the lip-speech, which he could not teach without first being proficient in it himself. thus, for instance, to nilo"-"the black giant who defended you against the greek?" "yes--a wonderful man--an ally, not a servant. on the journey to constantinople, the prince turned aside into an african kingdom called kash-cush. i cannot tell where it is. nilo was the king, and a mighty hunter and warrior. his trappings hang in his room now--shields, spears, knives, bows and arrows, and among them a net of linen threads. when he took the field for lions, his favorite game, the net and a short sword were all he cared for. his throne room, i have heard my father the prince say, was carpeted with skins taken by him in single combats." "what could he do with the net, little princess?" "i will give you his account; perhaps you can see it clearly--i cannot. when the monster makes his leap, the corners of the net are tossed up in the air, and he is in some way caught and tangled... well, as i was saying, nilo, though deaf and dumb, of choice left his people and throne to follow the prince, he knew not where." "oh, little friend! do you know you are talking the incredible to me? who ever heard of such thing before?" sergius' blue eyes were astare with wonder. "i only speak what i have heard recounted by my father, the prince, to my other father, uel.... what i intended saying was that directly the prince established himself at home he began teaching nilo to converse. the work was slow at first; but there is no end to the master's skill and patience; he and the king now talk without hindrance. he has even made him a believer in god." "a christian, you mean." "no. in my father's opinion the mind of a wild man cannot comprehend modern christianity; nobody can explain the trinity; yet a child can be taught the almightiness of god, and won to faith in him." "do you speak for yourself or the prince?" "the prince," she replied. sergius was struck with the idea, and wished to go further with it, but they were at the foot of the hill, and lael exclaimed, "the garden is deserted. we may lose the starting of the race. let us hurry." "nay, little friend, you forget how narrow my skirts are. i cannot run. let us walk fast. give me a hand. there now--we will arrive in time." near the palace, however, sergius dropped into his ordinary gait; then coming to a halt, he asked: "tell me to whom else you have related this pretty tale of the two fathers?" his look and tone were exceedingly grave, and she studied his face, and questioned him in turn: "you are very serious--why?" "oh, i was wondering if the story is public?" more plainly, he was wondering whence demedes had his information. "i suppose it is generally known; at least i cannot see why it should not be." the few words swept the last doubt from his mind; yet she continued: "my father uel is well known to the merchants of the city. i have heard him say gratefully that since the coming of the prince of india his business has greatly increased. he used to deal in many kinds of goods; now he sells nothing but precious stones. his patrons are not alone the nobles of byzantium; traders over in galata buy of him for the western markets, especially italy and france. my other father, the prince, is an expert in such things, and does not disdain to help uel with advice." lael might have added that the prince, in course of his travels, had ascertained the conveniency of jewels as a currency familiar and acceptable to almost every people, and always kept a store of them by him, from which he frequently replenished his protege's stock, allowing him the profits. that she did not make this further disclosure was probably due to ignorance of the circumstances; in other words, her artlessness was extreme enough to render her a dangerous confidant, and both her fathers were aware of it. "everybody in the bazaar is friendly to my father uel, and the prince visits him there, going in state; and he and his train are an attraction"--thus lael proceeded. "on his departure, the questions about him are countless, and uel holds nothing back. indeed, it is more than likely he has put the whole mart and city in possession of the history of my adoption by the prince." in front of the palace she broke off abruptly: "but see! the landing is covered with men and women. let us hurry." presently they issued from the garden, and were permitted to join the princess. chapter xiii the hamari turns boatman the boatmen had taken up some of the marble blocks of the landing, and planting long oars upright in the ground, and fixing other oars crosswise on them, constructed a secure frame covered with fresh sail-cloth. from their vessels they had also brought material for a dais under the shelter thus improvised; another sail for carpet, and a chair on the dais completed the stand whence the princess was to view and judge the race. a way was opened for her through the throng, and with her attendants, she passed to the stand; and as she went, all the women near reached out their hands and reverently touched the skirt of her gown--so did their love for her trench on adoration. the shore from the stand to the town, and from the stand again around the promontory on the south, was thronged with spectators, while every vantage point fairly in view was occupied by them; even the ships were pressed into the service; and somehow the air over and about the bay seemed to give back and tremble with the eagerness of interest everywhere discernible. between fanar, the last northern point of lookout over the black sea, and galata, down on the golden horn, there are about thirty hamlets, villages and cities specking the european shore of the bosphorus. each of them has its settlement of fishermen. aside from a voluminous net, the prime necessity for successful pursuit of the ancient and honorable calling is a boat. like most things of use amongst men, the vessel of preferred model here came of evolution. the modern tourist may yet see its kind drawn up at every landing he passes. proper handling, inclusive of running out and hauling in the seine, demanded a skilful crew of at least five men; and as whole lives were devoted to rowing, the proficiency finally attained in it can be fancied. it was only natural, therefore, that the thirty communities should each insist upon having the crew of greatest excellence--the crew which could outrow any other five on the bosphorus; and as every byzantine greek was a passionate gambler, the wagers were without end. vauntings of the sort, like the black sea birds of unresting wings, went up and down the famous waterway. at long intervals occasions presented for the proof of these men of pride; after which, for a period there was an admitted champion crew, and a consequent hush of the babble and brawl. in determining to conclude the fete with a boat-race open to all greek comers from the capital to the cyanian rocks, the princess irene did more than secure a desirable climax; unconsciously, perhaps, she hit upon the measure most certain to bring peace to the thirty villages. she imposed but two conditions on the competitors--they should be fishermen and greeks. the interval between the announcement of the race and the day set for it had been filled with boasting, from which one would have supposed the bay of therapia at the hour of starting would be too contracted to hold the adversaries. when the hour came there were six crews present actually prepared to contest for the prize--a tall ebony crucifix, with a gilded image, to be displayed of holidays on the winning prow. the shrinkage told the usual tale of courage oozed out. there was of course no end of explanation. about three o'clock, the six boats, each with a crew of five men, were held in front of the princess' stand, representative of as many towns. their prows were decorated with banderoles large enough to be easily distinguished at a distance--one yellow, chosen for yenimahale; one blue, for buyukdere; one white, for therapia; one red, for stenia; one green, for balta-liman; and one half white and half scarlet, for bebek. the crews were in their seats--fellows with knotted arms bare to the shoulder; white shirts under jackets the color of the flags, trousers in width like petticoats. the feet were uncovered that, while the pull was in delivery, they might the better clinch the cleats across the bottom of the boat. the fresh black paint with which the vessels had been smeared from end to end on the outside was stoned smoothly down until it glistened like varnish. inside there was not a superfluity to be seen of the weight of a feather. the contestants knew every point of advantage, and, not less clearly, they were there to win or be beaten doing their best. they were cool and quiet; much more so, indeed, than the respective clansmen and clanswomen. from these near objects of interest, the princess directed a glance over the spreading field of dimpled water to a galley moored under a wooded point across on the asiatic shore. the point is now crowned with the graceful but neglected kiosk of the viceroy of egypt. that galley was the thither terminus of the race course, and the winners turning it, and coming back to the place of starting, must row in all about three miles. a little to the right of the princess' stand stood a pole of height to be seen by the multitude as well as the rival oarsmen, and a rope for hoisting a white flag to the top connected it with the chair on the dais. at the appearance of the flag the boats were to start; while it was flying, the race was on. and now the competitors are in position by lot from right to left. on bay and shore the shouting is sunk to a murmur. a moment more--but in that critical period an interruption occurred. a yell from a number of voices in sharpest unison drew attention to the point of land jutting into the water on the north side not inaptly called the toe of therapia, and a boat, turning the point, bore down with speed toward the sail-covered stand. there were four rowers in it; yet its glossy sides and air of trimness were significant of a seventh competitor for some reason behind time. the black flag at the prow and the black uniform of the oarsmen confirmed the idea. the hand of the princess was on the signal rope; but she paused. as the boat-hook of the newcomers fell on the edge of the landing, one of them dropped upon his knees, crying: "grace, o princess! grace, and a little time!" the four were swarthy men, and, unlike the greeks they were seeking to oppose, their swart was a peculiarity of birth, a racial sign. recognizing them, the spectators near by shouted: "gypsies! gypsies!" and the jeer passed from mouth to mouth far as the bridge over the creek at the corner of the bay; yet it was not ill-natured. that these unbelievers of unknown origin, separatists like the jews, could offer serious opposition to the chosen of the towns was ridiculous. since they excited no apprehension, their welcome was general. "why the need of grace? who are you?" the princess replied, gravely. "we are from the valley by buyukdere," the man returned. "are you fishermen?" "judged by our catches the year through, and the prices we get in the market, o princess, it is not boasting to say our betters cannot be found, though you search both shores between fanar and the isles of the princes." this was too much for the bystanders. the presence they were in was not sufficient to restrain an outburst of derision. "but the conditions of the race shut you out. you are not greeks," the judge continued. "nay, princess, that is according to the ground of judgment. if it please you to decide by birth and residence rather than ancestry, then are we to be preferred over many of the nobles who go in and out of his majesty's gates unchallenged. has not the sweet water that comes down from the hills seeking the sea through our meadow furnished drink for our fathers hundreds of years? and as it knew them, it knows us." "well answered, i must admit. now, my friend, do as wisely with what i ask next, and you shall have a place. say you come out winners, what will you do with the prize? i have heard you are not christians." the man raised his face the first time. "not christians! were the charge true, then, argument being for the hearing, i would say the matter of religion is not among the conditions. but i am a petitioner, not lawyer, and to my rude thinking it is better that i hold on as i began. trust us, o princess! there is a plane tree, wondrous old, and with seven twin trunks, standing before our tents, and in it there is a hollow which shelters securely as a house. attend me now, i pray. if happily we win, we will convert the tree into a cathedral, and build an altar in it, and set the prize above the altar in such style that all who love the handiworks of nature better than the artfulness of men may come and worship there reverently as in the holiest of houses, sancta sophia not excepted." "i will trust you. with such a promise overheard by so many of this concourse, to refuse you a part in the race were a shame to the immaculate mother. but how is it you are but four?" "we were five, o princess; now one is sick. it was at his bidding we come; he thought of the hundreds of oarsmen who would be here one at least could be induced to share our fortune." "you have leave to try them." the man arose, and looked at the bystanders, but they turned away. "a hundred noumiae for two willing hands!" he shouted. there was no reply. "if not for the money, then in honor of the noble lady who has feasted you and your wives and children." a voice answered out of the throng: "here am i!" and presently the hamari appeared with the bear behind him. "here," he said, "take care of joqard for me. i will row in the sick man's place, and"-the remainder of the sentence was lost in an outburst of gibing--and laughter. finally the princess asked the rowers if they were satisfied with the volunteer. they surveyed him doubtfully. "art thou an oarsman?" one of them asked. "there is not a better on the bosphorus. and i will prove it. here, some of you--take the beast off my hands. fear not, friend, joqard's worst growl is inoffensive as thunder without lightning. that's a good man." and with the words the hamari released the leading strap, sprang into the boat, and without giving time for protest or remonstrance, threw off his jacket and sandals, tucked up his shirt-sleeves, and dropped into the vacant fifth seat. the dexterity with which he then unshipped the oars and took them in hand measurably quieted the associates thus audaciously adopted; his action was a kind of certificate that the right man had been sent them. "believe in me," he said, in a low tone. "i have the two qualities which will bring us home winners--skill and endurance." then he spoke to the princess: "noble lady, have i your consent to make a proclamation?" the manner of the request was singularly deferential. sergius observed the change, and took a closer look at him while the princess was giving the permission. standing upon the seat, the hamari raised his voice: "ho, here--there--every one!" and drawing a purse from his bosom, he waved it overhead, with a louder shout, "see!--a hundred noumiae, and not all copper either. piece against piece weighed or counted, i put them in wager! speak one or all. who dares the chance?" takers of the offer not appearing on the shore, he shook the purse at his competitors. "if we are not christians," he said to them, "we are oarsmen and not afraid. see--i stake this purse--if you win, it is yours." they only gaped at him. he put the purse back slowly, and recounting the several towns of his opponents by their proper names in greek, he cried: "buyukdere, therapia, stenia, bebek, balta-liman, yenimahale--your women will sing you low to-night!" then to the princess: "allow us now to take our place seventh on the left." the bystanders were in a maze. had they been served with a mess of brag, or was the fellow really capable? one thing was clear--the interest in the race had taken a rise perceptible in the judge's stand not less than on the crowded shore. the four gypsies, on their part, were content with the volunteer. in fact, they were more than satisfied when he said to them, as their vessel turned into position: "now, comrades, be governed by me; and besides the prize, if we win, you shall have my purse to divide amongst you man and man. is it agreed?" and they answered, foreman and all, yes. "very well," he returned. "do you watch, and get the time and force from me. now for the signal." the princess sent the starting flag to the top of the pole, and the boats were off together. a great shout went up from the spectators--a shout of men mingled with the screams of women to whom a hurrah or cheer of any kind appears impossible. to warm the blood, there is nothing after all like the plaudits of a multitude looking on and mightily concerned. this was now noticeable. the eyes of all the rowers enlarged; their teeth set hard; the arteries of the neck swelled; and even in their tension the muscles of the arms quivered. a much better arrangement would have been to allow the passage of the racers broadside to the shore; for then the shiftings of position, and the strategies resorted to would have been plain to the beholders; as it was, each foreshortened vessel soon became to them a black body, with but a man and one pair of oars in motion; and sometimes provokingly indistinguishable, the banderoles blew backward squarely in a line with the direction of the movement. then the friends on land gave over exercising their throats; finally drawn down to the water's edge, and pressing on each other, they steadied and welded into a mass, like a wall. once there was a general shout. gradually the boats had lost the formation of the start, and falling in behind each other, assumed an order comparable to a string. while this change was going on, a breeze unusually strong blew from the south, bringing every flag into view at the same time: when it was perceived that the red was in the lead. forthwith the clansmen of stenia united in a triumphant yell, followed immediately, however, by another yet louder. it was discovered, thanks to the same breeze, that the black banderole of the gypsies was the last of the seven. then even those who had been most impressed by the bravado of the hamari, surrendered themselves to laughter and sarcasm. "see the infidels!" "they had better be at home taking care of their kettles and goats!" "turn the seven twins into a cathedral, will they? the devil will turn them into porpoises first!" "where is the hamari now--where? by st. michael, the father of fishermen, he is finding what it is to have more noumiae than brains! ha, ha, ha!" nevertheless the coolest of the thirty-five men then scudding the slippery waterway was the hamari--he had started the coolest--he was the coolest now. for a half mile he allowed his crew to do their best, and with them he had done his best. the effort sufficed to carry them to the front, where he next satisfied himself they could stay, if they had the endurance. he called to them: "well done, comrades! the prize and the money are yours! but ease up a little. let them pass. we will catch them again at the turn. keep your eyes on me." insensibly he lessened the dip and reach of his oars; at last, as the thousands on the therapian shore would have had it, the gypsy racer was the hinderling of the pack. afterwards there were but trifling changes of position until the terminal galley was reached. by a rule of the race, the contestants were required to turn the galley, keeping it on the right; and it was a great advantage to be a clear first there, since the fortunate party could then make the round unhindered and in the least space. the struggle for the point began quite a quarter of a mile away. each crew applied itself to quickening the speed--every oar dipped deeper, and swept a wider span;--on a little, and the keepers of the galley could hear the half groan, half grunt with which the coming toilers relieved the extra exertion now demanded of them;--yet later, they saw them spring to their feet, reach far back, and finish the long deep draw by falling, or rather toppling backward to their seats. only the hamari eschewed the resort for the present. he cast a look forward, and said quickly: "attend, comrades!" thereupon he added weight to his left delivery, altering the course to an angle which, if pursued, must widen the circle around the galley instead of contracting it. on nearing the goal the rush of the boats grew fiercer; each foreman, considering it honor lost, if not a fatal mischance, did he fail to be first at the turning-point, persisted in driving straight forward--a madness which the furious yelling of the people on the marker's deck intensified. this was exactly what the hamari had foreseen. when the turn began five of the opposing vessels ran into each other. the boil and splash of water, breaking of oars, splintering of boatsides; the infuriate cries, oaths, and blind striving of the rowers, some intent on getting through at all hazards, some turned combatants, striking or parrying with their heavy oaken blades; the sound of blows on breaking heads; plunges into the foaming brine; blood trickling down faces and necks, and reddening naked arms--such was the catastrophe seen in its details from the overhanging gunwale of the galley. and while it went on, the worse than confused mass drifted away from the ship's side, leaving a clear space through which, with the first shout heard from him during the race, the hamari urged his crew, and rounded the goal. on the far therapian shore the multitude were silent. they could dimly see every incident at the turn--the collision, fighting, and manifold mishaps, and the confounding of the banderoles. then the stenia colors flashed round the galley, with the black behind it a close second. "is that the hamari's boat next the leader?" thus the princess, and upon the answer, she added: "it looks as if the holy one might find servants among the irreclaimables in the valley." had the gypsies at last a partisan? the two rivals were now clear of the galley. for a time there was but one cry heard--"stenia! stenia!" the five oarsmen of that charming town had been carefully selected; they were vigorous, skilful, and had a chief well-balanced in judgment. the race seemed theirs. suddenly--it was when the homestretch was about half covered--the black flag rushed past them. then the life went out of the multitude. "st. peter is dead!" they cried--"st. peter is dead! it is nothing to be a greek now!" and they hung their heads, refusing to be comforted. the gypsies came in first; and amidst the profoundest silence, they dropped their oars with a triumphant crash on the marble revetment. the hamari wiped the sweat from his face, and put on his jacket and sandals; pausing then to toss his purse to the foreman, and say: "take it in welcome, my friends. i am content with my share of the victory," he stepped ashore. in front of the judge's stand, he knelt, and said: "should there be a dispute touching the prize, o princess, be a witness unto thyself. thine eyes have seen the going and the coming; and if the world belie thee not--sometimes it can be too friendly--thou art fair, just and fearless." on foot again, his courtierly manner vanished in a twinkling. "joqard, joqard? where are you?" some one answered: "here he is." "bring him quickly. for joqard is an example to men--he is honest, and tells no lies. he has made much money, and allowed me to keep it all, and spend it on myself. women are jealous of him, but with reason--he is lovely enough to have been a love of solomon's; his teeth are as pearls of great price; his lips scarlet as a bride's; his voice is the voice of a nightingale singing to the full moon from an acacia tree fronded last night; in motion, he is now a running wave, now a blossom on a swaying branch, now a girl dancing before a king--all the graces are his. yes, bring me joqard, and keep the world; without him, it is nothing to me." while speaking, from a jacket pocket he brought out the fan lael had thrown him from the portico, and used it somewhat ostentatiously to cool himself. the princess and her attendants laughed heartily. sergius, however, watched the man with a scarcely defined feeling that he had seen him. but where? and he was serious because he could not answer. taking the leading strap, when joqard was brought, the hamari scrupled not to give the brute a hearty cuff, whereat the fishermen shook the sails of the pavilion with laughter; then, standing joqard up, he placed one of the huge paws on his arm, and, with the mincing step of a lady's page, they disappeared. chapter xiv the princess has a creed "i shall ask you, sergius, to return to the city to-night, for inquiry about the fete will be lively tomorrow in the holy houses. and if you have the disposition to defend me"-"you doubt me, o princess?" "no." "o little mother, let me once for all be admitted to your confidence, that in talking to me there may never be a question of my loyalty." this, with what follows, was part of a conversation between the princess irene and sergius of occurrence the evening of the fete in the court heretofore described, being that to which she retired to read the letter of introduction brought her by the young monk from father hilarion. from an apartment adjoining, the voices of her attendants were occasionally heard blent with the monotonous tinkle of water overflowing the bowls of the fountain. in the shadowy depths of the opening above the court the stars might have been seen had not a number of lamps suspended from a silken cord stretched from wall to wall flooded the marble enclosure with their nearer light. there was a color, so to speak, in the declaration addressed to her--a warmth and earnestness--which drew a serious look from the princess--the look, in a word, with which a woman admits a fear lest the man speaking to her may be a lover. to say of her who habitually discouraged the tender passion, and the thought of it, that she moved in an atmosphere charged with attractions irresistible to the other sex sounds strangely: yet it was true; and as a consequence she had grown miraculously quick with respect to appearances. however, she now dismissed the suspicion, and replied: "i believe you, sergius, i believe you. the holy virgin sees how completely and gladly." she went on presently, a tremulous light in her eyes making him think of tears. "you call me little mother. there are some who might laugh, did they hear you, yet i agree to the term. it implies a relation of trust without embarrassment, and a promise of mutual faithfulness warranting me to call you in return, sergius, and sometimes 'dear sergius.' ... yes, i think it better that you go back immediately. the hegumen will want to speak to you in the morning about what you have seen and heard to-day. my boatmen can take you down, and arrived there, they will stay the night. my house is always open to them." after telling her how glad he was for the permission to address her in a style usual in his country, he moved to depart, but she detained him. "stay a moment. to-day i had not time to deal as i wished with the charges the hegumen prefers against me. you remember i promised to speak to you about them frankly, and i think it better to do so now; for with my confessions always present you cannot be surprised by misrepresentations, nor can doubt take hold of you so readily. you shall go hence possessed of every circumstance essential to judge how guilty i am." "they must do more than talk," the monk returned, with emphasis. "beware, sergius! do not provoke them into argument--or if you must talk, stop when you have set them to talking. the listener is he who can best be wise as a serpent.... and now, dear friend, lend me your good sense. thanks to the generosity of a kinsman, i am mistress of a residence in the city and this palace; and it is mine to choose between them. how healthful and charming life is with surroundings like these--here, the gardens; yonder, the verdurous hills; and there, before my door, a channel of the seas always borrowing from the sky, never deserted by men. guilt seeks exclusion, does it not? well, whether you come in the day or the night, my gate is open; nor have i a warder other than lysander; and his javelin is but a staff with which to steady his failing steps. there are no prohibitions shutting me in. christian, turk, gypsy--the world in fact--is welcome to see what all i have; and as to danger, i am defended better than with guards. i strive diligently to love my neighbors as i love myself, and they know it.... coming nearer the accusation now. i find here a freedom which not a religious house in the city can give me, nor one on the isles, not halki itself. here i am never disturbed by sectaries or partisans; the greek and the latin wrangle before the emperor and at the altars; but they spare me in this beloved retiracy. freedom! ah, yes, i find it in this retreat--this escape from temptations--freedom to work and sleep, and praise god as seems best to me--freedom to be myself in defiance of deplorable social customs--and there is no guilt in it.... coming still nearer the very charge, hear, o sergius, and i will tell you of the brass on my gate, and why i suffer it to stay there; since you, with your partialities, account it a witness against me, it is in likelihood the foundation of the calumny associating me with the turk. let me ask first, did the hegumen mention the name of one such associate?" "no." the princess with difficulty repressed her feelings. "bear with me a moment," she said; "you cannot know the self-mastery i require to thus defend myself. can i ever again be confident of my judgment? how doubts and fears will beset me when hereafter upon my own responsibility i choose a course, whatever the affair! ah, god, whom i have sought to make my reliance, seems so far away! it will be for him in the great day to declare if my purpose in living here be not escape from guiltiness in thought, from wrong and temptation, from taint to character. for further security, i keep myself surrounded with good women, and from the beginning took the public into confidence, giving it privileges, and inviting it to a study of my daily life. and this is the outcome! ... i will proceed now. the plate on the gate is a safeguard"-"then mahommed has visited you?" the slightest discernible pallor overspread her face. "does it surprise you so much? ... this is the way it came about. you remember our stay at the white castle, and doubtless you remember the knight in armor who received us at the landing--a gallant, fair-speaking, chivalrous person whom we supposed the governor, and who prevailed upon us to become his guests while the storm endured. you recollect him?" "yes. he impressed me greatly." "well, let me now bring up an incident not in your knowledge. the eunuch in whose care i was placed for the time with lael, daughter of the prince of india, as my companion, to afford us agreeable diversion, obtained my consent to introduce an arab story-teller of great repute among the tribes of the desert and other eastern people. he gave us the name of the man--sheik aboo-obeidah. the sheik proved worthy his fame. so entertaining was he, in fact, i invited him here, and he came." "did i understand you to say the entertainment took place in lael's presence?" "she was my companion throughout." "let us be thankful, little mother." "ay, sergius, and that i have witnesses down to the last incident. you may have heard how the emperor and his court did me the high honor of a visit in state." "the visit was notorious." "well, while the royal company were at table, lysander appeared and announced aboo-obeidah, and, by permission of the emperor, the story-teller was admitted, and remained during the repast. now i come to the surprising event--aboo-obeidah was mahommed!" "prince mahommed--son of the terrible amurath?" exclaimed sergius. "how did you know him?" "by the brass plate. when he went to his boat, he stopped and nailed the plate to the pillar. i went to look at it, and not understanding the inscription, sent to town for a turk who enlightened me." "then the hamari was not gasconading?" "what did he say?" "he confirmed your turk." she gazed awhile at the overflowing of the fountain, giving a thought perhaps to the masquerader and his description of himself what time he was alone with her on the portico; presently she resumed: "one word more now, and i dismiss the brass plate.... i cannot blind myself, dear friend, to the condition of my kinsman's empire. it creeps in closer and closer to the walls of constantinople. presently there will be nothing of it left save the little the gates of the capital can keep. the peace we have is by the grace of an unbeliever too old for another great military enterprise; and when it breaks, then, o sergius, yon safeguard may be for others besides myself--for many others--farmers, fishermen and townspeople caught in the storm. say such anticipation followed you, sergius--what would you do with the plate?" "what would i do with it? o little mother, i too should take counsel of my fears." "you approve my keeping it where it is, then? thank you.... what remains for explanation? ah, yes--my heresy. that you shall dispose of yourself. remain here a moment." she arose, and passing through a doorway heavily draped with cloth, left him to the entertainment of the fountain. returning soon, she placed a roll of paper in his hand. "there," she said, "is the creed which your hegumen makes such a sin. it may be heresy; yet, god helping me, and christ and the holy mother lending their awful help, i dare die for it. take it, dear sergius. you will find it simple--nine words in all--and take this cover for it." he wrapped the parcel in the white silken cover she gave him, making mental comparison, nevertheless, with the old nicaean ordinances. "only nine words--o little mother!" "nine," she returned. "they should be of gold." "i leave them to speak for themselves." "shall i return the paper?" "no, it is a copy.... but it is time you were going. fortunately the night is pleasant and starlit; and if you are tired, the speeding of the boat will rest you. let me have an opinion of the creed at your leisure." they bade each other good-night. * * * * * about eight o'clock next morning sergius awoke. he had dropped on his cot undressed, and slept the sweet sleep of healthful youth; now, glancing about, he thought of the yesterday and the spacious garden, of the palace in the garden, of the princess irene, and of the conversation she held with him in the bright inner court. and the creed of nine words! he felt for it, and found it safe. then his thought flew to lael. she had exonerated herself. demedes was a liar--demedes, the presumptuous knave! he was to have been at the fete, but had not dared go. there was a limit to his audacity; and in great thankfulness for the discovery, sergius tossed an arm over the edge of the narrow cot, and struck the stool, his solitary item of furniture. he raised his head, and looked at the stool, wondering how it came there so close to his cot. what was that he saw? a fan?--and in his chamber? somebody had brought it in. he examined it cautiously. whose was it? whose could it be?--how!--no--but it _was_ the very fan he had seen lael toss to the hamari from the portico! and the hamari? a bit of folded paper on the settle attracted his attention. he snatched it up, opened, and read it, and while he read his brows knit, his eyes opened to their full. "patience--courage--judgment! "thou art better apprised of the meaning of the motto than thou wert yesterday. "thy seat in the academy is still reserved for thee. "thou mayst find the fan of the princess of india useful; with me it is embalmed in sentiment. "be wise. the hamari." he read the scrap twice, the second time slowly; then it fell rustling to the floor, while he clasped his hands and looked to heaven. a murmur was all he could accomplish. afterwards, prostrate on the cot, his face to the wall, he debated with himself, and concluded: "the greek is capable of any villany he sets about--of abduction and murder--and now indeed must lael beware!" chapter xv the prince of india preaches god to the greeks we will now take the liberty of reopening the audience chamber of the palace of blacherne, presuming the reader holds it in recollection. it is the day when, by special appointment, the prince of india appears before the emperor constantine to present his idea of a basis for universal religious union. the hour is exactly noon. a report of the prince's former audience with his majesty had awakened general curiosity to see the stranger and hear his discourse. this was particularly the feeling in spiritual circles; by which term the most influential makers of public opinion are meant. a sharp though decorous rivalry for invitations to be present on the occasion ensued. the emperor, in robes varied but little from those he wore the day of the prince's first audience, occupied the throne on the dais. on both sides of him the company sat in a semicircular arrangement which left them all facing the door of the main entrance, and permitted the placement of a table in a central position under every eye. the appearance of the assemblage would have disappointed the reader; for while the court was numerously represented, with every functionary in his utmost splendor of decoration, it was outnumbered by the brethren of the holy orders, whose gowns, for the most part of gray and black material unrelieved by gayety in color, imparted a sombreness to the scene which the ample light of the chamber could not entirely dissipate, assisted though it was by refractions in plenitude from heads bald and heads merely tonsured. it should be observed now that besides a very striking exterior, the emperor fancied he discerned in the prince of india an idea enriched by an extraordinary experience. at loss to make him out, impressed, not unpleasantly, with the mystery the stranger had managed, as usual, to leave behind him, his majesty had looked forward to this second appearance with interest, and turned it over with a view to squeezing out all of profit there might be in it. why not, he asked himself, make use of the opportunity to bring the chiefs of the religious factions once more together? the explosive tendency which it seemed impossible for them to leave in their cells with their old dalmatics had made it politic to keep them apart widely and often as circumstances would permit; here, however, he thought the danger might be averted, since they would attend as auditors from whom speech or even the asking a question would be out of order unless by permission. the imperial presence, it was also judged, would restrain the boldest of them from resolving himself into a disputant. the arrangement of the chamber for the audience had been a knotty problem to our venerable acquaintance, the dean; but at last he submitted his plan, giving every invitee a place by ticket; the emperor, however, blotted it out mercilessly. "ah, my old friend," he said, with a smile which assuaged the pang of disapproval, "you have loaded yourself with unnecessary trouble. there was never a mass performed with stricter observance of propriety than we will now have. fix the chairs thus"--and with a finger-sweep he described a semicircle--"here the table for the prince. having notified me of his intention to read from some ancient books, he must have a table--and let there be no reserved seat, except one for the patriarch. set a sedilium, high and well clothed, for him here on my right--and forget not a stool for his feet; for now to the bitterness of controversy long continued he has added a constriction of the lungs, and together they are grievous to old age." "and scholarius?" "scholarius is an orator; some say he is a prophet; i know he is not an official; so of the seats vacant when he arrives, let him choose for himself." the company began coming early. every churchman of prominence in the city was in attendance. the reception was unusually ceremonious. when the bustle was over, and his majesty at ease, the pages having arranged the folds of his embroidered vestments, he rested his hand lightly on the golden cone of the right arm of the throne, and surveyed the audience with a quiet assurance becoming his birth in the purple, looking first to the patriarch, and bowing to him, and receiving a salute in return. to the others on the right he glanced next, with a gracious bend of the head, and then to those on the left. in. the latter quarter he recognized scholarius, and covertly smiled; if gregory had taken seat on the left, scholarius would certainly have crossed to the right. there was no such thing as compromise in his intolerant nature. one further look the emperor gave to where, near the door, a group of women was standing, in attendance evidently upon the princess irene, who was the only one of them seated. their heads were covered by veils which had the appearance of finely woven silver. this jealous precaution, of course, cut off recognition; nevertheless such of the audience as had the temerity to cast their eyes at the fair array were consoled by a view of jewelled hands, bare arms inimitably round and graceful, and figures in drapery of delicate colors, and of designs to tempt the imagination without offence to modesty--a respect in which the greek costume has never been excelled. the emperor recognized the princess, and slightly inclined his head to her. he then spoke to the dean: "wait on the prince of india, and if he is prepared, accompany him hither." passing out a side door, the master of ceremonies presently reappeared with nilo in guidance. the black giant was as usual barbarously magnificent in attire; and staring at him, the company did not observe the burden he brought in, and laid on the table. he retired immediately; then they looked, and saw a heap of books and mss. in rolls left behind him--quaint, curious volumes, so to speak, yellow with age and exposure, and suggestive of strange countries, and a wisdom new, if not of more than golden worth. and they continued to gaze and wonder at them, giving warrant to the intelligent forethought of the prince of india which sent nilo in advance of his own entry. again the door was thrown open, and this time the dean ushered the prince into the chamber, and conducted him toward the dais. thrice the foreigner prostrated himself; the last time within easy speaking distance of his majesty, who silently agreed with the observant lookers-on, that he had never seen the salutations better executed. "rise, prince of india," the emperor said, blandly, and well pleased. the prince arose, and stood before him, his eyes downcast, his hands upon his breast--suppliancy in excellent pantomime. "be not surprised, prince of india, at the assemblage you behold." thus his majesty proceeded. "its presence is due, i declare to you, not so much to design of mine as to the report the city has had of your former audience, and the theme of which you then promised to discourse." without apparently noticing the low reverence in acknowledgment of the compliment, he addressed himself to the body of listeners. "i regard it courtesy to our noble indian guest to advise you, my lords of the court, and you, devotees of christ and the father, whose prayers are now the chief stay of my empire, that he is present by my appointment. on a previous occasion, he interested us--i speak of many of my very honorable assistants in government--he interested us, i say, with an account of his resignation of the kingship in his country, moved by a desire to surrender himself exclusively to study of religion. under my urgency, he bravely declared he was neither jew, moslem, hindoo, buddhist nor christian; that his travels and investigation had led him to a faith which he summed up by pronouncing the most holy name of god; giving us to understand he meant the god to whom our hearts have long been delivered. he also referred to the denominations into which believers are divided, and said his one motive in life was the bringing them together in united brotherhood; and as i cannot imagine a result more desirable, provided its basis obtain the sanction of our conscience, i will now ask him to proceed, if it be his pleasure, and speak to us freely." again the visitor prostrated himself in his best oriental manner; after which, moving backward, he went to the table and took a few minutes arranging the books and rolls. the spectators availed themselves of the opportunity to gratify their curiosity well as they could from mere inspection of the man; and as the liberty was within his anticipations, it gave him but slight concern. we about know how he appeared to them. we remember his figure, low, slightly stooped, and deficiently slender;--we remember the thin yet healthful looking face, even rosy of cheek;--we can see him in his pointed red slippers, his ample trousers of glossy white satin, his long black gown, relieved at the collar and cuffs with fine laces, his hair fallen on his shoulders, beard overflowing his breast;--we can even see the fingers, transparent, singularly flexible in operation, turning leaves, running down pages and smoothing them out, and placing this roll or that book as convenience required, all so lithe, swift, certain, they in a manner exposed the mind which controlled them. at length, the preliminaries finished, the prince raised his eyes, and turned them slowly about--those large, deep, searching eyes--wells from which, without discoverable effort, he drew magnetism at his pleasure. he began simply, his voice distinct, and cast to make itself heard, and not more. "this"--his second finger was on a page of the large volume heretofore described--"this is the bible, the most holy of bibles. i call it the rock on which your faith and mine are castled." there was a stretching of necks to see, and he did not allow the sensation to pass. "and more--it is one of the fifty copies of the bible translated by order of the first constantine, under supervision of his minister eusebius, well known to you for piety and learning." it seemed at first every churchman was on his feet, but directly the emperor observed scholarius and the patriarch seated, the latter diligently crossing himself. the excitement can be readily comprehended by considering the assemblage and its composition of zealots and relic-worshippers, and that, while the tradition respecting the fifty copies was familiar, not a man there could have truly declared he had ever seen one of them--so had they disappeared from the earth. "these are bibles, also," the speaker resumed, upon the restoration of order--"bibles sacred to those unto whom they were given as that imperishable monument to moses and david is to us; for they too are revelations from god--ay, the very same god! this is the _koran_--and these, the _kings_ of the chinese--and these, the _avesta_ of the magians of persia--and these, the _sutras_ well preserved of buddha--and these, the _vedas_ of the patient hindoos, my countrymen." he carefully designated each book and roll by placing his finger on it. "i thank your majesty for the gracious words of introduction you were pleased to give me. they set before my noble and most reverend auditors my history and the subject of my discourse; leaving me, without wrong to their understanding, or waste of time or words, to invite them to think of the years it took to fit myself to read these books--for so i will term them--years spent among the peoples to whom they are divine. and when that thought is in mind, stored there past loss, they will understand what i mean by religion, and the methods i adopted and pursued for its study. then also the value of the assertions i make can be intelligently weighed.... this first--have not all men hands and eyes? we may not be able to read the future in our palms; but there is no excuse for us if we do not at least see god in them. similarity is law, and the law of nature is the will of god. keep the argument with you, o my lord, for it is the earliest lesson i had from my travels.... animals when called to, the caller being on a height over them, never look for him above the level of their eyes; even so some men are incapable of thinking of the mysteries hidden out of sight in the sky; but it is not so with all; and therein behold the partiality of god. the reason of the difference between the leaves of trees not of the same species, is the reason of the inequality of genius among races of men. the infinite prefers variety because he is more certainly to be perceived in it. at this stop now, my lord, mark the second lesson of my travels. god, wishing above all things to manifest himself and his character to all humanity, made choice amongst the races, selecting those superior in genius, and intrusted them with special revelations; whence we have the two kinds of religion, natural and revealed. seeing god in a stone, and worshipping it, is natural religion; the consciousness of god in the heart, an excitant of love and gratitude inexpressible except by prayer and hymns of praise--that, o my lord, is the work and the proof of revealed religion.... i next submit the third of the lessons i have had; but, if i may have your attention to the distinction, it is remarkable as derived from my reading"--here he covered all the books on the table with a comprehensive gesture--"my reading more than my travels; and i call it the purest wisdom because it is not sentiment, at the same time that it is without so much as a strain of philosophy, being a fact clear as any fact deducible from history--yes, my lord, clearer, more distinct, more positive, most undeniable--an incident of the love the universal maker has borne his noblest creatures from their first morning--a godly incident which i have had from the study of these bibles in comparison with each other. in brief, my lord, a revelation not intended for me above the generality of men; nevertheless a revelation to me, since i went seeking it--or shall i call it a recompense for the crown and throne i voluntarily gave away?" the feeling the prince threw into these words took hold of his auditors. not a few of them were struck with awe, somewhat as if he were a saint or prophet, or a missionary from the dead returned with secrets theretofore locked up fast in the grave. they waited for his next saying--his third lesson, as he termed it--with anxiety. "the holy father of light and life," the speaker went on, after a pause referable to his consummate knowledge of men, "has sent his spirit down to the world, not once merely, or unto one people, but repeatedly, in ages sometimes near together, sometimes wide apart, and to races diverse, yet in every instance remarkable for genius." there was a murmur at this, but he gave it no time. "ask you now how i could identify the spirit so as to be able to declare to you solemnly, as i do in fear of god, that in the several repeated appearances of which i speak it was the very same spirit? how do you know the man you met at set of sun yesterday was the man you saluted and had salute from this morning? well, i tell you the father has given the spirit features by which it may be known--features distinct as those of the neighbors nearest you there at your right and left hands. wherever in my reading holy books, like these, i hear of a man, himself a shining example of righteousness, teaching god and the way to god, by those signs i say to my soul: 'oh, the spirit, the spirit! blessed is the man appointed to carry it about!'" again the murmur, but again he passed on. "the spirit dwelt in the holy of holies set apart for it in the tabernacle; yet no man ever saw it there, a thing of sight. the soul is not to be seen; still less is the spirit of the most high; or if one did see it, its brightness would kill him. in great mercy, therefore, it has always come and done its good works in the world veiled; now in one form, now in another; at one time, a voice in the air; at another, a vision in sleep; at another, a burning bush; at another, an angel; at another, a descending dove"-"bethabara!" shouted a cowled brother, tossing both hands up. "be quiet!" the patriarch ordered. "thus always when its errand was of quick despatch," the prince continued. "but if its coming were for residence on earth, then its habit has been to adopt a man for its outward form, and enter into him, and speak by him; such was moses, such elijah, such were all the prophets, and such"--he paused, then exclaimed shrilly--"such was jesus christ!" in his study at home, the prince had undoubtedly thought out his present delivery with the care due an occasion likely to be a turning-point in his projects, if not his life; and it must at that time have required of him a supreme effort of will to resolve upon this climax; as it was, he hesitated, and turned the hue of ashes; none the less his unknowing auditors renewed their plaudits. even the emperor nodded approvingly. none of them divined the cunning of the speaker; not one thought he was pledging himself by his applause to a kindly hearing of the next point in the speech. "now, my lord, he who lives in a close vale shut in by great mountains, and goes not thence so much as to the top of one of the mountains, to him the vastness and beauty of the world beyond his pent sky-line shall be secret in his old age as they were when he was a child. he has denied himself to them. like him is the man who, thinking to know god, spends his days reading one holy book. i care not if it be this one"--he laid his finger on the _avesta_--"or this one"--in the same manner he signified the _vedas_--"or this one"--touching the _koran_--"or this one"--laying his whole hand tenderly palm down on the most holy bible. "he shall know god--yes, my lord, but not all god has done for men.... i have been to the mountain's top; that is to say, i know these books, o reverend brethren, as you know the beads of your rosaries and what each bead stands for. they did not teach me all there is in the infinite--i am in too much awe for such a folly of the tongue--yet through them i know his spirit has dwelt on earth in men of different races and times; and whether the spirit was the same spirit, i fear not leaving you to judge. if we find in those bearing it about likenesses in ideas, aims, and methods--a supreme god and an evil one, a heaven and a hell, sin and a way to salvation, a soul immortal whether lost or saved--what are we to think? if then, besides these likenesses, we find the other signs of divine authority, acknowledged such from the beginning of the world--mysteries of birth, sinlessness, sacrifices, miracles done--which of you will rise in his place, and rebuke me for saying there were sons of god in spirit before the spirit descended upon jesus christ? nevertheless, that is what i say." here the prince bent over the table pretending to be in search of a page in the most holy book, while--if the expression be pardonable--he watched the audience with his ears. he heard the rustle as the men turned to each other in mute inquiry; he almost heard their question, though they but looked it; otherwise, if it had been dark, the silence would have been tomb-like. at length, raising his head, he beheld a tall, gaunt, sallow person, clad in a monkish gown of the coarsest gray wool, standing and looking at him; the eyes seemed two lights burning in darkened depths; the air was haughty and menacing; and altogether he could not avoid noticing the man. he waited, but the stranger silently kept his feet. "your majesty," the prince began again, perfectly composed, "these are but secondary matters; yet there is such light in them with respect to my main argument, that i think best to make them good by proofs, lest my reverend brethren dismiss me as an idler in words.... behold the bible of the bodhisattwa"--he held up a roll of broad-leafed vellum, and turned it dextrously for better exhibition--"and hear, while i read from it, of a birth, life and death which took place a thousand and twenty-seven years before jesus christ was born." and he read: "'strong and calm of purpose as the earth, pure in mind as the water-lily, her name figuratively assumed, maya, she was in truth above comparison. on her in likeness as the heavenly queen the spirit descended. a mother, but free from grief or pain, she was without deceit.'" the prince stopped reading to ask: "will not my lord see in these words a mary also 'blessed above other women'?" then he read on: ..."'and now the queen maya knew her time for the birth had come. it was the eighth day of the fourth moon, a serene and agreeable season. while she thus religiously observed the rules of a pure discipline, bodhisattwa was born from her right side, come to deliver the world, constrained by great pity, without causing his mother pain or anguish.'" again the prince lifted his eyes from the roll. "what is this, my lord, but an incarnation? hear now of the child: ... 'as one born from recumbent space, and not through the gates of life, men indeed regarded his exceeding great glory, yet their sight remained uninjured; he allowed them to gaze, the brightness of his person concealed for a time, as when we look upon the moon in heaven. his body nevertheless was effulgent with light, and, like the sun which eclipses the shining of the lamp, so the true gold-like beauty of bodhisattwa shone forth and was everywhere diffused. upright and firm, and unconfused in mind, he deliberately took seven steps, the soles of his feet resting evenly upon the ground as he went, his footmarks remained bright as seven stars. moving like the lion, king of beasts, and looking earnestly toward the four quarters, penetrating to the centre the principles of truth, he spoke thus with the fullest assurance: this birth is in the condition of buddha; after this i have done with renewed birth; _now only am i born this once, for the purpose of saving all the world._'" a third time the prince stopped, and, throwing up his hand to command attention, he asked: "my lord, who will say this was not also a redeemer? see now what next ensued"--and he read on: "'and now from the midst of heaven there descended two streams of pure water, one warm, the other cold, and baptized his head.'" pausing again, the speaker searched the faces of his auditors on the right and left, while he exclaimed in magnetic repetition: "baptism--_baptism_--baptism and miracle!" constantine sat, like the rest, his attention fixed; but the gray-clad monk still standing grimly raised a crucifix before him as if taking refuge behind it. "my lord is seeing the likenesses these things bear to the conception, birth and mission of jesus christ, the later blessed one, who is nevertheless his first in love. he is comparing the incidents of the two incarnations of the spirit or holy ghost; he is asking himself: 'can there have been several sons of god?' and he is replying: 'that were indeed merciful--blessed be god!'" the emperor made no sign one way or the other. "suffer me to help my lord yet a little more," the prince continued, apparently unobservant of the lowering face behind the crucifix. "he remembers angels came down the night of the nativity in the cave by bethlehem; he cannot forget the song they sung to the shepherds. how like these honors to the bodhisattwa!"--and he read from the roll: ... "'meanwhile the devas'--angels, if my lord pleases--'the devas in space, seizing their jewelled canopies, attending, raise in responsive harmony their heavenly songs to encourage him.' nor was this all, my lord," and he continued reading: "'on every hand the world was greatly shaken.... the minutest atoms of sandal perfume, and the hidden sweetness of precious lilies, floated on the air, and rose through space, and then commingling came back to earth.... all cruel and malevolent kinds of beings together conceived a loving heart; all diseases and afflictions amongst men, without a cure applied, of themselves were healed; the cries of beasts were hushed; the stagnant waters of the river courses flowed apace; no clouds gathered on the heavens, while angelic music, self-caused, was heard around.... so when bodhisattwa was born, he came to remove the sorrows of all living things. mara alone was grieved.' o my reverend brethren!" cried the prince, fervently, "who was this mara that he should not share in the rejoicing of all nature else? in christian phrase, satan, and mara alone was grieved." "do the likenesses stop with the births, my brethren are now asking. let us follow the bodhisattwa. on reaching the stage of manhood, he also retired into the wilderness. 'the valley of the se-na was level and full of fruit trees, with no noxious insects,' say these scriptures: 'and there he dwelt under a sala tree. and he fasted nigh to death. the devas offered him sweet dew, but he rejected it, and took but a grain of millet a day.' now what think you of this as a parallel incident of his sojourn in the wilderness?" and he read: ... "'mara devaraga, enemy of religion, alone was grieved, and rejoiced not. he had three daughters, mincingly beautiful, and of a pleasant countenance. with them, and all his retinue, he went to the grove of "fortunate rest," vowing the world should not find peace, and there'"--the prince forsook the roll--"'and there he tempted bodhisattwa, and menaced him, a legion of devils assisting.' the daughters, it is related, were changed to old women, and of the battle this is written: ... 'and now the demon host waxed fiercer, and added force to force, grasping at stones they could not lift, or lifting them they could not let them go; their flying spears stuck fast in space refusing to descend; the angry thunder-drops and mighty hail, with them, were changed into five-colored lotus flowers; while the foul poison of the dragon snakes was turned into spicy-breathing air'--and mara fled, say the scriptures, fled gnashing his teeth, while bodhisattwa reposed peacefully under a fall of heavenly flowers." the prince, looking about him after this, said calmly: "now judge i by myself; not a heart here but hears in the intervals of its beating, the text: 'then was jesus led up by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil'--and that other text: 'then the devil leaveth him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto him.' verily, my lord, was not the spirit the same spirit, and did it not in both incarnations take care of its own?" thereupon the prince again sought for a page on the roll, watching the while with his ears, and the audience drew long breaths, and rested from their rigor of attention. then also the emperor spoke to the prince. "i pray you, prince of india, take a little rest. your labor is of the kind exhaustive to mind and body: and in thought of it, i ordered refreshments for you and these, my other guests. is not this a good time to renew thyself?" the prince, rising from a low reverence, replied: "indeed your majesty has the kingly heart; but i pray you, in return, hear me until i have brought the parallel, my present point of argument, to an end; then i will most gladly avail myself of your great courtesy; after which--your patience, and the goodwill of these reverend fathers, holding on--i will resume and speedily finish my discourse." "as you will. we are most interested. or"--and the emperor, glancing over toward the monk on his feet, said coldly: "or, if my declaration does not fairly vouch the feeling of all present, those objecting have permission to retire upon the adjournment. we will hear you, prince." the ascetic answered by lifting his crucifix higher. then, having found the page he wanted, the prince, holding his finger upon it, proceeded: "it would not become me, my lord, to assume an appearance of teaching you and this audience, most learned in the gospels, concerning them, especially the things said by the blessed one of the later incarnation, whom we call the christ. we all know the spirit for which he was both habitation and tongue, came down to save the world from sin and hell; we also know what he required for the salvation. so, even so, did bodhisattwa. listen to him now--he is talking to his disciples: ... 'i will teach you,' he said, to the faithful ananda, 'a way of truth, called the mirror of truth, which, if an elect disciple possess, he may himself predict of himself, "hell is destroyed for me, and rebirth as an animal, or a ghost, or any place of woe. i am converted. i am no longer liable to be reborn in a state of suffering, and am assured of final salvation."'... ah, your majesty is asking, will the parallel never end? not yet, not yet! for the bodhisattwa did miracles as well. i read again: ... 'and the blessed one came once to the river ganges, and found it overflowing. those with him, designing to cross, began to seek for boats, some for rafts of wood, while some made rafts of basket-work. then the blessed one, as instantaneously as a strong man would stretch forth his arm and draw it back again when he had stretched it forth, vanished from this side of the river, and stood on the further bank with the company of his brethren.'" the stir the quotation gave rise to being quieted, the prince, quitting the roll, said: "like that, my lord, was the bodhisattwa's habit on entering assemblies of men, to become of their color--he, you remember, was from birth of the color of gold just flashed in the crucible--and in a voice like theirs instructing them. then, say the scriptures, they, not knowing him, would ask, who may this be that speaks? a man or a god? then he would vanish away. like that again was his purifying the water which had been stirred up by the wheels of five hundred carts passing through it. he was thirsty, and at his bidding his companion filled a cup, and lo! the water was clear and delightful. still more decided, when he was dying there was a mighty earthquake, and the thunders of heaven broke forth, and the spirits stood about to see him until there was no spot, say the scriptures, in size even as the pricking of the point of the tip of a hair not pervaded with them; and he saw them, though they were invisible to his disciples; and then when the last reverence of his five hundred brethren was paid at his feet, the pyre being ready, it took fire of itself, and there was left of his body neither soot nor ashes--only the bones for relics. then, again, as the pyre had kindled itself, so when the body was burned up streams of water descended from the skies, and other streams burst from the earth, and extinguished the fire. finally, my lord, the parallel ends in the modes of death. bodhisattwa chose the time and place for himself, and the circumstances of his going were in harmony with his heavenly character. death was never arrayed in such beauty. the twin sala trees, one at the head of his couch, the other at the foot, though out of season, sprinkled him with their flowers, and the sky rained powder of sandal-wood, and trembled softly with the incessant music and singing of the floating gandharvis. but he whose soul was the spirit, last incarnate, the christ"--the prince stopped--the blood forsook his face--he took hold of the table to keep from falling--and the audience arose in alarm. "look to the prince!" the emperor commanded. those nearest the ailing man offered him their arms, but with a mighty effort he spoke to them naturally: "thank you, good friends--it is nothing." then he said louder: "it is nothing, my lord--it is gone now. i was about to say of the christ, how different was his dying, and with that ends the parallel between him and the bodhisattwa as sons of god.... now, if it please your majesty, i will not longer detain your guests from the refreshments awaiting them." a chair was brought for him; and when he was seated, a long line of servants in livery appeared with the collation. in a short time the prince was himself again. the mention of the saviour, in connection with his death, had suddenly projected the scene of the crucifixion before him, and the sight of the cross and the sufferer upon it had for the moment overcome him. chapter xvi how the new faith was received it had been better for the prince of india if he had not consented to the intermission graciously suggested by the emperor. the monk with the hollow eyes who had arisen and posed behind his crucifix, like an exorcist, was no other than george scholarius, whom, for the sake of historical conformity, we shall from this call gennadius; and far from availing himself of his majesty's permission to retire, that person was observed to pass industriously from chair to chair circulating some kind of notice. of the refreshments he would none; his words were few, his manner earnest; and to him, beyond question, it was due that when order was again called, the pleasure the prince drew from seeing every seat occupied was dashed by the scowling looks which met him from all sides. the divining faculty, peculiarly sharpened in him, apprised him instantly of an influence unfriendly to his project--a circumstance the more remarkable since he had not as yet actually stated any project. upon taking the floor, the prince placed the large judean bible before him opened, and around it his other references, impressing the audience with an idea that in his own view the latter were of secondary importance. "my lord, and reverend sirs," he began, with a low salutation to the emperor, "the fulness of the parallel i have run between the bodhisattwa, son of maya, and jesus christ, son of mary, may lead to a supposition that they were the only blessed ones who have appeared in the world honored above men because they were chosen for the incarnation of the spirit. in these scriptures," unrolling the _sutra_ or _book of the great decease_--"frequent statements imply a number of tathagatas or buddhas of irregular coming. in this"--putting a finger on a chinese _king_--"time is divided into periods termed _kalpas_, and in one place it is said ninety-eight buddhas illuminated one kalpa [footnote: eakin's chinese buddhism, 14.]--that is, came and taught as saviours. nor shall any man deny the spirit manifest in each of them was the same spirit. they preached the same holy doctrine, pointed out the same road to salvation, lived the same pure unworldly lives, and all alike made a declaration of which i shall presently speak; in other words, my lord, the features of the spirit were the same in all of them.... here in these rolls, parts of the sacred books of the east, we read of shun. i cannot fix his days, they were so long ago. indeed, i only know he must have been an adopted of the spirit by his leaving behind him the tao, or law, still observed among the chinese as their standard of virtue.... here also is the _avesta_, most revered remains of the magi, from whom, as many suppose, the wise men who came up to jerusalem witnesses of the birth of the new king of the jews were sent." this too he identified with his finger. "its teacher is zarathustra, and, in my faith, the spirit descended upon him and abode with him while he was on the earth. the features all showed themselves in him--in his life, his instruction, and in the honors paid him through succeeding generations. his religion yet lives, though founded hundreds of years before your gentle nazarene walked the waters of galilee.... and here, o my lord, is a book abhorred by christians"--he laid his whole hand on the koran--"how shall it be judged? by the indifferent manner too many of those ready to die defending its divine origin observe it? alas! what religion shall survive that test? in the visions of mahomet i read of god, moses, the patriarchs--nay, my lord, i read of him called the christ. shall we not beware lest in condemning mahomet we divest this other bible"--he reverently touched the great eusebian volume--"of some of its superior holiness? he calls himself a prophet. can a man prophesy except he have in him the light of the spirit?" the question awoke the assemblage. a general signing of the cross was indulged in by the fathers, and there was groaning hard to distinguish from growls. gennadius kept his seat, nervously playing with his rosary. the countenance of the patriarch was unusually grave. in all his experience it is doubtful if the prince ever touched a subject requiring more address than this dealing with the koran. he resumed without embarrassment: "now, my lord, i shall advance a step nearer my real subject. think not, i pray, that the things i have spoken of the bodhisattwa, of shun, of zarathustra, of mahomet, likening them in their entertainment of the spirit to jesus, was to excite comparisons; such as which was the holiest, which did the most godly things, which is most worthy to be accounted the best beloved of the father; for i come to bury all strife of the kind.... i said i had been to the mountain's top; and now, my lord, did you demand of me to single out and name the greatest of the wonders i thence beheld, i should answer: neither on the sea, nor on the land, nor in the sky is there a wonder like unto the perversity which impels men to invent and go on inventing religions and sects, and then persecute each other on account of them. and when i prayed to be shown the reason of it, i thought i heard a voice, 'open thine eyes--see!' ... and the first thing given me to see was that the blessed ones who went about speaking for the spirit which possessed them were divine; yet they walked the earth, not as gods, but witnesses of god; asking hearing and belief, not worship; begging men to come unto them as guides sent to show them the only certain way to everlasting life in glory--only that and nothing more.... the next thing i saw, a bright light in a white glass set on a dark hill, was the waste of worship men are guilty of in bestowing it on inferior and often unworthy objects. when jesus prayed, it was to our father in heaven, was it not?--meaning not to himself, or anything human, or anything less than human.... one other thing i was permitted to see; and the reserving it last is because it lies nearest the proposal i have come a great distance to submit to my lord and these most reverend brethren in holiness. every place i have been in which men are not left to their own imaginings of life and religion--in every land and island touched by revelation--a supreme god is recognized, the same in qualities--creator, protector, father--infinite in power, infinite in love--the indivisible one! asked you never, my lord, the object he had in intrusting his revelation to us, and why the blessed ones, his sons in the spirit, were bid come here and go yonder by stony paths? let me answer with what force is left me. there is in such permissions but one intention which a respectful mind can assign to a being great and good as god--one altar, one worship, one prayer, and he the soul of them. with a flash of his beneficent thought he saw in one religion peace amongst men. strange--most strange! in human history no other such marvel! there has been nothing so fruitful of bickering, hate, murder and war. such is the seeming, and so i thought, my lord, until on the mountain's highest peak, whence all concerns lie in view below, i opened my eyes and perceived the wrestling of tongues and fighting were not about god, but about forms, and immaterialities, more especially the blessed ones to whom he had intrusted his spirit. from the ceylonesian: 'who is worthy praise but buddha?' 'no,' the islamite answers: 'who but mahomet?' and from the parsee; 'no--who but zarathustra?' 'have done with your vanities,' the christian thunders: 'who has told the truth like jesus?' then the flame of swords, and the cruelty of blows--all in god's name!" this was bold speaking. "and now, my lord," the prince went on, his appearance of exceeding calmness belied only by the exceeding brightness of his eyes, "god wills an end to controversy and wars blasphemously waged in his name, and i am sent to tell you of it; and for that the spirit is in me." here gennadius again arose, crucifix in hand. "i am returned from visiting many of the nations," the prince continued, nothing daunted. "they demanded of me a faith broad enough for them to stand upon while holding fast the lesser ideas grown up in their consciences; and, on my giving them such a faith, they said they were ready to do the will, but raised a new condition. some one must move first. 'go find that one,' they bade me, 'and we will follow after.' in saying now i am ambassador appointed to bring the affair to your majesty and your majesty's people, enlightened enough to see the will of the supreme master, and of a courage to lead in the movement, with influence and credit to carry it peacefully forward to a glorious end, i well know how idle recommendation and entreaty are except i satisfy you in the beginning that they have the sanction of heaven; and thereto now.... i take no honor to myself as author of the faith presented in answer to the demand of the nations. in old cities there are houses under houses, along streets underlying streets, and to find them, the long buried, men dig deep and laboriously; that did i, until in these old testaments"--he cast a loving glance at all the sacred books--"i made a precious discovery. i pray your majesty's patience while i read from them.... this from the judean bible: 'and god said unto moses, i am that i am: and he said, this shalt thou say unto the children of israel, i am hath sent me unto you.' thus did god, of whom we have no doubt, name himself to one chosen race.... next from a holy man of china who lived nearly five hundred years before the christ was born: 'although any one be a bad man, if he fasts and is collected, he may indeed offer sacrifices unto god.' [footnote: faber's _mind of mencius_]... and from the _avesta_, this of the creed of the magi: 'the world is twofold, being the work of ahura mazda and angra mainyu: all that is good in the world comes from the first principle (which is god) and all that is bad from the latter (which is satan). angra mainyu invaded the world after it was made by ahura mazda and polluted it, but the conflict will some day end.' [footnote: sir william jones.] the first principle here is god. but most marvellous, because of the comparison it will excite, hearken to this from the same magian creed: 'when the time is full, a son of the lawgiver still unborn, named saoshyant, will appear; then angra mainyu (satan) and hell will be destroyed, men will arise from the dead, and everlasting happiness reign over the world.' here again the lawgiver is god; but the son--who is he? has he come? is he gone? ... next, take these several things from the _vedas_: 'by one supreme ruler is the universe pervaded, even every world in the whole circle of nature. there is one supreme spirit which nothing can shake, more swift than the thought of man. the primeval mover even divine intelligence cannot reach; that spirit, though unmoved, infinitely transcends others, how rapid soever their course; it is distant from us, yet very near; it pervades the whole system of worlds, yet is infinitely beyond it.' [footnote: _ibid._ vol. xiii.] now, my lord, and very reverend sirs, do not the words quoted come to us clean of mystery? or have you the shadow of a doubt whom they mean, accept and consider the prayer i read you now from the same _vedas:_ 'o thou who givest sustenance to the world, thou sole mover of all, thou who restrainest sinners, who pervadest yon great luminary which appearest as the son of the creator; hide thy struggling beams and expand thy spiritual brightness that i may view thy most auspicious, most glorious, real form. om, remember me, divine spirit! om, remember my deeds! let my soul return to the immortal spirit of god, and then let my body, which ends in ashes, return to dust.' who is om? or is my lord yet uncertain, let him heed this from the _holiest verse of the vedas_: 'without hand or foot, he runs rapidly, and grasps firmly; without eyes, he sees; without ears, he hears all; he knows whatever can be known, but there is none who knows him: him the wise call the great, supreme, pervading spirit.' [footnote: sir william jones. vol. xiii.] ... now once more, o my lord, and i am done with citation and argument. ananda asked the bodhisattwa what was the mirror of truth, and he had this answer: 'it is the consciousness that the elect disciple is in this world possessed of faith in buddha, believing the blessed one to be the holy one, the fully enlightened one, wise, upright, happy, world-knowing, supreme, the bridler of men's wayward hearts, the teacher of gods and men--the blessed buddha.' [footnote: rehys david's _buddhist sutras_.] oh, good my lord, a child with intellect barely to name the mother who bore him, should see and say, here god is described!" ... the prince came to a full stop, and taking a fine silken cloth from a pocket in his gown, he carefully wiped the open pages of the eusebian bible, and shut it. of the other books he made a separate heap, first dusting each of them. the assemblage watched him expectantly. the fathers had been treated to strange ideas, matter for thought through many days and nights ahead; still each of them felt the application was wanting. "the purpose--give it us--and quickly!" would have been a fair expression of their impatience. at length he proceeded: "dealing with children, my lord, and reverend sirs," he began, "it is needful to stop frequently, and repeat the things we have said; but you are men trained in argument: wherefore, with respect to the faith asked of me as i have told you by the nations, i say simply it is god; and touching his sanction of it, you may wrest these testaments from me and make ashes of them, but you shall not now deny his approval of the faith i bring you. it is not in the divine nature for god to abjure himself. who of you can conceive him shrunk to so small a measure?" the dogmatic vehemence amazed the listeners. "whether this idea of god is broad enough to accommodate all the religions grown up on the earth, i will not argue; for i desire to be most respectful"--thus the speaker went on in his natural manner. "but should you accept it as enough, you need not be at loss for a form in which to put it. 'master,' the lawyer asked, 'which is the great commandment in the law?' and the master answered: 'thou shalt love the lord thy god with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind;' and he added: 'this is the first and great commandment.' my lord, no man else ever invented, nor shall any man ever invent an expression more perfectly definitive of the highest human duty--the total of doctrine. i will not tell you who the master uttering it was; neither will i urge its adoption; only if the world were to adopt it, and abide by it, there would be an end to wars and rumors of war, and god would have his own. if the church here in your ancient capital were first to accept it, what happiness i should have carrying the glad tidings to the peoples"-the prince was not allowed to finish the sentence. "what do i understand, o prince, by the term 'total of doctrine'?" it was the patriarch speaking. "belief in god." in a moment the assemblage became uproarious, astounding the emperor; and in the midst of the excitement, gennadius was seen on tip-toe, waving his crucifix with the energy of command. "question--a question!" he cried. quiet was presently given him. "in thy total of doctrine, what is jesus christ?" the voice of the patriarch, enfeebled by age and disease, had been scarcely heard; his rival's penetrated to the most distant corner; and the question happening to be the very thought pervading the assemblage, the churchmen, the courtiers, and most of the high officials arose to hear the reply. in a tone distinct as his interlocutor's, but wholly without passion, the master actor returned: "a son of god." "and mahomet, the father of islam--what is he?" if the ascetic had put the name of siddartha, the bodhisattwa, in his second question, his probing had not been so deep, nor the effect so quick and great; but mahomet, the camel-driver! centuries of feud, hate, crimination, and wars--rapine, battles, sieges, massacres, humiliations, lopping of territory, treaties broken, desecration of churches, spoliation of altars, were evoked by the name mahomet. we have seen it a peculiarity of the prince of india never to forget a relation once formed by him. now behind constantine he beheld young mahommed waiting for him--mahommed and revenge. if his scheme were rejected by the greeks, very well--going to the turks would be the old exchange with which he was familiar, cross for crescent. to be sure there was little time to think this; nor did he think it--it appeared and went a glare of light--and he answered: "he will remain, in the spirit another of the sons of god." then gennadius, beating the air with his crucifix: "liar--impostor--traitor! ambassador of satan thou! behind thee hell uncurtained! mahomet himself were more tolerable! thou mayst turn black white, quench water with fire, make ice of the blood in our hearts, all in a winking or slowly, our reason resisting, but depose the pure and blessed saviour, or double his throne in the invisible kingdom with mahomet, prince of liars, man of blood, adulterer, monster for whom hell had to be enlarged--that shalt thou never! a body without a soul, an eye its light gone out, a tomb rifled of its dead--such the church without its christ! ... ho, brethren! shame on us that we are guests in common with this fiend in cunning! we are not hosts to bid him begone; yet we can ourselves begone. follow me, o lovers of christ and the church! to your tents, o israel!" the speaker's face was purple with passion; his voice filled the chamber; many of the monks broke from their seats and rushed howling and blindly eager to get nearer him. the patriarch sat ashy white, helplessly crossing himself. constantine excellently and rapidly judging what became him as emperor and host, sent four armed officers to protect the prince, who held his appointed place apparently surprised but really interested in the scene--to him it was an exhibition of unreasoning human nature replying to an old-fashioned impulse of bigotry. hardly were the guards by the table, when gennadius rushed past going to the door, the schismatics at his heels in a panic. the pulling and hauling, the hurry-skurry of the mad exit must be left to the imagination. it was great enough to frighten thoroughly the attendants of the princess irene. directly there remained in the chamber with his majesty, the attaches of the court, the patriarch and his adherents. then constantine quietly asked: "where is duke notaras?" there was much looking around, but no response. the countenance of the monarch was observed to change, but still mindful, he bade the dean conduct the prince to him. "be not alarmed, prince. my people are quick of temper, and sometimes they act hastily. if you have more to say, we are of a mind to hear you to the end." the prince could not but admire the composure of his august host. after a low reverence, he returned: "perhaps i tried the reverend fathers unreasonably; yet it would be a much greater grief to me if their impatience extended to your majesty. i was not alarmed; neither have i aught to add to my discourse, unless it pleases you to ask of anything in it which may have been left obscure or uncertain." constantine signed to the patriarch and all present to draw nearer. "good dean, a chair for his serenity." in a short time the space in front of the dais was occupied. "i understand the prince of india has submitted to us a proposal looking to a reform of our religion," his majesty said, to the patriarch; "and courtesy requiring an answer, the violence to which we have just been subjected, and the spirit of insubordination manifested, make it imperative that you listen to what i now return him, and with attention, lest a misquotation or false report lead to further trouble.... prince," he continued, "i think i comprehend you. the world is sadly divided with respect to religion, and out of its divisions have proceeded the mischiefs to which you have referred. your project is not to be despised. it reminds me of the song, the sweetest ear ever listened to--'peace and good will toward men.' its adoption, nevertheless, is another matter. i have not power to alter the worship of my empire. our present creed was a conclusion reached by a council too famous in history not to be conspicuously within your knowledge. every word of it is infinitely sacred. it fixed the relations between god the father, christ the son, and men to my satisfaction, and that of my subjects. serenity, do thou say if i may apply the remark to the church." "your majesty," the patriarch replied, "the holy greek church can never consent to omit the lord jesus christ from its worship. you have spoken well, and it had been better if the brethren had remained to hear you." "thanks, o most venerated--thanks," said the emperor, inclining his head. "a council having established the creed of the church," he resumed, to the prince of india, "the creed is above change to the extent of a letter except by another council solemnly and authoritatively convoked. wherefore, o prince, i admit myself wiser of the views you have presented; i admit having been greatly entertained by your eloquence and rhetoric; and i promise myself further happiness and profit in drawing upon the stores of knowledge with which you appear so amply provided, results doubtless of your study and travel--yet you have my answer." the faculty of retiring his thoughts and feelings deeper in his heart as occasion demanded, was never of greater service to the prince than now; he bowed, and asked if he had permission to retire; and receiving it, he made the usual prostrations, and began moving backwards. "a moment, prince," said constantine. "i hope your residence is permanently fixed in our capital." "your majesty is very gracious, and i thank you. if i leave the city, it will be to return again, and speedily." at the door of the palace the prince found an escort waiting for him, and taking his chair, he departed from blacherne. chapter xvii lael and the sword of solomon alone in his house, the prince of india was unhappy, but not, as the reader may hurriedly conclude, on account of the rejection by the christians of his proposal looking to brotherhood in the bonds of religion. he was a trifle sore over the failure, but not disappointed. a reasonable man, and, what times his temper left him liberty to think, a philosopher, he could not hope after the observations he brought from mecca to find the followers of the nazarene more relaxed in their faith than the adherents of mahomet. in short, he had gone to the palace warned of what would happen. it was not an easy thing for him to fold up his grand design preparatory to putting it away forever; still there was no choice left him; and now he would move for vengeance. away with hesitation. descending the heights of blacherne, he had felt pity for constantine who, though severely tried in the day's affair, had borne himself with dignity throughout; but it was mahommed's hour. welcome mahommed! between the two, the prince's predilections were all for the turk, and they had been from the meeting at the white castle. besides personal accomplishments and military prestige, besides youth, itself a mighty preponderant, there was the other argument--separating mahommed from the strongest power in the world, there stood only an ancient whose death was a daily expectation. "what opportunities the young man will have to offer me! i have but to make the most of his ambition--to loan myself to it--to direct it." thus the seer reasoned, returning from blacherne to his house. at the door, however, he made a discovery. there the first time during the day he thought of her in all things the image of the lael whom he had buried under the great stone in front of the golden gate at jerusalem. we drop a grain in the ground, and asking nothing of us but to be let alone, it grows, and flowers, and at length amazes us with fruit. such had been the outcome of his adoption of the daughter of the son of jahdai. the prince called syama. "make ready the chair and table on the roof," he said. while waiting, he ate some bread dipped in wine: then walked the room rubbing his hands as if washing them. he sighed frequently. even the servants could see he was in trouble. at length he went to the roof. evening was approaching. on the table were the lamp, the clock, the customary writing materials, a fresh map of the heavens, and a perfect diagram of a nativity to be cast. he took the map in his hand, and smiled--it was lael's work. "how she has improved!--and how rapidly!" he said aloud, ending a retrospect which began with the hour uel consented to her becoming his daughter. she was unlettered then, but how helpful now. he felt an artist's pride in her growth in knowledge. there were tedious calculations which she took off his hands; his geometrical drawings of the planets in their houses were frequently done in haste; she perfected them next day. she had numberless daughterly ways which none but those unused to them like him would have observed. what delight she took in watching the sky for the first appearance of the stars. in this work she lent him her young eyes, and there was such enthusiasm in the exclamations with which she greeted the earliest wink of splendor from the far-off orbs. and he had ailing days; then she would open the great eusebian scriptures at the page he asked for, and read--sometimes from job, sometimes from isaiah, but generally from exodus, for in his view there was never man like moses. the contest with pharaoh--how prodigious! the battles in magic--what glory in the triumphs won! the luring the haughty king into the red sea, and bringing him under the walls of water suddenly let loose! what majestic vengeance! of the idle dreams of aged persons the possibility of attaching the young to them in sentimental bonds of strength to insure resistance to every other attachment is the idlest. positive, practical, experienced though he was, the childless man had permitted this fantasy to get possession of him. he actually brought himself to believe lael's love of him was of that enduring kind. with no impure purpose, yet selfishly, and to bring her under his influence until of preference she could devote her life to him, with its riches of affection, admiration, and dutiful service, he had surrendered himself to her; therefore the boundless pains taken by him personally in her education, the surrounding her with priceless luxuries which he alone could afford--in brief, the attempt to fasten himself upon her youthful fancy as a titled sage and master of many mysteries. so at length it came to pass, while he was happy in his affection for her, he was even happier in her affection for himself; indeed he cultivated the latter sentiment and encouraged it in winding about his being until, in utter unconsciousness, he belonged to it, and, in repetition of experiences common to others, instead of lael's sacrificing herself for him, he was ready to sacrifice everything for her. this was the discovery he made at the door of his house. the reader should try to fancy him in the chair by the table on the roof. evening has passed into night. the city gives out no sound, and the stars have the heavens to themselves. he is lost in thought--or rather, accepting the poetic fancy of a division of the heart into chambers, in that apartment of the palpitating organ of the prince of india supposed to be the abode of the passions, a very noisy parliament was in full session. the speaker--that is, the prince himself--submitted the question: shall i remain here, or go to mahommed? awhile he listened to revenge, whose speech in favor of the latter alternative may be imagined; and not often had its appeals been more effective. ambition spoke on the same side. it pointed out the opportunities offered, and dwelt upon them until the chairman nodded like one both convinced and determined. these had an assistant not exactly a passion but a kinsman collaterally--love of mischief--and when the others ceased, it insisted upon being heard. on the other side, lael led the opposition. she stood by the president's chair while her opponents were arguing, her arms round his neck; when they were most urgent, she would nurse his hand, and make use of some trifling endearment; upon their conclusion, she would gaze at him mutely, and with tears. not once did she say anything. in the midst of this debate, lael herself appeared, and kissed him on the forehead. "thou here!" he said. "why not?" she asked. "nothing--only"-she did not give him time to finish, but caught up the map, and seeing it fresh and unmarked, exclaimed: "you did so greatly to-day, you ought to rest." he was surprised. "did so greatly?" "at the palace." "put the paper down. now, o my gul bahar"--and he took her hand, and carried it to his cheek, and pressed it softly there--"deal me no riddle. what is it you say? one may do well, yet come out badly." "i was at the market in my father uel's this afternoon," she began, "when sergius came in." a face wonderfully like the face of the man he helped lead out to golgotha flashed before the prince, a briefest passing gleam. "he heard you discourse before the emperor. how wickedly that disgusting gennadius behaved!" "yes," the prince responded darkly, "a sovereign beset with such spirits is to be pitied. but what did the young man think of my proposal to the emperor?" "but for one verse in the testament of christ"-"nay, dear, say jesus of nazareth." "well, of jesus--but for one verse he could have accepted your argument of many sons of god in the spirit." "what is the verse?" "it is where a disciple speaks of jesus as the only begotten. son." the wanderer smiled. "the young man is too literal. he forgets that the only begotten son may have had many incarnations." "the princess irene was also present," lael went on. "sergius said she too could accept your argument did you alter it"-"alter it!"--a bitter look wrung the prince's countenance--"sergius, a monk not yet come to orders, and irene, a princess without a husband. oh, a small return for my surrender! ... i am tired--very tired," he said impatiently--"and i have so much, so much to think of. come, good night." "can i do nothing for you?" "yes, tell syama to bring me some water." "and wine?" "yes, some wine." "very well. good night." he drew her to his breast. "good night. o my gul bahar!" she went lightly away, never dreaming of the parliament to which she left him. when she was gone, he sat motionless for near an hour, seeing nothing in the time, although syama set water and wine on the table. and it may be questioned if he heard anything, except the fierce debate going on in his heart. finally he aroused, looked at the sky, arose, and walked around the table; and his expression of face, his actions, were those of a man who had been treading difficult ground, but was safely come out of it. filling a small crystal cup, and holding the red liquor, rich with garnet sparkles, between his eyes and the lamp, he said: "it is over. she has won. if there were for me but the years of one life, the threescore and ten of the psalmist, it had been different. the centuries will bring me a mahommed gallant as this one, and opportunities great as he offers; but never another lael. farewell ambition! farewell revenge! the world may take care of itself. i will turn looker-on, and be amused, and sleep.... to hold her, i will live for her, but in redoubled state. so will i hurry her from splendor to splendor, and so fill her days with moving incidents, she shall not have leisure to think of another love. i will be powerful and famous for her sake. here in this old centre of civilization there shall be two themes for constant talk, constantine and myself. against his rank and patronage, i will set my wealth. ay, for her sake! and i will begin to-morrow." the next day he spent in making drawings and specifications for a palace. the second day he traversed the city looking for a building site. the third day he bought the site most to his fancy. the fourth day he completed a design for a galley of a hundred oars, that it might be sea-going far as the pillars of hercules. nothing ever launched from the imperial docks should surpass it in magnificence. when he went sailing on the bosphorus, byzantium should assemble to witness his going, and with equal eagerness wait the day through to behold him return. and for the four days, lael was present and consulted in every particular. they talked like two children. the schemes filled him with a delight which would have been remarkable in a boy. he packed his books and put away his whole paraphernalia of study--through lael's days he would be an actor in the social world, not a student. of course he recurred frequently to the engagements with mahommed. they did not disturb him. the turk might clamor--no matter, there was the ever ready answer about the unready stars. the veteran intriguer even laughed, thinking how cunningly he had provided against contingencies. but there was a present practical requirement begotten of these schemes--he must have money--soldans by the bag full. very early in the morning of the fifth day, having studied the weather signs from his housetop, he went with nilo to the harbor gate of blacherne, seeking a galley suitable for an outing of a few days on the marmora. he found one, and by noon she was fitted out, and with him and nilo aboard, flying swiftly around point serail. under an awning over the rudder-deck, he sat observing the brown-faced wall of the city, and the pillars and cornices of the noble structures towering above it. as the vessel was about passing the seven towers, now a ruin with a most melancholy history, but in that day a well-garrisoned fortress, he conversed with the master of the galley. "i have no business in the strict meaning of the term," he said, in good humor. "the city has become tiresome to me, and i have fancied a run on the water would be bracing to body and restful to mind. so keep on down the sea. when i desire a change of direction, i will tell you." the mariner was retiring. "stay," the prince continued, his attention apparently caught by two immense gray rocks rising bluffly out of the blue rippling in which the isles of the princes seemed afloat--"what are those yonder? islands, of course, but their names?" "oxia and plati--the one nearest us is oxia." "are they inhabited?" "yes and no," the captain replied, smiling. "oxia used to have a convent, but it is abandoned now. there may be some hermits in the caves on the other side, but i doubt if the poor wretches have noumias to keep their altars in candles. it was so hard to coax visitors into believing god had ever anything to do with the dreary place that patrons concluded to give it over to the bad. plati is a trifle more cheerful. three or four monks keep what used to be the prison there; but they are strays from unknown orders, and live by herding a few starving goats and cultivating snails for the market." "have you been on either of them recently?" "yes, on plati." "when?" "within the year." "well, you excite my curiosity. it is incredible that there can be two such desolations in such close vicinity to yon famous capital. turn and row me around them." the captain was pleased to gratify his passenger, and stood by him while the galley encircled oxia, telling legends, and pointing out the caves to which celebrated anchorites had lent their names. he gave in full the story of basil and prusien, who quarrelled, and fought a duel to the scandal of the church; whereupon constantine viii., then emperor, exiled them, the former to oxia, the latter to plati, where their sole consolation the remainder of their lives was gazing at each other from the mouths of their respective caverns. for some reason, plati, to which he next crossed, was of more interest to the prince than its sister isle. what a cruel exterior the prison at the north end had! wolves and bats might live in it, but men--impossible! he drew back horrified when told circumstantially of the underground cells. while yet on the eastern side, the passenger said he would like to go up to the summit. "there," he exclaimed, pointing to a part of the bluff which appeared to offer a climb, "put me on that shelving rock. i think i can go up by it." the small boat was lowered, and directly he set foot on the identical spot which received him when, in the night fifty-six years before, he made the ascent with the treasures of hiram king of tyre. almost any other man would have given at least a thought to that adventure; the slice out of some lives would have justified a tear; but he was too intent thinking about the jewels and the sword of solomon. his affected awkwardness in climbing amused the captain, watching him from the deck, but at last he gained the top of the bluff. the plain there was the same field of sickly weeds and perishing vines, with here and there a shrub, and yonder a stunted olive tree, covered trunk and branches with edible snails. if it brought anything in the market, the crop, singular only to the western mind, was plenteous enough to be profitable to its farmers. there too was the debris of the tower. with some anxiety he went to the stone which the reader will probably remember as having to be rolled away from the mouth of the hiding-place. it had not been disturbed. these observations taken, he descended the bluff, and was received aboard the galley. a very cautious man was the prince of india. in commercial parlance, he was out to cash a draft on the plati branch of his quadruple bank. he was not down to assist the captain of the galley to partnership with him in the business. so, after completing the circuit of plati, the vessel bore away for prinkipo and halki, which greek wealth and taste had converted into dreamful paradises. there it lay the night and next day, while the easy-going passenger, out for air and rest, amused himself making excursions to the convents and neighboring hills. the second night, a perfect calm prevailing, he took the small boat, and went out on the sea drifting, having provided himself with wine and water, the latter in a new gurglet bought for the trip. the captain need not be uneasy if he were late returning, he said on departing. nilo was an excellent sailor, and had muscle and spirit to contend against a blow. the tranquil environments of prinkipo were enlivened by other parties also drifting. their singing was borne far along the starlit sea. once beyond sight and hearing, nilo plied the oars diligently, bringing up an hour or two after midnight at the shelving rock under the eastern bluff of plati. the way to the ruined tower was then clear. precisely as at the first visit when burial was the object, the concealing stone was pushed aside; after which the prince entered the narrow passage crawling on his hands and knees. he was anxious. if the precious stones had been discovered and carried away, he would have to extend the voyage to jaffa in order to draw from the jerusalem branch of his bank. but the sword of solomon--that was not in the power of man to duplicate--its loss would be irreparable. the stones were mouldy, the passage dark, the progress slow. he had literally to feel every inch in front of him, using his hands as a caterpillar uses its antennae; but he did not complain--the difficulties were the inducements which led him to choose the hiding-place in the first instance. at length he went down a broken step, and, rising to his knees, slipped his left hand along the face of the wall until his fingers dropped into a crack between rocks. it was the spot he sought; he knew it, and breathed easily. in murky lamplight, with mallet and chisel--ah, how long ago!--he had worked a shelf there, finishing it with an oblong pocket in the bottom. to mask the hole was simple. three or four easy-fitting blocks were removed, and thrusting a hand in, he drew forth the sheepskin mantle of the elder nilo. in spite of the darkness, he could not refrain from unrolling the mildewed cover. the sword was safe! he drew the blade and shot it sharply back into the scabbard, then kissed the ruby handle, thinking again of the purchasing power there was in the relic which was yet more than a relic. the leather of the water-gurglet, stiff as wood, responded to a touch. the jewels were also safe, the great emerald with the rest. he touched the bags, counting from one to nine inclusively. then remembering the ten times he had crawled into the passage to put the treasures away, he began their removal, and kept at it until every article was safely deposited in the boat. on the way back to the galley he made new packages, using his mantle as a wrap for the sword, and the new gurglet for the bags of jewels. "i have had enough," he exclaimed to the captain, dropping wearily on the deck about noon. "take me to the city." after a moment of reflection, he added: "land me after nightfall." "we will reach the harbor before sundown." "oh, well! there is the bosphorus--go to buyukdere, and come back." "but, my lord, the captain of the gate may decline to allow you to pass." the prince smiled, and rejoined, with a thought of the bags in the gurglet thrown carelessly down by him: "up with the anchor." the sailor's surmise was groundless. disembarking about midnight, he whispered his name to the captain at the gate of blacherne, and, leaving a soldan in the official palm, was admitted without examination. on the street there was nothing curious in an old man carrying a mantle under his arm, followed by a porter with a half-filled gurglet on his shoulder. finally, the adventure safely accomplished, the prince of india was home again, and in excellent humor. one doubt assailed him--one only. he had just seen the height of candilli, an aerial wonder in a burst of moonlight, and straightway his fancy had crowned it with a structure indian in style, and of material to shine afar delicate as snow against the black bosomed mountain behind it. he was not a greek to fear the turks. nay, in turkish protection there was for him a guaranty of peaceable ownership which he could not see under constantine. and as he was bringing now the wherewith to realize his latest dream, he gave his imagination a loosened rein. he built the house; he heard the tinkling of fountains in its courts, and the echoes in the pillared recession of its halls; free of care, happy once more, with lael he walked in gardens where roses of persia exchanged perfumes with roses of araby, and the daylong singing of birds extended into noon of night; yet, after all, to the worn, weary, droughted heart nothing was so soothing as the fancy which had been his chief attendant from the gate of blacherne--that he heard strangers speaking to each other: "have you seen the palace of lael?" "no, where is it?" "on the crest of candilli." the palace of lael! the name confirmed itself sweeter and sweeter by repetition. and the doubt grew. should he build in the city or amidst the grove of judas trees on the crest of candilli? just as he arrived before his door, he glanced casually across the street, and was surprised by observing light in uel's house. it was very unusual. he would put the treasure away, and go over and inquire into the matter. hardly was he past his own lintel when syama met him. the face of the faithful servant showed unwonted excitement, and, casting himself at his master's feet, he embraced his knees, uttering the hoarse unintelligible cries with which the dumb are wont to make their suffering known. the master felt a chill of fear--something had happened--something terrible--but to whom? he pushed the poor man's head back until he caught the eyes. "what is it?" he asked. syama arose, took the prince's hand, and led him out of the door, across the street, and into uel's house. the merchant, at sight of them, rushed forward and hid his face in the master's breast, crying: "she is gone--lost!--the god of our fathers be with her!" "who is gone? who lost?" "lael, lael--our child--our gul bahar." the blood of the elder jew flew to his heart, leaving him pale as a dead man; yet such was his acquired control of himself, he asked steadily: "gone!--where?" "we do not know. she has been snatched from us--that is all we know." "tell me of it--and quickly." the tone was imperious, and he pushed uel from him. "oh! my friend--and my father's friend--i will tell you all. you are powerful, and love her, and may help where i am helpless." then by piecemeal he dealt out the explanation. "this afternoon she took her chair and went to the wall in front of the bucoleon--sunset, and she was not back. i saw syama--she was not in your house. he and i set out in search of her. she was seen on the wall--later she was seen to descend the steps as if starting home--she was seen in the garden going about on the terrace--she was seen coming out of the front gate of the old palace. we traced her down the street--then she returned to the garden, through the hippodrome, and there she was last seen. i called my friends in the market to my aid--hundreds are now looking for her." "she went out in her chair, did you say?" the steady voice of the prince was in singular contrast with his bloodless face. "yes." "who carried it?" "the men we have long had." "where are they?" "we sought for them--they cannot be found." the prince kept his eyes on uel's face. they were intensely, fiercely bright. he was not in a rage, but thinking, if a man can be said to think when his mind projects itself in a shower. lael's disappearance was not voluntary; she was in detention somewhere in the city. if the purpose of the abduction were money, she would be held in scrupulous safety, and a day or two would bring the demand; but if--he did not finish the idea--it overpowered him. pure steel in utmost flexion breaks into pieces without warning; so with this man now. he threw both hands up, and cried hoarsely: "lend me, o god, of thy vengeance!" and staggering blindly, he would have fallen but for syama. chapter xviii the festival of flowers the academy of epicurus was by no means a trifle spun for vainglory in the fertile fancy of demedes; but a fact just as the brotherhoods of the city were facts, and much more notorious than many of them. wiseacres are generally pessimistic. academy of epicurus indeed! for once there was a great deal in a name. the class mentioned repeated it sneeringly; it spoke to them, and loudly, of some philosophical wickedness. stories of the miraculous growth of the society were at first amusing; then the announcement of its housing excited loud laughter; but when its votaries attached the high sounding term _temple_ to their place of meeting, the clergy and all the devoutly inclined looked sober. in their view the word savored of outright paganism. temple of the academy of epicurus! church had been better--church was at least christian. at length, in ease of the increasing interest, notice was authoritatively issued of a festival of flowers by the academicians, their first public appearance, and great were the anticipations aroused by the further advertisement that they would march from their temple to the hippodrome. the festival took place the afternoon of the third day of the prince of india's voyage to plati. more particularly, while that distinguished foreigner on the deck of the galley was quietly sleeping off the fatigue and wear of body and spirit consequent on the visit to the desolate island, the philosophers were on parade with an immense quota of byzantines of both sexes in observation. about three thousand were in the procession, and from head to foot it was a mass of flowers. the extravaganza deserved the applause it drew. some of its features nevertheless were doubtfully regarded. between the sections into which the column was divided there marched small groups, apparently officers, clad in gowns and vestments, carrying insignia and smoking tripods well known to have belonged to various priesthoods of mythologic fame. when the cortege reached the hippodrome every one in the galleries was reminded of the glory the first constantine gained from his merciless forays upon those identical properties. in the next place, the motto of the society--patience, courage, judgment--was too frequently and ostentatiously exhibited not to attract attention. the words, it was observed, were not merely on banners lettered in gold, but illustrated by portable tableaux of exquisite appositeness and beauty. they troubled the wiseacres; for while they might mean a world of good, they might also stand for several worlds of bad. withal, however, the youthfulness of the academicians wrought the profoundest sensation upon the multitude of spectators. the march was three times round the interior, affording excellent opportunity to study the appearances; and the sober thinking, whom the rarity and tastefulness of the display did not hoodwink, when they discovered that much the greater number participating were beardless lads, shook their heads while saying to each other, at the rate these are going what is to become of the empire? as if the decadence were not already in progress, and they, the croakers, responsible for it! at the end of the first round, upon the arrival of the sections in front of the triple-headed bronze serpent, one of the wonders of the hippodrome then as now, the bearers of the tripods turned out, and set them down, until at length the impious relic was partially veiled in perfumed smoke, as was the wont in its better delphian days. nothing more shocking to the religionists could have been invented; they united in denouncing the defiant indecency. hundreds of persons, not all of them venerable and frocked, were seen to rise and depart, shaking the dust from their feet. in course of tile third circuit, the tripods were coolly picked up and returned to their several places in the procession. from a seat directly over the course, sergius beheld the gay spectacle from its earliest appearance through the portal of the blues to its exit by the portal of the greens. [footnote: the blues and the greens--two celebrated factions of constantinople. see gibbon, vii. pp. 79-89. four gates, each flanked with towers, gave entrance to the hippodrome from the city. the northwestern was called the gate of the blues; the northeastern of the greens; the southeastern gate bore the sullen title, "gate of the dead."--prof. edwin a. grosvenor.] his interest, the reader will bear reminding, was peculiar. he had been honored by a special invitation to become a member of the academy--in fact, there was a seat in the temple at the moment reserved for him. he had the great advantage, moreover, of exact knowledge of the objects of the order. godless itself, it had been organized to promote godlessness. he had given much thought to it since demedes unfolded the scheme to him, and found it impossible to believe persons of sound sense could undertake a sin so elaborate. if for any reason the state and church were unmindful of it, heaven certainly could not be. aside from the desire to satisfy himself of the strength of the academy, sergius was drawn to the hippodrome to learn, if possible, the position demedes held in it. his sympathy with the venerable hegumen, with whom mourning for the boy astray was incessant, and sometimes pathetic as the jewish king's, gradually became a grief for the prodigal himself, and he revolved plans for his reformation. what happiness could he one day lead the son to the father, and say: "your prayers and lamentations have been heard; see--god's kiss of peace on his forehead!" and then in what he had seen of demedes--what courage, dash, and audacity--what efficiency--what store of resources! the last play of his--attending the fete of the princess irene as a bear tender--who but demedes would have thought of such a role? who else could have made himself the hero of the occasion, with none to divide honors with him except joqard? and what a bold ready transition from bear tender to captain in the boat race! demedes writhing in the grip of nilo over the edge of the wall, death in the swish of waves beneath, had been an object of pity tinged with contempt--demedes winner of the prize at therapia was a very different person. this feeling for the greek, it is to be said next, was dashed with a lurking dread of him. if he had a design against lael, what was there to prevent him from attempting it? that he had such a design, sergius could not deny. how often he repeated the close of the note left on the stool after the fisherman's fete. "thou mayst find the fan of the princess of india useful; with me it is embalmed in sentiment." he shall write with a pen wondrous fine who makes the difference between love and sentiment clear. behind the fete, moreover, there was the confession heard on the wall, illustrated by the story of the plague of crime. instead of fading out in the russian's mind it had become better understood--a consequence of the brightening process of residence in the city. twice the procession rounded the great curriculum. twice sergius had opportunity to look for the greek, but without avail. so were the celebrants literally clothed in flowers that recognition of individuals was almost impossible. the first time, he sought him in the body of each passing section; the second time, he scanned the bearers of the standards and symbols; the third time, he was successful. at the head of the parade, six or eight persons were moving on horseback. it was singular sergius had not looked for demedes amongst them, since the idea of him would have entitled the greek to a chief seat in the temple and a leading place when in the eye of the public. as it was, he could not repress an exclamation on making the discovery. like his associates, demedes was in armor _cap-a-pie_. he also carried an unshod lance, a shield on arm, and a bow and quiver at his back; but helmet, breastplate, shield, lance and bow were masked in flowers, and only now and then a glint betrayed the underdress of polished steel. the steed he bestrode was housed in cloth which dragged the ground; but of the color of the cloth or its material not a word can be said, so entirely was it covered with floral embroidery of diverse hues and figures. the decoration contributed little of grace to man or beast; nevertheless its richness was undeniable. to the spendthrifts in the galleries the effect was indescribably attractive. they studied its elaboration, conjecturing how many gardens along the bosphorus, and out in the isles of the princes, had been laid under contribution for the accomplishment of the splendor. thus in the saddle, demedes could not have been accused of diminutiveness; he appeared tall, even burly; indeed, sergius would never have recognized him had he not been going with raised visor, and at the instant of passing turned his face up, permitting it to be distinctly seen. the exclamation wrung from the monk was not merely because of his finding the man; in sober truth, it was an unconventional expression provoked by finding him in the place he occupied, and a quick jump to the logical conclusion that the foremost person in the march was also the chief priest--if such were the title--in the academy. thenceforward sergius beheld little else of the show than demedes. he forgot the impiety of the honors to the bronze serpent. there is no enigma to us like him who is broadly our antipodes in moral being, and whether ours is the good or the bad nature does not affect the saying. his feelings the while were strangely diverse. the election of the evil genius to the first place in the insidious movement was well done for the academy; there would be no failure with him in control; but the poor hegumen! and now, the last circuit completed, the head of the bright array approached the gate of the greens. there the horsemen drew out and formed line on the right hand to permit the brethren to march past them. the afternoon was going rapidly. the shadow of the building on the west crept more noticeably across the carefully kept field. still sergius retained his seat watchful of demedes. he saw him signal the riders to turn out--he saw the line form, and the sections begin to march past it--then an incident occurred of no appreciable importance at the moment, but replete with significancy a little later. a man appeared on the cornice above the gate--the grate on the interior having a face resembling a very tall but shallow portico resting on slender pillars--and commenced lowering himself as if he meant to descend. the danger of the attempt drew all eyes to him. demedes looked up, and hastily rode through the column toward the spot where the adventurer must alight. the spectators credited the young chief with a generous intent to be of assistance; but agile as a cat, and master of every nerve and muscle, the man gained one of the pillars and slid to the ground. the galleries of the hippodrome found voice immediately. while the acrobat hung from the cornice striving to get hold of the pillar with his feet and legs, sergius was wrestling with the question, what could impel a fellow being to tempt providence so rashly? if a messenger with intelligence for some one in the procession, why not wait for him outside? in short, the monk was a trifle vexed; but doubly observant now, he saw the man hasten to demedes, and demedes bend low in the saddle to receive a communication from him. the courier then hurried away through the gate, while the chief returned to his place; but, instructed probably by some power of divination proceeding from sympathy and often from suspicion, one of the many psychological mysteries about which we keep promising ourselves a day of enlightenment, sergius observed a change in the latter. he was restless, impatient, and somewhat too imperative in hastening the retirement of the brethren. the message had obviously excited him. now sergius would have freely given the best of his earthly possessions to have known at that moment the subject of the communication delivered by a route so extraordinary; but leaving him to his conjectures, there is no reason why the reader should not be more confidentially treated. "sir," the messenger had whispered to demedes, "she has left her father's, and is coming this way." "how is she coming?" "in her sedan." "who is with her?" "she is alone." "and her porters?" "the bulgarians." "thank you. go now--out by the gate--to the keeper of the imperial cistern. tell him to await me under the wall in the bucoleon garden with my chair. he will understand. come to the temple tomorrow for your salary." chapter xix the prince builds castles for his gul bahar the words between demedes and his courier may have the effect of additionally exciting the reader's curiosity; for better understanding, therefore, we will take the liberty of carrying him from the hippodrome to the house of uel the merchant. much has been said about the prince of india's affection for lael; so much indeed that there is danger of its being thought one sided. a greater mistake could scarcely be. she returned his love as became a daughter attentive, tender and obedient. without knowing anything of his past life except as it was indistinctly connected with her family, she regarded him a hero and a sage whose devotion to her, multiform and unwearied, was both a delight and an honor. she was very sympathetic, and in everything of interest to him responded with interest. his word in request or direction was law to her. such in brief was the charming mutuality between them. the night before he started for plati, lael sat with him on the roof. he was happy of his resolution to stay with her. the moonlight was ample for them. looking up into his face, her chin in a palm, an elbow on his knee, she listened while he talked of his plans, and was the more interested because he made her understand she was the inspiration of them all. "the time for my return home is up," he said, forgetting to specify where the home was, "and i should have been off before this but for my little girl--my gul bahar"--and he patted her head fondly. "i cannot go and leave her; neither can i take her with me, for what would then become of father uel? when she was a child it might not have been so hard for me to lose sight of her, but now--ah, have i not seen you grow day by day taller, stronger, wiser, fairer of person, sweeter of soul, until you are all i fancied you would be--until you are my ideal of a young woman of our dear old israel, the loveliness of judah in your eyes and on your cheek, and of a spirit to sit in the presence of the lord like one invited and welcome? oh, i am very happy!" he kept silence awhile, indulging in retrospect. if she could have followed him! better probably that she could not. "it is a day of ease to me, dear, and i cannot see any unlawfulness in extending the day into months, or a year, or years indefinitely, and in making the most of it. can you?" he asked, smiling at her. "i am but a handmaiden, and my master's eyes are mine," she replied. "that was well said--ever so well said," he returned. "the words would have become ruth speaking to her lord who was of the kindred of elimelech... yes, i will stay with my gul bahar, my most precious one. i am resolved. she loves me now, but can i not make her love me still more--oh, doubt not, doubt not! her happiness shall be the measure of her love for me. that is the right way, is it not?" "my father is never wrong," lael answered, laughing. "flatterer!" he exclaimed, pressing her cheeks between his hands.... "oh, i have it marked out already! in the dry lands of my country, i have seen a farmer, wanting to lead water to a perishing field, go digging along the ground, while the stream bubbled and leaped behind him, tame and glad as a petted lamb. my heart is the field to be watered--your love, o my pretty, pretty gul bahar, is the refreshing stream, and i will lead it after me--never fear!... listen, and i will tell you how i will lead it. i will make you a princess. these greeks are a proud race, but they shall bow to you; for we will live amongst them, and you shall have things richer than their richest--trinkets of gold and jewels, a palace, and a train of women equal to that of the queen who went visiting solomon. they praise themselves when they look at their buildings, but i tell you they know nothing of the art which turns dreams into stones. the crags and stones have helped them to their models. i will teach them better--to look higher--to find vastness with grace and color in the sky. the dome of sancta sophia--what is it in comparison with the hindoo masterpieces copied from the domes of god on the low-lying clouds in the distance opposite the sun?" then he told her of his palace in detail--of the fronts, no two of them alike--the pillars, those of red granite, those of porphyry, and the others of marble--windows which could not be glutted with light--arches such as the western kaliphs transplanted from damascus and bagdad, in form first seen in a print of the hoof of borak. then he described the interior, courts, halls; passages, fountains: and when he had thus set the structure before her, he said, softly smoothing her hair: "there now--you have it all--and verily, as hiram, king of tyre, helped solomon in his building, he shall help me also." "how can he help you?" she asked, shaking her finger at him. "he has been dead this thousand years, and more." "yes, dear, to everybody but me," he answered, lightly, and asked in turn: "how do you like the palace?" "it will be wonderful!" "i have named it. would you like to hear the name?" "it is something pretty, i know." "the palace of lael." her cry of delighted surprise, given with clasped hands and wide-open eyes, would have been tenfold payment were he putting her in possession of the finished house. the sensation over, he told her of his design for a galley. "we know how tiresome the town becomes. in winter, it is cheerless and damp; in summer, it is hot, dusty and in every way trying. weariness will invade our palace--yes, dear, though we hide from it in the shady heart of our hall of fountains. we can provide against everything but the craving for change. not being birds to fly, and unable to compel the eagles to lend us their wings, the best resort is a galley; then the sea is ours--the sea, wide, mysterious, crowded with marvels. i am never so near the stars as there. when a wave is bearing me up, they seem descending to meet me. times have been when i thought the pleiades were about to drop into my palm.... here is my galley. you see, child, the palace is to be yours, the galley mine." thereupon he described a trireme of a hundred and twenty oars, sixty on a side, and ended, saying: "yes, the peerless ship will be mine, but every morning it shall be yours to say take it here or there, until we have seen every city by the sea; and there are enough of them, i promise, to keep us going and going forever were it not that the weariness which drove us from our palace will afterwhile drive us back to it. how think you i have named my galley?" "lael," she answered. "no, try again." "the world is too full of names for me. tell me." "gul bahar," he returned. again she clasped her hands, and gave the little cry in his ears so pleasant. certainly the prince was pleading with effect, and laying up happiness in great store to cheer him through unnumbered sterile years inevitably before him after time had resolved this lael into a faint and fading memory, like the other lael gone to dust under the stone at jerusalem. the first half of the night was nearly spent when he arose to conduct her across the street to uel's house. the last words at the head of the steps were these: "now, dear, to-morrow i must go a journey on business which will keep me three days and nights--possibly three weeks. tell father uel what i say. tell him also that i have ordered you to stay indoors while i am absent, unless he can accompany you. do you hear me?" "three weeks!" she cried, protestingly. "oh, it will be so lonesome! why may i not go with syama?" "syama would be a wisp of straw in the hands of a ruffian. he could not even call for help." "then why not with nilo?" "nilo is to attend me." "oh, i see," she said, with a merry laugh. "it is the greek, the greek, my persecutor! why, he has not recovered from his fright yet; he has deserted me." he answered gravely: "do you remember a bear tender, one of the amusements at the fisherman's fete?" "oh, yes." "he was the greek." "he!" she cried, astonished. "yes. i have it from sergius the monk; and further, my child, he was there in pursuit of you." "oh, the monster! i threw him my fan!" the prince knew by the tremulous voice she was wounded, and hastened to say: "it was nothing. he deceived everybody but sergius. i spoke of the pestilent fellow because you wanted a reason for my keeping you close at home. perhaps i exacted too much of you. if i only knew certainly how long i shall be detained! the three weeks will be hard--and it may be uel cannot go with you--his business is confining. so if you do venture out, take your sedan--everybody knows to whom it belongs--and the old bulgarian porters. i have paid them enough to be faithful to us. are you listening, child?" "yes, yes--and i am so glad!" he walked down the stairs half repenting the withdrawal of his prohibition. "be it so," he said, crossing the street. "the confinement might be hurtful. only go seldom as you can; then be sure you return before sunset, and that you take and keep the most public streets. that is all now." "you are so good to me!" she said, putting her arm round his neck, and kissing him. "i will try and stay in the house. come back early. farewell." next day about noon the prince of india took the galley, and set out for plati. the day succeeding his departure was long with lael. she occupied herself with her governess, however, and did a number of little tasks such as women always have in reserve for a more convenient season. the second day was much more tedious. the forenoon was her usual time for recitations to the prince; she also read with him then, and practised talking some of the many languages of which he was master. that part of the day she accordingly whiled through struggling with her books. she was earnest in the attempt at study; but naturally, the circumstances considered, she dropped into thinking of the palace and galley. what a delightful glorious existence they prefigured! and it was not a dream! her father, the prince of india, as she proudly and affectionately called him, did not deal in idle promises, but did what he said. and besides being a master of design in many branches of art, he had an amazing faculty of describing the things he designed. that is saying he had the mind's eye to see his conceptions precisely as they would appear in finished state. so in talking his subjects always seemed before him for portraiture. one can readily perceive the capacity he must have had for making the unreal appear real to a listener, and also how he could lead lael, her hand in his, through a house more princely than anything of the kind in constantinople, and on board a ship such as never sailed unless on a painted ocean--a house like the taj mahal, a vessel like that which burned on the cydnus. she decided what notable city by the sea she wanted most to look at next, and in naming them over, smiled at her own indecision. the giving herself to such fancies was exactly what the prince intended; only he was to be the central figure throughout. whether in the palace or on the ship, she was to think of him alone, and always as the author of the splendor and the happiness. of almost any other person we would speak compassionately; but he had lived long enough to know better than dream so childishly--long enough at least to know there is a law for everything except the vagaries of a girl scarcely sixteen. after all, however, if his scheme was purely selfish, perhaps it may be pleasing to the philosophers who insist that relations cannot exist without carrying along with them their own balance of compensations, to hear how lael filled the regal prospect set before her with visions in which sergius, young, fair, tall and beautiful, was the hero, and the prince only a paternal contributor. if the latter led her by the hand here and there, sergius went with them so close behind she could hear his feet along the marble, and in the voyages she took, he was always a passenger. the trial of the third day proved too much for the prisoner. the weather was delightfully clear and warm, and in the afternoon she fell to thinking of the promenade on the wall by the bucoleon, and of the waftures over the sea from the asian olympus. they were sweet in her remembrance, and the longing for them was stronger of a hope the presence of which she scarcely admitted to herself--a hope of meeting sergius. she wanted to ask him if the bear-tender at the fete could have been the greek. often as she thought of that odious creature with her fan, she blushed, and feared sergius might seriously misunderstand her. about three o'clock she ordered her chair brought to father uel's door at exactly four, having first dutifully run over the conditions the prince had imposed upon her. uel was too busy to be her escort. syama, if he went, would be no protection; but she would return early. to be certain, she made a calculation. it would take about half an hour to get to the wall; the sun would set soon after seven; by starting home at six she could have fully an hour and a half for the airing, which meant a possible hour and a half with sergius. at four o'clock the sedan was set down before the merchant's house, and, for a reason presently apparent, the reader to whom vehicles of the kind are unfamiliar is advised to acquaint himself somewhat thoroughly with them. in idea, as heretofore observed, this one was a box constructed with a seat for a single passenger; a door in front allowed exit and entrance; besides the window in the door, there was a smaller opening on each side. for portage, it was affixed centrally and in an upright position to two long poles; these, a porter in front and another behind grasped at the ends, easing the burden by straps passed over the shoulders. the box was high enough for the passenger to stand in it. lest this plain description should impose an erroneous idea of the appearance of the carriage, we again advert to its upholstery in silk-velvet orange-tinted; to the cushions covering the seat; to the lace curtaining the windows in a manner to permit view from within while screening the occupant from obtrusive eyes without; and to the elaborate decoration of the exterior, literally a mosaic of vari-colored woods, mother-of-pearl and gold, the latter in lines and flourishes. in fine, to such a pitch of gorgeousness had the prince designed the chair, intending the public should receive it as an attestation of his love for the child to whom it was specially set apart, that it became a notoriety and avouched its ownership everywhere in the city. the reader would do well in the next place to give a glance at the men who brought the chair to the door--two burly fellows, broad-faced, shock-headed, small-eyed, sandalled, clad in semi-turbans, gray shirts, and gray trousers immensely bagged behind--professional porters; for the service demanded skill. a look by one accustomed to the compound of races hived in constantinople would have determined them bulgarians in extraction, and subjects of the sultan by right of recent conquest. they had settled upon the prince of india in a kind of retainership. as the chair belonged to lael, from long employment as carriers they belonged to the chair. their patron dealt very liberally with them, and for that reason had confidence in their honesty and faithfulness. that they should have pride in the service, he dressed them in a livery. on this occasion, however, they presented themselves in every-day costume--a circumstance which would not have escaped the prince, or uel, or syama. the only witness of the departure was the governess, who came out and affectionately settled her charge in the chair, and heard her name the streets which the bulgarians were to pursue, all of them amongst the most frequented of the city. gazing at her through the window the moment the chair was raised, she thought lael never appeared lovelier and was herself pleased and lulled with the words she received at parting: "i will be home before sunset." the carriers in going followed instructions, except that upon arrival at the hippodrome, observing it already in possession of a concourse of people waiting for the epicureans, they passed around the enormous pile, and entered the imperial gardens by a gate north of sancta sophia. lael found the promenade thronged with habitues, and falling into the current moving toward point serail, she permitted her chair to become part of it; after which she was borne backward and forward from the serail to the port of julian, stopping occasionally to gaze at the isles of the princes seemingly afloat and drifting through the purple haze of the distance. where, she persisted in asking herself, is sergius? lest he might pass unobserved, she kept the curtains of all the windows aside, and every long gown and tall hat she beheld set her heart to fluttering. her eagerness to meet the monk at length absorbed her. the sun marked five o'clock--then half after five--then, in more rapid declension, six, and still she went pendulously to and fro along the wall--six o'clock, the hour for starting home; but she had not seen sergius. on land the shadows were lengthening rapidly; over the sea, the brightness was dulling, and the air perceptibly freshening. she awoke finally to the passage of time, and giving up the hope which had been holding her to the promenade, reluctantly bade the carriers take her home. "shall we go by the streets we came?" the forward man asked, respectfully. "yes," she returned. then, as he closed the door, she was startled by noticing the promenade almost deserted; the going and coming were no longer in two decided currents; groups had given place to individual loiterers. these things she noticed, but not the glance the porters threw to each other telegraphic of some understanding between them. at the foot of the stairs descending the wall she rapped on the front window. "make haste," she said, to the leading man; "make haste, and take the nearest way." this, it will be perceived, left him to choose the route in return, and he halted long enough to again telegraph his companion by look and nod. between the eastern front of the bucoleon and the sea-wall the entire space was a garden. from the wall the ascent to the considerable plateau crowned by the famous buildings was made easy by four graceful terraces, irregular in width, and provided with zigzag roads securely paved. roses and lilies were not the only products of the terraces; vines and trees of delicate leafage and limited growth flourished upon them in artistic arrangement. here and there were statues and lofty pillars, and fountains in the open, and fountains under tasteful pavilions, planted advantageously at the angles. except where the trees and shrubbery formed groups dense enough to serve as obstructions, the wall commanded the whole slope. time was when all this loveliness was jealously guarded for the lords and ladies of the court; but when blacherne became the very high residence the bucoleon lapsed to the public. his majesty maintained it; the people enjoyed it. following the zigzags, the carriers mounted two of the terraces without meeting a soul. the garden was deserted. hastening on, they turned the y at the beginning of the third terrace. a hundred or more yards along the latter there was a copse of oleander and luxuriant filbert bushes over-ridden by fig trees. as the sedan drew near this obstruction, its bearers flung quick glances above and below them, and along the wall, and descrying another sedan off a little distance but descending toward them, they quickened their pace as if to pass the copse first. in the midst of it, at the exact point where the view from every direction was cut off, the man in the rear stumbled, struggled to recover himself, then fell flat. his ends of the poles struck the pavement with a crash--the chair toppled backward--lael screamed. the leader slipped the strap from his shoulder, and righted the carriage by letting it go to the ground, floor down. he then opened the door. "do not be scared," he said to lael, whose impulse was to scramble out. "keep your seat--my comrade has had a fall--that is nothing--keep your seat. i will get him up, and we will be going on in a minute." lael became calm. the man walked briskly around, and assisted his partner to his feet. there was a hurried consultation between them, of which the passenger heard only the voices. presently they both came to the door, looking much mortified. "the accident is more than i thought," the leader said, humbly. by this time the chill of the first fear was over with lael, and she asked: "can we go on?" "if the princess can walk--yes." she turned pale. "what is it? why must i walk?" "our right-hand pole is broken, and we have nothing to tie it with." and the other man added: "if we only had a rope!" now the mishap was not uncommon, and remembering the fact, lael grew cooler, and bethought herself of the silken scarf about her waist. to take it off was the work of a moment. "here," she said, rather pleased at her presence of mind; "you can make a rope of this." they took the scarf, and busied themselves, she thought, trying to bandage the fractured shaft. again they stood before the door. "we have done the best we can. the pole will hold the chair, but not with the princess. she must walk--there is nothing else for her." thereupon the assistant interposed a suggestion: "one of us can go for another chair, and overtake the princess before she reaches the gate." this was plausible, and lael stepped forth. she sought the sun first; the palace hid it, yet she was cheered by its last rays redly enlivening the heights of scutari across the bosphorus, and felicitated herself thinking it still possible to get home before the night was completely fallen. "yes, one of you may seek another"-that instant the sedan her porters had descried before they entered the copse caught her eyes. doubt, fear, suspicion vanished; her face brightened: "a chair! a chair!--and no one in it!" she cried, with the vivacity of a child. "bring it here, and let us be gone." the carriage so heartily welcomed was of the ordinary class, and the carriers were poorly clad, hard-featured men, but stout and well trained. they came at call. "where are you going?" "to the wall." "are you engaged?" "no, we hoped to find some one belated there." "do you know uel the merchant?" "we have heard of him. he has a stall in the market, and deals in diamonds." "do you know where his house is?" "on the street from st. peter's gate, under the church by the old cistern." "we have a passenger here, his daughter, and want you to carry her home. one of our poles is broken." "will she pay us our price?" "how much do you want?" here lael interposed: "stand not on the price. my father will pay whatever they demand." the bulgarians seemed to consider a moment. "it is the best we can do," the leader said. "yes, the very best," the other returned. thereupon the first one went to the new sedan, and opened the door. "if the princess will take seat," he said, respectfully, "we will pick up, and follow close after her." lael stepped in, saying as the door closed upon her: "make haste, for the night is near." the strangers without further ado faced about, and started up the road. "wait, wait," she heard her old leader call out. there was a silence during which she imagined the bulgarians were adjusting the straps upon their shoulders; then there came a quick: "now go, and hurry, or we will pass you." these were the last words she heard from them, for the new men put themselves in motion. she missed the cushions of her own carriage, but was content--she was returning home, and going fast. this latter she judged by the slide and shuffle of the loose-sandalled feet under her, and the responsive springing of the poles. the reaction of spirit which overtook her was simply the swing of nature back to its normal lightness. she ceased thinking of the accident, except as an excuse for the delay to which she had been subjected. she was glad the prince's old retainer had escaped without injury. there was no window back through which she could look, yet she fancied she heard the feet of the faithful bulgarians; they said nothing, therefore everything was proceeding well. now and then she peered out through the side windows to notice the deepening of the shades of evening. once a temporary darkness filled the narrow box, but it gave her no uneasiness--the men were passing out of the garden through a covered gate. now they were in a street, and the travelling plain. thus assured and tranquil, maiden-like, she again fell to thinking of sergius. where could he have been? what kept him from the promenade? he might have known she would be there. was the hegumen so exacting? old people are always forgetting they cannot make young people old like themselves; and it was so inconvenient, especially now she wanted to hear of the bear tender. then she adverted to the monk more directly. how tall he was! how noble and good of face! and his religion--she wished ever so quietly that he could be brought over to the judean faith--she wished it, but did not ask herself why. to say truth, there was a great deal more feeling in undertone, as it were, touching these points than thought; and while she kept it going, the carriers forgot not to be swift, nor did the night tarry. suddenly there was an awakening. from twilight deeply shaded, she passed into utter darkness. while, with her face to a window, she tried to see where she was and make out what had happened, the chair stopped, and next moment was let drop to the ground. the jar and the blank blackness about renewed her fears, and she called out: "what is the matter? where are we? this is not my father uel's." and what time an answer should have been forthcoming had there been good faith and honesty in the situation, she heard a rush of feet which had every likeness to a precipitate flight, and then a banging noise, like the slamming to of a ponderous door. she had time to think of the wisdom of her father, the prince of india, and of her own wilfulness--time to think of the greek--time to call once on sergius--then a flutter of consciousness--an agony of fright--and it was as if she died. chapter xx the silhouette of a crime a genius thoroughly wicked--such was demedes. quick to see the disgust the young men of constantinople had fallen into for the disputes their elders were indulging about the churches, he proposed that they should discard religion, and reinstate philosophy; and at their request he formulated the following: "nature is the lawgiver; the happiness of man is the primary object of nature: hence for youth, pleasure; for old age, repentance and piety, the life hereafter being a respectable conjecture." the principles thus tersely stated were eagerly adopted, and going forward with his scheme, it may be said the academy was his design, and its organization his work. in recognition of his superior abilities, the grateful academicians elected him their high priest. we have seen how the public received the motto of the society. patience, courage, judgment looked fair and disclosed nothing wrong; but there was an important reservation to it really the only secret observed. this was the motto in full, known only to the initiated--patience, courage, judgment _in the pursuit of pleasure_. from the hour of his installation as high priest, demedes was consumed by an ambition to illustrate the motto in its entirety, by doing something which should develop the three virtues in connection with unheard of daring and originality. it is to be added here that to his own fortune, he had now the treasury of the academy to draw upon, and it was full. in other words, he had ample means to carry out any project his _judgment_ might approve. he pondered the matter long. one day lael chanced to fall under his observation. she was beautiful and the town talk. here, he thought, was a subject worth studying, and speedily two mysteries presented themselves to him: who was the prince of india? and what was her true relationship to the prince? we pass over his resorts in unravelling the mysteries; they were many and cunning, and thoroughly tried the first virtue of the academical motto; still the sum of his finding with respect to the prince was a mere theory--he was a jew and rich--beyond this demedes took nothing for his pains. he proceeded next to investigate lael. she too was of jewish origin, but unlike other jewesses, wonderful to say, she had two fathers, the diamond merchant and the prince of india. nothing better could be asked--so his judgment, the third virtue of the motto, decreed. in byzantine opinion, jews were socially outside decent regard. in brief, if he should pursue the girl to her ruin, there was little to fear from an appeal by either of her fathers to the authorities. exile might be the extremest penalty of discovery. he began operations by putting into circulation the calumny, too infamous for repetition, with which we have seen him attempt to poison sergius. robbing the victim of character would deprive her of sympathy, and that, in the event of failure, would be a half defence for himself with the public. he gave himself next to finding what to do with the little princess, as he termed her. all his schemes respecting her fell short in that they lacked originality. at last the story of the plague of crime, stumbled on in the library of the st. james', furnished a suggestion novel, if not original, and he accepted it. proceeding systematically, he first examined the cistern, paddling through it in a boat with a flambeau at the bow. he sounded the depth of the water, counted the pillars, and measured the spaces between them; he tested the purity of the air; and when the reconnoissance was through, he laughed at the simplicity of the idea, and embodied his decision in a saying eminently becoming his philosophic character--the best of every new thing is that it was once old. next he reduced the affair to its elements. he must steal her--such was the deed in simplest term--and he must have assistants, but prudence whispered just as few of them as possible. he commenced a list, heading it with the keeper of the cistern, whom he found poor, necessitous, and anxious to better his condition. upon a payment received, that worthy became warmly interested, and surprised his employer with suggestions of practical utility. coming then to the abduction, he undertook a study of her daily life, hoping it would disclose something available. a second name was thereupon entered in his list of accomplices. one day a beggar with sore eyes and a foot swollen with elephantiasis--an awful object to sight--set a stool in an angle of the street a few doors from uel's house; and thenceforward the girl's every appearance was communicated to demedes, who never forgot the great jump of heart with which he heard of the gorgeous chair presented her by the prince, and of the visit she forthwith made to the wall of the bucoleon. soon as he satisfied himself that the bulgarians were in the prince's pay, he sounded them. they too were willing to permit him to make them comfortable the remainder of their days, especially as, after the betrayal asked of them, they had only to take boat to the turkish side of the bosphorus, beyond pursuit and demand. his list of assistants was then increased to four. now indeed the game seemed secure, and he prepared for the hour which was to bring the jewess to him. the keeper of the cistern was the solitary occupant of a house built round a small court from which a flight of stone steps admitted to the darkened water. he had a felicitous turn for mechanics, and undertook the building of a raft with commodious rooms on it. demedes went with him to select a place of anchorage, and afterward planned the structure to fit between four of the pillars in form thus: [illustration] seeing the design on paper, demedes smiled--it was so like a cross; the part in lines being the landing, and the rest a room divisible at pleasure into three rooms. a boat was provided for communication, and to keep it hid from visitors, a cord was fixed to a pillar off in the darkness beyond ken, helped though it might be by torches; so standing on the stone steps, one could draw the vessel to and fro, exactly as a flag is hoisted or lowered on a staff. the work took a long time, but was at last finished. the high priest of the epicureans came meantime to have something akin to tender feeling for his intended victim. he indulged many florid dreams of when she should grace his bower in the imperial cistern; and as the time of her detention might peradventure extend into months, he vowed to enrich the bower until the most wilful spirit would settle into contentment. neither the money nor the time spent in this part of the preparation was begrudged; on the contrary, demedes took delight in the occupation; it was exercise for ingenuity, taste, and judgment, always a pleasure to such as possess the qualities. in fact, the whole way through he likened himself to a bird building a nest for its mate. after all, however, the part of the project most troublesome of arrangement by the schemer, was getting the princess into the cistern keeper's house--that is, without noise, scuffle, witnesses, or a clew left behind. to this he gave more hours of reflection than to the rest altogether. the method we have seen executed was decided upon when he arrived at two conclusions; that the attempt was most likely to succeed in the garden of the bucoleon, and that the princess must be lured from her chair into another less conspicuous and not so well known. greatly to his regret, but of necessity, he then saw himself compelled to increase his list of accessories to six. yet he derived peace remembering none of them, with exception of the keeper, knew aught of the affair beyond their immediate connection with it. the porters, for instance, who dropped the unfortunate and fled, leaving her in the sedan to intents dead, had not the slightest idea of what was to become of her afterwards. the conjunctions needful to success in the enterprise were numerous; yet the greek accepted the waiting they put him to as a trial of the patience to which the motto pledged him. he believed in being ready. when the house was built and furnished, he drilled the bulgarians with such particularity that the scene in the garden may be said to have been literally to order. probably the nearest approach to the mythical sixth sense is the power of casting one's mind forward to a coming event, and arranging its occurrence; and whether some have it a gift of nature, while others derive it from cultivation, this much is certain--without it, no man will ever create anything originally. now, if the reader pleases, demedes was too liberally endowed with the faculty, trait or sense of which we have just spoken to permit the sedan to be broken; such an accident would have been very inconvenient at the critical moment succeeding the exchange of chairs. the prompter ever at the elbow of a bad man instructed him that, aside from what the prince of india could not do, it was in his power to arouse the city, and set it going hue and cry; and then the carriage, rich, glittering, and known to so many, would draw pursuit, like a flaming torch at night. so it occurred to demedes, the main object being to conceal the going to the cistern keeper's, why not use the sedan to deceive the pursuers? he scored the idea with an exultant laugh. returning now to the narrative of the enactment, directly the strange porters moved out of the copse with their unsuspecting passenger, the bulgarians slung the poles to their shoulders, and followed up the zigzag to the y of the fourth terrace; there they turned, and retraced their steps to the promenade; whence, after reaching point serail, they doubled on their track, descended the wall, traversed the garden, and, passing the gate by which they came, paraded their empty burden around the hippodrome and down a thronged street. and again doubling, they returned to the wall, and finding it forsaken, and the night having fallen, they abandoned the chair at a spot where the water on the seaward side was deep and favorable for whatever violence theory might require. in the course of this progress they were met by numberless people, many of whom stopped to observe the gay turnout, doubting not that the little princess was within directing its movements. finally, their task thoroughly done, the bulgarians hurried to where a boat was in readiness, and crossing to scutari, lost themselves in the growing dominions of their rightful lord, the sultan. one casually reading this silhouette of a crime in act is likely to rest here, thinking there was nothing more possible of doing either to forward the deed or facilitate the escape of those engaged in it; yet demedes was not content. there were who had heard him talk of the girl--who knew she had been much in his thought--to whom he had furnished ground for suspecting him of following her with evil intent--sergius amongst others. in a word, he saw a necessity for averting attention from himself in the connection. here also his wit was willing and helpful. the moment the myrmidon dropped from the portico with news that the princess was out in her chair unattended, he decided she was proceeding to the wall. "the gods are mindful of me!" he said, his blood leaping quick. "now is the time ripe, and the opportunity come!" looking at the sun, he fixed the hour, and reflected: "five o'clock--she is on the wall. six o'clock--she is still there. half after six--making up her mind to go home. oh, but the air will be sweet, and the sea lovely! seven o'clock--she gives order, and the bulgarians signal my men on the fourth terrace. pray heaven the russian keep to his prayers or stay hearkening for my father's bell!... here am i seen of these thousands. later on--about the time she forsakes the wall--my presence shall be notorious along the streets from the temple to blacherne. then what if the monk talks? may the fiend pave his path with stumbling-blocks and breaknecks! the city will not discredit its own eyes." the epicureans, returning from the hippodrome, reached their temple about half after five o'clock. the dispersal occupied another hour; shortly after, the regalia having been put away, and the tripods and banners stored, demedes called to his mounted assistants: "my brothers, we have worked hard, but the sowing has been bounteous and well done. philosophy in flowers, religion in sackcloth--that is the comparison we have given the city. there will be no end to our harvest. to-morrow our doors open to stay open. to-day i have one further service for you. to your horses and ride with me to the gate of blacherne. we may meet the emperor." they answered him shouting: "live the emperor!" "yes," cried demedes, when the cheering was over, "by this time he should be tired of the priests; and what is that but the change of heart needful to an epicurean?" laughing and joking, they mounted, eight of them, in flowers as when in the hippodrome. the sun was going down, but the streets were yet bright with day. it was the hour when balconies overhanging the narrow thoroughfares were crowded with women and children, and the doors beset with servants--the hour byzantine gossips were abroad filling and unfilling their budgets. how the wooden houses trembled while the cavalcade went galloping by! what thousands of bright eyes peered down upon the cavaliers, attracted by the shouting and laughter! now and then some person would be a little late in attempting to cross before him; then with what grace demedes would spur after him, his bow and bowstring for whip! and how the spectators shrieked with delight when he overtook the culprit, and wore the flowers out flogging him! and when a balcony was low, and illuminated with a face fairer than common, how the gallant young riders plucked roses from their helms and shields, and tossed them in shouting: "largesse, lady--largesse of thy smiles!" "look again! another rose for another look!" "from the brave to the fair!" thus to the gate of blacherne. there they drew up, and saluted the officer of the guard, and cheered: "live constantine! to the good emperor, long life!" all the way demedes rode with lifted visor. returning through the twilight, earlier in the close streets than in the open, he led his company by the houses of uel and the prince of india. something might be learned of what was going on with the little princess by what was going on there; and the many persons he saw in the street signified alarm and commotion. "ho, here!" he shouted, drawing rein. "what does this mean? somebody dead or dying?" "uel, the master of the house, is afraid for his child. she should have been home before sundown. he is sending friends out to look for her." there was a whole story in the answer, and the conspirator repressed a cry of triumph, and rode on. chapter xxi sergius learns a new lesson syama, always thoughtful, took care of the treasure brought from plati, and standing by the door watched his master through the night, wondering what the outcome of his agitation would be. it were useless attempting to describe how the gloomy soul of the jew exercised itself. his now ungovernable passions ran riot within him. he who had seen so much of life, who had made history as the loomsmen of bokhara make carpets, who dealt with kings and kingdoms, and the superlatives of every kind canonized in the human imagination--he to be so demeaned! yet it was not the disrespect to himself personally that did the keenest stinging, nor even the enmity of heaven denying him the love permitted every other creature, bird, beast, crawling reptile, monster of the sea--these were as the ruffling of the weather feathers of a fighting eagle, compared with the torture he endured from consciousness of impotency to punish the wrongdoers as he would like to punish them. that lael was immured somewhere in the city, he doubted not; and he would find her, for what door could stand shut against knocking by a hand with money in it? but might it not be too late? the flower he could recover, but the fragrance and purity of bloom--what of them? how his breast enlarged and shrank under the electric touch of that idea! the devil who did the deed might escape him, for hell was vast and deep; yet the city remained, even the byzantium ancient of days like himself, and he would hold it a hostage for the safe return of his gul bahar. all the night long he walked without pause; it seemed unending to him; at length the faintest rosy tint, a reflection from morning's palette of splendor, lodged on the glass of his eastern window, and woke him from his misery. at the door he found syama. "syama," he said, kindly, "bring me the little case which has in it my choicest drugs." it was brought him, an oblong gold box encrusted with brilliants. opening it, he found a spatula of fine silver on a crystal lid, and under the lid, in compartments, pellets differently colored, one of which he selected, and dropped in his throat. "there, put it back," he said, returning the box to syama, who went out with it. looking then at the brightness brighter growing through the window, "welcome," he continued, speaking to the day as it were a person: "thou wert slow coming, yet welcome. i am ready for this new labor imposed on me, and shall not rest, or sleep, or hunger, or thirst until it is done. thou shalt see i have not lived fourteen centuries for nothing; that in a hunt for vengeance i have not lost my cunning. i will give them till thou hast twice run thy course; then, if they bring her not, they will find the god they worship once more the lord god of israel." syama returned. "thou art a faithful man, syama, and i love thee. get me a cup of the cipango leaves--no bread, the cup alone." while waiting, the prince continued his silent walk; but when the tea was brought, he said: "good! it shall go after the meat of the poppies"--adding to syama--"while i drink, do thou seek uel, and bring him to me." when the son of jahdai entered, the prince looked at him a moment, and asked: "hast thou word of her?" "not a word, not one word," and with the reply the merchant's face sunk until the chin rested on his breast. the hopelessness observable in the voice, joined to the signs of suffering apparent in the manner, was irresistibly touching. another instant, then the elder advanced to him, and took his hand. "we are brothers," he said, with exceeding gentleness. "she was our child--ours--thine, yet mine. she loved us both. we loved her, thou not more, i not less. she went not willingly from us; we know that much, because we know she loved us, me not less, thee not more. a pitfall was digged for her. let us find it. she is calling for us from the bottom--i hear her--now thy name, now mine--and there is no time to be lost. wilt thou do as i say?" "you are strong, and i weak; be it entirely as you say," uel answered, without looking up, for there were tears in his eyes, and a great groan growing in his throat. "well, see thou now. we will find the child, be the pit ever so deep; but--it is well bethinking--we may not find her the undefiled she was, or we may find her dead. i believe she had a spirit to prefer death to dishonor--but dead or dishonored, wilt thou merge thy interest in her into mine?" "yes." "i alone am to decide then what best becomes us to do. is it agreed?" "yes--such faith have i in you." "oh, but understand thee, son of jahdai! i speak not merely as a father, but as an israelite." uel looked at the speaker's face, and was startled. the calm voice, low and evenly toned, to which he had been listening, had not prepared him for the livid pursing he saw under the eyes, and the pupils lurid and unnaturally dilated--effects we know, good reader, of the meat of the poppies assisted by the friendly cipango leaves. yet the merchant replied, strong in the other's strength: "am not i, too, an israelite?--only do not take her from me." "fear not. now, son of jahdai, let us to work. let us first find our pretty child." again uel was astonished. the countenance was bright and beaming with confidence. a world of energy seemed to have taken possession of the man. he looked inspired--looked as if a tap of his finger could fetch the extremities of the continent rolling like a carpet to his feet. "go now, my brother uel, and bring hither all the clerks in the market." "all of them--all? consider the expense." "nay, son of jahdai, be thou a true israelite. in trade, this for that, consider the profits and stand on them closely, getting all thou canst. but here is no trade--here is honor--our honor--thine, mine. shall a christian beat us, and wear the virtue of our daughter as it were a leman's favor? no, by abraham--by the mother of israel"--a returning surge of passion blackened his face again, and quickened his speech--"by rachael and sarah, and all the god-loving asleep in hebron, in this cause our money shall flow like water--even as the euphrates in swollen tide goes bellowing to the sea, it shall flow. i will fill the mouths and eyes as well as the pockets of this byzantium with it, until there shall not be a dune on the beach, a cranny in the wall, a rathole in its accursed seven hills unexamined. yes, the say is mine--so thou didst agree--deny it not! bid the clerks come, and quickly--only see to it that each brings his writing material, and a piece of paper large as his two hands. this house for their assemblage. haste. time flies--and from the pit, out of the shadows in the bottom of the pit, i hear the voice of lael calling now to thee, now to me." uel was not deficient in strength of purpose, nor for that matter in judgment; he went and in haste; and the clerks flocked to the prince, and wrote at his dictation. before half the breakfasts in the city were eaten, vacant places at the church doors, the cheeks of all the gates, and the fronts of houses blazed with handbills, each with a reader before it proclaiming to listening groups: "byzantines! "fathers and mothers of byzantium! "last evening the daughter of uel the merchant, a child of sixteen, small in stature, with dark hair and eyes, and fair to see, was set upon in the garden of the bucoleon, and stolen out of her sedan chair. neither she, nor the bulgarians carrying her have been heard of since. "rewards. "out of love of the child, whose name was lael, i will pay him who returns her to me living or dead "6,000 bezants in gold. "and to him who brings me the abductor, or the name of any one engaged in the crime, with proof to convict him, "5,000 bezants in gold. "inquire of me at uel's stall in the market. "prince of india." thus the jew began his campaign of discovery, meaning to follow it up with punishment first, and then vengeance, the latter in conditional mood. let us not stop to ask about motives. this much is certain, the city arose with one mind. such a running here and there had never been known, except possibly the times enemies in force sat down before the gates. the walls landwardly by the sea and harbor, and the towers of the walls above and below; old houses whose solitariness and decay were suspicious; new houses and their cellars; churches from crypt to pulpit and gallery; barracks and magazines, even the baker's ovens attached to them; the wharves and vessels tied up and the ships at anchor--all underwent a search. hunting parties invaded the woods. scorpions were unnested, and bats and owls made unhappy by daylight where daylight had never been before. convents and monasteries were not exempt. the sea was dragged, and the great moat from the golden gate to the cynegion raked for traces of a new-made grave. nor less were the cemeteries overhauled, and tombs and sarcophagi opened, and saints' rests dug into and profaned. in short, but one property in byzantium was respected--that of the emperor. by noon the excitement had crossed to galata, and was at high tide in the isles of the princes. such power was there in the offer of bezants in gold--six thousand for the girl, five thousand for one of her captors--singly, a fortune to stir the cupidity of a duke--together, enough to enlist a king in the work. and everywhere the two questions--has she been found? and who is the prince of india? poor uel had not space to think of his loss or yield to sorrow; the questions kept him so busy. it must not be supposed now in this all but universal search, nobody thought of the public cisterns. they were visited. frequently through the day parties followed each other to the imperial reservoir; but the keeper was always in his place, cool, wary, and prepared for them. he kept open door and offered no hindrance to inspection of his house. to interrogators he gave ready replies: "i was at home last night from sunset to sunrise. at dark i closed up, and no one could have come in afterwards without my seeing him.... i know the chair of the merchant's daughter. it is the finest in the city. the bulgarians have carried it past my house, but they never stopped.... oh, yes, you are welcome to do with the cistern what you please. there is the doorway to the court, and in the court is the descent to the water." sometimes he would treat the subject facetiously: "if the girl were here, i should know it, and if i knew it--ha, ha, ha!--are bezants in gold by the thousand more precious to you than to me? do you think i too would not like to be rich?--i who live doggedly on three noumias, helped now and then by scanty palm-salves from travellers?" this treatment was successful. one party did insist on going beyond the court. they descended the steps about half way, looked at the great gray pillars in ghostly rows receding off into a blackness of silence thick with damps and cellar smells, each a reminder of contagion; then at the motionless opaque water, into which the pillars sank to an unknown depth: and they shivered, and cried: "ugh! how cold and ugly!" and hastened to get out. undoubtedly appearances helped save the ancient cistern from examination; yet there were other influences to the same end. its vastness was a deterrent. a thorough survey required organization and expensive means, such as torches, boats, fishing tongs and drag-nets; and why scour it at all, if not thoroughly and over every inch? well, well--such was the decision--the trouble is great, and the uncertainty greater. another class was restrained by a sentiment possibly the oldest and most general amongst men; that which casts a spell of sanctity around wells and springs, and stays the hand about to toss an impurity into a running stream; which impels the north american indian to replace the gourd, and the bedouin to spare the bucket for the next comer, though an enemy. in other words, the cistern was in daily use. one can imagine the scene at the prince's through the day. to bring a familiar term into service, his house was headquarters. about eight o'clock the sedan was brought home empty, and without a sign of defacement inside or out. it told no tale. noon, and still no clew. in the afternoon there was an observable cessation of vigor in the quest. thousands broke off, and went about their ordinary business, giving the reason. "which way now?" would be asked them. "home." "what! has she been found?" "not that we know." "ah, you have given up." "yes." "why?" "we are satisfied the bulgarians stole the girl. the turks have her; and now for a third part of either of the rewards he offers, the prince of india, whoever he is, can ransom her. he will have plenty of time. there is no such thing as haste in a harem." by lamplighting in the evening, the capital resumed its customary quiet, and of the turmoil of the day, the rush and eager halloo, the promiscuous delving into secret places, and upturning of things strange and suspicious, there remained nothing but a vast regret--vast in the collective sense--for the rewards lost. quiet crept into headquarters. to the prince's insistence that the hunt go on, he was advised to prosecute the inquest on the other side of the bosphorus. the argument presented him was plausible; either--thus it ran--the bulgarians carried the child away with them or she was taken from them. they were stout men, yet there is no sign of a struggle. if they were killed, we should find their bodies; if they are alive and innocent, why are they not here? they would be entitled to the rewards along with the best of us. seeing the drift, the prince refrained from debate. he only looked more grim and determined. when the house was cleared, he took the floor again fiercely restless as before. later on uel came in, tired, spirit-worn, and apparently in the last stage of despondency. "well, son of jahdai, my poor brother," said the prince, much moved, and speaking tenderly. "it is night, and what bringest thou?" "alas! nothing, except the people say the bulgarians did it." "the bulgarians! would it were so; for look thee, in their hands she would be safe. their worst of villany would be a ransom wrung from us. ah, no! they might have been drawn into the conspiracy; but take her, they did not. how could they have passed the gates unseen? the night was against them. and besides, they have not the soul to devise or dare the deed. this is no common criminal, my brother. when he is found--and he will be, or hell hath entered into partnership with him--thou wilt see a greek of title, bold from breeding and association, behind him an influence to guarantee him against the law and the emperor. of the classes in byzantium to-day, who are the kings? who but the monks? and here is a morsel of wisdom, true, else my experience is a delusion: in decaying and half-organized states, the boldest in defying public opinion are they who have the most to do in making it." "i do not understand you," uel interposed. "thou art right, my brother. i know not why i am arguing; yet i ought not to leave thee in the dark now; therefore i will go a step further. thou art a jew--not a hebrew, or an israelite, mark thee--but in the contemptuous gentile sense, a jew. she, our gentle gul-bahar, hath her beating of heart from blood thou gavest her. i also am a jew. now, of the classes in byzantium, which is it by whom hate of jews is the article of religion most faithfully practised? think if it be not the same from whose shops proceed the right and wrong of the time--the same i myself scarce three days gone saw insult and mortify the man they chose emperor, and not privately, in the depths of a monastery or chapel, but publicly, his court present.... ah, now thou seest my meaning! in plainest speech, my brother, when he who invented this crime is set down before us, look not for a soldier, or a sailor, or one of thy occupation--look not for a beggar, or a laborer, or an islamite--look rather for a greek, with a right from relationship near or remote to summon the whole priestly craft to hold up his hands against us, jews that we are. but i am not discouraged. i shall find her, and the titled outlaw who stole her. or--but threats now are idle. they shall have tomorrow to bring her home. i pray pardon for keeping thee from rest and sleep. go now. in the morning betimes see thou that the clerks come back to me here. i will have need of them again, for"--he mused a moment--"yes, if that i purpose must be, then, the worst betiding us, they shall not say i was hard and merciless, and cut their chances scant." uel was at the door going, when the prince called him back. "wait--i do not need rest. thou dost. is syama there?" "yes." "send him to me." when the slave was come, "go," the master said, "and bring me the golden case." and when it was brought, he took out a pellet, and gave it to uel. "there--take it, and thou shalt sleep sound as the dead, and have never a dream--sound, yet healthfully. to-morrow we must work. to-morrow," he repeated when uel was gone--"to-morrow! till then, eternity." let us now shift the scene to the monastery of the st. james'. it is eight o'clock in the morning--about the time the empty sedan was being brought to the prince's house. sergius had been hearkening for the hegumen's bell, and at the moment we look in upon him, he is with the venerable superior, helping him to breakfast, if a meal so frugal deserves the name. the young russian, it is to be said, retired to his cell immediately upon the conclusion of the festival of flowers the evening before. awaking early, he made personal preparation for the day, and with the brotherhood in the chapel, performed the matinal breviary services, consisting of lauds, psalms, lections and prayers. then he took seat by his superior's door. by and by the bell called him in, and thenceforward he was occupied in the kitchen or at the elder's elbow. in brief, he knew nothing of the occurrence which had so overwhelmed the merchant and the prince of india. the hegumen sat on a broad armless chair, very pale and weak--so poorly, indeed, that the brethren had excused him from chapel duties. having filled a flagon with water, sergius was offering it to him, when the door opened without knock, or other warning, and demedes entered. moving silently to his father, he stooped, and kissed his hand with an unction which brought a smile to the sunken face. "god's benison on you, my boy. i was thinking of the airs of prinkipo or halki, and that they might help me somewhat; but now you are here, i will put them off. bring the bench to my right hand, and partake with me, if but to break a crust." "the crust has the appearance of leaven in it, and you know the party to which i belong. i am not an _azymite_." there was scarcely an attempt to conceal the sneer with which the young man glanced at the brown loaf gracing the platter on the hegumen's knees. seeing then a look of pain on the paternal countenance, he continued: "no, i have had breakfast, and came to see how you are, and to apprise you that the city is being stirred from the foam on top to the dregs at the bottom, all because of an occurrence last evening, so incredible, so strange, so audacious, and so wicked it weakens confidence in society, and almost forces one to look up and wonder if god does not sometimes sleep." the hegumen and his attendant were aroused. both gazed at demedes looking the same question. "i hesitate to tell you, my dear father, of the affair, it is so shocking. the chill of the first hearing has not left me. i am excited body and mind, and you know how faithfully i have tried to school myself against excitement--it is unbecoming--only the weak suffer it. rather than trust myself to the narrative--though as yet there are no details--i plucked a notice from a wall while coming, and as it was the first i had of the news, and contains all i know, i brought it along; and if you care to hear, perhaps our friend sergius will kindly give you the contents. his voice is better than mine, and he is perfectly calm." "yes, sergius will read. give him the paper." thereupon demedes passed to sergius one of the handbills with which the prince of india had sown the city. after the first line, the monk began stammering and stumbling; at the close of the first sentence, he stopped. then he threw a glance at the greek, and from the gaze with which he was met, he drew understanding and self-control. "i ask thy grace, father," he said, raising the paper, and looking at the signature. "i am acquainted with uel the merchant, and with the child said to be stolen. i also know the man whose title is here attached. he calls himself prince of india, but by what right i cannot say. the circumstance is a great surprise to me; so, with thy pardon, i will try the reading again." sergius finished the paper, and returned it to demedes. the hegumen folded his hands, and said: "oh, the flow of mercy cannot endure forever!" then the young men looked at each other. to be surprised when off guard, is to give our enemy his best opportunity. this was the advantage the greek then had. he was satisfied with the working of his scheme; yet one dread had disturbed him through the night. what would the russian do? and when he read the prince's proclamation, and saw the rewards offered, in amounts undreamt of, he shivered; not, as he told the hegumen, from horror at the crime; still less from fear that the multitude might blunder on discovery; and least of all from apprehension of betrayal from his assistants, for, with exception of the cistern-keeper, they were all in flight, and a night's journey gone. be the mass of enemies ever so great, there is always one to inspire us with liveliest concern. here it was sergius. he had come so recently into the world--descent from a monastery in the far north was to the metropolitan much like being born again--there was no telling what he might do. thus moved and uncertain, the conspirator resolved to seek his adversary, if such he were, and boldly try him. in what spirit would he receive the news? that was the thought behind the gaze demedes now bent on the unsophisticated pupil of the saintly father hilarion. sergius returned the look without an effort to hide the pain he really felt. his utmost endeavor was to control his feelings. with no idea of simulation, he wanted time to think. altogether it would have been impossible for him to have chosen a course more perplexing to demedes, who found himself driven to his next play. "you know now," he said to his father, "why i decline to break a crust with you. i must go and help uncover this wicked deed. the rewards are great"--he smiled blandly--"and i should like to win one of them at least--the first one, for i have seen the girl called lael. she interested me, and i was in danger from her. on one occasion"--he paused to throw a glance to sergius--"i even made advances to become acquainted with her, but she repulsed me. as the prince of india says, she was fair to see. i am sure i have your permission to engage in the hunt." "go, and god speed you," the hegumen responded. "thank you; yet another request." he turned to the russian. "now is sergius here tall, and, if his gown belie him not, stout, and there may be need of muscle as well as spirit; for who can tell where our feet will take us in a game like this, or what or whom we may confront? i ask you to permit him to go with me." "nay," said the hegumen, "i will urge him to go." sergius answered simply: "not now. i am under penance, and to-day bound to the third breviary prayers. when they are finished, i will gladly go." "i am disappointed," demedes rejoined. "but i must make haste." he kissed the hegumen's hand and retired; after which, the meal speedily concluded, sergius gathered the few articles of service on the platter, and raised it, but stopped to say: "after prayers, with your consent, reverend father, i will take part in this affair." "thou hast my consent." "it may take several days." "give thyself all the time required. the errand is of mercy." and the holy man extended his hand, and sergius saluted it reverently, and went out. if the young monastic kept not fast hold of the holy forms prescribed immemorially for the third hour's service, there is little doubt he was forgiven in the higher court before which he was supposed present, for never had he been more nearly shaken out of his better self than by the prince's proclamation. he had managed to appear composed while under demedes' observation. in the language of the time, some protecting saint prompted him to beware of the greek, and keeping the admonition, he had come well out of the interview; but hardly did the hegumen's door close behind him before lael's untoward fate struck him with effect. he hurried to his cell, thinking to recover himself; but it was as if he were pursued by a voice calling him, and directly the voice seemed hers, sharp and piercing from terror. a little later he took to answering the appeal--i hear, but where art thou? his agitation grew until the bell summoned him to the chapel, and the sound was gladdening on account of the companionship it promised. surely the voice would be lost in the full-toned responses of the brethren. not so. he heard it even more clearly. then, to place himself certainly beyond it, he begged an ancient worshipper at his side to loan him his triptych. for once, however, the sorrowful figure of the christ on the central tablet was of no avail, hold it close as he might; strange to say, the face of the graven image assumed her likeness; so he was worse off than before, for now her suffering look was added to her sorrowful cry. at last the service was over. rushing back to his cell he exchanged his black gown for the coarse gray garment with which he had sallied from bielo-osero. folding the veil, and putting it carefully away in his hat, he went forth, a hunter as the multitude were hunters; only, as we shall presently see, his zeal was more lasting than theirs, and he was owner of an invaluable secret. on the street he heard everywhere of the rewards, and everywhere the question, has she been found? the population, women and children included, appeared to have been turned out of their houses. the corners were possessed by them, and it will be easy for readers who have once listened to greeks in hot debate to fancy how on this occasion they were heard afar. yet sergius went his way unobservant of the remarks drawn by the elephantine ears of his outlandish hood, his tall form, and impeded step. had one stopped him to ask, where are you going? it is doubtful if he could have told. he had no plan; he was being pulled along by a pain of heart rather than a purpose--moving somnolently through a light which was also a revelation, for now he knew he loved the lost girl--knew it, not by something past, such as recollections of her sweetness and beauty, but by a sense of present bereavement, an agonizing impulsion, a fierce desire to find the robber, a murderous longing the like of which had never assailed him. the going was nearest an answer he could make to the voice calling him, equivalent to, i am coming. he sped through the hippodrome outwalking everybody; then through the enclosure of sancta sophia; then down the garden terraces--oh, that the copse could have told him the chapter it had witnessed!--then up the broad stairway to the promenade, and along it toward port st. julian, never pausing until he was at the bench in the angle of the wall from which he had overheard demedes' story of the plague of crime. now the bench was not in his mind when he started from the monastery; neither had he thought of it on the way, or of the dark history it had helped him to; in a freak, he took the seat he had formerly occupied, placed his arm along the coping of the parapet, and closed his eyes. and strange to say, the conversation of that day repeated itself almost word for word. stranger still, it had now a significancy not then observed; and as he listened, he interpreted, and the fever of spirit left him. about an hour before noon, he arose from the bench like one refreshed by sleep, cool, thoughtful, capable. in the interval he had put off boyishness, and taken on manhood replete with a faculty for worldly thinking that would have alarmed father hilarion. in other words, he was seeing things as they were; that bad and good, for instance, were coexistent, one as much a part of the plan of creation as the other; that religion could only regulate and reform; that the end of days would find good men striving with bad men--in brief, that demedes was performing the role to which his nature and aptitude assigned him, just as the venerable hegumen, his father, was feebly essaying a counterpart. nor was that all. the new ideas to which he had been converted facilitated reflection along the lines of wickedness. in the plague of crime, told the second time, he believed he had found what had befallen lael. demedes, he remembered, gave the historic episode to convince his protesting friend how easy it would be to steal and dispose of her. the argument pointed to the imperial cistern as the hiding-place. sergius' first prompting was to enlist the aid of the prince of india, and go straight to the deliverance; but he had arisen from the bench a person very different from a blind lover. not that his love had cooled--ah, no! but there were things to be done before exposing his secret. thus, his curiosity had never been strong enough to induce him to look into the cistern. was it not worth while to assure himself of the possibility of its conversion to the use suspected? he turned, and walked back rapidly--down the stairway, up the terraces, and through the hippodrome. suddenly he was struck with the impolicy of presenting himself to the cistern-keeper in his present costume--it would be such a help to identification by demedes. so he continued on to the monastery, and resumed the black gown and tall hat. the hegumen's door, which he had to pass in going out again, served him with another admonition. if demedes were exposed through his endeavor, what of the father? if, in the conflict certain of precipitation, the latter sided with his son--and what could be more natural?--would not the brotherhood follow him? how then could he, sergius, a foreigner, young, and without influence, combat a fraternity powerful in the city and most powerful up at blacherne? at this, it must be confessed, the young man's step lost its elasticity; his head sunk visibly, and the love just found was driven to divide its dominion with a well-grounded practical apprehension. yet he walked on, out of the gate, and thence in the direction of the cistern. arrived there, he surveyed the wooden structure doubtfully. the door was open, and just inside of it the keeper sat stick in hand drumming upon the brick pavement, a man of medium height and rather pleasant demeanor. "i am a stranger here," sergius said to him. "the cistern is public, i believe; may i see it?" "it is public, and you may look at it all you want. the door there at the end of the passage will let you into the court. if you have trouble in finding the stairway down, call me." sergius dropped some small coin into the keeper's hand. the court was paved with yellow roman brick, and moderately spacious. an oblong curbing in the centre without rails marked the place of descent to the water. overhead there was nothing to interfere with the fall of light from the blue sky, except that in one corner a shed had been constructed barely sufficient to protect a sedan chair deposited there, its poles on end leant against the wall. sergius noticed the chair and the poles, then looked down over the curbing into a doorway, and saw four stone steps leading to a platform three or four feet square. observing a further descent, he went down to the landing, where he paused long enough to be satisfied that the whole stairway was built into the eastern wall of the cistern. the light was already dim. proceeding carefully, for the stones were slippery, he counted fourteen steps to another landing, the width of the first but quite ten feet long, and slightly submerged with water. here, as he could go no further, he stopped to look about him. it is true there was not much to be seen, yet he was at once impressed with a sense of vastness and durability. a dark and waveless sheet lay stretched before him, merging speedily into general blackness. about four yards away and as many apart, two gigantic pillars arose out of the motionless flood stark and ghostly gray. behind them, suggestive of rows with an aisle between, other pillars were seen, mere upright streaks of uncertain hue fainter growing in the shadowy perspective. below there was nothing to arrest a glance. raising his eyes to the roof above him, out of the semi-obscurity, he presently defined a brick vault springing boldly from the corinthian capitals of the nearest pillars, and he knew straightway the roof was supported by a system of vaults susceptible of indefinite extension. but how was he, standing on a platform at the eastern edge of the reservoir, mighty in so many senses, to determine its shape, width, length? stooping he looked down the vista straining his vision, but there was no opposite wall--only darkness and impenetrability. he filled his lungs trying the air, and it was damp but sweet. he stamped with force--there was a rumble in the vault overhead--that was all. he called: "lael, lael"--there was no answer, though he listened, his soul in his ears. therewith he gave over trying to sound the great handmade cavern, and lingered awhile muttering: "it is possible, it is possible! at the end of this row of pillars"--he made a last vain effort to discover the end--"there may be a house afloat, and she"--he clinched his hands, and shook with a return of murderous passion--"god help her! nay, god help me! if she is here, as i believe, i will find her." in the court he again noticed the sedan in the corner. "i am obliged to you," he said to the keeper by the door. "how old is the cistern?" "constantine begun it, and justinian finished it, they say." "is it in use now?" "they let buckets down through traps in the roof." "do you know how large it is?" [footnote: yere batan serai, or the underground palace, the ancient royal cistern, or cistern of constantine, is in rank, as well as in interest and beauty, the chief byzantine cistern. it is on the right-hand side of the tramway street, west of st. sophia. the entrance is in the yard of a large ottoman house in last street on the right of tramway street before the tramway turns abruptly west (to right) after passing st. sophia. this cistern was built by constantine the great, and deepened and enlarged by justinian the great in 527, the first year of his reign. it has been in constant use ever since. the water is supplied from unknown and subterranean sources, sometimes rising nearly to the capitals of the columns. it is still in admirable preservation: all its columns are in position, and almost the entire roof is intact. the columns are arranged in twelve rows of twenty-eight, there being in all three hundred and thirty-six, which are twelve feet distant from each other or from the wall. some of the capitals are corinthian; others plain, hardly more than truncated pyramids. the roof consists of a succession of brick vaults. on left side in yard of the large ottoman house already mentioned is a trap-door. one is let down over a rickety ladder about four feet to the top of four high stone steps, which descend on the left to a platform about three and one-half feet square which projects without railing over the water. thence fourteen steps, also without railing, conduct to another platform below, about three and one-half feet wide and ten feet long. sometimes this lower platform and the nearer steps are covered with water, though seldom in summer and early fall. these steps are uneven--in places are broken and almost wanting; and they as well as both platforms are exceedingly slippery. the place is absolutely dark save for the feeble rays which glimmer from the lantern of the guide. one should remember there is no railing or barrier of any sort, and not advance an inch without seeing where he puts his foot. then there is no danger. moreover, the platform below is less slippery than the steps or the platform above. visitors will do well to each bring his own candle or small lantern, not for illumination but for safety. when the visitors have arrived on the lower platform, which is near the middle of the eastern side against the wall, the guide, who has not descended the steps, lights a basket of shavings or other quick combustible on the platform above. the effect is instantaneous and magical. suddenly from an obscurity so profound that only the outline of the nearest columns can be faintly discerned by the flicker of a candle, the entire maze of columns flashes into being resplendent and white. the roof and the water send the light back to each other. not a sound is heard save distant splashes here and there as a bucket descends to supply the necessities of some house above. nowhere can be beheld a scene more weird and enchanting. it will remain printed on the memory when many another experience of stamboul is dim or forgotten. professor grosvenor. constantinople.] the keeper laughed, and pommelled the pavement vigorously: "i was never through it--haven't the courage--nor do i know anybody who has been. they say it has a thousand pillars, and that it is supplied by a river. they tell too how people have gone into it with boats, and never come out, and that it is alive with ghosts; but of these stories i say nothing, because i know nothing." sergius thereupon departed. chapter xxii the prince of india seeks mahommed all the next night, syama, his ear against his master's door, felt the jar of the machine-like tread in the study. at intervals it would slow, but not once did it stop. the poor slave was himself nearly worn out. sympathy has a fashion of burdening us without in the least lightening the burden which occasions it. to-morrows may be long coming, but they keep coming. time is a mill, and to-morrows are but the dust of its grinding. uel arose early. he had slept soundly. his first move was to send the prince all the clerks he could find in the market, and shortly afterwards the city was re-blazoned with bills. "byzantines! "fathers and mothers of byzantium! "lael, the daughter of uel the merchant, has not been found. wherefore i now offer 10,000 bezants in gold for her dead or alive, and 6,000 bezants in gold for evidence which will lead to the discovery and conviction of her abductors. "the offers will conclude with to-day. "prince of india." there was a sensation when the new placards had been generally read; yet the hunt of the day before was not resumed. it was considered exhausted. men and women poured into the streets and talked and talked--about the prince of india. by ten o'clock all known of him and a great deal more had gone through numberless discussions; and could he have heard the conclusions reached he had never smiled again. by a consensus singularly unanimous, he was an indian, vastly rich, but not a prince, and his interest in the stolen girl was owing to forbidden relations. this latter part of the judgment, by far the most cruel, might have been traced to demedes. in all the city there had not been a more tireless hunter than demedes. he seemed everywhere present--on the ships, on the walls, in the gardens and churches--nay, it were easier telling where he had not been. and by whomsoever met, he was in good spirits, fertile in suggestions, and sure of success. he in fact distinguished himself in the search, and gave proof of a knowledge of the capital amazing to the oldest inhabitants. of course his role was to waste the energy of the mass. in every pack of beagles it is said there is one particularly gifted in the discovery of false scents. such was demedes that first day, until about two o'clock. the results of the quest were then in, and of the theories to which he listened, nothing pleased him like the absence of a suggestion of the second sedan. there were witnesses to tell of the gorgeous chair, and its flitting here and yonder through the twilight; none saw the other. this seems to have sufficed him, and he suddenly gave up the chase; appearing in the garden of the bucoleon, he declared the uselessness of further effort. the jewess, he said, was not in byzantium; she had been carried off by the bulgarians, and was then on the road to some turkish harem. from that moment the search began to fall off, and by evening it was entirely discontinued. upon appearance of the placards the second day, demedes was again equal to the emergency. he collected his brethren in the temple, organized them into parties, and sent them everywhere--to galata, to the towns along the bosphorus, down the western shore of the marmora, over to the islands, and up to the forest of belgrade--to every place, in short, except the right one. and this conduct, apparently sincere, certainly energetic, bore its expected fruit; by noon he was the hero of the occasion, the admiration of the city. when very early in the second day the disinclination of the people to renew the search was reported to the prince of india, he looked incredulous, and broke out: "what! not for ten thousand bezants!--more gold than they have had in their treasury at one time in ten years!--enough to set up three empires of such dwindle! to what is the world coming?" an hour or so later, he was told of the total failure of his second proclamation. the information drove him with increased speed across the floor. "i have an adversary somewhere," he was saying to himself--"an adversary more powerful than gold in quantity. are there two such in byzantium?" an account of demedes' action gave him some comfort. about the third hour, sergius asked to see him, and was admitted. after a simple expression of sympathy, the heartiness of which was attested by his sad voice and dejected countenance, the monk said: "prince of india, i cannot tell you the reasons of my opinion; yet i believe the young woman is a prisoner here in this city. i will also beg you not to ask me where i think she is held, or by whom. it may turn out that i am mistaken; i will then feel better of having had no confidant. with this statement--submitted with acknowledged uncertainty--can you trust me?" "you are sergius, the monk?" "so they call me; though here i have not been raised to the priesthood." "i have heard the poor child speak of you. you were a favorite with her." the prince spoke with trouble. "i am greatly pleased to hear it." the trouble of the prince was contagious, but sergius presently recovered. "probably the best certificate of my sincerity, prince--the best i can furnish you--is that your gold is no incentive to the trial at finding her which i have a mind to make. if i succeed, a semblance of pay or reward would spoil my happiness." the jew surveyed him curiously. "almost i doubt you," he said. "yes, i can understand. avarice is so common, and disinterestedness, friendship, and love so uncommon." "verily, a great truth has struck you early." "well, hear what i have to ask." "speak." "you have in your service an african"-"nilo?" "that is his name. he is strong, faithful, and brave, qualities i may need more than gold. will you allow him to go with me?" the prince's look and manner changed, and he took the monk's hand. "forgive me," he said warmly--"forgive me, if i spoke doubtfully--forgive me, if i misunderstood you." then, with his usual promptitude, he went to the door, and bade syama bring nilo. "you know my method of speech with him?" the prince asked. "yes," sergius replied. "if you have instructions for him, see they are given in a good light, for in the dark he cannot comprehend." nilo came, and kissed his master's hand. he understood the trouble which had befallen. "this," the prince said to him, "is sergius, the monk. he believes he knows where the little princess is, and has asked that you may go with him. are you willing?" the king looked assent. "it is arranged," the master added to sergius. "have you other suggestion?" "it were better he put off his african costume." "for the greek?" "the greek will excite less attention." "very well." in a short time nilo presented himself in byzantine dress, with exception of a bright blue handkerchief on his head. "now, i pray you, prince, give me a room. i wish to talk with the man privately." the request was granted, the instructions given, and sergius reappeared to take leave. "nilo and i are good friends, prince. he understands me." "he may be too eager. remember i found him a savage." with these words, the prince and the young russian parted. after this nobody came to the house. the excitement had been a flash. now it seemed entirely dead, and dead without a clew. when time goes afoot his feet are of lead; and in this instance his walk was over the prince's heart. by noon he was dreadfully wrought up. "let them look to it, let them look to it!" he kept repeating, sometimes shaking a clinched hand. occasionally the idea to which he thus darkly referred had power to bring him to a halt. "i have an adversary. who is he?" ere long the question possessed him entirely. it was then as if he despaired of recovering lael, and had but one earthly object--vengeance. "ah, my god, my god! am i to lose her, and never know my enemy? action, action, or i will go mad!" uel came with his usual report: "alas! i have nothing." the prince scarcely heard or saw him. "there are but two places where this enemy can harbor," he was repeating to himself--"but two; the palace and"--he brought his hands together vehemently--"the church. where else are they who have power to arrest a whole people in earnest movement? whom else have i offended? ay, there it is! i preached god; therefore the child must perish. so much for christian pity!" all the forces in his nature became active. "go," he said to uel, "order two men for my chair. syama will attend me." the merchant left him on the floor patting one hand with another. "yes, yes, i will try it--i will see if there is such thing as christian pity--i will see. it may have swarmed, and gone to hive at blacherne." in going to the palace, he continually exhorted the porters: "faster, faster, my men!" the officer at the gate received him kindly, and came back with the answer, "his majesty will see you." again the audience chamber, constantine on the dais, his courtiers each in place; again the dean in his role of grand chamberlain; again the prostrations. ceremony at blacherne was never remitted. there is a poverty which makes kings miserable. "draw nearer, prince," said constantine, benignly. "i am very busy. a courier arrived this morning from adrianople with report that my august friend, the sultan amurath, is sick, and his physicians think him sick unto death. i was not prepared for the responsibilities which are rising; but i have heard of thy great misfortune, and out of sympathy bade my officer bring thee hither. by accounts the child was rarely intelligent and lovely, and i did not believe there was in my capital a man to do her such inhuman wrong. the progress of the search thou didst institute so wisely i have watched with solicitude little less than thine own. my officials everywhere have orders to spare no effort or expense to discover the guilty parties; for if the conspiracy succeed once, it will derive courage and try again, thus menacing every family in my empire. if thou knowest aught else in my power to do, i will gladly hear it." the emperor, intent upon his expressions, failed to observe the gleam which shone in the wanderer's eyes, excited by mention of the condition of the sultan. "i will not try your majesty's patience, since i know the responsibilities to which you have referred concern the welfare of an empire, while i am troubled not knowing if one poor soul be dead or alive; yet she was the world to me"--thus the prince began, and the knightly soul of the emperor was touched, for his look softened, and with his hand he gently tapped the golden cone of the right arm of his throne. "that which brought me to your feet," the prince continued, "is partly answered. the orders to your officers exhaust your personal endeavor, unless--unless"-"speak, prince." "your majesty, i shrink from giving offence, and yet i have in this terrible affair an enemy who is my master. yesterday byzantium adopted my cause, and lent me her eyes and hands; before the sun went down her ardor cooled; to-day she will not go a rood. what are we to think, what do, my lord, when gold and pity alike lose their influence? ... i will not stop to say what he must be who is so much my enemy as to lay an icy finger on the warm pulse of the people. when we who have grown old cast about for a hidden foe, where do we habitually look? where, except among those whom we have offended? whom have i offended? here in the audience you honored me with, i ventured to argue in favor of universal brotherhood in faith, and god the principle of agreement; and there were present some who dealt me insult, and menaced me, until your majesty sent armed men to protect me from their violence. they have the ear of the public--they are my adversaries. shall i call them the church?" constantine replied calmly: "the head of the church sat here at my right hand that day, prince, and he did not interrupt you; neither did he menace you. but say you are right--that they of whom you speak are the church--what can i do?" "the church has thunders to terrify and subdue the wicked, and your majesty is the head of the church." "nay, prince, i fear thou hast studied us unfairly. i am a member--a follower--a subscriber to the faith--its thunders are not mine." a despairing look overcast the countenance of the visitor, and he trembled. "oh, my god! there is no hope further--she is lost--lost!" but recovering directly, he said: "i crave pardon for interrupting your majesty. give me permission to retire. i have much work to do." constantine bowed, and on raising his head, declared with feeling to his officers: "the wrong to this man is great." the wanderer moved backward slowly, his eyes emitting uncertain light; pausing, he pointed to the emperor, and said, solemnly: "my lord, thou hadst thy power to do justice from god; it hath slipped from thee. the choice was thine, to rule the church or be ruled by it; thou hast chosen, and art lost, and thy empire with thee." he was at the door before any one present could arouse from surprise; then while they were looking at each other, and making ready to cry out, he came back clear to the dais, and knelt. there was in his manner and countenance so much of utter hopelessness, that the whole court stood still, each man in the attitude the return found him. "my lord," he said, "thou mightest have saved me--i forgive thee that thou didst not. see--here"--he thrust a hand in the bosom of his gown, and from a pocket drew the great emerald--"i will leave thee this talisman--it belonged to king solomon, the son of david--i found it in the tomb of hiram, king of tyre--it is thine, my lord, so thou fitly punish the robber of the lost daughter of my soul, my gul bahar. farewell." he laid the jewel on the edge of the dais, and rising, betook himself to the door again, and disappeared before the dean was sufficiently mindful of his duty. "the man is mad," the emperor exclaimed. "take up the stone"--he spoke to the dean--"and return it to him to-morrow." [footnote: this identical stone, or one very like it, may be seen in the "treasury" which is part of the old serail in stamboul. it is in the first room of entrance, on the second shelf of the great case of curios, right-hand side.] for a time then the emerald was kept passing from hand to hand by the courtiers, none of whom had ever seen its peer for size and brilliance; more than one of them touched it with awe, for despite a disposition to be incredulous in the matter of traditions incident to precious stones, the legend here, left behind him by the mysterious old man, was accepted--this was a talisman--it had belonged to solomon--it had been found by the prince of india--and he was a prince--nobody but indian princes had such emeralds to give away. but while they bandied the talisman about, the emperor sat, his chin in the palm of his right hand, the elbow on the golden cone, not seeing as much as thinking, nor thinking as much as silently repeating the strange words of the stranger: "thou hadst thy power to do justice from god; it hath slipped from thee. the choice was thine to rule the church or be ruled by it. thou hast chosen, and art lost, and thy empire with thee." was this prophetic? what did it mean? and by and by he found a meaning. the first constantine made the church; now the church will unmake the last constantine. how many there are who spend their youth yearning and fighting to write their names in history, then spend their old age shuddering to read them there! the prince of india was scarcely in his study, certainly he was not yet calmed down from the passion into which he had been thrown at blacherne, when syama informed him there was a man below waiting to see him. "who is he?" the servant shook his head. "well, bring him here." presently a gypsy, at least in right of his mother, and tent-born in the valley of buyukdere, slender, dark-skinned, and by occupation a fisherman, presented himself. from the strength of the odor he brought with him, the yield of his net during the night must have been unusually large. "am i in presence of the prince of india?" the man asked, in excellent arabic, and a manner impossible of acquisition except in the daily life of a court of the period. the prince bowed. "the prince of india who is the friend of the sultan mahommed?" the other inquired, with greater particularity. "sultan mahommed? prince mahommed, you mean." "no--mahommed the sultan." a flash of joy leaped from the prince's eyes--the first of the kind in two days. the stranger addressed himself to explanation. "forgive my bringing the smell of mullet and mackerel into your house. i am obeying instructions which require me to communicate with you in disguise. i have a despatch to tell who i am, and more of my business than i know myself." the messenger took from his head the dirty cloth covering it, and from its folds produced a slip of paper; with a salute of hand to breast and forehead, declarative of a turk to the habit born, he delivered the slip, and walked apart to give opportunity for its reading. this was the writing in free translation: "mahommed, son of amurath, sultan of sultans, to the prince of india. "i am about returning to magnesia. my father--may the prayers of the prophet, almighty with god, preserve him from long suffering!--is fast falling into weakness of body and mind. ali, son of abed-din the faithful, is charged instantly the great soul is departed on its way to paradise to ride as the north wind flies, and give thee a record which abed-din is to make on peril of his soul, abating not the fraction of a second. thou wilt understand it, and the purpose of the sending." the prince of india, with the slip in his hand, walked the floor once from west to east to regain the mastery of himself. "ali, son of abed-din the faithful," he then said, "has a record for me." now the thongs of ali's sandals were united just below the instep with brass buttons; stooping he took off that of the left sandal, and gave it a sharp twist; whereupon the top came off, disclosing a cavity, and a ribbon of the finest satin snugly folded in it. he gave the ribbon to the prince, saying: "the button of the plane tree planted has not in promise any great thing like this i take from the button of my sandal. now is my mission done. praised be allah!" and while the prince read, he recapped the button, and restored it in place. the bit of yellow satin, when unfolded, presented a diagram which the prince at first thought a nativity; upon closer inspection, he asked the courier: "son of abed-din, did thy father draw this?" "no, it is the handiwork of my lord, the sultan mahommed." "but it is a record of death, not of birth." "insomuch is my lord, the sultan mahommed, wiser in his youth than many men in their age"--ali paused to formally salute the opinion. "he selected the ribbon, and drew the figure--did all you behold, indeed, except the writing in the square; that he intrusted to my father, saying at the time: 'the prince of india, when he sees the minute in the square, will say it is not a nativity; have one there to tell him i, mahommed, avouch, 'twice in his life i had the throne from my august father; now has he given it to me again, this third time with death to certify it mine in perpetuity; wherefore it is but righteous holding that the instant of his final secession must be counted the beginning of my reign; for often as a man has back the property he parted from as a loan, is it not his? what ceremony is then needed to perfect his title?" "if one have wisdom, o son of abed-din, whence is it except from allah? let not thy opinion of thy young master escape thee. were he to die to-morrow"-"allah forbid!" exclaimed ali. "fear it not," returned the prince, smiling at the young man's earnestness: "for is it not written, 'a soul cannot die unless by permission of god, according to a writing definite as to time'? [footnote: koran, iii. 139.]--i was about to say, there is not in his generation another to lie as close in the bosom of the prophet. where is he now?" "he rides doubtless to adrianople. the moment i set out hither, which was next minute after the great decease, a despatch was started for him by khalil the grand vizier." "knowest thou the road he will take?" "by gallipoli." "behold, ali!"--from his finger the prince took a ring. "this for thy good news. now to the road again, the white castle first. tell the governor there to keep ward to-night with unlocked gates, for i may seek them in haste. then put thyself in the lord mahommed's way coming from gallipoli, and when thou hast kissed his sandals for me, and given him my love and duty, tell him i have perfect understanding of the nativity, and will meet him in adrianople. hast thou eaten and drunk?" "eaten, not drunk, my lord." "come then, and i will put thee in the way to some red wine; for art thou not a traveller?" the son of abed-din saluted, saying simply: "_meshallah!_" and was presently in care of syama; after which the prince took the ribbon to the table, spread it out carefully, and stood over it in the strong light, studying the symbols and writing in the square of [illustration: the diagram.] "it is the nativity of an empire, [footnote: since the conquest of constantinople by mahommed, turkey has been historically counted an empire.] not a man," the prince said, his gaze still on the figure--"an empire which i will make great for the punishment of these robbers of children." he stood up at the last word, and continued, excitedly: "it is the word of god, else it had not come to me now nigh overcome and perishing in bitter waters; and it calls me to do his will. give over the child, it says--she is lost to thee. go up now, and be thou my instrument this once again--i am the i am whom moses knew, the lord god of israel who covenanted with abraham, and with whom there is no forgetting--no, not though the world follow the leaf blown into the mouth of a roaring furnace. i hear, o god! i hear--i am going!" this, it will be observed, is the second of the two days of grace the prince appears to have given the city for the return of lael; and as it is rapidly going without a token of performance, our curiosity increases to know the terrible thing in reserve of which some of his outbursts have vaguely apprised us. a few turns across the floor brought him back to apparent calmness; indeed, but for the fitful light in his eyes and the swollen veins about his temples, it might be supposed he had been successful in putting his distresses by. he brought syama in, and, for the first time in two days, took a seat. "listen, and closely," he said; "for i would be sure you comprehend me. have you laid the sacred books in the boxes?" syama, in his way, answered, yes. "are the boxes secure? they may have to go a long journey." "yes." "did you place the jewels in new bags? the old ones were well nigh gone." "yes." "are they in the gurglet now?" "yes." "you know we will have to keep it filled with water." "yes." "my medicines--are they ready for packing?" "yes." "return them to their cases carefully. i cannot afford to leave or lose them. and the sword--is it with the books?" "yes." "very well. attend again. on my return from the voyage i made the other day for the treasure you have in care"--he paused for a sign of comprehension--"i retained the vessel in my service, and directed the captain to be at anchor in the harbor before st. peter's gate"--another pause--"i also charged him to keep lookout for a signal to bring the galley to the landing; in the day, the signal would be a blue handkerchief waved; at night, a lantern swung four times thus"--he gave the illustration. "now to the purpose of all this. give heed. i may wish to go aboard to-night, but at what hour i cannot tell. in preparation, however, you will get the porters who took me to the palace to-day, and have them take the boxes and gurglet of which i have been speaking to st. peter's gate. you will go with them, make the signal to the captain, and see they are safely shipped. the other servants will accompany you. you understand?" syama nodded. "attend further. when the goods are on the galley, you will stay and guard them. all the other property you will leave in the house here just as it is. you are certain you comprehend?" "yes." "then set about the work at once. everything must be on the ship before dark." the master offered his hand, and the slave kissed it, and went softly out. immediately that he was alone, the prince ascended to the roof. he stood by the table a moment, giving a thought to the many times his gul bahar had kept watch on the stars for him. they would come and go regularly as of old, but she?--he shook with sudden passion, and walked around taking what might have answered for last looks at familiar landmarks in the wide environment--at the old church near by and the small section of blacherne in the west, the heights of galata and the shapely tower northwardly, the fainter glimpses of scutari in the east. then he looked to the southwest where, under a vast expanse of sky, he knew the marmora was lying asleep; and at once his face brightened. in that quarter a bank of lead-colored clouds stretched far along the horizon, sending rifts lighter hued upward like a fan opening toward the zenith. he raised his hand, and held it palm thitherward, and smiled at feeling a breath of air. somehow the cloud associated itself with the purpose of which he was dreaming, for he said audibly, his eyes fiercely lighted: "o god, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul, and have not set thee before them. but now hast thou thy hand under my head; now the wind cometh, and their punishment; and it is for me to scourge them." he lingered on the roof, walking sometimes, but for the most part seated. the cloud in the southwest seemed the great attraction. assured it was still coming, he would drop awhile into deep thought. if there were calls at the street door, he did not hear them. at length the sun, going down, was met and covered out of sight by the curtain beyond the marmora. about the same time a wave of cold february air rolled into the city, and to escape it he went below. the silence there was observable; for now syama had finished, and the house was deserted. through the rooms upper and lower he stalked gloomy and restless, pausing now and then to listen to a sufflation noisier and more portentous than its predecessors; and the moans with which the intermittent blast turned the corners and occasionally surged through the windows he received smilingly, much as hospitable men welcome friends, or as conspirators greet each other; and often as they recurred, he replied to them in the sonorous words of the psalm, and the refrain, "now the wind cometh, and the punishment." when night was fallen, he crossed the street to uel's. after the first greeting, the conversation between the two was remarkable chiefly for its lapses. it is always so with persons who have a sorrow in common--the pleasure is in their society, not in exchange of words. in one thing the brethren were agreed--lael was lost. by and by the prince concluded it time for him to depart. there was a lamp burning above the table; he went to it, and called uel; and when he was come, the elder drew out a sealed purse, saying: "our pretty gul bahar may yet be found. the methods of the lord we believe in are past finding out. if it should be that i am not in the city when she is brought home, i would not she should have cause to say i ceased thinking of her with a love equal to yours--a father's love. wherefore, o son of jahdai, i give you this. it is full of jewels, each a fortune in itself. if she comes, they are hers; if a year passes, and she is not found, they are yours to keep, give or sell, as you please. you have furnished me happiness which this sorrow is not strong enough to efface. i will not pay you, for acceptance in such kind were shameful to you as the offer would be to me; yet if she comes not in the year, break the seal. we sometimes wear rings in help of pleasant memories." "is your going so certain?" uel asked. "o my youngest brother, i am a traveller even as you are a merchant, with the difference, i have no home. so the lord be with you. farewell." then they kissed each other tenderly. "will i not hear from you?" uel inquired. "ah, thank you," and the wanderer returned to him and said, as if to show who was first in his very farewell thought: "thank you for the reminder. if peradventure you too should be gone when she is found, she will then be in want of a home. provide against that; for she is such a sweet stranger to the world." "tell me how, and i will keep your wish as it were part of the law." "there is a woman in byzantium worthy to have good follow her name whenever it is spoken or written." "give me her name, my lord." "the princess irene." "but she is a christian!" uel spoke in surprise. "yes, son of jahdai, she is a christian. nevertheless send lael to her. again i leave you where i rest myself--with god--our god." thereupon he went out finally, and between gusts of wind regained his own house. he stopped on entering, and barred the door behind him; then he groped his way to the kitchen, and taking a lamp from its place, raked together the embers smothering in a brazier habitually kept for retention of fire, and lighted the lamp. he next broke up some stools and small tables, and with the pieces made a pile under the grand stairway to the second floor, muttering as he worked: "the proud are risen against me; and now the wind cometh, and punishment." once more he walked through the rooms, and ascended to the roof. there, just as he cleared the door, as if it were saluting him, and determined to give him a trial of its force, a blast leaped upon him, like an embodiment out of the cloud in full possession of both world and sky, and started his gown astream, and twisting his hair and beard into lashes whipped his eyes and ears with them, and howled, and snatched his breath nearly out of his mouth. wind it was, and darkness somewhat like that egypt knew what time the deliverer, with god behind him, was trying strength with the king's sorcerers--wind and darkness, but not a drop of rain. he grasped the door-post, and listened to the crashing of heavy things on the neighboring roofs, and the rattle of light things for the finding of which loose here and there the gust of a storm may be trusted where eyes are useless. and noticing that obstructions served merely to break the flying forces into eddies, he laughed and shouted by turns so the inmates of the houses near might have heard had they been out as he was instead of cowering in their beds: "the proud are risen against me, and the assembly of violent men have sought after my soul; and now--ha, ha, ha!--the wind cometh and the punishment!" availing himself of a respite in the blowing, he ran across the roof and looked over into the street, and seeing nothing, neither light nor living thing, he repeated the refrain with a slight variation: "and the wind--ha, ha!--the wind _is_ come, and the punishment!"--then he fled back, and down from the roof. and now the purpose in reserve must have revelation. the grand staircase sprang from the floor open beneath like a bridge. passing under it, he set the lamp against the heap of kindling there, and the smell of scorching wood spread abroad, followed by smoke and the crackle and snap of wood beginning to burn. it was not long until the flames, gathering life and strength, were beyond him to stay or extinguish them, had he been taken with sudden repentance. from step to step they leaped, the room meantime filling fast with suffocating gases. when he knew they were beyond the efforts of any and all whom they might attract, and must burst into conflagration the instant they reached the lightest of the gusts playing havoc outside, he went down on his hands and knees, for else it had been difficult for him to breathe, and crawled to the door. drawing himself up there, he undid the bar, and edged through into the street; nor was there a soul to see the puff of smoke and murky gleam which passed out with him. his spirit was too drunken with glee to trouble itself with precautions now; yet he stopped long enough to repeat the refrain, with a hideous spasm of laughter: "and now--ha, ha!--the wind _is_ come, and the fire, and the punishment." then he wrapped his gown closer about his form bending to meet the gale, and went leisurely down the street, intending to make st. peter's gate. where the intersections left openings, the jew, now a fugitive rather than a wanderer--a fugitive nevertheless who knew perfectly where he was going, and that welcome awaited him there--halted to scan the cloudy floor of the sky above the site of the house he had just abandoned. a redness flickering and unsteady over in that quarter was the first assurance he had of the growth of the flame of small beginning under the grand staircase. "now the meeting of wind and fire!--now speedily these hypocrites and tongue-servers, bastards of byzantium, shall know israel has a god in whom they have no lot, and in what regard he holds conniving at the rape of his daughters. blow, wind, blow harder! rise, fire, and spread--be a thousand lions in roaring till these tremble like hunted curs! the few innocent are not more in the account than moths burrowed in woven wool and feeding on its fineness. already the guilty begin to pray--but to whom? blow, o wind! spread and spare not, o fire!" thus he exulted; and as if it heard him and were making answer to his imprecations, a column, pinked by the liberated fire below it, a burst of sparks in its core, shot up in sudden vastness like a titan rushing to seizure of the world; but presently the gale struck and toppled it over toward blacherne in the northwest. "that way points the punishment? i remember i offered him god and peace and good-will to men, and he rejected them. blow, winds! now are ye but breezes from the south, spice-laden to me, but in his ears be as chariots descending. and thou, o fire! forget not the justice to be done, and whose servant thou art. leave heaven to say which is guiltier; they who work at the deflowerment of the innocent, or he who answers no to the everlasting offering him love. unto him be thou as banners above the chariots!" now a noise began--at first faint and uncertain, then, as the red column sprang up, it strengthened, and ere long defined itself--fire, fire! it seemed the city awoke with that cry. and there was peering from windows, opening of doors, rushing from houses, and hurrying to where the angry spot on the floor of the cloud which shut heaven off was widening and deepening. in a space incredibly quick, the streets--those leading to the corner occupied by the jew as well--became rivulets flowing with people, and then blatant rivers. "my god, what a night for a fire!" "there will be nothing left of us by morning, not even ashes." "and the women and children--think of them!" "fire--fire--fire!" exchanges like these dinned the jew until, finding himself an obstruction, he moved on. not a phase of the awful excitement escaped him--the racing of men--half-clad women assembling--children staring wild-eyed at the smoke extending luridly across the fifth and sixth hills to the seventh--white faces, exclamations, and not seldom resort to crucifixes and prayers to the blessed lady of blacherne--he heard and saw them all--yet kept on toward st. peter's gate, now an easy thing, since the thoroughfares were so aglow he could neither stumble nor miss the right one. a company of soldiers running nearly knocked him down; but finally he reached the portal, and passed out without challenge. a brief search then for his galley; and going aboard, after replying to a few questions about the fire, he bade the captain cast off, and run for the bosphorus. "it looks as if the city would all go," he said; and the mariner, thinking him afraid, summoned his oarsmen, and to please him made haste, as he too well might, for the light of the burning projected over the wall, and, flung back from the cloud overhead far as the eye could penetrate, illuminated the harbor as it did the streets, bringing the ships to view, their crews on deck, and galata, wall, housetops and tower, crowded with people awestruck by the immensity of the calamity. when the galley outgoing cleared point serail, the wind and the long swells beating in from the marmora white with foam struck it with such force that keeping firm grip of their oars was hard for the rowers, and they began to cry out; whereupon the captain sought his passenger. "my lord," he said, "i have plied these waters from boyhood, and never saw them in a night like this. let me return to the harbor." "what, is it not light enough?" the sailor crossed himself, and replied: "there is light enough--such as it is!" and he shuddered. "but the wind, and the running sea, my lord"-"oh! for them, keep on. under the mountain height of scutari the sailing will be plain." and with much wonder how one so afraid of fire could be so indifferent to danger from flood and gale, the captain addressed himself to manoeuvring his vessel. "now," said the jew, when at last they were well in under the asiatic shore--"now bear away up the bosphorus." the light kept following him the hour and more required to make the sweet waters and the white castle; and even there the reflection from the cloud above the ill-fated city was strong enough to cast half the stream in shadow from the sycamores lining its left bank. the governor of the castle received the friend of his master, the new sultan, at the landing; and from the wall just before retiring, the latter took a last look at the signs down where the ancient capital was struggling against annihilation. glutted with imaginings of all that was transpiring there, he clapped his hands, and repeated the refrain in its past form: "now have the winds come, and the fire, and the punishment. so be it ever unto all who encourage violence to children, and reject god." an hour afterwards, he was asleep peacefully as if there were no such thing as conscience, or a misery like remorse. * * * * * shortly after midnight an officer of the guard ventured to approach the couch of the emperor constantine; in his great excitement he even shook the sacred person. "awake, your majesty, awake, and save the city. it is a sea of fire." constantine was quickly attired, and went first to the top of the tower of isaac. he was filled with horror by what he beheld; but he had soldierly qualities--amongst others the faculty of keeping a clear head in crises. he saw the conflagration was taking direction with the wind and coming straight toward blacherne, where, for want of aliment, it needs must stop. everything in its line of progress was doomed; but he decided it possible to prevent extension right and left of that line, and acting promptly, he brought the entire military force from the barracks to cooperate with the people. the strategy was successful. gazing from the pinnacle as the sun rose, he easily traced a blackened swath cut from the fifth hill up to the eastward wall of the imperial grounds; and, in proof of the fury of the gale, the terraces of the garden were covered inches deep with ashes and scoriac-looking flakes of what at sunset had been happy homes. and the dead? ascertainment of the many who perished was never had; neither did closest inquiry discover the origin of the fire. the volume of iniquities awaiting exposure judgment day must be immeasurable, if it is of the book material in favor among mortals. the prince of india was supposed to have been one of the victims of the fire, and not a little sympathy was expended for the mysterious foreigner. but in refuge at the white castle, that worthy greedily devoured the intelligence he had the governor send for next day. one piece of news, however, did more than dash the satisfaction he secretly indulged--uel, the son of jahdai, was dead--and dead of injuries suffered the night of the catastrophe. a horrible foreboding struck the grim incendiary. was the old destiny still pursuing him? was it still a part of the judgment that every human being who had to do with him in love, friendship or business, every one on whom he looked in favor, must be overtaken soon or late with a doom of some kind? from that moment, moved by an inscrutable prompting of spirit, he began a list of those thus unfortunate--lael first, then uel. who next? the reader will remember the merchant's house was opposite the prince's, with a street between them. unfortunately the street was narrow; the heat from one building beat across it and attacked the other. uel managed to get out safely; but recollecting the jewels intrusted to him for lael, he rushed back to recover them. staggering out again blind and roasting, he fell on the pave, and was carried off, but with the purse intact. next day he succumbed to the injuries. in his last hour, he dictated a letter to the princess irene, begging her to accept the guardianship of his daughter, if god willed her return. such, he said, was his wish, and the prince of india's; and with the missive, he forwarded the jewels, and a statement of the property he was leaving in the market. they and all his were for the child--so the disposition ran, concluding with a paragraph remarkable for the confidence it manifested in the christian trustee. "but if she is not returned alive within a year from this date, then, o excellent princess, i pray you to be my heir, holding everything of mine yours unconditionally. and may god keep you!" chapter xxiii sergius and nilo take up the hunt we have seen the result of sergius' interview with the prince of india, and remember that it was yet early in the morning after lael's disappearance when, in company with nilo, he bade the eccentric stranger adieu, and set forth to try his theory respecting the lost girl. about noon he appeared southwest of the hippodrome in the street leading past the cistern-keeper's abode. nilo, by arrangement, followed at a distance, keeping him in sight. by his side there was a fruit peddler, one of the every-day class whose successors are banes of life to all with whom in the modern byzantium a morning nap is the sweetest preparation for the day. the peddler carried a huge basket strapped to his forehead. he was also equipped with a wooden platter for the display of samples of his stock; and it must be said the medlars, oranges, figs of smyrna, and the luscious green grapes in enormous clusters freshly plucked in the vineyards on the asiatic shore over against the isles of the princes, were very tempting; especially so as the hour was when the whole world acknowledges the utility of lunching as a stay for dinner. it is not necessary to give the conversation between the man of fruits and the young russian. the former was endeavoring to sell. presently they reached a point from which the cistern-keeper was visible, seated, as usual, just within the door pommelling the pavement. sergius stopped there, and affected to examine his companion's stock; then, as if of a mind, he said: "oh, well! let us cross the street, and if the man yonder will give me a room in which i can eat to my content, i will buy of you. let us try him." the two made their way to the door. "good day, my friend," sergius said, to the keeper, who recognized him, and rising, returned the salutation pleasantly enough. "you were here yesterday," he said, "i am glad to see you again. come in." "thank you," sergius returned. "i am hungry, and should like some of this man's store; but it is uncomfortable eating in the street; so i thought you might not be offended if i asked a room for the purpose; particularly as i give you a hearty invitation to share the repast with me." in support of the request the peddler held the platter to the keeper. the argument was good, and straightway, assuming the air of a connoisseur, the master of the house squeezed a medlar, and raising an orange to his nose smelt it, calculated its weight, and answered: "why, yes--come right along to my sitting-room. i will get some knives; and when we are through, we will have a bowl of water, and a napkin. things are not inviting out here as they might be." "and the peddler?" sergius inquired. "bring him along. we will make him show us the bottom of his basket. i believe you said you are a stranger?" sergius nodded. "well, i am not," the keeper continued, complacently. "i know these fellows. they all have tricks. bring him in. i have no family. i live alone." the monk acknowledged the invitation, but pausing to allow the peddler to enter first, he at the same time lifted his hat as if to readjust it; then a moment was taken to make a roll of the long fair hair, and tuck it securely under the hat. that finished, he stepped into the passage, and pursued after his host through a door on the left hand; whereupon the passage to the court was clear. now the play with the hat was a signal to nilo. rendered into words, it would have run thus: "the keeper is employed, and the way open. come!" and the king, on the lookout, answered by sauntering slowly down, mindful if he hurried he might be followed, there being a number of persons in the vicinity. at the door, he took time to examine the front of the house; then he, too, stepped into the passage and through it, and out into the court, where, with a glance, he took everything in--paved area, the curbing about the stairway to the water, the faces of the three sides of the square opposite that of the entrance, all unbroken by door, window, or panel, the sedan in the corner, the two poles lashed together and on end by the sedan. he looked behind him--the passage was yet clear--if seen coming in, he was not pursued. there was a smile on his shining black face; and his teeth, serrated along the edges after the military fashion in kash-cush, displayed themselves white as dressed coral. evidently he was pleased and confident. next he went to the curb, shot a quick look down the steps far as could be seen; thence he crossed to the sedan, surveyed its exterior, and opened the door. the interior appearing in good order, he entered and sat down, and closing the door, arranged the curtain in front, drew it slightly aside and peeped out, now to the door admitting from the passage, then to the curbing. both were perfectly under view. when the king issued from the chair, his smile was broader than before, and his teeth seemed to have received a fresh enamelling. without pausing again, he proceeded to the opening of the cistern, and with his hands on the curbing right and left, let himself lightly down on the four stones of the first landing; a moment, and he began descent of the steps, taking time to inspect everything discernible in the shadowy space. at length he stood on the lower platform. he was now in serious mood. the white pillars were wondrous vast, and the darkness--it may be doubted if night in its natural aspects is more impressive to the savage than the enlightened man; yet it is certain the former will take alarm quicker when shut in by walls of artful contrivance. his imagination then peoples the darkness with spirits, and what is most strange, the spirits are always unfriendly. to say now that nilo, standing on the lower platform, was wholly unmoved, would be to deny him the sensibilities without which there can be none of the effects usually incident to courage and cowardice. the vastness of the receptacle stupefied him. the silence was a curtain he could feel; the water, deep and dark, looked so suggestive of death that the superstitious soul required a little time to be itself again. but relief came, and he watched intently to see if there was a current in the black pool; he could discover none; then, having gained all the information he could, he ascended the steps and lifted himself out into the court. a glance through the passage--another at the sky--and he entered the sedan, and shut himself in. the discussion of the fruit in the keeper's sitting-room meantime was interesting to the parties engaged in it. with excellent understanding of nilo's occupation in the court, sergius exerted himself to detain his host--if the term be acceptable--long as possible. fortunately no visitors came. settling the score, and leaving a profusion of thanks behind him, he at length made his farewell, and spent the remainder of the afternoon on a bench in the hippodrome. occasionally he went back to the street conducting to the cistern, and walked down it far enough to get a view of the keeper still at the door. in the evening he ate at a confectionery near by, prolonging the meal till near dusk, and thence, business being suspended, he idled along the same thoroughfare in a manner to avoid attracting attention. still later, he found a seat in the recess of an unused doorway nearly in front of the house of such interest to him. the manoeuvres thus detailed advise the reader somewhat of the particulars of the programme in execution by the monk and nilo; nor that only--they notify him of the arrival of a very interesting part of the arrangement. in short, it is time to say that, one in the recess of the door, the other shut up in the sedan, they are both on the lookout for demedes. would he come? and when? anticipating a little, we may remark, if he comes, and goes into the cistern, nilo is to open the street door and admit sergius, who is then to take control of the after operations. a little before sunset the keeper shut his front door. sergius heard the iron bolt shoot into the mortice. he believed demedes had not seen lael since the abduction, and that he would not try to see her while the excitement was up and the hunt going forward. but now the city was settled back into quiet--now, if she were indeed in the cistern, he would come, the night being in his favor. and further, if he merely appeared at the house, the circumstance would be strongly corroborative of the monk's theory; if he did more--if he actually entered the cistern, there would be an end of doubt, and nilo could keep him there, while sergius was bringing the authorities to the scene. such was the scheme; and he who looks at it with proper understanding must perceive it did not contemplate unnecessary violence. on this score, indeed, the prince of india's significant reminder that he had found nilo a savage, had led sergius to redoubled care in his instructions. the first development in the affair took place under the king's eye. waiting in ambush was by no means new to him. he was not in the least troubled by impatience. to be sure, he would have felt more comfortable with a piece of bread and a cup of water; yet deprivations of the kind were within the expectations; and while there was a hope of good issue for the enterprise, he could endure them indefinitely. the charge given him pertained particularly to demedes. no fear of his not recognizing the greek. had he not enjoyed the delight of holding him out over the wall to be dropped to death? he was eager, but not impatient. his chief dependence was in the sense of feeling, which had been cultivated so the slightest vibration along the ground served him in lieu of hearing. the closing of the front door by the keeper--felt, not heard--apprised him the day was over. not long afterward the pavement was again jarred, bringing a return of the sensations he used to have when, stalking lions in kash-cush, he felt the earth thrill under the galloping of the camelopards stampeded. he drew the curtain aside slightly, just as a man stepped into the court from the passage. the person carried a lighted lamp, and was not demedes. the cistern-keeper--for he it was--went to the curbing slowly, for the advance airs of the gale were threatening his lamp, and dropped dextrously through the aperture to the upper landing. in ambush the king never admitted anything like curiosity. presently he felt the pavement again jar. nobody appeared at the passage. another tremor more decided--then the king stepped softly from the sedan, and stealing barefooted to the curbing looked down the yawning hole. the lamp on the platform enabled him to see a boat drawn up to the lower step, and the stranger in the act of stepping into it. then the lamp was shifted to the bow of the boat--oars taken in hand--a push off, and swift evanishment. we, with our better information of the devices employed, know what a simple trick it was on the keeper's part to bring the vessel to him--he had but to pull the right string in the right direction--but nilo was left to his astonishment. stealing back to his cover, he drew the door to, and struggled with the mystery. afterwhile, the mist dissipated, and a fact arose plainer to him than the mighty hand on his knee. the cistern was inhabited--some person was down there to be communicated with. what should the king do now? the quandary was trying. finally he concluded to stay where he was. the stranger might bring somebody back with him--possibly the lost child--such lael was in his thoughts of her. afterwhile--he had no idea of time--he felt a shake run along the pavement, and saw the stranger appear coming up the steps, lamp in hand. next instant the person crawled out of the curbing, and went into the house through the passage doorway. the king never took eye from the curbing--nobody followed after--the secret of the old reservatory was yet a secret. again nilo debated whether to bring sergius in, and again he decided to stay where he was. meantime the cloud which the prince of india had descried from the roof of his house arrived on the wings of the gale. ere long sergius was shivering in the recess of the door. for relief he counted the beads of his rosary, and there was scarcely a saint in the calendar omitted from his recitals. if there was potency in prayers the angels were in the cistern ministering to lael. the street became deserted. everything living which had a refuge sought it; yet the gale increased: it howled and sang dirges; it started the innumerable loose trifles in its way to waltzing over the bowlders; every hinged fixture on the exposed house-fronts creaked and banged. only a lover would voluntarily endure the outdoors of such a night--a lover or a villain unusually bold. near midnight--so sergius judged--a dull redness began to tinge the cloud overhead, and brightening rapidly, it ere long cast a strong reflection downward. at first he was grateful for the light; afterwhile, however, he detected an uproar distinguishable from the wind; it had no rest or lulls, and in its rise became more and more a human tone. when shortly people rushed past his cover crying fire, he comprehended what it was. the illumination intensified. the whole city seemed in danger. there were women and children exposed; yet here he was waiting on a mere hope; there he could do something. why not go? while he debated, down the street from the direction of the hippodrome he beheld a man coming fast despite the strength of the gusts. a cloak wrapped him from head to foot, somewhat after the fashion of a toga, and the face was buried in its folds; yet the air and manner suggested demedes. instantly the watcher quit arguing; and forgetful of the fire, and of the city in danger, he shrank closer into the recess. the thoroughfare was wider than common, and the person approaching on the side opposite sergius; when nearer, his low stature was observable. would he stop at the cistern-keeper's? now he was at the door! the russian's heart was in his mouth. right in front of the door the man halted and knocked. the sound was so sharp a stone must have been used. immediately the bolt inside was drawn, and the visitor passed in. was it demedes? the monk breathed again--he believed it was--anyhow the king would determine the question, and there was nothing to do meantime but bide the event. the sedan, it hardly requires saying, was a much more comfortable ambush than the recess of the door. nilo merely felt the shaking the gale now and then gave the house. so, too, he bade welcome to the glare in the sky for the flushing it transmitted to the court. only a wraith could have come from or gone into the cistern unseen by him. the clapping to of the front door on the street was not lost to the king. presently the person he had seen in the boat at the foot of the steps again issued from the passage, lamp in hand as before; but as he kept looking back deferentially, a gust leaped down, and extinguished the flame, compelling him to return; whereupon another man stepped out into the court, halting immediately. nilo opened a little wider the gap in the curtain through which he was peeping. it may be well to say here that the newcomer thus unwittingly exposing himself to observation was the same individual sergius had seen admitted into the house. the keeper had taken him to a room for the rearrangement of his attire. standing forth in the light now filling the court, he was still wrapped in the cloak, all except the head, which was jauntily covered with a white cap, in style not unlike a scotch bonnet, garnished with two long red ostrich feathers held in place by a brooch that shot forth gleams of precious stones in artful arrangement. once the man opened the cloak, exposing a vest of fine-linked mail, white with silver washing, and furnished with epaulettes or triangular plates, fitted gracefully to the shoulders. a ruff, which was but the complement of a cape of heavy lace, clothed the neck. to call the feeling which now shot through the king's every fibre a sudden pleasure would scarcely be a sufficient description; it was rather the delight with which soldiers old in war acknowledge the presence of their foemen. in other words, the brave black recognized demedes, and was strong minded enough to understand and appreciate the circumstances under which the discovery was made. if the savage arose in him, it should be remembered he was there to revenge a master's wrongs quite as much as to rescue a stolen girl. moreover, the education he had received from his master was not in the direction of mercy to enemies. the two--demedes and the keeper--lost no time in entering the cistern, the latter going first. when the king thought they had reached the lower platform, he issued from the chair barefooted, and bending over the curbing beheld what went on below. the greek was holding the lamp. the occupation of his assistant was beyond comprehension until the boat moved slowly into view. demedes then set the lamp down, divested himself of his heavy wrap, and taking the rower's seat, unshipped the oars. there was a brief conference; at the conclusion the subordinate joined his chief; whereupon the boat pushed off. thus far the affair was singularly in the line of sergius' anticipations; and now to call him in! there is little room for doubt that nilo was in perfect recollection of the instructions he had received, and that his first intention was to obey them; for, standing by the curbing long enough to be assured the greek was indeed in the gloomy cavern, whence escape was impossible except by some unknown exit, he walked slowly away, and was in the passage door when, looking back, he saw the keeper leaping out into the court. to say truth, the king had witnessed the departure of the boat with misgivings. catching the robbers was then easy; yet rescue of the girl was a different thing. what might they not do with her in the meantime? as he understood his master, her safety was even more in purpose than their seizure; wherefore his impulse was to keep them in sight without reference to sergius. he could swim--yes, but the water was cold, and the darkness terrible to his imagination. it might be hours before he found the hiding-place of the thieves--indeed, he might never overtake them. his regret when he stepped into the passage was mighty; it enables us, however, to comprehend the rush of impetuous joy which now took possession of him. a step to the right, and he was behind the cheek of the door. all unsuspicious of danger, the keeper came on; a few minutes, and he would be in bed and asleep, so easy was he in conscience. the ancient cistern had many secrets. what did another one matter? his foot was on the lintel--he heard a rustle close at his side--before he could dart back--ere he could look or scream, two powerful hands were around his throat. he was not devoid of courage or strength, and resisted, struggling for breath. he merely succeeded in drawing his assailant out into the light far enough to get a glimpse of a giant and a face black and horrible to behold. a goblin from the cistern! and with this idea, he quit fighting, and sank to the floor. nilo kept his grip needlessly--the fellow was dead of terror. here was a contingency not provided for in the arrangement sergius had laid out with such care. and what now? it was for the king to answer. he dragged the victim out in the court, and set a foot on his throat. all the savage in him was awake, and his thoughts pursued demedes. hungering for that life more than this one, he forgot the monk utterly. had he a plank--anything in the least serviceable as a float--he would go after the master. he looked the enclosure over, and the sedan caught his eye, its door ajar. the door would suffice. he took hold of the limp body of the keeper, drew it after him, set it on the seat, and was about wrenching the door away, when he saw the poles. they were twelve or fourteen feet long and lashed together. on rafts not half so good he had in kash-cush crossed swollen streams, paddling with his hands. to take them to the cistern--to descend the steps with them--to launch himself on them--to push out into the darkness, were as one act, so swiftly were they accomplished. and going he knew not whither, but scorning the thought of another man betaking himself where he dared not, sustained by a feeling that he was in pursuit, and would have the advantage of a surprise when at last he overtook the enemy, we must leave the king awhile in order to bring up a dropped thread of our story. chapter xxiv the imperial cistern gives up its secret the reader will return--not unwillingly, it is hoped--to lael. the keeper, on watch for her, made haste to bar the door behind the carriers of the sedan, who, on their part, made greater haste to take boat and fly the city. from his sitting-room he brought a lamp, and opening the chair found the passenger in a corner to appearance dead. the head was hanging low; through the dishevelled hair the slightest margin of forehead shone marble white; a scarce perceptible rise and fall of the girlish bosom testified of the life still there. a woman at mercy, though dumb, is always eloquent. "here she is at last!" the keeper thought, while making a profane survey of the victim.... "well, if beauty was his object--beauty without love--he may be satisfied. that's as the man is. i would rather have the bezants she has cost him. the market's full of just such beauty in health and strength--beauty matured and alive, not wilted like this! ... but every fish to its net, every man to his fate, as the infidels on the other shore say. to the cistern she must go, and i must put her there. oh, how lucky! her wits are out--prayers, tears, resistance would be uncomfortable. may the saints keep her!" closing the door of the sedan, he hurried out into the court, and thence down the cistern stairs to the lower platform, where he drew the boat in, and fixed it stationary by laying the oars across the gunwale from a step. the going and return were quick. "the blood of doves, or the tears of women--i am not yet decided which is hardest on a soul.... come along!... there is a palace at the further end of the road."... he lifted her from the chair. in the dead faint she was more an inconvenient burden than a heavy one. at the curbing he sat her down while he returned for the lamp. the steps within were slippery, and he dared take no risks. to get her into the boat was trying: yet he was gentle as possible--that, however, was from regard for the patron he was serving. he laid her head against a seat, and arranged her garments respectfully. "o sweet mother of blacherne!" he then said, looking at the face for the first time fully exposed. "that pin on the shoulder--heavens, how the stone flashes! it invites me." unfastening the trinket, he secured it under his jacket, then ran on: "she is so white! i must hurry--or drop her overboard. if she dies"--his countenance showed concern, but brightened immediately. "oh, of course she jumped overboard to escape!" there was no further delay. with the lamp at the bow, he pushed off, and rowed vigorously. through the pillared space he went, with many quick turns. it were vain saying exactly which direction he took, or how long he was going; after a time, the more considerable on account of the obstructions to be avoided, he reached the raft heretofore described as in the form of a cross and anchored securely between four of the immense columns by which the roof of the cistern was upheld. still lael slept the merciful sleep. next the keeper carried the unresisting body to a door of what in the feeble light seemed a low, one-storied house--possibly hut were a better word--thence into an interior where the blackness may be likened to a blindfold many times multiplied. yet he went to a couch, and laid her upon it. "there--my part is done!" he muttered, with a long-drawn breath.... "now to illuminate the palace! if she were to awake in this pitch-black"--something like a laugh interrupted the speech--"it would strangle her--oil from the press is not thicker." he brought in the light--in such essential midnight it was indispensable, and must needs be always thought of--and amongst the things which began to sparkle was a circlet of furbished metal suspended from the centre of the ceiling. it proved to be a chandelier, provided with a number of lamps ready for lighting; and when they were all lit, the revelation which ensued while a lesson in extravagance was not less a tribute to the good taste of the reckless genius by which it was conceived. it were long reading the inventory of articles he had brought together there for the edification and amusement of such as might become his idols. they were everywhere apparently--books, pictures, musical instruments--on the floor, a carpet to delight a sultana mother--over the walls, arras of silk and gold in alternate threads--the ceiling an elaboration of wooden panels. by referring to the diagram of the raft, it will be seen one quarter was reserved for a landing, while the others supported what may be termed pavilions, leaving an interior susceptible of division into three rooms. standing under the circlet of light, an inmate could see into the three open quarters, each designed and furnished for a special use; this at the right hand, for eating and drinking; that at the left, for sleeping; the third, opposite the door, for lounging and reading. in the first one, a table already set glittered with ware in glass and precious metals; in the second, a mass of pink plush and fairy-like lace bespoke a bed; in the third were chairs, a lounge, and footrests which had the appearance of having been brought from a ptolemaic palace only yesterday; and on these, strewn with an eye to artistic effect, lay fans and shawls for which the harem-queens of persia and hindostan might have contended. the "crown-jewel" of this latter apartment, however, was undoubtedly a sheet of copper burnished to answer the purpose of a looking-glass with a full-length view. on stands next the mirror, was a collection of toilet necessaries. elsewhere we have heard of a palace of love lying as yet in the high intent of mahommed; here we have a palace of pleasure illustrative of epicureanism according to demedes. the expense and care required to make it an actuality beget the inference that the float, rough outside, splendid within, was not for lael alone. a princess of india might inaugurate it, but others as fair and highborn were to come after her, recipients of the same worship. whosoever the favorite of the hour might be, the three pavilions were certainly the assigned limits of her being; while the getting rid of her would be never so easy--the water flowing, no one knew whence or whither, was horribly suggestive. once installed there, it was supposed that longings for the upper world would go gradually out. the mistress, with nothing to wish for not at hand, was to be a queen, with demedes and his chosen of the philosophic circle for her ministers. in other words, the academic temple in the upper world was but a place of meeting; this was the temple in fact. there the gentle priests talked business; here they worshipped; and of their psalter and litany, their faith and ceremonial practices, enough that the new substitute for religion was only a reembodiment of an old philosophy with the narrowest psychical idea for creed; namely, that the principle of present life was all there was in man worth culture and gratification. the keeper cared little for the furnishments and curios. he was much more concerned in the restoration of his charge, being curious to see how she would behave on waking. he sprinkled her face with water, and fanned her energetically, using an ostrich wing of the whiteness of snow, overlaid about the handle with scarab-gems. nor did he forget to pray. "o holy mother! o sweet madonna of blacherne! do not let her die. darkness is nothing to thee. thou art clothed in brightness. oh, as thou lovest all thy children, descend hither, and open her eyes, and give her speech!" the man was in earnest. greatly to his delight, he beheld the blood at length redden the pretty mouth, and the eyelids begin to tremble. then a long, deep inhalation, and an uncertain fearful looking about; first at the circlet of the lamps, and next at the keeper, who, as became a pious byzantine, burst into exclamation: "oh holy mother! i owe you a candle!" directly, having risen to a sitting posture, lael found her tongue: "you are not my father uel, or my father the prince of india?" "no," he returned, plying the fan. "where are they? where is sergius?" "i do not know." "who are you?" "i am appointed to see that no harm comes to you." this was intended kindly enough; it had, however, the opposite effect. she arose, and with both hands holding the hair from her eyes, stared wildly at objects in the three rooms, and fell to the couch again insensible. and again the water, the ostrich-wing, and the prayer to the lady of blacherne--again an awakening. "where am i?" she asked. "in the palace of"-he had not time to finish; with tears, and moans, and wringing of hands she sat up: "oh, my father! oh, that i had heeded him! ... you will take me to him, will you not? he is rich, and loves me, and he will give you gold and jewels until you are rich. only take me to him.... see--i am praying to you!"--and she cast herself at his feet. now the keeper was not used to so much loveliness in great distress, and he moved away; but she tried to follow him on her knees, crying: "oh, as you hope mercy for yourself, take me home!" and beginning to doubt his strength, he affected harshness. "it is useless praying to me. i could not take you out if your father rained gold on me for a month--i could not if i wished to.... be sensible, and listen to me." "then you did not bring me here." "listen to me, i say.... you will get hungry and thirsty--there are bread, fruit, and water and wine--and when you are sleepy, yonder is the bed. use your eyes, and you are certain to find in one room or the other everything you can need; and whatever you put hand on is yours. only be sensible, and quit taking on so. quit praying to me. prayer is for the madonna and the blessed saints. hush and hear. no? well, i am going now." "going?--and without telling me where i am? or why i was brought here? or by whom? oh, my god!" she flung herself on the floor distracted; and he, apparently not minding, went on: "i am going now, but will come back for your orders in the morning, and again in the evening. do not be afraid; it is not intended to hurt you; and if you get tired of yourself, there are books; or if you do not read, maybe you sing--there are musical instruments, and you can choose amongst them. now i grant you i am not a waiting-maid, having had no education in that line; still, if i may advise, wash your face, and dress your hair, and be beautiful as you can, for by and by he will come"-"who will come?" she asked, rising to her knees, and clasping her hands. the sight was more than enough for him. he fled incontinently, saying: "i will be back in the morning." as he went he snatched up the indispensable lamp; outside, he locked the door; then rowed away, repeating, "oh, the blood of doves and the tears of women!" left thus alone, the unfortunate girl lay on the floor a long time, sobbing, and gradually finding the virtue there is in tears--especially tears of repentance. afterwhile, with the return of reason--meaning power to think--the silence of the place became noticeable. listening closely, she could detect no sign of life--nothing indicative of a street, or a house adjoining, or a neighbor, or that there was any outdoors about her at all. the noise of an insect, the note of a bird, a sough of wind, the gurgle of water, would have relieved her from the sense of having in some way fallen off the earth, and been caught by a far away uninhabited planet. that would certainly have been hard; but worse--the idea of being doomed to stay there took possession of her, and becoming intolerable, she walked from room to room, and even tried to take interest in the things around. will it ever be that a woman can pass a mirror without being arrested by it? before the tall copper plate she finally stopped. at first, the figure she saw startled her. the air of general discomfiture--hair loose, features tear-stained, eyes red and swollen, garments disarranged--made it look like a stranger. the notion exaggerated itself, and further on she found a positive comfort in the society of the image, which not only looked somebody else, but more and more somebody else who was lost like herself, and, being in the same miserable condition, would be happy to exchange sympathy for sympathy. now the spectacle of a person in distress is never pleasant; wherefore permission is begged to dismiss the passage of that night in the cistern briefly as possible. from the couch to the mirror; fearing now, then despairing; one moment calling for help, listening next, her distracted fancy caught by an imaginary sound; too much fevered to care for refreshments; so overwhelmed by the awful sense of being hopelessly and forever lost, she could neither sleep nor control herself mentally. thus tortured, there were no minutes or hours to her, only a time, that being a peculiarity of the strange planet her habitat. to be sure, she explored her prison intent upon escape, but was as often beaten back by walls without window, loophole or skylight--walls in which there was but one door, fastened outside. the day following was to the captive in nothing different from the night--a time divisionless, and filled with fear, suspense, and horrible imaginings--a monotony unbroken by a sound. if she could have heard a bell, though ever so faint, or a voice, to whomsoever addressed, it would yet prove her in an inhabited world--nay, could she but have heard a cricket singing! in the morning the keeper kept his appointment. he came alone and without business except to renew the oil in the lamps. after a careful survey of the palace, as he called it, probably in sarcasm, and as he was about to leave, he offered, if she wanted anything, to bring it upon his return. was there ever prisoner not in want of liberty? the proposal did but reopen the scene of the evening previous; and he fled from it, repeating as before, "oh, the blood of doves and the tears of women!" in the evening he found her more tractable; so at least he thought; and she was in fact quieter from exhaustion. none the less he again fled to escape the entreaties with which she beset him. she took to the couch the second night. the need of nature was too strong for both grief and fear, and she slept. of course she knew not of the hunt going on, or of the difficulties in the way of finding her; and in this ignorance the sensation of being lost gradually yielded to the more poignant idea of desertion. where was sergius? would there ever be a fitter opportunity for display of the superhuman intelligence with which, up to this time, she had invested her father, the prince of india? the stars could tell him everything; so, if now they were silent respecting her, it could only be because he had not consulted them. situations such as she was in are right quarters of the moon for unreasonable fantasies; and she fell asleep oppressed by a conviction that all the friendly planets, even jupiter, for whose appearance she had so often watched with the delight of a lover, were hastening to their houses to tell him where she was, but for some reason he ignored them. still later, she fell into a defiant sullenness, one of the many aspects of despair. in this mood, while lying on the couch, she heard the sound of oars, and almost immediately after felt the floor jar. she sat up, wondering what had brought the keeper back so soon. steps then approached the door; but the lock there proving troublesome, suggested one unaccustomed to it; whereupon she remembered the rude advice to wash her face and dress her hair, for by and by somebody was coming. "now," she thought, "i shall learn who brought me here, and why." a hope returned to her. "oh, it may be my father has at last found me!" she arose--a volume of joy gathered in her heart ready to burst into expression--when the door was pushed open, and demedes entered. we know the figure he thus introduced to her. with averted face he reinserted the key in the lock. she saw the key, heavy enough in emergency for an aggressive weapon--she saw a gloved hand turn it, and heard the bolt plunge obediently into its socket--and the flicker of hope went out. she sunk upon the couch again, sullenly observant. the visitor--at first unrecognized by her--behaved as if at home, and confident of an agreeable reception. having made the door safe on the outside, he next secured it inside, by taking the key out. still averting his face, he went to the mirror, shook the great cloak from his shoulders, and coolly surveyed himself, turning this way and that. he rearranged his cape, took off the cap, and, putting the plumes in better relation, restored it to his head--thrust his gloves on one side under a swordless belt, and the ponderous key under the same belt but on the other side, where it had for company a straight dagger of threatening proportions. lael kept watch on these movements, doubtful if the stranger were aware of her presence. uncertainty on that score was presently removed. turning from the mirror, he advanced slowly toward her. when under the circlet, just at the point where the light was most favorable for an exhibition of himself, he stopped, doffed the cap, and said to her: "the daughter of the prince of india cannot have forgotten me." now if, from something said in this chronicle, the reader has been led to exalt the little jewess into a bradamante, it were just to undeceive him. she was a woman in promise, of fair intellect subordinate to a pure heart. any great thing said or done by her would be certain to have its origin in her affections. the circumstances in which she would be other than simple and unaffected are inconceivable. in the beautiful armor, demedes was handsome, particularly as there was no other man near to force a comparison of stature; yet she did not see any of his braveries--she saw his face alone, and with what feeling may be inferred from the fact that she now knew who brought her where she was, and the purpose of the bringing. instead of replying, she shrank visibly further and further from him, until she was an apt reminder of a hare cornered by a hound, or a dove at last overtaken by a hawk. the suffering she had undergone was discernible in her appearance, for she had not taken the advice of the keeper; in a word, she was at the moment shockingly unlike the lissome, happy, radiant creature whom we saw set out for a promenade two days before. her posture was crouching; the hair was falling all ways; both hands pressed hard upon her bosom; and the eyes were in fixed gaze, staring at him as at death. she was in the last extremity of fear, and he could not but see it. "do not be afraid," he said, hurriedly, and in a tone of pity. "you were never safer than you are here--i swear it, o princess!" observing no change in her or indication of reply, he continued: "i see your fear, and it may be i am its object. let me come and sit by you, and i will explain everything--where you are--why you were brought here--and by whom.... or give me a place at your feet.... i will not speak for myself, except as i love you--nay, i will speak for love." still not a word from her--only a sullenness in which he fancied there was a threat.... a threat? what could she do? to him, nothing; he was in shirt of steel; but to herself much.... and he thought of suicide, and then of--madness. "tell me, o princess, if you have received any disrespect since you entered this palace? there is but one person from whom it could have proceeded. i know him; and if, against his solemn oath, he has dared an unseemly look or word--if he has touched you profanely--you may choose the dog's death he shall die, and i will give it him. for that i wear this dagger. see!" in this he was sincere; yet he shall be a student very recently come to lessons in human nature who fails to perceive the reason of his sincerity; possibly she saw it; we speak with uncertainty, for she still kept silent. again he cast about to make her speak. reproach, abuse, rage, tears in torrents, fury in any form were preferable to that look, so like an animal's conscious of its last moment. "must i talk to you from this distance? i can, as you see, but it is cruel; and if you fear me"--he smiled, as if the idea were amusing. "oh! if you still fear me, what is there to prevent my compelling the favors i beg?" the menace was of no more effect than entreaty. paralysis of spirit from fright was new to him; yet the resources of his wit were without end. going to the table, he looked it over carefully. "what!" he cried, turning to her with well-dissembled astonishment. "hast thou eaten nothing? two days, and not a crumb of bread in thy pretty throat?--not a drop of wine? this shall not go on--no, by all the goodness there is in heaven!" on a plate he then placed a biscuit and a goblet filled with red wine of the clearest sparkle, and taking them to her, knelt at her feet. "i will tell you truly, princess--i built this palace for you, and brought you here under urgency of love. god deny me forever, if i once dreamed of starving you! eat and drink, if only to give me ease of conscience." he offered the plate to her. she arose, her face, if possible, whiter than before. "do not come near me--keep off!" her voice was sharp and high. "keep off!... or take me to my father's house. this palace is yours--you have the key. oh, be merciful!" madness was very near her. "i will obey you in all things but one," he said, and returned the plate to the table, content with having brought her to speech. "in all things but one," he repeated peremptorily, standing under the circlet. "i will not take you to your father's house. i brought you here to teach you what i would never have a chance to teach you there--that you are the idol for whom i have dared every earthly risk, and imperilled my soul.... sit down and rest yourself. i will not come near you to-night, nor ever without your consent.... yes, that is well. and now you are seated, and have shown a little faith in my word--for which i thank you and kiss your hand--hear me further and be reasonable.... you shall love me." into this declaration he flung all the passion of his nature. "no, no! draw not away believing yourself in peril. you shall love me, but not as a scourged victim. i am not a brute. i may be won too lightly, by a voice, by bright eyes, by graces of person, by faithfulness where faithfulness is owing, by a soul created for love and aglow with it as a star with light; but i am not of those who kill the beloved, and justify the deed, pleading coldness, scorn, preference for another. be reasonable, i say, o princess, and hear how i will conquer you.... are not the better years of life ours? why should i struggle or make haste, or be impatient? are you not where i have chosen to put you?--where i can visit you day and night to assure myself of your health and spirits?--all in the world, yet out of its sight?... you may not know what a physician time is. i do. he has a medicine for almost every ailment of the mind, every distemper of the soul. he may not set my lady's broken finger, but he will knit it so, when sound again, the hurt shall be forgotten. he drops a month--in extreme cases, a year or years--on a grief, or a bereavement, and it becomes as if it had never been. so he lets the sun in on prejudices and hates, and they wither, and where they were, we go and gather the fruits and flowers of admiration, respect--ay, princess, of love. now, in this cause, i have chosen time for my best friend; he and i will come together, and stay"-the conclusion of the speech must be left to the reader, for with the last word some weighty solid crashed against the raft until it trembled throughout. demedes stopped. involuntarily his hand sought the dagger; and the action was a confession of surprise. an interval of quiet ensued; then came a trial of the lock--at first, gentle--another, with energy--a third one rattled the strong leaf in its frame. "the villain! i will teach him--no, it cannot be--he would not dare--and besides i have the boat." as demedes thus acquitted the keeper, he cast a serious glance around him, evidently in thought of defence. again the raft was shaken, as if by feet moving rapidly under a heavy burden. crash!--and the door was splintered. once more--crash!--and door and framework shot in--a thunderbolt had not wrought the wreck more completely. justice now to the greek. though a genius all bad, he was manly. retiring to a position in front of lael, he waited, dagger in hand. and he had not breathed twice, before nilo thrust his magnificent person through the breach, and advanced under the circlet. returning now. had the king been in toils, and hard pressed, he would not have committed himself to the flood and darkness of the cistern in the manner narrated; at least the probabilities are he would have preferred battle in the court, and light, though of the city on fire, by which to conquer or die. but his blood was up, and he was in pursuit, not at bay; to the genuine fighting man, moreover, a taste of victory is as a taste of blood to tigers. he was not in humor to bother himself with practical considerations such as--if i come upon the hiding-place of the greek, how, being deaf and dumb, am i to know it? of what use are eyes in a hollow rayless as this? whether he considered the obvious personal dangers of the adventure--drowning, for instance--is another matter. the water was cold, and his teeth chattered; for it will be recollected he was astride the poles of the sedan, lashed together. that his body was half submerged was a circumstance he little heeded, since it was rather helpful than otherwise to the hand strokes with which he propelled himself. nor need it be supposed he moved slowly. the speed attainable by such primitive means in still water is wonderful. going straight from the lower platform of the stair, he was presently in total darkness. with a row of columns on either hand, he managed to keep direction; and how constantly and eagerly he employed the one available sense left him may be imagined. his project was to push on until stayed by a boundary wall--then he would take another course, and so on to the end. the enemy, by his theory, was in a boat or floating house. hopeful, determined, inspirited by the prospect of combat, he made haste as best he could. at last, looking over his left shoulder, he beheld a ruddy illumination, and changed direction thither. presently he swept into the radius of a stationary light, broken, of course, by intervening pillars and the shadows they cast; then, at his right, a hand lamp in front of what had the appearance of a house rising out of the water, startled him. was it a signal? the king approached warily, until satisfied no ambush was intended--until, in short, the palace of the greek was before him. it was his then to surprise; so he drove the ends of the poles against the landing with force sufficient, as we have seen, to interrupt demedes explaining how he meant to compel the love of lael. with all his nicety of contrivance, the greek had at the last moment forgotten to extinguish the lamp or take it into the house with him. the king recognized it and the boat, yet circumspectly drew his humble craft up out of the water. he next tried the lock, and then the door; finally he used the poles as a ram. taking stand under the circlet, there was scant room between it and the blue handkerchief on his head; while the figure he presented, nude to the waist, his black skin glistening with water, his trousers clinging to his limbs, his nostrils dilating, his eyes jets of flame, his cruel white teeth exposed--this figure the dullest fancy can evoke--and it must have appeared to the guilty greek a very genius of vengeance. withal, however, the armor and the dagger brought demedes up to a certain equality; and, as he showed no flinching, the promise of combat was excellent. it happened, however, that while the two silently regarded each other, lael recognized the king, and unable to control herself, gave a cry of joy, and started to him. instinctively demedes extended a hand to hold her back; the giant saw the opening; two steps so nearly simultaneous the movement was like a leap--and he had the wrist of the other's armed hand in his grip. words can convey no idea of the outburst attending the assault--it was the hoarse inarticulate falsetto of a dumb man signalizing a triumph. if the reader can think of a tiger standing over him, its breath on his cheek, its roar in his ears, something approximate to the effect is possible. the greek's cap fell off, and the dagger rattled to the floor. his countenance knit with sudden pain--the terrible grip was crushing the bones--yet he did not submit. with the free hand, he snatched the key from his belt, and swung it to strike--the blow was intercepted--the key wrenched away. then demedes' spirit forsook him--mortal terror showed in his face turned gray as ashes, and in his eyes, enlarged yet ready to burst from their sockets. he had not the gladiator's resignation under judgment of death. "save me, o princess, save me!... he is killing me.... my god--see--hear--he is crushing my bones!... save me!" lael was then behind the king, on her knees, thanking heaven for rescue. she heard the imploration, and, woman-like, sight of the awful agony extinguished the memory of her wrongs. "spare him, nilo, for my sake, spare him!" she cried. it was not alone her wrongs that were forgotten--she forgot that the avenger could not hear. had he heard, it is doubtful if he had obeyed; for we again remark he was fighting less for her than for his master--or rather for her in his master's interest. and besides, it was the moment of victory, when, of all moments, the difference between the man born and reared under christian influences and the savage is most impressible. while she was entreating him, he repeated the indescribable howl, and catching demedes bore him to the door and out of it. at the edge of the landing, he twisted his fingers in the long locks of the screaming wretch, whose boasted philosophy was of so little worth to him now that he never thought of it--then he plunged him in the water, and held him under until--enough, dear reader! lael did not go out. the inevitable was in the negro's face. retreating to the couch, she there covered her ears with her hands, trying to escape the prayers the doomed man persisted to the last in addressing her. by and by nilo returned alone. he took the cloak from the floor, wrapped her in it, and signed her to go with him; but the distresses she had endured, together with the horrors of the scene just finished, left her half fainting. in his arms she was a child. almost before she knew it, he had placed her in the boat. with a cord found in the house, he tied the poles behind the vessel, and set out to find the stairs, the tell-tale lamp twinkling at the bow. safely arrived there, the good fellow carried his fair charge up the steps to the court--descending again, he brought the poles--going back once more, he drew the boat on the lower platform. then to hasten to the street door, unbar it, and admit sergius were scarce a minute's work. the monk's amazement and delight at beholding lael, and hers at sight of him, require no labored telling. at that meeting, conventionalities were not observed. he carried her into the passage, and gave her the keeper's chair; after which, reminded of the programme so carefully laid out by him, he returned with nilo to the court, where the illumination in the sky still dropped its relucent flush. turning the king face to him he asked: "where is the keeper?" the king walked to the sedan, opened the door, and dragging the dead man forth, flung him sprawling on the pavement. sergius stood speechless, seeing what the victor had not--arrests, official inquests, and the dread machinery of the law started, with results not in foresight except by heaven. before he had fairly recovered, nilo had the sedan out and the poles fixed to it, and in the most cheerful, matter-of-fact manner signed him to take up the forward ends. "where is the greek?" the monk asked. that also the king managed to answer. "in the cistern--drowned!" exclaimed sergius, converting the reply into words. the king drew himself up proudly. "o heavens! what will become of us?" the exclamation signified a curtain rising upon a scene of prosecution against which the christian covered his face with his hands.... again nilo brought him back to present duty.... in a short time lael was in the chair, and they bearing her off. sergius set out first for uel's house. the time was near morning; but for the conflagration the indications of dawn might have been seen in the east. he was not long in getting to understand the awfulness of the calamity the city had suffered, and that, with thousands of others, the dwellings of uel and the prince of india were heaps of ashes on which the gale was expending its undiminished strength. what was to be done with lael? this sergius answered by leading the way to the town residence of the princess irene. there the little jewess was received, while he took boat and hurried to therapia. the princess came down, and under her roof, lael found sympathy, rest, and safety. in due time also uel's last testament reached her, with the purse of jewels left by the prince of india, and she then assumed guardianship of the bereaved girl. book v mirza chapter i a cold wind from adrianople it is now the middle of february, 1451. constantine has been emperor a trifle over three years, and proven himself a just man and a conscientious ruler. how great he is remains for demonstration, since nothing has occurred to him--nothing properly a trial of his higher qualities. in one respect the situation of the emperor was peculiar. the highway from gallipoli to adrianople, passing the ancient capital on the south, belonged to the turks, and they used it for every purpose--military, commercial, governmental--used it as undisputedly within their domain, leaving constantine territorially surrounded, and with but one neighbor, the sultan amurath. age had transformed the great moslem; from dreams of conquest, he had descended to dreams of peace in shaded halls and rose-sprent gardens, with singers, story-tellers, and philosophers for companions, and women, cousins of the houris, to carpet the way to paradise; but for george castriot, [footnote: iskander-beg--scanderbeg. _vide_ gibbon's _roman empire._] he had abandoned the cimeter. keeping terms of amity with such a neighbor was easy--the emperor had merely to be himself peaceful. moreover, when john palaeologus died, the succession was disputed by demetrius, a brother to constantine. amurath was chosen arbitrator, and he decided in favor of the latter, placing him under a bond of gratitude. thus secure in his foreign relations, the emperor, on taking the throne, addressed himself to finding a consort; of his efforts in that quest the reader is already informed, leaving it to be remarked that the georgian princess at last selected for him by phranza died while journeying to constantinople. this, however, was business of the emperor's own inauguration, and in point of seriousness could not stand comparison with another affair imposed upon him by inheritance--keeping the religious factions domiciled in the capital from tearing each other to pieces. the latter called for qualities he does not seem to have possessed. he permitted the sectaries to bombard each other with sermons, bulletins and excommunications which, on the ground of scandal to religion, he should have promptly suppressed; his failure to do so led to its inevitable result--the sectaries presently dominated him. now, however, the easy administration of the hitherto fortunate emperor is to vanish; two additional matters of the gravest import are thrust upon him simultaneously, one domestic, the other foreign; and as both of them become turning points in our story, it is advisable to attend to them here. when the reins of government fell from the hands of amurath, they were caught up by mahommed; in other words, mahommed is sultan, and the old regime, with its friendly policies and stately courtesies, is at an end, imposing the necessity for a recast of the relations between the empires. what shall they be? such is the foreign question. obviously, the subject being of vital interest to the greek, it was for him to take the initiative in bringing about the definitions desired. with keen appreciation of the danger of the situation he addressed himself to the task. replying to a request presented through the ambassador resident at adrianople, mahommed gave him solemn assurances of his disposition to observe every existing treaty. the response seems to have made him over-confident. into the gilded council chamber at blacherne he drew his personal friends and official advisers, and heard them with patience and dignity. at the close of a series of deliberative sessions which had almost the continuity of one session, two measures met his approval. of these, the first was so extraordinary it is impossible not to attribute its suggestion to phranza, who, to the immeasurable grief and disgust of our friend the venerable dean, was now returned, and in the exercise of his high office of grand chamberlain. allusion has been already made to the religious faith of the mother of mahommed. [footnote: "for it was thought that his (amurath's) eldest son mahomet, after the death of his father, would have embraced the christian religion, being in his childhood instructed therein, as was supposed, by his mother, the daughter of the prince of servia, a christian."--knolles' _turk. hist._, 239, vol. i. "he (mahommed) also entered into league with constantinus palaeologus, the emperor of constantinople, and the other princes of grecia; as also with the despot of servia, his grandfather by the mother's side, as some will have it; howbeit some others write that the despot his daughter, amurath his wife (the despot's daughter, amurath's wife) was but his mother-in-law, whom he, under colour of friendship, sent back again unto her father, after the death of amurath, still allowing her a princely dowery."--_ibid_. 230. on this very interesting point both von hammer and gibbon are somewhat obscure; the final argument, however, is from phranza: "after the taking of constantinople, she (the princess) fled to mahomet ii." (gibbon's _rom. emp._, note 52, 12.) the action is significant of a mother. mothers-in-law are not usually so doting.] the daughter of a servian prince, she is supposed to have been a christian. after the interment of amurath, she had been returned to her native land. her age was about fifty. clothed with full powers, the grand chamberlain was despatched to adrianople to propose a marriage between his majesty, the emperor, and the sultana mother. the fears and uncertainties besetting the greek must have been overwhelming. the veteran diplomat was at the same time entrusted with another affair which one would naturally think called for much less delicacy in negotiation. there was in constantinople then a refugee named orchan, of whose history little is known beyond the fact that he was a grandson of sultan solyman. sometime presumably in the reign of john palaeologus, the prince appeared in the greek capital as a pretender to the sultanate; and his claim must have had color of right, at least, since he became the subject of a treaty between amurath and his byzantine contemporary, the former binding himself to pay the latter an annual stipend in aspers in consideration of the detention of the fugitive. with respect to this mysterious person, the time was favorable, in the opinion of the council, for demanding an increase of the stipend. instructions concerning the project were accordingly delivered to lord phranza. the high commissioner was received with flattering distinction at adrianople. he of course presented himself first to the grand vizier, kalil pacha, of whom the reader may take note, since, aside from his reappearances in these pages, he is a genuine historic character. to further acquaintance with him, it may be added that he was truly a veteran in public affairs, a member of the great family to which the vizierat descended almost in birthright, and a friend to the greeks, most likely from long association with amurath, although he has suffered severe aspersion on their account. kalil advised phranza to drop the stipend. his master, he said, was not afraid of orchan, if the latter took the field as an open claimant, short work would be made of him. the warning was disregarded. phranza submitted his proposals to mahommed directly, and was surprised by his gentleness and suavity. there was no scene whatever. on the contrary, the marriage overture was forwarded to the sultana with every indication of approval, nor was the demand touching the stipend rejected; it was simply deferred. phranza lingered at the turkish capital, pleased with the attentions shown him, and still more with the character of the sultan. in the judgment of the envoy the youthful monarch was the incarnation of peace. what time he was not mourning the loss of his royal father, he was studying designs for a palace, probably the watch tower of the world (_jehan numa_), which he subsequently built in adrianople. well for the trusting master in blacherne, well for christianity in the east, could the credulous phranza have looked in upon the amiable young potentate during one of the nights of his residence in the moslem capital! he would have found him in a chamber of impenetrable privacy, listening while the prince of india proved the calculations of a horoscope decisive of the favorable time for beginning war with the byzantines. "now, my lord," he could have heard the prince say, when the last of the many tables had been refooted for the tenth time--"now we are ready for the ultimate. we are agreed, if i mistake not"--this was not merely a complimentary form of speech, for mahommed, it should be borne in mind, was himself deeply versed in the intricate and subtle science of planetary prediction--"we are agreed that as thou art to essay the war as its beginner, we should have the most favorable ascendant, determinable by the lord, and the planet or planets therein or in conjunction or aspect with the lord; we are also agreed that the lord of the seventh house is the emperor of constantinople; we are also agreed that to have thee overcome thy adversary, the emperor, it is better to have the ascendant in the house of one of the superior planets, saturn, jupiter or mars"-"jupiter would be good, o prince," said mahommed, intensely interested, "yet i prefer mars." "my lord is right again." the seer hesitated slightly, then explained with a deferential nod and smile: "i was near saying my lord is always right. though some of the adepts have preferred scorpio for the ascendant, because it is a fixed sign, mars pleases me best; wherefore toward him have i directed all my observations, seeking a time when he shall certainly be better fortified than the lord of the seventh house, as well as elevated above him in our figure of the heavens." mahommed leaned far over toward the prince, and said imperiously, his eyes singularly bright: "and the ultimate--the time, the time, o prince! hast thou found it? allah forbid it be too soon!--there is so much to be done--so much of preparation." the prince smiled while answering: "my lord is seeing a field of glory--his by reservation of destiny--and i do not wonder at his impatience to go reaping in it; but" (he became serious) "it is never to be forgotten--no, not even by the most exalted of men--that the planets march by order of allah alone." ... then taking the last of the calculations from the table at his right hand, he continued: "the ascendant permits my lord to begin the war next year." mahommed heard with hands clinched till the nails seemed burrowing in the flesh of the palms. "the day, o prince!--the day--the hour!" he exclaimed. looking at the calculation, the prince appeared to reply from it: "at four o'clock, march twenty-sixth"-"and the year?" "fourteen hundred and fifty-two." "_four o'clock, march twenty-sixth, fourteen hundred and fifty-two_," mahommed repeated slowly, as if writing and verifying each word. then he cried with fervor: "there is no god but god!" twice he crossed the floor; after which, unwilling probably to submit himself at that moment to observation by any man, he returned to the prince: "thou hast leave to retire; but keep within call. in this mighty business who is worthier to be the first help of my hands than the messenger of the stars?" the prince saluted and withdrew. at length phranza wearied of waiting, and being summoned home left the two affairs in charge of an ambassador instructed to forego no opportunity which might offer to press them to conclusions. afterwhile mahommed went into asia to suppress an insurrection in caramania. the greek followed him from town to camp, until, tiring of the importunity, the sultan one day summoned him to his tent. "tell my excellent friend, the lord of constantinople, thy master, that the sultana maria declines his offer of marriage." "well, my lord," said the ambassador, touched by the brevity of the communication, "did not the great lady deign an explanation?" "she declined--that is all." the ambassador hurried a courier to constantinople with the answer. for the first time he ventured to express a doubt of the turk's sincerity. he would have been a wiser man and infinitely more useful to his sovereign, could he have heard mahommed again in colloquy with the prince of india. "how long am i to endure this dog of a _gabour?_" [footnote: mahommed always wrote and spoke of byzantines as _romans_, except when in passion; then he called them _gabours_.] asked the sultan, angrily. "it was not enough to waylay me in my palace; he pursued me into the field; now he imbitters my bread, now at my bedside he drives sleep from me, now he begrudges me time for prayer. how long, i say?" the prince answered quietly: "until march twenty-sixth, fourteen hundred and fifty-two." "but if i put him to sleep, o prince?" "his master will send another in his place." "ah, but the interval! will it not be so many days of rest?--so many nights of unbroken sleep?" "has my lord finished his census yet? are his arsenals full? has he his ships, and sailors, and soldiers? has he money according to the estimate?" "no." "my lord has said he must have cannon. has he found an artificer to his mind?" mahommed frowned. "i will give my lord a suggestion. does it suit him to reply now to the proposal of marriage, keeping the matter of the stipend open, he may give half relief and still hold the emperor, who stands more in need of bezants than of a consort." "prince," said mahommed, quickly, "as you go out send my secretary in." "despatch a messenger for the ambassador of my brother of constantinople. i will see him immediately." this to the secretary. and presently the ambassador had the matter for report above recited. in the report he might have said with truth--a person styling himself _prince of india_ has risen to be grand vizier in fact, leaving the title to kalil. these negotiations, lamentably barren of good results, were stretched through half the year. but it is necessary to leave them for the time, that we may return and see if the emperor had better success in the management of the domestic problem referred to as an inheritance. chapter ii a fire from the hegumen's tomb the great fire burned its way broadly over two hills of the city, stopping at the wall of the garden on the eastern front of blacherne. how it originated, how many houses were destroyed, how many of the people perished in the flames and in the battle waged to extinguish them, were subjects of unavailing inquiry through many days. for relief of the homeless, constantine opened his private coffers. he also assumed personal direction of the removal of the debris cumbering the unsightly blackened districts, and, animated by his example, the whole population engaged zealously in the melancholy work. when galata, laying her jealousies aside, contributed money and sent companies of laborers over to the assistance of her neighbor, it actually seemed as if the long-forgotten age of christian brotherhood was to be renewed. but, alas! this unity, bred of so much suffering, so delightful as a rest from factious alarms, so suggestive of angelic society and heavenly conditions in general, disappeared--not slowly, but almost in a twinkling. it was afternoon of the second day after the fire. having been on horseback since early morning, the emperor, in need of repose, had returned to his palace; but met at the portal by an urgent request for audience from the princess irene, he received her forthwith. the reader can surmise the business she brought for consideration, and also the amazement with which her royal kinsman heard of the discovery and rescue of lael. for a spell his self-possession forsook him. in anticipation of the popular excitement likely to be aroused by the news, he summoned his councillors, and after consultation, appointed a commission to investigate the incident, first sending a guard to take possession of the cistern. like their master, the commissioners had never heard of the first profanation of the ancient reservoir; as a crime, consequently, this repetition was to them original in all its aspects, and they addressed themselves to the inquiry incredulously; but after listening to sergius, and to the details the little jewess was able to give them, the occurrence forced itself on their comprehension as more than a crime at law--it took on the proportions and color of a conspiracy against society and religion. then its relative consequences presented themselves. who were concerned in it? the name of demedes startled them by suddenly opening a wide horizon of conjecture. some were primarily disposed to welcome the intelligence for the opportunity it offered his majesty to crush the academy of epicurus, but a second thought cooled their ardor; insomuch that they began drawing back in alarm. the brotherhood of the st. james' was powerful, and it would certainly resent any humiliation their venerable hegumen might sustain through the ignominious exposure of his son. in great uncertainty, and not a little confusion, the commissionate body hied from the princess irene to the cistern. while careful to hide it from his associates, each of them went with a scarce admitted hope that there would be a failure of the confirmations at least with respect to the misguided demedes; and not to lose sight of nilo, in whom they already discerned a serviceable scapegoat, they required him to go with them. the revelations call for a passing notice. in the court the body of the keeper was found upon the pavement. the countenance looked the terror of which the man died, and as a spectacle grimly prepared the beholders for the disclosures which were to follow. there was need of resolution to make the dismal ferriage from the lower platform in the cistern, but it was done, nilo at the oars. when the visitors stepped on the landing of the "palace," their wonder was unbounded. when they passed through the battered doorway, and standing under the circlet, in which the lights were dead, gazed about them, they knew not which was most astonishing, the courage of the majestic black or the audacity of the projector of the villanous scheme. but where was he? we may be sure there was no delay in the demand for him. while the fishing tongs were being brought, the apartments were inspected, and a list of their contents made. then the party collected at the edge of the landing. the secret hope was faint within them, for the confirmations so far were positive, and the terrible negro, not in the least abashed, was showing them where his enemy went down. they gave him the tongs, and at the first plunge he grappled the body, and commenced raising it. they crowded closer around him, awe-struck yet silently praying: holy mother, grant it be any but the hegumen's son! a white hand, the fingers gay with rings, appeared above the water. the fisherman took hold of it, and with a triumphant smile, drew the corpse out, and laid it face up for better viewing. the garments were still bright, the gilded mail sparkled bravely. one stooped with the light, and said immediately: "it is he--demedes!" then the commissioners looked at each other--there was no need of speech--a fortunate thing, for at that instant there was nothing of which they were more afraid. avoidance of the dreaded complications was now impossible--so at least it seemed to them. up in the keeper's room, whither they hurriedly adjourned, it was resolved to despatch a messenger to his majesty with an informal statement of the discoveries, and a request for orders. the unwillingness to assume responsibility was natural. constantine acted promptly, and with sharp discernment of the opportunity afforded the mischief-makers. the offence was to the city, and it should see the contempt in which the conspirators held it, the danger escaped, and the provocation to the most righteous; if then there were seditions, his conscience was acquit. he sent phranza to break the news to the hegumen, and went in person to the monastery, arriving barely in time to receive the blessings of his reverend friend, who, overcome by the shock, died in his arms. returning sadly to blacherne, he ordered the corpses of the guilty men to be exposed for two days before the door of the keeper's house, and the cistern thrown open for visitation by all who desired to inspect the palace of darkness, as he appropriately termed the floating tenement constructed with such wicked intents. he also issued a proclamation for the suppression of the epicurean academy, and appointed a day of thanksgiving to god for the early exposure of the conspiracy. nilo he sent to a cell in the cynegion, ostensibly for future trial, but really to secure him from danger; in his heart he admired the king's spirit, and hoped a day would come when he could safely and suitably reward him. on the part of the people the commotion which ensued was extraordinary. they left the fire to its smouldering, and in steady currents marched past the ghastly exhibits prepared for them in the street, looked at them, shuddered, crossed themselves, and went their ways apparently thankful for the swiftness of the judgment which had befallen; nor was there one heard to criticise the emperor's course. the malefactors were dropped, like unclean clods, into the earth at night, without ceremony or a mourner in attendance. thus far all well. at length the day of thanksgiving arrived. by general agreement, there was not a sign of dissatisfaction to be seen. the most timorous of the commissioners rested easy. sancta sophia was the place appointed for the services, and constantine had published his intention to be present. he had donned the basilean robes; his litter was at the door of the palace; his guard of horse and foot was formed, when the officer on duty at the gate down by the port of blacherne arrived with a startling report. "your majesty," he said, unusually regardless of the ancient salutation, "there is a great tumult in the city." the imperial countenance became stern. "this is a day of thanks to god for a great mercy; who dares profane it by tumult?" "i must speak from hearsay," the officer answered.... "the funeral of the hegumen of the st. james took place at daylight this morning"-"yes," said constantine, sighing at the sad reminder, "i had intended to assist the brotherhood. but proceed." "the brothers, with large delegations from the other monasteries, were assembled at the tomb, when gennadius appeared, and began to preach, and he wrought upon his hearers until they pushed the coffin into the vault, and dispersed through the streets, stirring up the people." at this the emperor yielded to his indignation. "now, by the trials and sufferings of the most christian mother, are we beasts insensible to destruction? or idiots exempt from the penalties of sin and impiety? and he--that genius of unrest--that master of foment--god o' mercy, what has he laid hold of to lead so many better men to betray their vows and the beads at their belts? tell me--speak--my patience is nearly gone." for an instant, be it said, the much tried sovereign beheld a strong hand move within reach, as offering itself for acceptance. no doubt he saw it as it was intended, the symbol and suggestion of a policy. pity he did not take it! for then how much of mischance had been averted from himself--constantinople might not have been lost to the christian world--the greek church had saved its integrity by recognizing the union with the latins consummated at the council of florence--christianity had not been flung back for centuries in the east, its birthplace. "your majesty," the officer returned, "i can report what i heard, leaving its truth to investigation.... in his speech by the tomb gennadius admitted the awfulness of the crime attempted by demedes, and the justice of the punishment the young man suffered, its swiftness proving it to have been directed by heaven; but he declared its conception was due to the academy of epicurus, and that there remained nothing deserving study and penance except the continued toleration without which the ungodly institution had passed quickly, as plagues fly over cities purified against them. the crime, he said, was ended. let the dead bury the dead. but who were they responsible for grace to the academy? and he answered himself, my lord, by naming the church and the state." "ah! he attacked the church then?" "no, my lord, he excused it by saying it had been debauched by an _azymite_ patriarch, and while that servant of prostitution and heresy controlled it, wickedness would be protected and go on increasing." "and the state--how dealt he with the state?" "the church he described as samson; the patriarch, as an uncomely delilah who had speciously shorn it of its strength and beauty; the state, as a political prompter and coadjutor of the delilah; and rome, a false god seeking to promote worship unto itself through the debased church and state." "god o' mercy!" constantine exclaimed, involuntarily signing to the sword-bearer at his back; but recovering himself, he asked with forced moderation: "to the purpose of it all--the object. what did he propose to the brothers?" "he called them lovers of god in the livery of christ, and implored them to gird up their loins, and stand for the religion of the fathers, lest it perish entirely." "did he tell them what to do?" "yes, my lord." a wistful, eager look appeared on the royal face, and behind it an expectation that now there would be something to justify arrest and exile at least--something politically treasonable. "he referred next to the thanksgiving services appointed to-day in sancta sophia, and declared it an opportunity from heaven, sent them and all the faithful in the city, to begin a crusade for reform; not by resort to sword and spear, for they were weapons of hell, but by refusing to assist the patriarch with their presence. a vision had come to him in the night, he said--an angel of the lord with the madonna of blacherne--advising him of the divine will. under his further urgency--and my lord knows his power of speech--the brothers listening, the st. james' and all present from the other orders, broke up and took to the streets, where they are now, exhorting the people not to go to the church, and there is reason to believe they will"-"enough," said the emperor, with sudden resolution. "the good gregory shall not pray god singly and alone." turning to phranza, he ordered him to summon the court for the occasion. "let not one stay away," he continued; "and they shall put on their best robes and whole regalia; for, going in state myself, i have need of their utmost splendor. it is my will, further, that the army be drawn from their quarters to the church, men, music, and flags, and the navies from their ships. and give greeting to the patriarch, and notify him, lest he make haste. aside from these preparations, i desire the grumblers be left to pursue their course unmolested. the sincere and holy amongst them will presently have return of clear light." this counter project was entered upon energetically. shortly after noon the military bore down to the old church, braying the streets with horns, drums and cymbals, and when they were at order in the immense auditorium, their banners hanging unfurled from the galleries, the emperor entered, with his court; in a word, the brave, honest, white-haired patriarch had company multitudinous and noble as he could desire. none the less, however, gennadius had his way also--_the people took no part in the ceremony_. after the celebration, constantine, in his chambers up in blacherne, meditated upon the day and its outcome. phranza was his sole attendant. "my dear friend," the emperor began, breaking a long silence, and much disquieted, "was not my predecessor, the first constantine, beset with religious dissensions?" "if we may credit history, my lord, he certainly was." "how did he manage them?" "he called a council." "a council truly--was that all?" "i do not recollect anything more." "it was this way, i think. he first settled the faith, and then provided against dispute." "how, my lord?" "well, there was one arius, a libyan, presbyter of a little church in alexandria called baucalis, preacher of the unity of god"-"i remember him now." "of the unity of god as opposed to the trinity. him the first constantine sent to prison for life, did he not?" thereupon phranza understood the subject of his master's meditation; but being of a timid soul, emasculated by much practice of diplomacy, usually a tedious, waiting occupation, he hastened to reply: "even so, my lord. yet he could afford to be heroic. he had consolidated the church, and was holding the world in the hollow of his hand." constantine allowed a sigh to escape him, and lapsed into silence; when next he spoke, it was to say slowly: "alas, my dear friend! the people were not there"--meaning at sancta sophia. "i fear, i fear"-"what, my lord?" another sigh deeper than the first one: "i fear i am not a statesman, but only a soldier, with nothing to give god and my empire except a sword and one poor life." these details will help the reader to a fair understanding of the domestic involvements which overtook the emperor about the time mahommed ascended the turkish throne, and they are to be considered in addition to the negotiations in progress with the sultan. and as it is important to give an idea of their speeding, we remark further, that from the afternoon of the solemnity in sancta sophia the discussion then forced upon him went from bad to worse, until he was seriously deprived both of popular sympathy and the support of the organized religious orders. the success of the solemnity in point of display, and the measures resorted to, were not merely offensive to gennadius and his ally, the duke notaras; they construed them as a challenge to a trial of strength, and so vigorously did they avail themselves of their advantages that, before the emperor was aware of it, there were two distinct parties in the city, one headed by gennadius, the other by himself and gregory the patriarch. month by month the bitterness intensified; month by month the imperial party fell away until there was little of it left outside the court and the army and navy, and even they were subjected to incessant inroads--until, finally, it came to pass that the emperor was doubtful whom to trust. thereupon, of course, the season for energetic repressive measures vanished, never to return. personalities, abuse, denunciation, lying, and sometimes downright blows took the place of debate in the struggle. one day religion was an exciting cause; next day, politics. throughout it all, however, gennadius was obviously the master-spirit. his methods were consummately adapted to the genius of the byzantines. by confining himself strictly to the church wrangle, he avoided furnishing the emperor pretexts for legal prosecution; at the same time he wrought with such cunning that in the monasteries the very high residence of blacherne was spoken of as a den of _azymites_, while sancta sophia was abandoned to the patriarch. to be seen in the purlieus of the latter was a signal for vulgar anathemas and social ostracism. his habits meantime were of a sort to make him a popular idol. he grew, if possible, more severely penitential; he fasted and flagellated himself; he slept on the stony floor before his crucifix; he seldom issued from his cell, and when visited there, was always surprised at prayers, the burden of which was forgiveness for signing the detested articles of union with the latins. the physical suffering he endured was not without solace; he had heavenly visions and was attended by angels. if in his solitude he fainted, the holy virgin of blacherne ministered to him, and brought him back to life and labor. first an ascetic, then a prophet--such was his progression. and constantine was a witness to the imposture, and smarted under it; still he held there was nothing for him but to temporize, for if he ordered the seizure and banishment of the all-powerful hypocrite, he could trust no one with the order. the time was dark as a starless night to the high-spirited but too amiable monarch, and he watched and waited, or rather watched and drifted, extending confidence to but two counsellors, phranza and the princess irene. even in their company he was not always comfortable, for, strange to say, the advice of the woman was invariably heroic, and that of the man invariably weak and accommodating. from this sketch the tendencies of the government can be right plainly estimated, leaving the suspicion of a difference between the first constantine and the last to grow as the evils grew. chapter iii mirza does an errand for mahommed vegetation along the bosphorus was just issuing from what may be called its budded state. in the gardens and protected spots on the european side white and yellow winged butterflies now and then appeared without lighting, for as yet there was nothing attractive enough to keep them. like some great men of whom we occasionally hear, they were in the world before their time. in other words the month of may was about a week old, and there was a bright day to recommend it--bright, only a little too much tinctured with march and april to be all enjoyable. the earth was still spongy, the water cold, the air crisp, and the sun deceitful. about ten o'clock in the morning constantinopolitans lounging on the sea-wall were surprised by explosive sounds from down the marmora. afterwhile they located them, so to speak, on a galley off st. stephano. at stated intervals, pale blue smoke would burst from the vessel, followed by a hurry-skurry of gulls in the vicinity, and then the roar, muffled by distance. the age of artillery had not yet arrived; nevertheless, cannon were quite well known to fame. enterprising traders from the west had sailed into the golden horn with samples of the new arm on their decks; they were of such rude construction as to be unfit for service other than saluting. [footnote: cannon were first made of hooped iron, widest at the mouth. the process of casting them was just coming in.] so, now, while the idlers on the wall were not alarmed, they were curious to make out who the extravagant fellows were, and waited for the flag to tell them. the stranger passed swiftly, firing as it went; and as the canvas was new and the hull freshly painted in white, it rode the waves to appearances a very beautiful "thing of life;" but the flag told nothing of its nationality. there were stripes on it diagonally set, green, yellow, and red, the yellow in the middle. "the owners are not genoese"--such was the judgment on the wall. "no, nor venetian, for that is not a lion in the yellow." "what, then, is it?" pursued thus, the galley, at length rounding point serail (demetrius), turned into the harbor. when opposite the tower of galata, a last salute was fired from her deck; then the two cities caught up the interest, and being able to make out decisively that the sign in the yellow field of the flag was but a coat-of-arms, they said emphatically: "it is not a national ship--only a great lord;" and thereupon the question became self-inciting: "who is he?" hardly had the anchor taken hold in the muddy bed of the harbor in front of the port of blacherne, before a small boat put off from the strange ship, manned by sailors clad in flowing white trousers, short sleeveless jackets, and red turbans of a style remarkable for amplitude. an officer, probably the sailing-master, went with them, and he, too, was heavily turbaned. a gaping crowd on the landing received the visitor when he stepped ashore and asked to see the captain of the guard. to that dignitary he delivered a despatch handsomely enveloped in yellow silk, saying, in imperfect greek: "my lord, just arrived, prays you to read the enclosure, and send it forward by suitable hand. he trusts to your knowledge of what the proprieties require. he will await the reply on his galley." the sailing-master saluted profoundly, resumed seat in his boat, and started back to the ship, leaving the captain of the guard to open the envelope and read the communication, which was substantially as follows: "from the galley, st. agostino, may 5, year of our blessed saviour, 1451. "the undersigned is a christian noble of italy, more particularly from his strong castle corti on the eastern coast of italy, near the ancient city of brindisi. he offers lealty to his most christian majesty, the emperor of constantinople, defender of the faith according to the crucified son of god (to whom be honor and praise forevermore), and humbly represents that he is a well-knighted soldier by profession, having won his spurs in battle, and taken the accolade from the hand of calixtus the third, bishop of rome, and, yet more worthily, his holiness the pope: that the time being peaceful in his country, except as it was rent by baronial feuds and forays not to his taste, he left it in search of employment and honors abroad; that he made the pilgrimage to the holy sepulchre first, and secured there a number of precious relics, which he is solicitous of presenting to his imperial majesty; that from long association with the moslems, whom heaven, in its wisdom impenetrable to the understanding of men, permits to profane the holy land with their presence and wicked guardianship, he acquired a speaking knowledge of the arabic and turkish languages; that he engaged in warfare against those enemies of god, having the powerful sanction therefor of his holiness aforesaid, by whose direction he occupied himself chiefly with chastising the berber pirates of tripoli, from whom he took prisoners, putting them at his oars, where some of them now are. with the august city of byzantium he has been acquainted many years through report, and, if its fame be truly published, he desires to reside in it, possibly to the end of his days. wherefore he presumes to address this his respectful petition, praying its submission to his most christian majesty, that he may be assured if the proposal be agreeable to the royal pleasure, and in the meantime have quiet anchorage for his galley. ugo, count corti." in the eyes of the captain of the guard the paper was singular, but explicit; moreover, the request seemed superfluous, considering the laxity prevalent with respect to the coming and going of persons of all nativities and callings. to be sure, trade was not as it used to be, and, thanks to the enterprise and cunning of the galatanese across the harbor, the revenues from importations were sadly curtailed; still the old city had its markets, and the world was welcome to them. the argument, however, which silenced the custodian's doubt was, that of the few who rode to the gates in their own galleys and kept them there ready to depart if their reception were in the least chilling, how many signed themselves as did this one? italian counts were famous fighters, and generally had audiences wherever they knocked. so he concluded to send the enclosure up to the palace without the intermediation of the high admiral, a course which would at least save time. while the affair is thus pending, we may return to count corti, and say an essential word or two of him. the cannon, it is to be remarked, was not the only novelty of the galley. over the stern, where the aplustre cast its shadow in ordinary crafts, there was a pavilion-like structure, high-raised, flat-roofed, and with small round windows in the sides. quite likely the progressive ship-builders at palos and genoa would have termed the new feature a cabin. it was beyond cavil an improvement; and on this occasion the proprietor utilized it as he well might. since the first gun off st. stephano, he had held the roof, finding it the best position to get and enjoy a view of the capital, or rather of the walls and crowned eminences they had so long and all-sufficiently defended. a chair had been considerately brought up and put at his service, but in witness of the charm the spectacle had for him from the beginning, he did not once resort to it. if only to save ourselves description of the man, and rescue him from a charge of intrusion into the body of our story, we think it better to take the reader into confidence at once, and inform him that count corti is in fact our former acquaintance mirza, the emir of the hajj. the difference between his situation now, and when we first had sight of him on his horse under the yellow flag in the valley of zaribah is remarkable; yet he is the same in one particular at least--he was in armor then, and he is still in armor--that is, he affects the same visorless casque, with its cape of fine rings buckled under the chin, the same shirt and overalls of pliable mail, the same shoes of transverse iron scales working into each other telescopically when the feet are in movement, the same golden spurs, and a surcoat in every particular like the emir's, except it is brick-dust red instead of green. and this constancy in armor should not be accounted a vanity; it was a habit acquired in the school of arms which graduated him, and which he persisted in partly for the inurement, and partly as a mark of respect for mahommed, with whom the gleam and clink of steel well fashioned and gracefully worn was a passion, out of which he evolved a suite rivalling those kinsmen of the buccleuch who-"--quitted not their harness bright, neither by day nor yet by night." returning once again. it was hoped when mirza was first introduced that every one who might chance to spend an evening over these pages would perceive the possibilities he prefigured, and adopt him as a favorite; wherefore the interest may be more pressing to know what he, an islamite supposably without guile, a janissary of rank, lately so high in his master's confidence, is doing here, offering lealty to the most christian emperor, and denouncing the followers of the prophet as enemies of god. the appearances are certainly against him. the explanation due, if only for coherence in our narrative, would be clearer did the reader review the part of the last conversation in the white castle between the prince of india and mahommed, in which the latter is paternally advised to study the greek capital, and keep himself informed of events within its walls. yet, inasmuch as there is a current in reading which one once fairly into is loath to be pushed out of, we may be forgiven for quoting a material passage or two.... "there is much for my lord to do"--the prince says, speaking to his noble eleve. "it is for him to think and act as if constantinople were his capital temporarily in possession of another.... it is for him to learn the city within and without; its streets and edifices; its hills and walls; its strong and weak places; its inhabitants, commerce, foreign relations; the character of its ruler, his resources and policies; its daily events; its cliques, clubs, and religious factions; especially is it for him to foment the differences latin and greek already a fire which has long been eating out to air in an inflammable house."... mahommed, it will be recollected, acceded to the counsel, and in discussing the selection of a person suitable for the secret agency, the prince said: ... "he who undertakes it should enter constantinople and live there above suspicion. he must be crafty, intelligent, courtly in manner, accomplished in arms, of high rank, and with means to carry his state bravely; for not only ought he to be conspicuous in the hippodrome; he should be welcome in the salons and palaces; along with other facilities, he must be provided to buy service in the emperor's bedroom and council chamber--nay, at his elbow. mature of judgment, it is of prime importance that he possess my lord's confidence unalterably."... and when the ambitious turk demanded: "the man, prince, the man!"--the wily tutor responded: "my lord has already named him."--"i?"--"only to-night my lord spoke of him as a marvel."--"mirza?"... the jew then proceeded: "despatch him to italy; let him appear in constantinople, embarked from a galley, habited like an italian, and with a suitable italian title. he speaks italian already, is fixed in his religion, and in knightly honor. not all the gifts at the despot's disposal, nor the blandishments of society can shake his allegiance--he worships my lord."... mahommed demurred to the proposal, saying: "so has mirza become a part of me, i am scarcely myself without him." now he who has allowed himself to become interested in the bright young emir, and pauses to digest these excerpts, will be aware of a grave concern for him. he foresees the outcome of the devotion to mahommed dwelt upon so strongly by the prince of india. an order to undertake the secret service will be accepted certainly as it is given. the very assurance that it will be accepted begets solicitude in the affair. did mahommed decide affirmatively? what were the instructions given? having thus settled the coherences, we move on with the narrative. it will be remembered, further, that close after the departure of the princess irene from the old castle, mahommed followed her to therapia, and, as an arab story-teller, was favored with an extended private audience in which he extolled himself to her at great length, and actually assumed the role of a lover. what is yet more romantic, he came away a lover in fact. the circumstance is not to be lightly dismissed, for it was of immeasurable effect upon the fortunes of the emir, and--if we can be excused for connecting an interest so stupendous with one so comparatively trifling--the fate of constantinople. theretofore the turk's ambition had been the sole motive of his designs against that city, and, though vigorous, driving, and possibly enough of itself to have pushed him on, there might yet have been some delay in the achievement. ambition derived from genius is cautious in its first movements, counts the cost, ponders the marches to be made and the means to be employed, and is at times paralyzed by the simple contemplation of failure; in other words, dread of loss of glory is not seldom more powerful than the hope of glory. after the visit to therapia, however, love reenforced ambition; or rather the two passions possessed mahommed, and together they murdered his sleep. he became impatient and irritable; the days were too short, the months too long. constantinople absorbed him. he thought of nothing else waking, and dreamed of nothing else. well for him his faith in astrology, for by it the prince of india was able to hold him to methodic preparation. there were times when he was tempted to seize the princess, and carry her off. her palace was undefended, and he had but to raid it at night. why not? there were two reasons, either of them sufficient: first, the stern old sultan, his father, was a just man, and friendly to the emperor constantine; but still stronger, and probably the deterrent in fact, he actually loved the princess with a genuine romantic sentiment, her happiness an equal motive--loved her for herself--a thing perfectly consistent, for in the oriental idea there is always one the highest. now, it was very lover-like in mahommed, his giving himself up to thought of the princess while gliding down the bosphorus, after leaving his safeguard on her gate. he closed his eyes against the mellow light on the water, and, silently admitting her the perfection of womanhood, held her image before him until it was indelible in memory--face, figure, manner, even her dress and ornaments--until his longing for her became a positive hunger of soul. as if to give us an illustration of the mal-apropos in coincidence, his august father had selected a bride for him, and he was on the road to adrianople to celebrate the nuptials when he stopped at the white castle. the maiden chosen was of a noble turkish family, but harem born and bred. she might be charming, a very queen in the seraglio; but, alas! the kinswoman of the christian emperor had furnished a glimpse of attractions which the fiancee to whom he was going could never attain--attractions of mind and manner more lasting than those of mere person; and as he finished the comparison, he beat his breast, and cried out: "ah, the partiality of the most merciful! to clothe this greek with all the perfections, and deny her to me!" withal, there was a method in mahommed's passion. setting his face sternly against violating his own safeguard by abducting the princess, he fell into revision of her conversation; and then a light broke in upon him--a light and a road to his object. he recalled with particularity her reply to the message delivered to her, supposably from himself, containing his avowal that he loved her the more because she was a christian, and singled out of it these words: ... "a wife i might become, not from temptation of gain or power, or in surrender to love--i speak not in derision of the passion, since, like the admitted virtues, it is from god--nay, sheik, in illustration of what may otherwise be of uncertain meaning to him, tell prince mahommed i might become his wife could i, by so doing, save or help the religion i profess." this he took to pieces.... "'she might become a wife.' good!... 'she might become my wife'--on condition.... what condition?" ... he beat his breast again, this time with a laugh. the rowers looked at him in wonder. what cared he for them? he had discovered a way to make her his.... "constantinople is the greek church," he muttered, with flashing eyes. "i will take the city for my own glory--to her then the glory of saving the church! on to constantinople!" and from that moment the fate of the venerable metropolis may be said to have been finally sealed. within an hour after his return to the white castle, he summoned mirza, and surprised him by the exuberance of his joy. he threw his arm over the emir's shoulder, and walked with him, laughing and talking, like a man in wine. his nature was of the kind which, for the escape of feeling, required action as well as words. at length he sobered down. "here, mirza," he said. "stand here before me.... thou lovest me, i believe?" mirza answered upon his knee: "my lord has said it." "i believe thee.... rise and take pen and paper, and write, standing here before me." [footnote: a turkish calligraphist works on his feet as frequently as on a chair, using a pen made of reed and india ink reduced to fluid.] from a table near by the materials were brought, and the emir, again upon his knees, wrote as his master dictated. the paper need not be given in full. enough that it covered with uncommon literalness--for the conqueror's memory was prodigious--the suggestions of the prince of india already quoted respecting the duties of the agent in constantinople. while writing, the emir was variously moved; one instant, his countenance was deeply flushed, and in the next very pale; sometimes his hand trembled. mahommed meantime kept close watch upon him, and now he asked: "what ails thee?" "my lord's will is my will," was the answer--"yet"-"out--speak out." "my lord is sending me from him, and i dread losing my place at his right hand." mahommed laughed heartily. "lay the fear betime," he then said, gravely. "where thou goest, though out of reach of my right hand, there will my thought be. hear--nay, at my knee." he laid the hand spoken of on mirza's shoulder, and stooped towards him. "ah, my saladin, thou wert never in love, i take it? well--i am. look not up now, lest--lest thou think my bearded cheek hath changed to a girl's." mirza did not look up, yet he knew his master was blushing. "where thou goest, i would give everything but the sword of othman to be every hour of the day, for she abideth there.... i see a ring on thy hand--the ruby ring i gave thee the day thou didst unhorse the uncircumcised deputy of hunyades. give it back to me. 'tis well. see, i place it on the third finger of my left hand. they say whoever looketh at her is thenceforth her lover. i caution thee, and so long as this ruby keepeth color unchanged, i shall know thou art keeping honor bright with me--that thou lovest her, because thou canst not help it, yet for my sake, and because i love her.... look up now, my falcon--look up, and pledge me." "i pledge my lord," mirza answered. "now i will tell thee. she is that kinswoman of the _gabour_ emperor constantine whom we saw here the day of our arrival. or didst thou see her? i have forgotten." "i did not, my lord." "well, thou wilt know her at sight; for in grace and beauty i think she must be a daughter of the houri this moment giving immortal drink to the beloved of allah, even the prophet." mahommed changed his tone. "the paper and the pen." and taking them he signed the instructions, and the signature was the same as that on the safeguard on the gate at therapia. "there--keep it well; for when thou gettest to constantinople, thou wilt become a christian." he laughed again. "mirza--the mirza mahommed swore by, and appointed keeper of his heart's secret--he a christian! this will shift the sin of the apostasy to me." mirza took the paper. "i have not chosen to write of the other matter. in what should it be written, if at all, except in my blood--so close is it to me?... these are the things i expect of thee. art thou listening? she shall be to thee as thine eye. advise me of her health, and where she goes; with whom she consorts; what she does and says; save her from harm: does one speak ill of her, kill him, only do it in my name--and forget not, o my saladin!--as thou hopest a garden and a couch in paradise--forget not that in constantinople, when i come, i am to receive her from thy hand peerless in all things as i left her to-day.... thou hast my will all told. i will send money to thy room to-night, and thou wilt leave to-night, lest, being seen making ready in the morning, some idiot pursue thee with his wonder.... as thou art to be my other self, be it royally. kings never account to themselves.... thou wantest now nothing but this signet." from his breast he drew a large ring, its emerald setting graven with the signature at the bottom of the instructions, and gave it to him. "is there a pacha or a begler-bey, governor of a city or a province, property of my father, who refuseth thy demand after showing him this, report him, and _shintan_ will be more tolerable unto him than i, when i have my own. it is all said. go now.... we will speak of rewards when next we meet.... or stay! thou art to communicate by way of this castle, and for that i will despatch a man to thee in constantinople. remember--for every word thou sendest me of the city, i look for two of her.... here is my hand." mirza kissed it, and departed. chapter iv the emir in italy we know now who count corti is, and the objects of his coming to constantinople--that he is a secret agent of mahommed--that, summed up in the fewest words, his business is to keep the city in observation, and furnish reports which will be useful to his master in the preparation the latter is making for its conquest. we also know he is charged with very peculiar duties respecting the princess irene. the most casual consideration of these revelations will make it apparent, in the next place, that hereafter the emir must be designated by his italian appellative in full or abbreviated. before forsaking the old name, there is lively need of information, whether as he now stands on the deck of his galley, waiting the permissions prayed by him of the emperor constantine, he is, aside from title, the same mirza lately so honored by mahommed. from the time the ship hove in sight of the city, he had kept his place on the cabin. the sailors, looking up to him occasionally, supposed him bound by the view, so motionless he stood, so steadfastly he gazed. yet in fact his countenance was not expressive of admiration or rapture. a man with sound vision may have a mountain just before him and not see it; he may be in the vortex of a battle deaf to its voices; a thought or a feeling can occupy him in the crisis of his life to the exclusion of every sense. if perchance it be so with the emir now, he must have undergone a change which only a powerful cause could have brought about. he had been so content with his condition, so proud of his fame already won, so happy in keeping prepared for the opportunities plainly in his sight, so satisfied with his place in his master's confidence, so delighted when that master laid a hand upon his shoulder and called him familiarly, now his saladin, and now his falcon. faithfully, as bidden, mirza sallied from the white castle the night of his appointment to the agency in constantinople. he spoke to no one of his intention, for he well knew secrecy was the soul of the enterprise. for the same reason, he bought of a dervish travelling with the lord mahommed's suite a complete outfit, including the man's donkey and donkey furniture. at break of day he was beyond the hills of the bosphorus, resolved to skirt the eastern shore of the marmora and hellespont, from which the greek population had been almost entirely driven by the turks, and at the dardanelles take ship for italy direct as possible--a long route and trying--yet there was in it the total disappearance from the eyes of acquaintances needful to success in his venture. his disguise insured him from interruption on the road, dervishes being sacred characters in the estimation of the faithful, and generally too poor to excite cupidity. a gray-frocked man, hooded, coarsely sandalled, and with a blackened gourd at his girdle for the alms he might receive from the devout, no islamite meeting him would ever suspect a large treasure in the ragged bundle on the back of the patient animal plodding behind him like a tired dog. the dardanelles was a great stopping-place for merchants and tradesmen, greek, venetian, genoese. there mirza provided himself with an italian suit, adopted the italian tongue, and became italian. he borrowed a chart of the coast of italy from a sailor, to determine the port at which it would be advisable for him to land. while settling this point, the conversation had with the prince of india in the latter's tent at zaribah arose to mind, and he recalled with particularity all that singular person said with reference to the accent observable in his speech. he also went over the description he himself had given the prince of the house or castle from which he had been taken in childhood. a woman had borne him outdoors, under a blue sky, along a margin of white sand, an orchard on one hand, the sea on the other. he remembered the report of the waves breaking on the shore, the olive-green color of the trees in the orchard, and the battlemented gate of the castle; whereupon the prince said the description reminded him of the eastern shore of italy in the region of brindisi. it was a vague remark certainly; but now it made a deeper impression on the emir than at the moment of its utterance and pointed his attention to brindisi. the going to italy, he argued, was really to get a warrant for the character he was to assume in constantinople; that is, to obtain some knowledge of the country, its geography, political divisions, cities, rulers, and present conditions generally, without which the slightest cross-examination by any of the well-informed personages about the emperor would shatter his pretensions in an instant. then it was he fell into a most unusual mood. since the hour the turbaned rovers captured him he had not been assailed by a desire to see or seek his country and family. who was his father? was his mother living? probably nothing could better define the profundity of the system underlying the organization of the janissaries than that he had never asked those questions with a genuine care to have them solved. what a suppression of the most ordinary instincts of nature! how could it have been accomplished so completely? as a circumstance, its tendency is to confirm the theory that men are creatures of education and association.... was his mother living? did she remember him? had she wept for him? what sort of being was she? if living, how old would she be? and he actually attempted a calculation. calling himself twenty-six she might not be over forty-five. that was not enough to dim her eyes or more than slightly silver her hair; and as respects her heart, are not the affections of a mother flowers for culling by death alone? such reflections never fail effect. a tenderness of spirit is the first token of their presence; then memory and imagination begin striving; the latter to bring the beloved object back, and the former to surround it with sweetest circumstances. they wrought with mirza as with everybody else. the yearning they excited in him was a surprise; presently he determined to act on the prince of india's suggestion, and betake himself to the eastern coast of italy. the story of the sack of a castle was of a kind to have wide circulation; at the same time this one was recent enough to be still in the memory of persons living. finding the place of its occurrence was the difficulty. if in the vicinity of brindisi--well, he would go and ask. the yearning spoken of did not come alone; it had for companion, conscience, as yet in the background. there were vessels bound for venice. one was taking in water, after which it would sail for otranto. it seemed a fleet craft, with a fair crew, and a complement of stout rowers. otranto was south of brindisi a little way, and the castle he wanted to hear of might have been situated between those cities. who could tell? besides, as an italian nobleman, to answer inquiry in constantinople, he would have to locate himself somewhere, and possibly the coast in question might accommodate him with both a location and a title. the result was he took passage to otranto. while there he kept his role of traveller, but was studious, and picked up a great fund of information bearing upon the part awaiting him. he lived and dressed well, and affected religious circles. it was the day when italy was given over to the nobles--the day of robbers, fighting, intrigues and usurpations--of free lances and bold banditti--of government by the strong hand, of right determinable by might, of ensanguined guelphs and ghibellines. of these the emir kept clear. by chance he fell in with an old man of secondary rank in the city much given to learning, an habitue of a library belonging to one of the monasteries. it came out ere long that the venerable person was familiar with the coast from otranto to brindisi, and beyond far as polignano. "it was in my sturdier days," the veteran said, with a dismal glance at his shrunken hands. "the people along the shore were much harried by moslem pirates. landing from their galleys, the depredators burned habitations, slew the men, and carried off such women as they thought would fetch a price. they even assaulted castles. at last we were driven to the employment of a defensive guard cooperative on land and water. i was a captain. our fights with the rovers were frequent and fierce. neither side showed quarter." the reminiscence stimulated mirza to inquiry. he asked the old man if he could mention a castle thus attacked. "yes, there was one belonging to count corti, a few leagues beyond brindisi. the count defended himself, but was slain." "had he a family?" "a wife and a boy child." "what became of them?" "by good chance the countess was in brindisi attending a fete; she escaped, of course. the boy, two or three years of age, was made prisoner, and never heard of afterwards." a premonition seized mirza. "is the countess living?" "yes. she never entirely recovered from the shock, but built a house near the site of the castle, and clearing a room in the ruins, turned it into a chapel. every morning and evening she goes there, and prays for the soul of her husband, and the return of her lost boy." "how long is it since the poor lady was so bereft?" the narrator reflected, and replied: "twenty-two or three years." "may the castle be found?" "yes." "have you been to it?" "many times." "how was it named?" "after the count--_il castillo di corti_." "tell me something of its site." "it is down close by the sea. a stone wall separates its front enclosure from the beach. sometimes the foam of the waves is dashed upon the wall. through a covered gate one looks out, and all is water. standing on the tower, all landward is orchard and orchard--olive and almond trees intermixed. a great estate it was and is. the countess, it is understood, has a will executed; if the boy does not return before her death, the church is to be her legatee." there was more of the conversation, covering a history of the corti family, honorable as it was old--the men famous warriors, the women famous beauties. mirza dreamed through the night of the countess, and awoke with a vague consciousness that the wife of the pacha, the grace of whose care had been about him in childhood--a good woman, gentle and tender--was after all but a representative of the mother who had given him birth, just as on her part every mother is mercifully representative of god. under strong feeling he took boat for brindisi. there he had no trouble in confirming the statements of his otranto acquaintance. the countess was still living, and the coast road northwardly would bring him to the ruins of her castle. the journey did not exceed five leagues. what he might find at the castle, how long he would stay, what do, were so uncertain--indeed everything in the connection was so dependent upon conditions impossible of foresight, that he resolved to set out on foot. to this course he was the more inclined by the mildness of the weather, and the reputation of the region for freshness and beauty. about noon he was fairly on the road. persons whom he met--and they were not all of the peasant class--seeing a traveller jaunty in plumed cap, light blue camail, pointed buskins, and close-fitting hose the color of the camail, sword at his side, and javelin in hand, stayed to observe him long as he was in sight, never dreaming they were permitted to behold a favorite of one of the bloody mahounds of the east. over hill and down shallow vales: through stone-fenced lanes; now in the shade of old trees; now along a seashore partially overflowed by languid waves, he went, lighter in step than heart, for he was in the mood by no means uncommon, when the spirit is prophesying evil unto itself. he was sensible of the feeling, and for shame would catch the javelin in the middle and whirl it about him defensively until it sung like a spinning-wheel; at times he stopped and, with his fingers in his mouth, whistled to a small bird as if it were a hunting hawk high in air. once, seeing a herd of goats around a house thatched and half-hidden in vines, he asked for milk. a woman brought it to him, with a slice of brown bread; and while he ate and drank, she stared at him in respectful admiration; and when he paid her in gold, she said, courtesying low: "a glad life to my lord! i will pray the madonna to make the wish good." poor creature! she had no idea she was blessing one in whose faith the prophet was nearer god than god's own son. at length the road made an abrupt turn to the right, bringing him to a long stretch of sandy beach. nearly as he could judge, it was time for the castle to appear, and he was anxious to make it before sundown. yet in the angle of the wood he saw a wayside box of stone sheltering an image of the virgin, with the holy child in its arms. besides being sculptured better than usual, the figures were covered with flowers in wreath and bouquet. a dressed slab in front of the structure, evidently for the accommodation of worshippers, invited him to rest, and he took the seat, and looking up at the mother, she appeared to be looking at him. he continued his gaze, and presently the face lost its stony appearance--stranger still, it smiled. it was illusion, of course, but he arose startled, and moved on with quickened step. the impression went with him. why the smile? he did not believe in images: much less did he believe in the virgin, except as she was the subject of a goodly story. and absorbed in the thought, he plodded on, leaving the sun to go down unnoticed. thereupon the shadows thickened in the woods at his left hand, while the sound of the incoming waves at his right increased as silence laid its velvet finger with a stronger compress on all other pulsations. here and there a star peeped timidly through the purpling sky--now it was dusk--a little later, it would be night--and yet no castle! he pushed on more vigorously; not that he was afraid--fear and the falcon of mahommed had never made acquaintance--but he began to think of a bed in the woods, and worse yet, he wanted the fast-going daylight to help him decide if the castle when he came to it were indeed the castle of his fathers. he had believed all along, if he could see the pile once, his memory would revive and help him to recognition. at last night fell, and there was darkness trebled on the land, and on the sea darkness, except where ghostly lines of light stretched themselves along the restless water. should he go on?... then he heard a bell--one soft tone near by and silvery clear. he halted. was it of the earth? a hush deeper of the sound--and he was wondering if another illusion were not upon him, when again the bell! "oh!" he muttered, "a trick of the monks in otranto! some soul is passing." he pressed forward, guided by the tolling. suddenly the trees fell away, and the road brought him to a stone wall heavily coped. on further, a blackened mass arose in dim relief against the sky, with heavy merlons on its top. "it is the embattled gate!" he exclaimed, to himself--"the embattled gate!--and here the beach!--and, o allah! the waves there are making the reports they used to!" the bell now tolled with awful distinctness, filling him with unwonted chills--tolled, as if to discourage his memory in its struggle to lift itself out of a lapse apparently intended to be final as the grave--tolled solemnly, as if his were the soul being rung into the next life. a rush of forebodings threatened him with paralysis of will, and it was only by a strong exertion he overcame it, and brought himself back to the situation, and the question, what next? now mirza was not a man to forego a purpose lightly. emotional, but not superstitious, he tried the sword, if it were loose in the scabbard, and then, advancing the point of his javelin, entered the darkened gallery of the gate. just as he emerged from it on the inner side, the bell tolled. "a moslem doth not well," he thought, silently repeating a saying of the _jadis_, "to accept a christian call to prayer; but," he answered in self-excuse, "i am not going to prayer--i am seeking"--he stopped, for very oddly, the face of the virgin in the stone box back in the angle of the road presented itself to him, and still more oddly, he felt firmer of purpose seeing again the smile on the face. then he finished the sentence aloud--"my mother _who is a christian._" there was a jar in the conclusion, and he went back to find it, and having found it, he was surprised. up to that moment, he had not thought of his mother a christian. how came the words in his mouth now? who prompted them? and while he was hastily pondering the effect upon her of the discovery that he himself was an islamite, the image in the box reoccurred to him, this time with the child in its arms; and thereupon the mystery seemed to clear itself at once. "mother and mother!" he said. "what if my coming were the answer of one of them to the other's prayer?" the idea affected him; his spirit softened; the heat of tears sprang to his eyelids; and the effort he made to rise above the unmanliness engaged him so he failed to see the other severer and more lasting struggle inevitable if the countess were indeed the being to whom he owed the highest earthly obligations--the struggle between natural affection and honor, as the latter lay coiled up in the ties binding him to mahommed. the condition, be it remarked, is ours; for from that last appearance of the image by the wayside--from that instant, marking a new era in his life--often as the night and its incidents recurred to him, he had never a doubt of his relationship to the countess. indeed, not only was she thenceforward his mother, but all the ground within the gate was his by natal right, and the castle was the very castle from which he had been carried away, over the body of his heroic father--_he was the count corti_! these observations will bring the reader to see more distinctly the emir's state after passing the gate. of the surroundings, he beheld nothing but shadows more or less dense and voluminous; the mournful murmuring of the wind told him they belonged to trees and shrubbery in clumps. the road he was on, although blurred, was serviceable as a guide, and he pursued it until brought to a building so masked by night the details were invisible. following its upper line, relieved against the gray sky, he made out a broken front and one tower massively battlemented. a pavement split the road in two; crossing it, he came to an opening, choked with timbers and bars of iron; surmisably the front portal at present in disuse. he needed no explanation of its condition. fire and battle were familiars of his. the bell tolled on. the sound, so passing sweet elsewhere, seemed to issue from the yawning portal, leaving him to fancy the interior a lumber of floors, galleries, and roofs in charred tumble down. mirza turned away presently, and took the left branch of the road; since he could not get into the castle, he would go around it; and in doing so, he borrowed from the distance traversed a conception of its immensity, as well as of the importance the countship must have enjoyed in its palmy days. at length he gained the rear of the great pile. the wood there was more open, and he was pleased with the sight of lights apparently gleaming through windows, from which he inferred a hamlet pitched on a broken site. then he heard singing; and listening, never had human voices seemed to him so impressively solemn. were they coming or going? ere long a number of candles, very tall, and screened from the wind by small lanterns of transparent paper, appeared on the summit of an ascent; next moment the bearers of the candles were in view--boys bareheaded and white frocked. as they began to descend the height, a bevy of friars succeeded them, their round faces and tonsured crowns glistening in ruddy contrast with their black habits. a choir of four singers, three men and one woman, followed the monks. then a linkman in half armor strode across the summit, lighting the way for a figure, also in black, which at once claimed mirza's gaze. as he stared at the figure, the account given him by the old captain in otranto flashed upon his memory. the widow of the murdered count had cleared a room in the castle, and fitted it up as a chapel, and every morning and evening she went thither to pray for the soul of her husband and the return of her lost boy. the words were alive with suggestions; but suggestions imply uncertainty; wherefore they are not a reason for the absolute conviction with which the emir now said to himself: "it is she--the countess--my mother!" there must be in every heart a store of prevision of which we are not aware--occasions bring it out with such sudden and bewildering effect. everything--hymn, tolling bell, lights, boys, friars, procession--was accessory to that veiled, slow-marching figure. and in habiliment, movement, air, with what telling force it impersonated sorrow! on the other hand, how deep and consuming the sorrow itself must be! she--he beheld only her--descended the height without looking up or around--a little stooped, yet tall and of dignified carriage--not old nor yet young--a noble woman worthy reverence. while he was making these comments, the procession reached the foot of the ascent; then the boys and friars came between, and hid her from his view. "o allah! and thou his prophet!" he exclaimed. "am i not to see her face? is she not to know me?" curiously the question had not presented itself before; neither when he resolved to come, nor while on the way. to say truth, he had been all the while intent on the one partial object--to see her. he had not anticipated the awakening the sight might have upon his feelings. "am i not to discover myself to her? is she never to know me?" he repeated. the lights in the hands of the boys were beginning to gleam along a beaten road a short distance in front of the agitated emir conducting to the castle. he divined at once that the countess was coming to the chapel for the usual evening service, and that, by advancing to the side of the road, he could get a near view of her as she passed. he started forward impulsively, but after a few steps stopped, trembling like a child imagining a ghost. now our conception of the man forbids us thinking him overcome by a trifle, whether of the air or in the flesh. a change so extreme must have been the work of a revelation of quick and powerful consequence--and it was, although the first mention may excite a smile. in the gleam of mental lightning--we venture on the term for want of another more descriptive--he had been reminded of the business which brought him to italy. let us pause here, and see what the reminder means; if only because the debonair mirza, with whom we have been well pleased, is now to become another person in name and character, commanding our sympathies as before, but for a very different reason. this was what the lightning gave him to see, and not darkly: if he discovered himself to the countess, he must expose his history from the night the rovers carried him away. true, the tale might be given generally, leaving its romance to thrill the motherly heart, and exalt him the more; for to whom are heroes always the greatest heroes? unhappily steps in confession are like links in a chain, one leads to another.... could he, a christian born, tell her he was an apostate? or if he told her, would it not be one more grief to the many she was already breaking under--one, the most unendurable? and as to himself, how could he more certainly provoke a forfeiture of her love?... she would ask--if but to thank god for mercies--to what joyful accident his return was owing? and then? alas! with her kiss on his brow, could he stand silent? more grievous yet, could he deceive her? if nothing is so murderous of self-respect as falsehood, a new life begun with a lie needs no prophet to predict its end. no, he must answer the truth. this conviction was the ghost which set him trembling. an admission that he was a moslem would wound her, yet the hope of his conversion would remain--nay, the labor in making the hope good might even renew her interest in life; but to tell her he was in italy to assist in the overthrow of a christian emperor for the exaltation of an infidel--god help him! was ever such a monster as he would then become in her eyes?... the consequences of that disclosure, moreover, were not to the countess and himself merely. with a sweep of wing one's fancy is alone capable of, he was borne back to the white castle, and beheld mahommed. when before did a prince, contemplating an achievement which was to ring the world, give trust with such absoluteness of faith? poor mirza! the sea rolled indefinitely wide between the white castle and this one of his fathers; across it, nevertheless, he again heard the words: "as thou art to be my other self, be it royally. kings never account to themselves." if they made betrayal horrible in thought, what would the fact be?... finally, last but not least of the reflections the lightning laid bare, the emir had been bred a soldier, and he loved war for itself and for the glory it offered unlike every other glory. was he to bid them both a long farewell? poor mirza! a few paragraphs back allusion was made to a struggle before him between natural affection on one hand and honor on the other. perhaps it was obscurely stated; if so, here it is amended, and stripped of conditions. he has found his mother. she is coming down the road--there, behind the dancing lights, behind the friars, she is coming to pray for him. should he fly her recognition or betray his confiding master? room there may be to say the alternatives were a judgment upon him, but who will deny him pity? ... there is often a suffering, sometimes an agony, in indecision more wearing than disease, deadlier than sword-cuts. the mournful pageant was now where its lights brought out parts of the face of the smoke-stained building. with a loud clang a door was thrown open, and a friar, in the black vestments usual in masses for the dead, came out to receive the countess. the interior behind him was dully illuminated. a few minutes more, and the opportunity to see her face would be lost. still the emir stood irresolute. judge the fierceness of the conflict in his breast! at last he moved forward. the acolytes, with their great candles of yellow wax, were going by as he gained the edge of the road. they looked at him wonderingly. the friars, in dominican cassocks, stared at him also. then the choir took its turn. the linkman at sight of him stopped an instant, then marched on. the emir really beheld none of them; his eyes and thoughts were in waiting; and now--how his heart beat!--how wistfully he gazed!--the countess was before him, not three yards away. her garments, as said, were all black. a thick veil enveloped her head; upon her breast her crossed hands shone ivory white. two or three times the right hand, in signing the cross, uncovered a ring upon the left--the wedding ring probably. her bearing was of a person not so old as persecuted by an engrossing anguish. she did not once raise her face. the emir's heart was full of prayer. "o allah! it is my mother! if i may not speak to her, or kiss her feet--if i may not call her mother--if i may not say, mother, mother, behold, i am thy son come back--still, as thou art the most merciful! let me see her face, and suffer her to see mine--once, o allah! once, if nevermore!" but the face remained covered--and so she passed, but in passing she prayed. though the voice was low, lie heard these words: "oh, sweet mother! by the blessed son of thy love and passion, remember mine, i beseech thee. be with him, and bring him to me quickly. miserable woman that i am!" the world, and she with it, swam in the tears he no longer tried to stay. stretching his arms toward her, he fell upon his knees, then upon his face; and that the face was in the dust, he never minded. when he looked up, she was gone on, the last of the procession. and he knew she had not seen him. he followed after. everybody stood aside to let her enter the door first. the friar received her; she went in, and directly the linkman stood alone outside. "stay!" said the linkman, peremptorily. "who art thou?" thus rudely challenged, the emir awoke from his daze--awoke with all his faculties clear. "a gentleman of otranto," he replied. "what is thy pleasure?" "admit me to the chapel." "thou art a stranger, and the service is private. or hast thou been invited?" "no." "thou canst not enter." again the world dropped into darkness before mirza; but this time it was from anger. the linkman never suspected his peril. fortunately for him, the voice of the female chorister issued from the doorway in tremulous melody. mirza listened, and became tranquillized. the voice sank next into a sweet unearthly pleading, and completely subdued, he began arguing with himself.... she had not seen him while he was in the dust at her side, and now this repulse at the door--how were they to be taken except as expressions of the will of heaven?... there was plenty of time--better go away, and return--perhaps to-morrow. he was not prepared to prove his identity, if it were questioned.... there would be a scene, and he shrank from it.... yes, better retire now.... and he turned to go. not six steps away, the countess reappeared to his excited mind, exactly as she had passed praying for him--reappeared- ... "like the painting of a sorrow." a revulsion of feeling seized him--he halted. oh, the years she had mourned for him! her love was deep as the sea! tears again--and without thought of what he did--all aimlessly--he returned to the door. "this castle was sacked and burned by pirates, was it not?" he asked the linkman. "yes." "they slew the count corti?" "yes." "and carried off his son?" "yes." "had he other children?" "no." "what was the name of the boy?" "ugo." "well--in thy ear now--thou didst not well in shutting me out--_i am that ugo._" thereupon the emir walked resolutely away. a cry, shrill and broken, overtook him, issuing apparently from the door of the chapel--a second time he heard it, more a moan than a shriek--and thinking the linkman had given the alarm, he quickened his pace to a run, and was soon out on the beach. the breath of the sea was pleasant and assuring, and falling into a walk, he turned his face toward brindisi. but the cry pursued him. he imagined the scene in the chapel--the distress of the countess--the breaking up of the service--the hurry of question--a consultation, and possibly search for him. every person in the procession but the countess had seen him; so the only open point in the affair was the one of directest interest to her: was it her son? undoubtedly the suffering lady would not rest until investigation was exhausted. failing to find the stranger about the castle, horsemen might be sent out on the road. there is terrible energy in mother-love. these reflections stimulated the emir to haste. sometimes he even ran; only at the shrine of the virgin and child in the angle of the road did he halt. there he cast himself upon the friendly slab to recover breath. all this of course indicated a preference for mahommed. and now he came to a decision. he would proceed with the duty assigned him by the young master; then, at the end, he would come back, and assert himself in his native land. he sat on the slab an hour or more. at intervals the outcry, which he doubted not was his mother's, rang in his ears, and every time he heard it, conscience attacked him with its whip of countless stings. why subject her to more misery? for what other outcome could there be to the ceaseless contention of fears and hopes now hers? oh, if she had only seen him when he was so near her in the road! that she did not, was the will of allah, and the fatalistic mohammedan teaching brought him a measure of comfort. in further sooth, he had found a location and a title. thenceforward, and not fictitiously, he was the _count corti_; and so entitling himself, he determined to make brindisi, and take ship for genoa or venice in the morning before a messenger could arrive from the castle. as he arose from the slab, a bird in housel for the night flew out of the box. its small cheep reminded him of the smile he had fancied on the face of the madonna, and how, a little later, the smile had, with such timely suggestion of approval, woven itself into his thought of the countess. he looked up at the face again; but the night was over it like a veil, and he went nearer, and laid his hand softly on the child. that which followed was not a miracle; only a consequence of the wisdom which permits the enshrinement of a saintly woman and holy child as witnesses of the divine goodness to humanity. he raised himself higher in the box, and pushing aside a heap of faded floral offerings, kissed the foot of the taller image, saying: "thus would i have done to my mother." and when he had climbed down, and was in the road, it seemed some one answered him: "go thy way! god and allah are the same." we may now urge the narrative. from brindisi the emir sailed to venice. two weeks in "the glorious city in the sea" informed him of it thoroughly. while there, he found, on the "ways" of an adriatic builder, the galley in which we have seen him at anchor in the golden horn. leaving an order for the employment of a sailing-master and crew when the vessel was complete, he departed next for rome. at padua he procured the harness of a man-at-arms of the period, and recruited a company of _condottieri_--mercenary soldiers of every nationality. with all his sacerdotal authority, nicholas v., the holy father, was sorely tried in keeping his states. the freebooters who unctuously kissed his hand to-day, did not scruple, if opportunity favored, to plunder one of his towns tomorrow. it befell that count corti--so the emir styled himself--found a papal castle beleaguered by marauders, whom he dispersed, slaying their chief with his own hand. nicholas, in public audience, asked him to name the reward he preferred. "knighthood at thy hands, first of all things," was the reply. the holy father took a sword from one of his officers, and gave him the _accolade_. "what next, my son?" "i am tired fighting men who ought to be christians. give me, i pray, thy commission to make war upon the barbary pirates who infest the seas." this was granted him. "what next?" "nothing, holy father, but thy blessing, and a certificate in good form, and under seal, of these favors thou hast done me." the certificate and the blessing were also granted. the count then dismissed his lances, and, hastening to naples, embarked for venice. there he supplied himself with suits of the finest milanese armor he could obtain, and a wardrobe consisting of costumes such as were in vogue with the gay gallants along the grand canal. crossing to tripoli, he boarded a moorish merchantman, and made prisoners of the crew and rowers. the prize he gave to his christian sailors, and sent them home. summoning his prisoners on deck, he addressed them in arabic, offering them high pay if they would serve him, and they gratefully accepted his terms. the count then directed his prow to what is now aleppo, with the purpose of procuring arab horses; and having purchased five of the purest blood, he made sail for constantinople. we shall now, for a time, permit the title _emir_ to lapse. the knight we have seen on the deck of the new arrival in the golden horn viewing with melancholy interest the cities on either side of the fairest harbor on earth, is in easy english speech, _count corti_, the italian. thus far the count had been successful in his extraordinary mission, yet he was not happy. he had made three discoveries during his journey--his mother, his country, his religion. ordinarily these relations--if we may so call them--furnish men their greatest sum of contentment; sadly for him, however, he had made a fourth finding, of itself sufficient to dash all the others--in briefest term, he was not in condition to acknowledge either of them. unable to still the cry heard while retiring from his father's ruined castle, he surrendered himself more and more to the wisdom brought away from the box of the madonna and child in the angle of the road to brindisi--_god and allah are the same._ conscience and a growing sense of misappropriated life were making count corti a very different person from the light-hearted emir of mahommed. chapter v the princess irene in town an oblong room divided in the middle crosswise by two fluted pillars of pink-stained marble, light, delicately capped, and very graceful--between the pillars a segmental arch--between the walls and the pillars square ties;--the wall above the pillars elaborately scrolled;--three curtains of woollen stuff uniformly tyrian dyed filling the open places--the central curtain drawn to the pillars, and held there by silken ropes richly tasselled--the side curtains dropped;--a skylight for each division of the room, and under each skylight an ample brazier dispensing a comfortable degree of warmth;--floor laid in pink and saffron tiles;--chairs with and without arms, some upholstered, all quaintly carved--to each chair a rug harmoniously colored;--massive tables of carven wood, the tops of burnished copper inlaid with blocks of jasper, mostly red and yellow--on the tables murrhine pitchers vase-shaped, with crystal drinking goblets about them;--the skylights conical and of clear glass;--the walls panelled, a picture in every panel, and the raised margins and the whole space outside done in arabesque of studied involution;--doors opposite each other and bare;--such was the reception-room in the town-house of the princess irene arranged for the winter. on an armless chair in one of the divisions of the beautiful room, the princess sat, slightly bending over a piece of embroidery stretched upon a frame. what with the accessories about her--the chair, a small table at her right covered with the bright materials in use, the slanted frame, and a flexible lion's skin under her feet--she was a picture once seen never forgotten. the wonderful setting of the head and neck upon the phidian shoulders was admirably complemented by the long arms, bare, round, and of the whiteness of an almond kernel freshly broken, the hands, blue-veined and dimpled, and the fingers, tapering, pliant, nimble, rapid, each seemingly possessed of a separate intelligence. to the left of the princess, a little removed, lael half reclined against a heap of cushions, pale, languid, and not wholly recovered from the effects of the abduction by demedes, the terrible doom which had overtaken her father, and the disappearance of the prince of india, the latter unaccountable except upon the hypothesis of death in the great fire. the dying prayer of the son of jahdai had not failed with the princess irene. receiving the unfortunate girl from sergius the day after the rescue from the cistern, she accepted the guardianship, and from that hour watched and tended her with maternal solicitude. the other division of the room was occupied by attendants. they were visible through the opening left by the drawn curtain; yet it is not to be supposed they were under surveillance; on the contrary, their presence in the house was purely voluntary. they read, sang, accepted tasks in embroidery from their mistress, accompanied her abroad, loved her--in a word, their service was in every respect compatible with high rank, and in return they derived a certain education from her. for by universal acknowledgment she was queen and arbiter in the social world of byzantium; in manner the mirror, in taste and fashion its very form. indeed, she was the subject of but one objection--her persistent protest against the encumbrance of a veil. with all her grave meditation, she never lectured her attendants, knowing probably that sermons in example are more impressive than sermons in words. in illustration of the freedom they enjoyed in her presence and hearing, one of them, behind the curtain, touched a stringed instrument--a cithern--and followed the prelude with a song of anacreontic vein. the golden noon. if my life were but a day- one morn, one night, with a golden noon for play, and i, of right, could say what i would do with it--what would i do? penance to me--e'en the stake, and late or soon!- yet would love remain to make that golden noon delightful--i would do- ah, love, what would i do? and when the singer ceased there was a merry round of applause. the ripple thus awakened had scarcely subsided, when the ancient lysander opened one of the doors, and, after ringing the tiled floor with the butt of his javelin, and bowing statelywise, announced sergius. taking a nod from the princess, he withdrew to give the visitor place. sergius went first to irene, and silently kissed her hand; then, leaving her to resume work, he drew a chair to lael's side. under his respectful manner there was an ease which only an assurance of welcome could have brought him. this is not to be taken in the sense of familiarity; if he ever indulged that vulgarism--something quite out of character with him--it was not in his intercourse with the princess. she did not require formality; she simply received courtesy from everybody, even the emperor, as a natural tribute. at the same time, sergius was nearer in her regard than any other person, for special reasons. we have seen the sympathetic understanding between the two in the matter of religion. we have seen, also, why she viewed him as a protege. never had one presented himself to her so gentle and unconventional never one knowing so little of the world. with life all before him, with its ways to learn, she saw he required an adviser through a period of tutelage, and assumed the relation partly through a sense of duty, partly from reverent recollection of father hilarion. these were arguments sound in themselves; but two others had recently offered. in the first place she was aware of the love which had arisen between the monk and lael. she had not striven to spy it out. like children, they had affected no disguise of their feeling; and while disallowing the passion a place in her own breast, she did not deprecate or seek to smother it in others. far from that, in these, her wards, so to speak, it was with her an affair of permissive interest. they were so lovable, it seemed an order of nature they should love each other. next, the world was dealing harshly with sergius; and though he strove manfully to hide the fact, she saw he was suffering. he deserved well, she thought, for his rescue of lael, and for the opportunity given the emperor to break up the impiety founded by demedes. unhappily her opinion was not subscribed in certain quarters. the powerful brotherhood of the st. james' amongst others was in an extreme state of exasperation with him. they insisted he could have achieved the rescue without the death of the greek. they went so far as to accuse him of a double murder--of the son first, then of the father. a terrible indictment! and they were bold and open-mouthed. out of respect for the emperor, who was equally outspoken in commendation of sergius, they had not proceeded to the point of expulsion. the young man was still of the brotherhood; nevertheless he did not venture to exercise any of the privileges of a member. his cell was vacant. the five services of the day were held in the chapel without him. in short, the brotherhood were in wait for an opportunity to visit him with their vengeance. in hope of a favorable turn in the situation, he wore the habit of the order, but it was his only outward sign of fraternity. without employment, miserable, he found lodgment in the residence of the patriarch, and what time he was not studying, he haunted the old churches of the city, sancta sophia in especial, and spent many hours a dreaming voyager on the bosphorus. the glad look which shone in the eyes of the invalid when sergius took seat by her was very noticeable; and when she reached him her hand, the kiss he left upon it was of itself a declaration of tender feeling. "i hope my little friend is better, to-day," he said, gravely. "yes, much better. the princess says i may go out soon--the first real spring day." "that is good news. i wish i could hurry the spring. i have everything ready to take you on the water--a perfect boat, and two master rowers. yesterday they carried me to the black sea and back, stopping for a lunch of bread and figs at the foot of the giants' mountain. they boast they can repeat the trip often as there are days in the week." "did you stop at the white castle?" she asked, with a smile. "no. our noble princess was not with me; and in her absence, i feared the governor might forget to be polite as formerly." the gracious lady, listening, bent lower over the frame before her. she knew so much more of the governor than lael did! but lael then inquired: "where have you been to-day?" "well, my little friend, let me see if i can interest you.... this morning i awoke betimes, and set myself to study. oh, those chapters of john--the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth. there is no need of religious knowledge beyond them. of the many things they make clear, this is the clearest--the joys of eternal life lie in the saying of the lord, 'i am the way, and the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the father but by me.' ... after my hours of study, i went to see an old church over in the low garden grounds beyond the aqueduct. before i could get through the doorway, a flock of goats had to pass out. i will tell his serenity what i beheld. better the wreck be cleaned from the face of the earth than desecrated. holy ground once, holy ground forever." "where is the church?" the princess inquired. "in the low grounds between the aqueduct, and the gates of st. romain and adrianople." "it belongs to one of the brotherhoods. they have farming right in the soil." "i am sorry to hear it." as she turned to her work again, he went on with his account of himself. "i had then two hours and more till noon, and was at loss what to do. finally i decided to go to the port of blacherne--a long walk, but not too long, considering my motive.... princess, have you heard of the italian newly arrived?" "what of him, pray?" "he is the talk of the city, and if the half told of him be true, we must needs wonder. he travels in his own ship. merchants have that habit, but he is not a merchant. kings do so, but he is not a king. he came in saluting with a gun, in style becoming a great admiral; but if he is an admiral, his nationality is a secret. he also flies an unknown flag. they report him further as standing much on his deck in a suit of armor glistening like silver. and what is he? mouth speaketh unto mouth, with no one to answer. they go then to his ship, pronouncing it the most perfect thing of the kind ever seen in the harbor. those who have rowed around it say the sailors are not white men, but dark-faced creatures in turbans and black beards, un-christian and ugly-looking. fishermen and fruiterers have been permitted on deck--nobody else--and they, returning alive, say the rowers, of whom they caught glimpses, are blacker than the sailors. they also overheard strange noises below--voices not human." the countenance of the princess during this recital gradually changed; she seemed disposed to laugh at the exaggerations of the populace. "so much for town-talk," sergius continued. "to get sight of the ship, and of the mysterious magnate, i walked across the city to the port of blacherne, and was well rewarded. i found the ship drawn in to the quay, and the work of unloading her in progress. parties of porters were attacking heaps of the cargo already on the landing. where they were taking the goods i could not learn. i saw five horses lifted out of the hold, and led ashore over a bridge dropped from the vessel's side. such horses i never before beheld. two were grays, two bays, and one chestnut-colored. they looked at the sun with wide-open unwinking eyes; they inhaled the air as it were something to drink; their coats shone like silk; their manes were soft like the hair of children; their tails flared out in the breeze like flags; and everybody exclaimed: 'arabs, arabs!' there was a groom for each horse--tall men, lean, dust-hued, turbaned, and in black gowns. at sight of the animals, an old persian who, from his appearance, might have been grandfather of the grooms, begged permission--i could not understand the tongue he used--put his arms around the necks of the animals, and kissed them between the eyes, his own full of tears the while. i suppose they reminded him of his own country.... then two officers from the palace, representatives doubtless of the emperor, rode out of the gate in armor, and immediately the stranger issued from his cabin, and came ashore. i confess i lost interest in the horses, although he went to them and scanned them over, lifting their feet and tapping their hoofs with the handle of a dagger. by that time the two officers were dismounted; and approaching with great ceremony, they notified him they had been sent by his majesty to receive and conduct him to assigned quarters. he replied to them in excellent greek, acknowledging his majesty's graciousness, and the pleasure he would have in their escort. from the cabin, two of his men brought a complete equipment, and placed it on the chestnut steed. the furniture was all sheen of satin and gold. another attendant brought his sword and shield; and after the sword was buckled around him, and the shield at his back, he took hold of the saddle with both hands, and swung himself into the seat with an ease remarkably in contrast with the action of his greek conductors, who, in mounting, were compelled to make use of their stirrups. the cavalcade then passed the gate into the city." "you saw him closely?" lael asked. "to get to his horse, he passed near me as i am to you, my little friend." "what did he wear?" "oh, he was in armor. a cap of blue steel, with a silver spike on the crown--neck and shoulders covered with a hood of mail--body in a shirt of mail, a bead of silver in each link--limbs to the knees in mail. from the knees down there were splints of steel inlaid with silver; his shoes were of steel, and on the heels long golden spurs. the hood was clasped under the chin, leaving the face exposed--a handsome face, eyes black and bright, complexion olive, though slightly bloodless, expression pleasant." "how old is he?" "twenty-six or seven. altogether he reminded me of what i have heard of the warriors who used to go crusading." "what following had he?" this was from the princess. "i can only speak of what i saw--of the keepers of the horses, and of the other men, whom, in my unfamiliarity with military fashions, i will call equerry, armorer, and squire or page. what accounting is to be made of the ship's company, i leave, o princess, to your better knowledge." "my inquiry was of his personal suite." "then i cannot give you a better answer; but if i may say so much, the most unusual thing observable in his followers was, they were all orientals--not one of them had a christian appearance." "well"--and the princess laid her needle down for the first time--"i see how easily a misunderstanding of the stranger may get abroad. let me tell what i know of him.... directly he arrived, he despatched a letter to his majesty, giving an account of himself. he is a soldier by profession, and a christian; has spent much time in the holy land, where he acquired several eastern languages; obtained permission from the pontiff nicholas to make war on the african pirates; manned his galley with captives; and, not wishing to return to his native land and engage in the baronial wars which prevail there at present, he offered his services to his majesty. he is an italian nobleman, entitled _count corti,_ and submitted to his majesty a certificate, under the hand and seal of the holy father, showing that the holy father knighted him, and authorized his crusade against the infidels. the preference for a following composed of orientals is singular; but after all, it is only a matter of taste. the day may come, dear sergius, when the christian world will disapprove his method of getting title to servants; but it is not here now.... if further discussion of the count takes place in your presence, you are at liberty to tell what i tell you. at blacherne yesterday i had the particulars, together with the other circumstance, that the emperor gladly accepted the italian's overture, and assigned him quarters in the palace of julian, with leave to moor his galley in the port there. few noble foreigners have sought our empire bringing better recommendations." the fair lady then took up her needle, and was resuming work, when lysander entered, and, after thumping the floor, announced: "three o'clock." the princess silently arose, and passed out of the room; at the same time there was a commotion behind the curtain, and presently the other apartment was vacated. sergius lingered a moment. "tell me now of yourself," lael said, giving him her hand. he kissed the hand fondly, and replied: "the clouds still hang low and dark over me; but my faith is not shaken; they will blow away; and in the meantime, dear little friend, the world is not all cheerless--you love me." "yes, i love you," she said, with childish simplicity. "the brotherhood has elected a new hegumen," he continued. "a good man, i hope." "the violence with which he denounced me was the chief argument in his favor. but god is good. the emperor, the patriarch, and the princess irene remain steadfast. against them the hegumen will be slow in proceeding to my expulsion. i am not afraid. i will go on doing what i think right. time and patience are good angels to the unjustly accused. but that any one should hold it a crime to have rescued you--o little friend, dear soul! see the live coal which does not cease burning!" "and nilo?" "he wants nothing in the way of comforts." "i will go see the poor man the first thing when i get out." "his cell in the cynegion is well furnished. the officer in charge has orders direct from the emperor to see that he suffers no harm. i saw him day before yesterday. he does not know why he is a prisoner, but behaves quietly. i took him a supply of tools, and he passes the time making things in use in his country, mostly implements of war and hunting. the walls of his cell are hung with bows, arrows and lances of such curious form that there is always quite a throng to see them. he actually divides honor with tamerlane, the king of the lions." "it should be a very noble lion, for that." sergius, seeing her humor, went on: "you say truly, little friend. he has in hand a net of strong thread and thousands of meshes already. 'what is it for?' i asked. in his pantomimic way he gave me to understand: 'in my country we hunt lions with it.' 'how?' said i. and he showed me two balls of lead, one in each corner of the net. taking the balls in his hands: 'now we are in front of the game--now it springs at us--up they go this way.' he gave the balls a peculiar toss which sent them up and forward on separating lines. the woven threads spread out in the air like a yellow mist, and i could see the result--the brute caught in the meshes, and entangled. then the brave fellow proceeded with his pantomime. he threw himself to one side out of the way of the leap--drew a sword, and stabbed and stabbed--and the triumph in his face told me plainly enough. 'there--he is dead!' just now he is engaged on another work scarcely less interesting to him. a dealer in ivory sent him an elephant's tusk, and he is covering it with the story of a campaign. you see the warriors setting out on the march--in another picture they are in battle--a cloud of arrows in flight--shields on arm--bows bent--and a forest of spears. from the large end he is working down toward the point. the finish will be a victory, and a return with captives and plunder immeasurable.... he is well cared for; yet he keeps asking me about his master the prince of india. where is he? when will he come? when he turns to that subject i do not need words from him. his soul gets into his eyes. i tell him the prince is dead. he shakes his head: 'no, no!' and sweeping a circle in the air, he brings his hands to his breast, as to say: 'no, he is travelling--he will come back for me.'" sergius had become so intent upon the description that he lost sight of his hearer; but now a sob recalled him. bending lower over the hand, he caressed it more assiduously than ever, afraid to look into her face. when at length the sobbing ceased, he arose and said, shamefacedly: "o dear little friend, you forgive me, do you not?" from his manner one would have thought he had committed an offence far out of the pale of condonement. "poor sergius," she said. "it is for me to think of you, not you of me." he tried to look cheerful. "it was stupid in me. i will be more careful. your pardon is a sweet gift to take away.... the princess is going to sancta sophia, and she may want me. to-morrow--until to-morrow--good-by." this time he stooped, and kissed her on the forehead; next moment she was alone. chapter vi count corti in sancta sophia the palace of julian arose the chief embellishment of a large square enclosure on the sea front southeast of the landmark at present called the burnt column, and, like other imperial properties of the kind, it was an aggregation of buildings irregular in form and style, and more or less ornate and imposing. a garden stretched around it. the founder, wanting private harborage for his galleys and swarm of lesser boats, dug a basin just inside the city wall, and flooded it with pure marmoran water; then, for ingress and egress at his sovereign will, he slashed the wall, and of the breach made the _port of julian_. [footnote: only a shallow depression in the ground, faintly perpetuating the outlines of the harbor, now marks the site of this royal residence.] count corti found the palace well preserved in and out. he had not purposed hiding himself, yet it was desirable to keep his followers apart much as possible; and for that a situation more to his wish could scarcely have been chosen in the capital. issuing from the front door, a minute's walk through a section of the garden brought him to a stairway defended on both sides with massive balustrading. the flight ended in a spacious paved landing; whence, looking back and up, he could see two immense columnar pedestals surmounted by statues, while forward extended the basin, a sheet of water on which, white and light as a gull, his galley rested. he had but to call the watchman on its deck, and a small boat would come to him in a trice. he congratulated himself upon the lodgement. the portion of the palace assigned him was in the south end; and, although he enlisted a number of skilful upholsterers, a week and more was industriously taken with interior arrangements for himself, and in providing for the comfort and well-being of his horses; for it is to be said in passing, he had caught enough of the spirit of the nomadic turk to rate the courser which was to bear him possibly through foughten fields amongst the first in his affections. in this preparation, keeping the scheme to which his master had devoted him ever present, he required no teaching to point out the policy of giving his establishment an air of permanence as well as splendor. occupied as he was, he had nevertheless snatched time to look in upon the hippodrome, and walk once around the bucoleon and sancta sophia. from a high pavilion overhanging his quarters, he had surveyed the stretches of city in the west and southwest, sensible of a lively desire to become intimately acquainted with the bizarre panorama of hills behind hills, so wonderfully house and church crowned. to say truth, however, the count was anxious to hear from the sultan before beginning a career. the man who was to be sent to him might appear any hour, making it advisable to keep close home. he had a report of the journey to italy, and of succeeding events, including his arrival at constantinople, ready draughted, and was impatient to forward it. a word of approval from mahommed would be to him like a new spirit given. he counted upon it as a cure for his melancholia. viewing the galley one day, he looked across the basin to where the guard of the port was being changed, and was struck with the foreign air of the officer of the relief. this, it happened, was singularly pertinent to a problem which had been disturbing his active mind--how he could most safely keep in communication with mahommed, or, more particularly, how the sultan's messenger could come with the most freedom and go with the least hindrance. a solution now presented itself. if the emperor intrusted the guardianship of the gate to one foreigner, why not to another? in other words, why not have the duty committed to himself and his people? not improbably the charge might be proposed to him; he would wait awhile, and see; if, however, he had to formally request it, could anything be more plausibly suggestive than the relation between the captaincy of that port and residence in the palace of julian? the idea was too natural to be refused; if granted, he was master of the situation. it would be like holding the keys of the city. he could send out and admit as need demanded; and then, if flight became imperative, behold a line of retreat! here was his galley--yonder the way out. while he pondered the matter, a servant brought him notice of an officer from blacherne in waiting. responding immediately, he found our ancient friend the dean in the reception room, bringing the announcement that his majesty the emperor had appointed audience for him next day at noon; or, if the hour was not entirely convenient, would the count be pleased to designate another? his majesty was aware of the attention needful to a satisfactory settlement in strange quarters, and had not interrupted him earlier; for which he prayed pardon. the count accepted the time set; after which he conducted his visitor through his apartments, omitting none of them; from the kitchen he even carried him to the stable, whence he had the horses brought one by one. hospitality and confidence could go no further, and he was amply rewarded. the important functionary was pleased with all he saw, and with nothing more than corti himself. there could not be a doubt of the friendliness of the report he would take back to blacherne. in short, the count's training in a court dominated by suspicion to a greater degree even than the court in constantinople was drawn upon most successfully. a glass of wine at parting redolent with the perfume of the richest italian vintage fixed the new-comer's standing in the dean's heart. if there had been the least insufficiency in the emblazoned certificate of the holy father, here was a swift witness in confirmation. the day was destined to be eventful to the count. while he was entertaining the dean, the men on the deck of the galley, unused to byzantine customs, were startled by a cry, long, swelling, then mournfully decadent. glancing in the direction from which it came, they saw a black boat sweeping through the water-way of the port. a man of dubious complexion, tall and lithe, his scant garments originally white, now stiff with dirt of many hues, a ragged red head-cloth illy confining his coarse black hair, stood in the bow shouting, and holding up a wooden tray covered with fish. the sentinel to whom he thus offered the stock shook his head, but allowed him to pass. at the galley's side there was an interchange of stares between the sailors and the fishermen--such the tenants of the black craft were--leaving it doubtful which side was most astonished. straightway the fellow in the bow opened conversation, trying several tongues, till finally he essayed the arabic. "who are you?" "sailors." "where from?" "tripoli." "children of the prophet?" "we believe in allah and the last day, and observe prayer, and pay the appointed alms, and dread none but allah; we are among the rightly guided." [footnote: koran, ix. 18.] "blessed be allah! may his name be exalted here and everywhere!" the fisherman returned; adding immediately: "whom serve you?" "a _scherif_ from italy." "how is he called?" "the count." "where is he?" "in the palace yonder." "a christian?" "a christian with an eastern tongue; and he knows the hours of prayer, and observes them." "does he reside here?" "he is lord of the palace." "when did he arrive?" "since the moon fulled." "does he want fish?" the men on the ship laughed. "go ask him." "that is his landing there?" "yes." "all men who live down by the sea eat fish--when they can get them," the dealer said, solemnly. turning then to his rowers, he bade them: "forward to the landing." there he stepped out, dextrously balanced the tray on his head, ascended the stairs, and in front of the great house went persistently from door to door until he came to that of the count. "fish?" he asked the man who answered his knock. "i will see." the doorkeeper returned shortly, and said, "no." "are you a moslem?" the fisherman inquired. "yes. blessed be allah for the right understanding!" "so am i. now let me see the master. i want to furnish him with fish for the season." "he is engaged." "i will wait for him. tell him my catch is this morning's--red mullets and choice cuts from a royal sword-fish that leaped ten feet in the air with the spear in his back." thereupon he deposited the tray, and took seat by it, much as to say, time is of no consequence to me. ere long the count appeared with the dean. he glanced at the tray, then at the fisherman--to the latter he gave a second look. "what beautiful fish!" he said, to the dean. "yes, yes--there are no fish pastures like those of our bosphorus." "how do you call this kind?" "mullets--red mullets. the old romans used to fatten them in tanks." "i thought i had seen their like on our italian coasts. how do you prepare them for the table?" "we fry them, count, in olive oil--pure oil." all this time corti was studying the fisherman. "what meal, pray, will fashion allow them to me dished?" he went on. "for breakfast especially; though when you come to dine with his majesty do not be surprised to see them early in course." "pardon the detention, my lord--i will make trial of these in the morning." then to the fisherman the count said, carelessly: "keep thy place until i return." corti saw the dean out of the eastern gate of the enclosure, and returned. "what, still here!" he said, to the dealer. "well, go with the doorkeeper to the kitchen. the cook will take what he needs for to-morrow." speaking to the doorkeeper then: "bring the man to me. i am fond of fishing, and should like to talk with him about his methods. sometime he may be willing to take me with him." by and by the monger was shown into the count's room, where there was a table, with books and writing material--a corner room full lighted by windows in the south and east. when they were alone, the two gazed at each other. "ali, son of abed-din!" said the count. "is it thou?" "o emir! all of me that is not fish is the ali thou hast named." "god is great!" the first exclaimed. "blessed be god!" the other answered. they were acquaintances of long standing. then ali took the red rag from his head, and from its folds produced a strip of fine parchment with writing on it impervious to water. "behold, emir! it is for thee." the count received the scrip and read: "this is he i promised to send. he has money for thee. thou mayst trust him. tell me this time of thyself first; then of her; but always after of her first. my soul is scorching with impatience." there was no date to the screed nor was it signed; yet the count put it to his forehead and lips. he knew the writing as he knew his own hand. "o ali!" he said, his eyes aglow. "hereafter thou shalt be ali the faithful, son of abed-din the faithful." ali replied with a rueful look: "it is well. what a time i have had waiting for you! much i fear my bones will never void the damps blown into them by the winter winds, and i perched on the cross-sticks of a floating _dallyan_.... i have money for you, o emir! and the keeping it has given me care more than enough to turn another man older than his mother. i will bring it to-morrow; after which i shall say twenty prayers to the prophet--blessed be his name!--where now i say one." "no, not to-morrow, ali, but the day after when thou bringest me another supply of fish. there is danger in coming too often--and for that, thou must go now. staying too long is dangerous as coming too often.... but tell me of our master. is he indeed the sultan of sultans he promised to be? is he well? where is he? what is he doing?" "not so fast, o emir, not so fast, i pray you! better a double mouthful of stale porpoise fat, with a fin bone in it, than so many questions at once." "oh, but i have been so long in the slow-moving christian world without news!" "verily, o emir, padishah mahommed will be greatest of the _gabour_ eaters since padishah othman--that to your first. he is well. his bones have reached their utmost limit, but his soul keeps growing--that to your second. he holds himself at adrianople. men say he is building mosques. i say he is building cannon to shoot bullets big as his father's tomb; when they are fired, the faithful at medina will hear the noise, and think it thunder--that to your third. and as to his doing--getting ready for war, meaning business for everybody, from the shiek-ul-islam to the thieving tax-farmers of bagdad--to the kislar-jinn of abad-on with them. he has the census finished, and now the pachas go listing the able-bodied, of whom they have half a million, with as many more behind. they say the young master means to make a _sandjak_ of unbelieving europe." "enough, ali!--the rest next time." the count went to the table, and from a secret drawer brought a package wrapped in leather, and sealed carefully. "this for our lord--exalted be his name! how wilt thou take it?" ali laughed. "in my tray to the boat, but the fish are fresh, and there are flowers of worse odor in cashmere. so, o emir, for this once. next time, and thereafter, i will have a hiding-place ready." "now, ali, farewell. thy name shall be sweet in our master's ears as a girl-song to the moon of ramazan. i will see to it." ali took the package, and hid it in the bosom of his dirty shirt. when he passed out of the front door, it lay undistinguishable under the fish and fish meat; and he whispered to the count in going: "i have an order from the governor of the white castle for my unsold stock. god is great!" corti, left alone, flung himself on a chair. he had word from mahommed--that upon which he counted so certainly as a charm in counteraction of the depression taking possession of his spirit. there it was in his hand, a declaration of confidence unheard of in an oriental despot. yet the effect was wanting. even as he sat thinking the despondency deepened. he groped for the reason in vain. he strove for cheer in the big war of which ali had spoken--in the roar of cannon, like thunder in medina--in europe a sultanic _sandjak_. he could only smile at the exaggeration. in fact, his trouble was the one common to every fine nature in a false position. his business was to deceive and betray--whom? the degradation was casting its shadow before. heaven help when the eclipse should be full! for relief he read the screed again: "tell me this time of thyself first; then of _her_." ... ah, yes, the kinswoman of the emperor! he must devise a way to her acquaintance, and speedily. and casting about for it, he became restless, and finally resolved to go out into the city. he sent for the chestnut arab, and putting on the steel cap and golden spurs had from the holy father was soon in the saddle. it was about three o'clock afternoon, with a wind tempered to mildness by a bright sun. the streets were thronged, while the balconies and overhanging windows had their groups on the lookout for entertainment and gossip. as may be fancied the knightly rider and gallant barb, followed by a dark-skinned, turbaned servant in moorish costume, attracted attention. neither master nor man appeared to give heed to the eager looks and sometimes over-loud questions with which they were pursued. turning northward presently, the count caught sight of the dome of sancta sophia. it seemed to him a vast, upturned silver bowl glistening in the sky, and he drew rein involuntarily, wondering how it could be upheld; then he was taken with a wish to go in, and study the problem. having heard from mahommed, he was lord of his time, and here was noble diversion. in front of the venerable edifice, he gave his horse to the dark-faced servant, and entered the outer court unattended. a company, mixed apparently of every variety of persons, soldiers, civilians, monks, and women, held the pavement in scattered groups; and while he halted a moment to survey the exterior of the building, cold and grimly plain from cornice to base, he became himself an object of remark to them. about the same time a train of monastics, bareheaded, and in long gray gowns, turned in from the street, chanting monotonously, and in most intensely nasal tones. the count, attracted by their pale faces, hollow eyes and unkept beards, waited for them to cross the court. unkept their beards certainly were, but not white. this was the beginning of the observation he afterward despatched to mahommed: only the walls of byzantium remain for her defence; the church has absorbed her young men; the sword is discarded for the rosary. nor could he help remarking that whereas the _frati_ of italy were fat, rubicund, and jolly, these seemed in search of death through the severest penitential methods. his thought recurring to the house again, he remembered having heard how every hour of every day from five o'clock in the morning to midnight was filled with religious service of some kind in sancta sophia. a few stone steps the full length of the court led up to five great doors of bronze standing wide open; and as the train took one of the latter and began to disappear, he chose another, and walked fast in order to witness the entry. brought thus into the immense vestibule, he stopped, and at once forgot the gray brethren. look where he might, at the walls, and now up to the ceiling, every inch of space wore the mellowed brightness of mosaic wrought in cubes of glass exquisitely graduated in color. what could he do but stand and gaze at the christ in the act of judging the world? such a cartoon had never entered his imagination. the train was gone when he awoke ready to proceed. there were then nine doors also of bronze conducting from the vestibule. the central and larger one was nearest him. pushed lightly, it swung open on noiseless hinges; a step or two, and he stood in the nave or auditorium of the holy house. the reader will doubtless remember how duke vlodomir, the grandson of olga, the russian, coming to constantinople to receive a bride, entered sancta sophia the first time, and from being transfixed by what he saw and heard, fell down a convert to christianity. not unlike was the effect upon corti. in a sense he, too, was an unbeliever semi-barbaric in education. many were the hours he had spent with mahommed while the latter, indulging his taste, built palaces and mosques on paper, striving for vastness and original splendor. but what was the prince's utmost achievement in comparison with this interior? had it been an ocean grotto, another caprian cave, bursting with all imaginable revelations of light and color, he could not have been more deeply impressed. without architectural knowledge; acquainted with few of the devices employed in edificial construction, and still less with the mysterious power of combination peculiar to genius groping for effects in form, dimensions, and arrangement of stone on stone with beautiful and sublime intent; yet he had a soul to be intensely moved by such effects when actually set before his eyes. he walked forward slowly four or five steps from the door, looking with excited vision--not at details or to detect the composition of any of the world of objects constituting the view, or with a thought of height, breadth, depth, or value--the marbles of the floor rich in multiformity and hues, and reflective as motionless water, the historic pillars, the varied arches, the extending galleries, the cornices, friezes, balustrades, crosses of gold, mosaics, the windows and interlacing rays of light, brilliance here, shadows yonder--the apse in the east, and the altar built up in it starry with burning candles and glittering with prismatic gleams shot from precious stones and metals in every conceivable form of grace--lamps, cups, vases, candlesticks, cloths, banners, crucifixes, canopies, chairs, madonnas, child christs and christs crucified--and over all, over lesser domes, over arches apparently swinging in the air, broad, high, near yet far away, the dome of sancta sophia, defiant of imitation, like unto itself alone, a younger sky within the elder--these, while he took those few steps, merged and ran together in a unity which set his senses to reeling, and made question and thought alike impossible. how long the count stood thus lost to himself in the glory and greatness of the place, he never knew. the awakening was brought about by a strain of choral music, which, pouring from the vicinity of the altar somewhere, flooded the nave, vast as it was, from floor to dome. no voice more fitting could be imagined; and it seemed addressing itself to him especially. he trembled, and began to think. first there came to him a comparison in which the kaaba was a relative. he recalled the day he fell dying at the corner under the black stone. he saw the draped heap funereally dismal in the midst of the cloisters. how bare and poor it seemed to him now! he remembered the visages and howling of the demoniac wretches struggling to kiss the stone, though with his own kiss he had just planted it with death. how different the worship here! ... this, he thought next, was his mother's religion. and what more natural than that he should see that mother descending to the chapel in her widow's weeds to pray for him? tears filled his eyes. his heart arose chokingly in his throat. why should not her religion be his? it was the first time he had put the question to himself directly; and he went further with it. what though allah of the islamite and jehovah of the hebrew were the same?--what though the koran and the bible proceeded from the same inspiration?--what though mahomet and christ were alike sons of god? there were differences in the worship, differences in the personality of the worshippers. why, except to allow every man a choice according to his ideas of the proper and best in form and companionship? and the spirit swelled within him as he asked, who are my brethren? they who stole me from my father's house, who slew my father, who robbed my mother of the lights of life, and left her to the darkness of mourning and the bitterness of ungratified hope--were not they the brethren of my brethren? at that moment an old man appeared before the altar with assistants in rich canonicals. one placed on the elder's head what seemed a crown all a mass of flaming jewels; another laid upon him a cloak of cloth of gold; a third slipped a ring over one of his fingers; whereupon the venerable celebrant drew nearer the altar, and, after a prayer, took up a chalice and raised it as if in honor to an image of christ on a cross in the agonies of crucifixion. then suddenly the choir poured its triumphal thunder abroad until the floor, and galleries, and pendant lamps seemed to vibrate. the assistants and worshippers sank upon their knees, and ere he was aware the count was in the same attitude of devotion. the posture consisted perfectly with policy, his mission considered. soon or late he would have to adopt every form and observance of christian worship. in this performance, however, there was no premeditation, no calculation. in his exaltation of soul he fancied he heard a voice passing with the tempestuous jubilation of the singers: "on thy knees, o apostate! on thy knees! god is here!" but his was a combative nature; and coming to himself, and not understanding clearly the cause of his prostration, he presently arose. of the worshippers in sight, he alone was then standing, and the sonorous music ringing on, he was beginning to doubt the propriety of his action, when a number of women, unobserved before, issued from a shaded corner at the right of the apse, fell into processional order, and advanced slowly toward him. one moved by herself in front. a reflection of her form upon the polished floor lent uncertainty to her stature, and gave her an appearance of walking on water. those following were plainly her attendants. they were all veiled; while a white mantle fell from her left shoulder, its ends lost in the folds of the train of her gown, leaving the head, face, and neck bare. her manner, noticeable in the distance even, was dignified without hauteur, simple, serious, free of affectation. she was not thinking of herself.... nearer--he heard no foot-fall. now and then she glided through slanting rays of soft, white light cast from upper windows, and they seemed to derive ethereality from her.... nearer--and he could see the marvellous pose of the head, and the action of the figure, never incarnation more graceful.... yet nearer--he beheld her face, in complexion a child's, in expression a woman's. the eyes were downcast, the lips moved. she might have been the theme of the music sweeping around her in acclamatory waves, drowning the part she was carrying in suppressed murmur. he gazed steadfastly at the countenance. the light upon the forehead was an increasing radiance, like a star's refined by passage through the atmospheres of infinite space. a man insensitive to beauty in woman never was, never will be. vows cannot alter nature; neither can monkish garbs nor years; and it is knowledge of this which makes every woman willing to last sacrifices for the gift; it is power to her, vulgarizing accessories like wealth, coronets and thrones. with this confession in mind, words are not needed to inform the reader of the thrills which assailed the count while the marvel approached. the service was over as to her, and she was evidently seeking to retire by the main door; but as he stood in front of it, she came within two or three steps before noticing him. then she stopped suddenly, astonished by the figure in shining armor. a flush overspread her face; smiling at her alarm, she spoke: "i pray pardon, sir knight, for disturbing thy devotions." "and i, fair lady, am grateful to heaven that it placed me in thy way to the door unintentionally." he stepped aside, and she passed on and out. the interior of the church, but a minute before so overwhelmingly magnificent and impressive, became commonplace and dull. the singing rolled on unheard. his eyes fixed on the door through which she went; his sensations were as if awakening from a dream in which he had seen a heavenly visitant, and been permitted to speak to it. the spell ceased with the music; then, with swift returning sense, he remembered mahommed's saying: "thou wilt know her at sight." and he knew her--the _her_ of the screed brought only that day by ali. nor less distinctly did he recall every incident of the parting with mahommed, every word, every injunction--the return of the ruby ring, even then doubtless upon the imperious master's third finger, a subject of hourly study--the further speech, "they say whoever looketh at her is thenceforward her lover"--and the final charge, with its particulars, concluding: "forget not that in constantinople, when i come, i am to receive her from thy hand peerless in all things as i left her." his shoes of steel were strangely heavy when he regained his horse at the edge of the court. for the first time in years, he climbed into the saddle using the stirrup like a man reft of youth. he would love the woman--he could not help it. did not every man love her at sight? the idea colored everything as he rode slowly back to his quarters. dismounting at the door, it plied him with the repetition, _every man loves her at sight_. he thought of training himself to hate her, but none the less through the hours of the night he heard the refrain, _every man loves her at sight_. in a clearer condition, his very inability to shut her out of mind, despite his thousand efforts of will, would have taught him that another judgment was upon him. he loved her. chapter vii count corti to mahommed at noon the days are a little more yellow, and the shadows a trifle longer, while at evening the snows on the far mountains give the air a coolness gently admonitory of the changing season; with these exceptions there is scarcely a difference between the september to which we now come and the closing stages of june. count corti is fully settled in his position. withal, however, he is very miserable. a new light has been let in upon his being. he finds it a severe trial to serve a mahommedan, knowing himself a christian born, and still more difficult trying to be a turk, knowing himself an italian. the stings grow sharper as experience makes it plainer that he is nefariously helping those whom he ought to regard enemies destroy an emperor and people who never gave him offence. worst of all, most crushing to spirit, is his passion for the princess irene while under obligations to mahommed prohibitory of every hope, dream, and self-promise ordinarily the sweetest incidents of love. the person with a mental ailment curable by prompt decision, who yet goes about debating what to do, will ere long find his will power so weakened as to leave him a confirmed wreck. count corti seemed likely to become an instance in point. the months since his visit to the paternal castle in italy, really the beginning of the conflicts tossing him now here, now there, were full of warnings he could but hear; still he continued his course. his reports to mahommed were frequent, and as they are of importance to our story, we think it advisable to quote from some of them. the following is from his first communication after the visit to sancta sophia: "i cast myself at your feet, o my lord, praying allah to keep you in health, and strengthen the wise designs which occupy you incessantly.... you bade me always speak first of the kinswoman of the emperor. yesterday i rode to the church supreme in the veneration of the greeks, erected, it is said, by the emperor justinian. its vastness amazed me, and, knowing my lord's love for such creations, i declare, were there no other incentive to the conquest of this unbelieving city than the reduction of sancta sophia to the religious usages of islam, its possession would alone justify my lord's best effort, regardless of life and treasure. the riches accumulated in it through the ages are incalculable; nevertheless its splendors, dazzling as the sun, varied as a rainbow, sunk out of sight when the princess irene passed me so near that i had a perfect view of her. her face is composed of the light of unnumbered stars. the union of all the graces in her person is so far above words that hafiz, my lord's prince of poets, would have been dumb before her, or, if he had spoken, it would have been to say, she is the song of songs impossible to verse. she spoke to me as she moved by, and her voice was the voice of love. yet she had the dignity of a queen governing the world through a conqueror such as my lord is to be. then, the door having closed upon her, i was ready to declare, as i now do, were there no other incentive to the conquest of this unbelieving city than the possession of the womanly perfections belonging to her, she would justify war to the exhaustion of the universe. o my lord, thou only art worthy of her! and how infinite will be my happiness, if the prophet through his powerful intercessions with the most merciful, permits me to be the servant instrumental in bringing her safely to thy arms!" this report concluded: "by appointment of his majesty, the emperor, i had audience with him yesterday at his high residence, the palace of blacherne. the court was in full attendance, and, after my presentation to his majesty, i was introduced to its members. the ceremony was in charge of the grand chamberlain, that phranza with whom my lord is acquainted. much i feared lest he should recognize me. fortunately he is dull and philosophical, and too much given to study of things abstract and far away to be mindful of those close under his nose. duke notaras was there also. he conversed with me about italy. fortunately i knew more about the _gabour_ country than he--its nobles, cities, manners, and present conditions. he thanked me for information, and when he had my account of the affair which brought me the invaluable certificate of the bishop of rome he gave over sounding me. i have more reason to be watchful of him than all the rest of the court; _so has the emperor_. phranza is a man to be spared. notaras is a man to be bowstrung.... i flatter myself the emperor is my friend. in another month i shall be intrenched in his confidence. he is brave, but weak. an excellent general without lieutenants, without soldiers, and too generous and trustful for a politician, too religious for a statesman. his time is occupied entirely with priests and priestly ceremonies. my lord will appreciate the resort which enabled me to encamp myself in his trust. of the five arab horses i brought with me from aleppo, i gave him one--a gray, superior to the best he has in his stables. he and his courtiers descended in a body to look at the barb and admire it." from the third report: "a dinner at the high residence. there were present officers of the army and navy, members of the court, the patriarch, a number of the clergy--hegumen, as they are called--and the princess irene, with a large suite of highborn ladies married and unmarried. his majesty was the sun of the occasion, the princess was the moon. he sat on a raised seat at one side of the table; she opposite him; the company according to rank, on their right and left. i had eyes for the moon only, thinking how soon my lord would be her source of light, and that her loveliness, made up of every loveliness else in the world, would then be the fitting complement of my lord's glory.... his majesty did me the honor to lead me to her, and she did me the higher honor of permitting me to kiss her hand. in further thought of what she was to my lord, i was about making her a salaam, but remembered myself--italians are not given to that mode of salutation, while the greeks reserve it for the emperor, or basileus as he is sometimes called.... she condescended to talk with me. her graces of mind are like those of her person--adorable.... i was very deferent, and yielded the choice of topics. she chose two--religion and arms. had she been a man, she would have been a soldier; being a woman, she is a religious devotee. there is nothing of which she is more desirous than the restoration of the holy sepulchre to the christian powers. she asked me if it were true the holy father commissioned me to make war on the tripolitan pirates, and when i said yes, she replied with a fervor truly engaging: 'the practice of arms would be the noblest of occupations if it were given solely to crusading.' ... she then adverted to the holy father. i infer from her speaking of the bishop of rome as the holy father that she inclines to the party which believes the bishop rightfully the head of the church. how did he look? was he a learned man? did he set a becoming example to his clergy? was he liberal and tolerant? if great calamity were to threaten christianity in the east, would he lend it material help?... my lord will have a time winning the princess over to the right understanding; but in the fields of love who ever repented him of his labor? when my lord was a boy, he once amused himself training a raven and a bird of paradise to talk. the raven at length came to say, 'o allah, allah!' the other bird was beyond teaching, yet my lord loved it the best, and excused his partiality: 'oh, its feathers are so brilliant!'" again: "a few days ago, i rode out of the golden gate, and turning to the right, pursued along the great moat to the gate st. romain. the wall, or rather the walls, of the city were on my right hand, and it is an imposing work. the moat is in places so cumbered i doubt if it can be everywhere flooded.... i bought some snow-water of a peddler, and examined the gate in and out. its central position makes it a key of first importance. thence i journeyed on surveying the road and adjacent country up far as the adrianople gate.... i hope my lord will find the enclosed map of my reconnoissance satisfactory. it is at least reliable." again: "his majesty indulged us with a hawking party. we rode to the belgrade forest from which constantinople is chiefly though not entirely supplied with water.... my lord's flower of flowers, the princess, was of the company. i offered her my chestnut courser, but she preferred a jennet. remembering your instructions, o my lord, i kept close to her bridle. she rides wonderfully well; yet if she had fallen, how many prayers to the prophet, what amount of alms to the poor, would have availed me with my lord?... riding is a lost art with the greeks, if the ever possessed it. the falcon killed a heron beyond a hill which none of them, except the emperor, dared cross in their saddles. some day i will show them how we of my lord's loving ride.... the princess came safely home." again: "o my lord in duty always!... i paid the usual daily visit to the princess, and kissed her hand upon my admission and departing. she has this quality above other women--she is always the same. the planets differ from her in that they are sometimes overcast by clouds.... from her house, i rode to the imperial arsenal, situated in the ground story of the hippodrome, northern side. [footnote: professor e a grosvenor.] it is well stored with implements of offence and defence--mangonels, balistas, arbalists, rams--cranes for repairing breaches--lances, javelins, swords, axes, shields, scutums, pavises, armor--timber for ships--cressets for night work--ironmonger machines--arquebuses, but of antique patterns--quarrels and arrows in countless sheaves--bows of every style. in brief, as my lord's soul is dauntless, as he is an eagle, which does not abandon the firmament scared by the gleam of a huntsman's helmet in the valley, he can bear to hear that the emperor keeps prepared for the emergencies of war. indeed, were his majesty as watchful in other respects, he would be dangerous. who are to serve all these stores? his native soldiers are not enough to make a bodyguard for my lord. only the walls of byzantium remain for her defence. the church has swallowed the young men; the sword is discarded for the rosary. unless the warriors of the west succor her, she will be an easy prey." again: "my lord enjoined me to be royal.... i have just returned from a sail up the bosphorus to the black sea in my galley. the decks were crowded with guests. under a silken pavilion pitched on the roof of my cabin, there was a throne for the princess irene, and she shone as the central jewel in a kingly crown.... we cast anchor in the bay of therapia, and went ashore to her palace and gardens. on the outside face of one of the gate-columns, she showed me a brass plate. i recognized my lord's signature and safeguard, and came near saluting them with a _rik'rath_, but restraining myself, asked her innocently, 'what it was?' o my lord, verily i congratulate you! she blushed, and cast down her eyes, and her voice trembled while she answered: 'they say the prince mahommed nailed it there.' 'what prince mahommed?' 'he who is now sultan of the turks.' 'he has been here, then? did you see him?' 'i saw an arab story-teller.' her face was the hue of a scarlet poppy, and i feared to go further than ask concerning the plate: 'what does it mean?' and she returned: 'the turks never go by without prostrating themselves before it. they say it is notice to them that i, and my house and grounds, are sacred from their intrusion.' and then i said: 'amongst peoples of the east and the desert, down far as the barbary coast, the sultan mahommed has high fame for chivalry. his bounties to those once fortunate enough to excite his regard are inexhaustible.' she would have had me speak further of you, but out of caution, i was driven to declare i knew nothing beyond the hearsay of the islamites among whom i had been here and there cast.... my lord will not require me to describe the palace by therapia. he has seen it.... the princess remained there. i was at sore loss, not knowing how i could continue to make report of her to my lord, until, to my relief she invited me to visit her." again: "i am glad to say, for my lord's sake, that the october winds, sweeping down from the black sea, have compelled his princess to return to her house in the city, where she will abide till the summer comes again. i saw her to-day. the country life has retouched her cheeks with a just-sufficient stain of red roses; her lips are scarlet, as if she had been mincing fresh-blown bloom of pomegranates; her eyes are clear as a crooning baby's; her neck is downy--round as a white dove's; in her movements afoot, she reminds me of the swaying of a lily-stalk brushed softly by butterflies and humming-birds, attracted to its open cup of paradisean wax. oh, if i could but tell her of my lord!"... this report was lengthy, and included the account of an episode more personal to the sultanic emissary than any before given his master. it was dated october. the subjoined extracts may prove interesting. ... "everybody in the east has heard of the hippodrome, whither i went one day last week, and again yesterday. it was the mighty edifice in which byzantine vanity aired itself through hundreds of years. but little of it is now left standing. at the north end of an area probably seventy paces wide, and four hundred long, is a defaced structure with a ground floor containing the arsenal, and on that, boxes filled with seats. a lesser building rises above the boxes which is said to have been a palace called the _kathisma_, from which the emperor looked down upon the various amusements of the people, such as chariot racing, and battles between the blue and green factions. around the area from the _kathisma_ lie hills of brick and marble--enough to build the palace as yet hid in my lord's dreams, and a mosque to becomingly house our mohammedan religion. in the midst, marking a line central of the race-course, are three relics--a square pillar quite a hundred feet high, bare now, but covered once with plates of brass--an obelisk from egypt--and a twisted bronze column, representing three writhing serpents, their heads in air. [footnote: the hippodrome was the popular pleasure resort in constantinople. besides accommodating one hundred thousand spectators, it was the most complete building for the purposes of its erection ever known. the world--including old rome--had been robbed of statuary for the adornment of this extravaganza. its enormous level posed in great part upon a substructure of arches on arches, which still exist. the opinion is quite general that it was destroyed by the turks, and that much of its material went to construct the mosque sulymanie. the latter averment is doubtless correct; but it is only justice to say that the crusaders, so called christians, who encamped in constantinople in 1204 were the real vandals. for pastime, merely, they plied their battle-axes on the carvings, inscriptions, and vast collection of statuary in marble and bronze found by them on the spinet, and elsewhere in the edifice. when they departed, the hippodrome was an irreparable ruin--a convenient and lawful quarry.]... the present emperor does not honor the ruin with his presence; but the people come, and sitting in the boxes under the kathisma, and standing on the heaps near by, find diversion watching the officers and soldiers exercising their horses along the area.... my lord must know, in the next place, that there is in the city a son of the orchan who terms himself lawful heir of solyman of blessed memory--the orchan pretender to my lord's throne, whom the greeks have been keeping in mock confinement--the orchan who is the subject of the present emperor's demand on my lord for an increase of the stipend heretofore paid for the impostor's support. the son of the pretender, being a turk, affects the martial practices prevalent with us, and enjoys notoriety for accomplishments as a horseman, and in the tourney play djerid. he is even accredited with an intention of one day taking the field against my lord--this when his father, the old orchan, dies.... when i entered the hippodrome one day last week, orchan the younger occupied the arena before the kathisma. the boxes were well filled with spectators. some officers of my acquaintance were present, mounted like myself, and they accosted me politely, and eulogized the performance. afterwhile i joined in their commendation, but ventured to say i had seen better exercise during my sojourn among the infidels in the holy land. they asked me if i had any skill. 'i cannot call it skill,' i said; 'but my instruction was from a noble master, the sheik of the jordan.' nothing would rest them then but a trial. at length i assented on condition that the turk would engage me in a tourney or a combat without quarter--bow, cimeter, spear--on horseback and in moslem armor. they were astonished, but agreed to carry the challenge.... now, o my lord, do not condemn me. my residence here has extended into months, without an incident to break the peace. your pleasure is still my rule. i keep the custom of going about on horseback and in armor. once only--at his majesty's dinner--i appeared in a venetian suit--a red mantle and hose, one leg black, the other yellow--red-feathered cap, shoes with the long points chained to my knees. was there not danger of being mistaken for a strutting bird of show? if my hand is cunning with weapons, should not the greeks be taught it? how better recommend myself to his majesty of blacherne? then, what an opportunity to rid my lord of future annoyance! old orchan cannot live much longer, while this cheeping chicken is young.... the son of the pretender, being told i was an italian, replied he would try a tourney with me; if i proved worthy, he would consider the combat.... yesterday was the time for the meeting. there was a multitude out as witnesses, the emperor amongst others. he did not resort to the _kathisma,_ but kept his saddle, with a bodyguard of horsemen at his back. his mount was my gray arab.... we began with volting, demi-volting, jumping, wheeling in retreat, throwing the horse. orchan was a fumbler.... we took to bows next, twelve arrows each. at full speed he put two bolts in the target, and i twelve, all in the white ring.... then spear against cimeter. i offered him choice, and he took the spear. in the first career, the blunted head of his weapon fell to the ground shorn off close behind the ferrule. the spectators cheered and laughed, and growing angry, orchan shouted it was an accident, and challenged me to combat. i accepted, but his majesty interposed--we might conclude with the spear and sword in tourney again.... my antagonist, charged with malicious intent, resolved to kill me. i avoided his shaft, and as his horse bolted past on my left, i pushed him with my shield, and knocked him from the saddle. they picked him up bleeding nose and ears. his majesty invited me to accompany him to blacherne.... i left the hippodrome sorry not to have been permitted to fight the vain fool; yet my repute in constantinople is now undoubtedly good--i am a soldier to be cultivated." again: "his majesty has placed me formally in charge of the gate in front of my quarters. communication with my lord is now at all times easy. _the keys of the city are in effect mine._ nevertheless i shall continue to patronize ali. his fish are the freshest brought to market." again: "o my lord, the princess irene is well and keeps the morning colors in her cheeks for you. yet i found her quite distraught. there was unwelcome news at the palace from his majesty's ambassador at adrianople. the sultan had at last answered the demand for increase of the orchan stipend--not only was the increase refused, but the stipend itself was withdrawn, and a peremptory order to that effect sent to the province whence the fund has been all along collected.... i made a calculation, with conclusion that my report of the tourney with young orchan reached my lord's hand, and i now am patting myself on the back, happy to believe it had something to do with my lord's decision. the imposition deserved to have its head blown off. orchan is a dotard. his son's ears are still impaired. in the fall the ground caught him crown first. he will never ride again. the pretension is over.... i rode from the princess' house directly to blacherne. the grand council was in session: yet the prefect of the palace admitted me.... o my lord, this constantine is a man, a warrior, an emperor, surrounded by old women afraid of their shadows. the subject of discussion when i went in was the news from adrianople. his majesty was of opinion that your decision, coupled with the order discontinuing the stipend, was sign of a hostile intent. he was in favor of preparing for war. phranza thought diplomacy not yet spent. notaras asked what preparations his majesty had in mind. his majesty replied, buying cannon and powder, stocking the magazines with provisions for a siege, increasing the navy, repairing the walls, clearing out the moat. he would also send an embassy to the bishop of rome, and through him appeal to the christian powers of europe for assistance in men and money. notaras rejoined instantly: 'rather than a papal legate in constantinople, he would prefer a turbaned turk.' the council broke up in confusion.... verily, o my lord, i pitied the emperor. so much courage, so much weakness! his capital and the slender remnant of his empire are lost unless the _gabours_ of venice and italy come to his aid. will they? the holy father, using the opportunity, will try once more to bring the eastern church to its knees, and failing, will leave it to its fate. if my lord knocked at these gates to-morrow, notaras would open one of them, and i another.... yet the emperor will fight. he has the soul of a hero." again: "the princess irene is inconsolable. intensely greek, and patriotic, and not a little versed in politics, she sees nothing cheering in the situation of the empire. the vigils of night in her oratory are leaving their traces on her face. her eyes are worn with weeping. i find it impossible not to sympathize with so much beauty tempered by so many virtues. when the worst has befallen, perhaps my lord will know how to comfort her." finally: "it is a week since i last wrote my lord. ali has been sick but keeps in good humor, and says he will be well when christian winds cease blowing from constantinople. he prays you to come and stop them.... the diplomatic mishaps of the emperor have quickened the religious feuds of his subjects. the latins everywhere quote the speech of notaras in the council: 'rather than a papal legate in constantinople, i prefer a turbaned turk'--and denounce it as treason to god and the state. it certainly represents the true feeling of the greek clergy; yet they are chary in defending the duke.... the princess is somewhat recovered, although perceptibly paler than is her wont. she is longing for the return of spring, and promises herself health and happiness in the palace at therapia.... to-morrow, she informs me, there is to be a special grand service in sancta sophia. the brotherhoods here and elsewhere will be present. i will be there also. she hopes peace and rest from doctrinal disputes will follow. we will see." the extracts above given will help the reader to an idea of life in constantinople; more especially they portray the peculiar service rendered by corti during the months they cover. there are two points in them deserving special notice: the warmth of description indulged with respect to the princess irene and the betrayal of the emperor. it must not be supposed the count was unaware of his perfidy. he did his writing after night, when the city and his own household were asleep; and the time was chosen, not merely for greater security from discovery, but that no eye might see the remorse he suffered. how often he broke off in the composition to pray for strength to rescue his honor, and save himself from the inflictions of conscience! there were caverns in the mountains and islands off in the mid-seas: why not fly to them? alas! he was now in a bondage which made him weak as water. it was possible to desert mahommed, but not the princess. the dangers thickening around the city were to her as well. telling her of them were useless; she would never abandon the old capital; and it was the perpetually recurring comparison of her strength with his own weakness which wrought him his sharpest pangs. writing of her in poetic strain was easy, for he loved her above every earthly consideration: but when he thought of the intent with which he wrote--that he was serving the love of another, and basely scheming to deliver her to him--there was no refuge in flight; recollection would go with him to the ends of the earth--better death. not yet--not yet--he would argue. heaven might send him a happy chance. so the weeks melted into months, and he kept the weary way hoping against reason, conspiring, betraying, demoralizing, sinking into despair. chapter viii our lord's creed proceeding now to the special service mentioned in the extract from the last report of count corti to mahommed. the nave of sancta sophia was in possession of a multitude composed of all the brotherhoods of the city, interspersed with visiting delegations from the monasteries of the islands and many of the hermitic colonies settled in the mountains along the asiatic shore of the marmora. in the galleries were many women; amongst them, on the right-hand side, the princess irene. her chair rested on a carpeted box a little removed from the immense pilaster, and raised thus nearly to a level with the top of the balustrade directly before her, she could easily overlook the floor below, including the apse. from her position everybody appeared dwarfed; yet she could see each figure quite well in the light of the forty arched windows above the galleries. on the floor the chancel, or space devoted to the altar, was separated from the body of the nave by a railing of corinthian brass, inside which, at the left, she beheld the emperor, in basilean regalia, seated on a throne--a very stately and imposing figure. opposite him was the chair of the patriarch. between the altar and the railing arose a baldacchino, the canopy of white silk, the four supporting columns of shining silver. under the canopy, suspended by a cord, hung the vessel of gold containing the blessed sacraments; and to the initiated it was a sufficient publication of the object of the assemblage. outside the railing, facing the altar, stood the multitude. to get an idea of its appearance, the reader has merely to remember the description of the bands marching into the garden of blacherne the night of the _pannychides_. there were the same gowns black and gray; the same tonsured heads, and heads shock-haired; the same hoods and glistening rosaries; the same gloomy, bearded faces; the same banners, oriflammes, and ecclesiastical gonfalons, each with its community under it in a distinctive group. back further towards the entrances from the vestibule was a promiscuous host of soldiers and civilians; having no part in the service, they were there as spectators. the ceremony was under the personal conduct of the patriarch. silence being complete, the choir, invisible from the body of the nave, began its magnificent rendition of the _sanctus_--"holy, holy, holy, lord god of sabaoth. blessed is he who cometh in the name of the lord. hosanna in the highest"--and during the singing, his serenity was clothed for the rite. over his cassock, the deacons placed the surplice of white linen, and over that again a stole stiff with gold embroidery. he then walked slowly to the altar, and prayed; and when he had himself communicated, he was led to the baldacchino, where he blessed the body and the blood, and mixed them together in chalices, ready for delivery to the company of servers kneeling about him. the emperor, who, in common with the communicants within and without the railing, had been on his knees, arose now and took position before the altar in a prayerful attitude; whereupon the patriarch brought him a chalice on a small paten, and he put it to his lips, while the choir rang the dome with triumphal symphony. his serenity next returned to the baldacchino, and commenced giving the cups to the servers; at the same time the gate leading from the chancel to the nave was thrown open. nor rustle of garment, nor stir of foot was heard. then a black-gowned figure arose amidst a group not far from the gate, and said, in a hoarse voice, muffled by the flaps of the hood covering his head and face: "we are here, o serenity, by thy invitation--here to partake of the holy eucharist--and i see thou art about sending it to us. now not a few present believe there is no grace in leavened bread, and others hold it impiety to partake thereof. wherefore tell us"-the patriarch looked once at the speaker; then, delivering the chalice, signed the servers to follow him; next instant, he stood in the open gateway, and with raised hands, cried out: "holy things to the holy!" repeating the ancient formula, he stepped aside to allow the cup-bearers to pass into the nave; but they stood still, for there came a skurry of sound not possible of location, so did it at the same moment seem to be from the dome descending and from the floor going up to the dome. it was the multitude rising from their knees. now the patriarch, though feeble in body, was stout of soul and ready-witted, as they usually are whose lives pass in combat and fierce debate. regarding the risen audience calmly, he betook himself to his chair, and spoke to his assistants, who brought a plain chasuble, and put it on him, covering the golden stole completely. when he again appeared in the spaceway of the open gate, as he presently did, every cleric and every layman in the church to whom he was visible understood he took the interruption as a sacrilege from which he sought by the change of attire to save himself. "whoso disturbs the sacrament in celebration has need of cause for that he does; for great is his offence whatever the cause." the patriarch's look and manner were void of provocation, except as one, himself rudely disposed, might discover it in the humility somewhat too studied. "i heard my brother--it would be an untruth to say i did not--and to go acquit of deceit, i will answer him, god helping me. let me say first, while we have some differences in our faith, there are many things about which we are agreed, the things in agreement outnumbering those in difference; and of them not the least is the real presence once the sacraments are consecrated. take heed, o brethren! do any of you deny the real presence in the bread and wine of communion?" no man made answer. "it is as i said--not one. look you, then, if i or you--if any of us be tempted to anger or passionate speech, and this house, long dedicated to the worship of god, and its traditions of holiness too numerous for memory, and therefore of record only in the books of heaven, fail the restraints due them, lo, christ is here--christ in real presence--christ our lord in body and blood!" the old man stood aside, pointing to the vessel under the baldacchino, and there were sighs and sobs. some shouted: "blessed be the son of god!" the sensation over, the patriarch continued: "o my brother, take thou answer now. the bread is leavened. is it therefore less grace-giving?" "no, no!" but the response was drowned by an affirmative yell so strong there could be no doubt of the majority. the minority, however, was obstinate, and ere long the groups disrupted, and it seemed every man became a disputant. now nothing serves anger like vain striving to be heard. the patriarch in deep concern stood in the gateway, exclaiming: "have a care, o brethren, have a care! for now is christ here!" and as the babble kept increasing, the emperor came to him. "they are like to carry it to blows, o serenity." "fear not, my son, god is here, and he is separating the wheat from the chaff." "but the blood shed will be on my conscience, and the _panagia_"-the aged prelate was inflexible. "nay, nay, not yet! they are greeks. let them have it out. the day is young; and how often is shame the miraculous parent of repentance." constantine returned to his throne, and remained there standing. meantime the tumult went on until, with shouting and gesticulating, and running about, it seemed the assemblage was getting mad with drink. whether the contention was of one or many things, who may say? well as could be ascertained, one party, taking cue from the patriarch, denounced the interruption of the most sacred rite; the other anathematized the attempt to impose leavened bread upon orthodox communicants as a scheme of the devil and his arch-legate, the bishop of rome. men of the same opinions argued blindly with each other; while genuine opposition was conducted with glaring eyes, swollen veins, clinched hands, and voices high up in the leger lines of hate and defiance. the timorous and disinclined were caught and held forcibly. in a word, the scene was purely byzantine, incredible of any other people. the excitement afterwhile extended to the galleries, where, but that the women were almost universally of the greek faction, the same passion would have prevailed; as it was, the gentle creatures screamed _azymite, azymite_ in amazing disregard of the proprieties. the princess irene, at first pained and mortified, kept her seat until appearances became threatening; then she scanned the vast pit long and anxiously; finally her wandering eyes fell upon the tall figure of sergius drawn out of the mass, but facing it from a position near the gate of the brazen railing. immediately she settled back in her chair. to justify the emotion now possessing her, the reader must return to the day the monk first presented himself at her palace near therapia. he must read again the confession, extorted from her by the second perusal of father hilarion's letter, and be reminded of her education in the venerated father's religious ideas, by which her whole soul was adherent to his conceptions of the primitive church of the apostles. nor less must the reader suffer himself to be reminded of the consequences to her--of the judgment of heresy upon her by both latins and greeks--of her disposition to protest against the very madness now enacting before her--of her longing, oh, that i were a man!--of the fantasy that heaven had sent sergius to her with the voice, learning, zeal, courage, and passion of truth to enable her to challenge a hearing anywhere-of the persistence with which she had since cared for and defended him, and watched him in his studies, and shared them with him. nor must the later incident, the giving him a copy of the creed she had formulated--the creed of nine words--be omitted in the consideration. now indeed the reader can comprehend the princess, and the emotions with which she beheld the scene at her feet. the patriarch's dramatic warning of the real presence found in her a ready second; for keeping strictly to father hilarion's distinction between a right creed and a form or ceremony for pious observance, the former essential to salvation, the latter merely helpful to continence in the creed, it was with her as if christ in glorified person stood there under the baldacchino. what wonder if, from indignation at the madness of the assembly, the insensate howling, the blasphemous rage, she passed to exaltation of spirit, and fancied the time good for a reproclamation of the primitive church? suddenly a sharper, fiercer explosion of rage arose from the floor, and a rush ensued--the factions had come to blows! then the patriarch yielded, and at a sign from the emperor the choir sang the _sanctus_ anew. high and long sustained, the sublime anthem rolled above the battle and its brutalism. the thousands heard it, and halting, faced toward the apse, wondering what could be coming. it even reached into the vortex of combat, and turned all the unengaged there into peacemakers. another surprise still more effective succeeded. boys with lighted candles, followed by bearers of smoking censers, bareheaded and in white, marched slowly from behind the altar toward the open gate, outside which they parted right and left, and stopped fronting the multitude. a broad banner hung to a cross-stick of gold, heavy with fringing of gold, the top of the staff overhung with fresh flowers in wreaths and garlands, the lower corners stayed by many streaming white ribbons in the hands of as many holy men in white woollen chasubles extending to the bare feet, appeared from the same retreat, carried by two brethren known to every one as janitors of the sacred chapel on the hill-front of blacherne. the emperor, the patriarch, the servers of the chalices, the whole body of assistants inside the railing, fell upon their knees while the banner was borne through the gate, and planted on the floor there. its face was frayed and dim with age, yet the figure of the woman upon it was plain to sight, except as the faint gray smoke from the censers veiled it in a vanishing cloud. then there was an outburst of many voices: "the _panagia!_ the _panagia!_" the feeling this time was reactionary. "o blessed madonna!--guardian of constantinople!--mother of god!--christ is here!--hosannas to the son and to the immaculate mother!" with these, and other like exclamations, the mass precipitated itself forward, and, crowding near the historic symbol, flung themselves on the floor before it, grovelling and contrite, if not conquered. the movement of the candle and censer bearers outside the gate forced sergius nearer it; so when the _panagia_ was brought to a rest, he, being much taller than its guardians, became an object of general observation, and wishing to escape it if possible, he took off his high hat; whereupon his hair, parted in the middle, dropped down his neck and back fair and shining in the down-beating light. this drew attention the more. did any of the prostrate raise their eyes to the madonna on the banner, they must needs turn to him next; and presently the superstitious souls, in the mood for miracles, began whispering to each other: "see--it is the son--it is the lord himself!" and of a truth the likeness was startling; although in saying this, the reader must remember the difference heretofore remarked between the greek and latin ideals. about that time sergius looked up to the princess, whose face shone out of the shadows of the gallery with a positive radiance, and he was electrified seeing her rise from her chair, and wave a hand to him. he understood her. the hour long talked of, long prepared for, was at last come--the hour of speech. the blood surged to his heart, leaving him pallid as a dead man. he stooped lower, covered his eyes with his hands, and prayed the wordless prayer of one who hastily commits himself to god; and in the darkness behind his hands there was an illumination, and in the midst of it a sentence in letters each a lambent flame--the creed of father hilarion and the princess irene--our lord's creed: "i believe in god, and jesus christ, his son." this was his theme! with no thought of self, no consciousness but of duty to be done, trusting in god, he stood up, pushed gently through the kneeling boys and guardians of the _panagia_, and took position where all eyes could look at the blessed mother slightly above him, and then to himself, in such seeming the very son. it might have been awe, it might have been astonishment, it might have been presentiment; at all events, the moaning, sobbing, praying, tossing of arms, beating of breasts, with the other outward signs of remorse, grief and contrition grotesque and pitiful alike subsided, and the church, apse, nave and gallery, grew silent--as if a wave had rushed in, and washed the life out of it. "men and brethren," he began, "i know not whence this courage to do comes, unless it be from heaven, nor at whose word i speak, if not that jesus of nazareth, worker of miracles which god did by him anciently, yet now here in real presence of body and blood, hearing what we say, seeing what we do." "art thou not he?" asked a hermit, half risen in front of him, his wrap of undressed goatskin fallen away from his naked shoulders. "no; his servant only am i, even as thou art--his servant who would not have forsaken him at gethsemane, who would have given him drink on the cross, who would have watched at the door of his tomb until laid to sleep by the delivering angel--his servant not afraid of death, which, being also his servant, will not pass me by for the work i now do, if the work be not by his word." the voice in this delivery was tremulous, and the manner so humble as to take from the answer every trace of boastfulness. his face, when he raised it, and looked out over the audience, was beautiful. the spectacle offered him in return was thousands of people on their knees, gazing at him undetermined whether to resent an intrusion or welcome a messenger with glad tidings. "men and brethren," he continued, more firmly, casting the old scriptural address to the farthest auditor, "now are you in the anguish of remorse; but who told you that you had offended to such a degree? see you not the spirit, sometimes called the comforter, in you? be at ease, for unto us are repentance and pardon. there were who beat our dear lord, and spit upon him, and tore his beard; who laid him on a cross, and nailed him to it with nails in his hands and feet; one wounded him in the side with a spear; yet what did he, the holy one and the just? oh! if he forgave them glorying in their offences, will he be less merciful to us repentant?" raising his head a little higher, the preacher proceeded, with increased assurance: "let me speak freely unto you; for how can a man repent wholly, if the cause of his sin be not laid bare that he may see and hate it? "now before our dear lord departed out of the world, he left sayings, simple even to children, instructing such as would be saved unto everlasting life what they must do to be saved. those sayings i call our lord's creed, by him delivered unto his disciples, from whom we have them: 'verily, verily, i say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life.' so we have the first article--belief in god. again: 'verily, verily, i say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life.' behold the second article--belief in christ. "now, for that the son, and he who sent him, are at least in purpose one, belief in either of them is declared sufficient; nevertheless it may be simpler, if not safer, for us to cast the two articles together in a single phrase; we have then a creed which we may affirm was made and left behind him by our lord himself: i believe in god, and jesus christ, his son. and when we sound it, lo! two conditions in all; and he who embraces them, more is not required of him; he is already passed from death unto life--everlasting life. "this, brethren, is the citadel of our christian faith; wherefore, to strengthen it. what was the mission of jesus christ our lord to the world? hear every one! what was the mission of our lord jesus christ? why was he sent of god, and born into the world? hearing the question, take heed of the answer: he was sent of god for the salvation of men. you have ears, hear; minds, think; nor shall one of you, the richest in understanding of the scriptures, in walk nearest the sinless example, ever find another mission for him which is not an arraignment of the love of his father. "then, if it be true, as we all say, not one denying it, that our lord brought to his mission the perfected wisdom of his father, how could he have departed from the world leaving the way of salvation unmarked and unlighted? or, sent expressly to show us the way, himself the appointed guide, what welcome can we suppose he would have had from his father in heaven, if he had given the duty over to the angels? or, knowing the deceitfulness of the human heart, and its weakness and liability to temptation, whence the necessity for his coming to us, what if he had given the duty over to men, so much lower than the angels, and then gone away? rather than such a thought of him, let us believe, if the way had been along the land, he would have planted it with inscribed hills; if over the seas, he would have sown the seas with pillars of direction above the waves; if through the air, he would have made it a path effulgent with suns numerous as the stars. 'i am the way,' he said--meaning the way lies through me; and you may come to me in the place i go to prepare for you, if only you believe in god and me. men and brethren, our lord was true to his mission, and wise in the wisdom of his father." at this the hermit in front of the preacher, uttering a shill cry, spread his arms abroad, and quivered from head to foot. many of those near sprang forward to catch him. "no, leave him alone," cried sergius, "leave him alone. the cross he took was heavy of itself; but upon the cross you heaped conditions without sanction, making a burden of which he was like to die. at last he sees how easy it is to go to his master; that he has only to believe in god and the master. leave him with the truth; it was sent to save, not to kill." the excitement over, sergius resumed: "i come now, brethren, to the cause of your affliction. i will show it to you; that is to say, i will show you why you are divided amongst yourselves, and resort to cruelty one unto another; as if murder would help either side of the quarrel. i will show your disputes do not come from anything said or done by our lord, whose almost last prayer was that all who believed in him might be made perfect in one. "it is well known to you that our lord did not found a church during his life on earth, but gave authority for it to his apostles. it is known to you also that what his apostles founded was but a community: for such is the description: 'and all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.' [footnote: acts ii. 44, 45.] and again: 'and the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.' 'neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.' [footnote: acts iv. 32, 34, 35.] but in time this community became known as the church; and there was nothing of it except our lord's creed, in definition of the faith, and two ordinances for the church--baptism for the remission of sins, that the baptized might receive the comforter, and the sacraments, that believers, often as they partook of the body and blood of christ, might be reminded of him. "lo, now! in the space of three generations this church, based upon this simple creed, became a power from alexandria to lodinum; and though kings banded to tread it out; though day and night the smell of the blood of the righteous spilt by them was an offence to god; though there was no ingenuity more amongst men except to devise methods for the torture of the steadfast--still the church grew; and if you dig deep enough for the reasons of its triumphant resistance, these are they: there was divine life in the creed, and the community was perfect in one; insomuch that the brethren quarrelled not among themselves; neither was there jealousy, envy or rivalry among them; neither did they dispute about immaterial things, such as which was the right mode of baptism, or whether the bread should be leavened or unleavened, or whence the holy ghost proceeded, whether from the father or from the father and son together; neither did the elders preach for a price, nor forsake a poor flock for a rich one that their salaries might be increased, nor engage in building costly tabernacles for the sweets of vanity in tall spires; neither did any study the scriptures seeking a text, or a form, or an observance, on which to go out and draw from the life of the old community that they might set up a new one; and in their houses of god there were never places for the men and yet other separate places for the women of the congregation; neither did a supplicant for the mercy of god look first at the garments of the neighbor next him lest the mercy might lose a virtue because of a patch or a tatter. the creed was too plain for quibble or dispute; and there was no ambition in the church except who should best glorify christ by living most obedient to his commands. thence came the perfection of unity in faith and works; and all went well with the primitive church of the apostles; and the creed was like unto the white horse seen by the seer of the final visions, and the church was like him who sat upon the horse, with a bow in his hand, unto whom a crown was given; and he went forth conquering and to conquer." here the audience was stirred uncontrollably; many fell forward upon their faces; others wept, and the nave resounded with rejoicing. in one quarter alone there was a hasty drawing together of men with frowning brows, and that was where the gonfalon of the brotherhood of the st. james' was planted. the hegumen, in the midst of the group, talked excitedly, though in a low tone. "i will not ask, brethren," sergius said, in continuance, "if this account of the primitive church be true; you all do know it true; yet i will ask if one of you holds that the offending of which you would repent--the anger, and bitter words, and the blows--was moved by anything in our lord's creed, let him arise, before the presence is withdrawn, and say that he thinks. these, lending their ears, will hear him, and so will god. what, will not one arise? "it is not necessary that i remind you to what your silence commits you. rather suffer me to ask next, which of you will arise and declare, our lord his witness, that the church of his present adherence is the same church the apostles founded? you have minds, think; tongues, speak." there was not so much as a rustle on the floor. "it was well, brethren, that you kept silence; for, if one had said his church was the same church the apostles founded, how could he have absolved himself of the fact that there are nowhere two parties each claiming to be of the only true church? or did he assert both claimants to be of the same church, and it the only true one, then why the refusal to partake of the sacraments? why a division amongst them at all? have you not heard the aforetime saying, 'every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation'? "men and brethren, let no man go hence thinking his church, whichever it be, is the church of the apostles. if he look for the community which was the law of the old brotherhood, his search will be vain. if he look for the unity, offspring of our lord's last prayer, lo! jealousies, hates, revilements, blows instead. no, your creed is of men, not christ, and the semblance of christ in it is a delusion and a snare." at this the gonfalon of the st. james' was suddenly lifted up, and borne forward to within a few feet of the gate, and the hegumen, standing in front of it, cried out: "serenity, the preacher is a heretic! i denounce"-he could get no further; the multitude sprang to foot howling. the princess irene, and the women in the galleries, also arose, she pale and trembling. peril to sergius had not occurred to her when she gave him the signal to speak. the calmness and resignation with which he looked at his accuser reminded her of his master before pilate, and taking seat again, she prayed for him, and the cause he was pleading. at length, the patriarch, waving his hand, said: "brethren, it may be sergius, to whom we have been listening, has his impulse of speech from the spirit, even as he has declared. let us be patient and hear him." turning to sergius, he bade him proceed. "the three hundred bishops and presbyters from whom you have your creeds, [footnote: _encyclopedia brit.,_ vi. 560.] o men and brethren"--so the preacher continued--"took the two articles from our lord's creed, and then they added others. thus, which of you can find a text of our lord treating of his procession from the substance of god? again, in what passage has our lord required belief in the personage of the holy ghost as an article of faith essential to salvation? [footnote: four creeds are at present used in the roman catholic church; viz., the apostles' creed, the nicene, the athanasian, that of pius iv--add. and ar., _catholic dictionary,_ 232.] 'i am the way,' said our lord. 'no,' say the three hundred, 'we are the way; and would you be saved, you must believe in us not less than in god and his son.'" the auditors a moment before so fierce, even the hegumen, gazed at the preacher in a kind of awe; and there was no lessening of effect when his manner underwent a change, his head slightly drooping and his voice plaintive. "the spirit by whose support and urgency i have dared address you, brethren, admonishes me that my task is nearly finished." he took hold of the corner of the _panagia;_ so all in view were more than ever impressed with his likeness to their ideal of the blessed master. "the urgency seemed to me on account of your offence to the real presence so graciously in our midst; for truly when we are in the depths of penitence it is our nature to listen more kindly to what is imparted for our good; wherefore, as you have minds, i beg you to think. if our lord did indeed leave a creed containing the all in all for our salvation, what meant he if not that it should stand in saving purity until he came again in the glory of his going? and if he so intended, and yet uninspired men have added other articles to the simple faith he asked of us, making it so much the harder for us to go to him in the place he has prepared for us, are they not usurpers? and are not the articles which they have imposed to be passed by us as stratagems dangerous to our souls? "again. the excellence of our lord's creed by which it may be always known when in question, its wisdom superior to the devices of men, is that it permits us to differ about matters outside of the faith without weakening our relations to the blessed master or imperilling our lot in his promises. such matters, for example, as works, which are but evidences of faith and forms of worship, and the administration of the two ordinances of the church, and god and his origin, and whether heaven be here or there, or like unto this or that. for truly our lord knew us, and that it was our nature to deal in subtleties and speculate of things not intended we should know during this life; the thought of our minds being restless and always running, like the waters of a river on their way to the sea. "again, brethren. if the church of the apostles brought peace to its members, so that they dwelt together, no one of them lacking or in need, do not your experiences of to-day teach you wherein your churches, being those built upon the creed of the three hundred bishops, are unlike it? moreover, see you not if now you have several churches, some amongst you, the carping and ambitious, will go out and in turn set up new confessions of faith, and at length so fill the earth with rival churches that religion will become a burden to the poor and a byword with fools who delight in saying there is no god? in a village, how much better one house of god, with one elder for its service, and always open, than five or ten, each with a preacher for a price, and closed from sabbath to sabbath? for that there must be discipline to keep the faithful together, and to carry on the holy war against sin and its strongholds and captains, how much better one church in the strength of unity than a hundred diversely named and divided against themselves? "the revelator, even that john who while in the spirit was bidden. 'write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter,' wrote, and at the end of his book set a warning: 'if any man shall add unto these things, god shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.' i cannot see, brethren, wherein that crime is greater than the addition of articles to our lord's creed; nor do i know any who have more reason to be afraid of those threatened plagues than the priest or preacher who from pride or ambition, or dread of losing his place or living, shall wilfully stand in the way of a return to the church of the apostles and its unity. forasmuch as i also know what penitential life is, and how your minds engage themselves in the solitude of your cells, i give you whereof to think. men and brethren, peace unto you all!" the hermit knelt to the preacher, and kissed his hand, sobbing the while; the auditors stared at each other doubtfully; but the hegumen's time was come. advancing to the gate, he said: "this man, o serenity, is ours by right of fraternity. in thy hearing he hath defamed the creed which is the rock the fathers chose for the foundation of our most holy church. he hath even essayed to make a creed of his own, and present it for our acceptance--thy acceptance, o serenity, and that of his majesty, the only christian emperor, as well as ours. and for those things, and because never before in the history of our ancient and most notable brotherhood hath there been an instance of heresy so much as in thought, we demand the custody of this apostate for trial and judgment. give him to us to do with." the patriarch clasped his hands, and, shaking like a man struck with palsy, turned his eyes upward as if asking counsel of heaven. his doubt and hesitation were obvious; and neighbor heard his neighbor's heart beat; so did silence once more possess itself of the great auditorium. the princess irene arose white with fear, and strove to catch the emperor's attention; but he, too, was in the bonds waiting on the patriarch. then from his place behind the hegumen, sergius spoke: "let not your heart be troubled, o serenity. give me to my brotherhood. if i am wrong, i deserve to die; but if i have spoken as the spirit directed me, god is powerful to save. i am not afraid of the trial." the patriarch gazed at him, his withered cheeks glistening with tears; still he hesitated. "suffer me, o serenity!"--thus sergius again--"i would that thy conscience may never be disquieted on my account; and now i ask not that thou give me to my brotherhood--i will go with them freely and of my own accord." speaking then to the hegumen, he said: "no more, i pray. see, i am ready to be taken as thou wilt." the hegumen gave him in charge of the brethren; and at his signal, the gonfalon was raised and carried through the concourse, and out of one of the doors, followed closely by the brotherhood. at the moment of starting, sergius lifted his hands, and shouted so as to be heard above the confusion: "bear witness, o serenity--and thou, o emperor! that no man may judge me an apostate, hear my confession: i believe in god, and jesus christ, his son." many of those present remained and partook of the sacraments; far the greater number hurried away, and it was not long until the house was vacated. chapter ix count corti to mahommed extract: "god is god, and mahomet is his prophet! may they keep my lord in health, and help him to all his heart's desires! ... it is now three days since my eyes were gladdened by the presence of the princess irene; yet i have been duteously regular in my calls at her house. to my inquiries, her domestic has returned the same answer: 'the princess is in her chapel praying. she is sadly disturbed in mind, and excuses herself to every one.' knowing this information will excite my lord's apprehension, i beg him to accept the explanation of her ailments which i think most probable.... my lord will gratify me by graciously referring to the account of the special meeting in sancta sophia which i had the honor to forward the evening of the day of its occurrence. the conjecture there advanced that the celebration of the sacrament in highest form was a stratagem of the patriarch's looking to a reconciliation of the factions, has been confirmed; and more--it has proved a failure. its effect has inflamed the fanaticism of the greek party as never before. notaras, moved doubtless by gennadius, induced them to suspect his majesty and the patriarch of conniving at the wonderful sermon of the monk sergius; and, as the best rebuke in their power, the brotherhood of the st. james' erected a tribunal of judgment in their monastery last night, and placed the preacher on trial. he defended himself, and drove them to admit his points; that their church is not the primitive church of the apostles, and that their creed is an unwarranted enlargement of the two articles of faith left by jesus christ for the salvation of the world. yet they pronounced him an apostate and a heretic of incendiary purpose, and condemned him to the old lion in the cynegion, tamerlane, famous these many years as a man-eater.... my lord should also know of the rumor in the city which attributes the creed of nine words--'i believe in god, and jesus christ, his son'--to the princess irene; and her action would seem to justify the story. directly the meeting in sancta sophia was over, she hastened to the palace, and entreated his majesty to save the monk from his brethren. my lord may well think the emperor disposed to grant her prayer; his feeling for her is warmer than friendship. the gossips say he at one time proposed marriage to her. at all events, being a tender-hearted man--too tender indeed for his high position--it is easy imagining how such unparalleled beauty in tearful distress must have moved him. unhappily the political situation holds him as in a vice. the church is almost solidly against him; while of the brotherhoods this one of the st. james' has been his only stanch adherent. what shall the poor man do? if he saves the preacher, he is himself lost. it appears now she has been brought to understand he cannot interfere. thrown thus upon the mercy of heaven, she has buried herself in her oratory. oh, the full moon of full moons! and alas! that she should ever be overcast by a cloud, though it be not heavier than the just-risen morning mist. my lord--or allah must come quickly! * * * * * "o my lord! in duty again and always!... ali did not come yesterday. i suppose the high winds were too unfriendly. so the despatch of that date remained on my hands; and i now open it, and include a supplement.... this morning as usual i rode to the princess' door. the servant gave me the same report--his mistress was not receiving. it befalls therefore that my lord must take refuge in his work or in dreams of her--and may i lay a suggestion at his feet, i advise the latter, for truly, if the world is a garden, she is its queen of roses.... for the sake of the love my lord bears the princess, and the love i bear my lord, i did not sleep last night, being haunted with thinking how i could be of service to her. what is the use of strength and skill in arms if i cannot turn them to account in her behalf as my lord would have me?... on my way to the princess', i was told that the monk, who is the occasion of her sorrow, his sentence being on her conscience, is to be turned in with the lion to-morrow. as i rode away from her house in desperate strait, not having it in power to tell my lord anything of her, it occurred to me to go see the cynegion, where the judgment is to be publicly executed. what if the most merciful should offer me an opportunity to do the unhappy princess something helpful? if i shrank from the lion, when killing it would save her a grief, my lord would never forgive me ... . here is a description of the cynegion: the northwest wall of the city drops from the height of blacherne into a valley next the harbor or golden horn, near which it meets the wall coming from the east. right in the angle formed by the intersection of the walls there is a gate, low, very strong, and always closely guarded. passing the gate, i found myself in an enclosed field, the city wall on the east, wooded hills south, and the harbor north. how far the enclosure extends up the shore of the harbor, i cannot say exactly--possibly a half or three quarters of a mile. the surface is level and grassy. roads wind in and out of clumps of selected shrubbery, with here and there an oak tree. kiosk-looking houses, generally red painted, are frequent, some with roofs, some without. upon examination i discovered the houses were for the keeping of animals and birds. in one there was an exhibition of fish and reptiles. but much the largest structure, called the gallery, is situated nearly in the centre of the enclosure; and it astonished me with an interior in general arrangement like a greek theatre, except it is entirely circular and without a stage division. there is an arena, like a sanded floor, apparently fifty paces in diameter, bounded by a brick wall eighteen or twenty feet in height, and from the top of the wall seats rise one above another for the accommodation of common people; while for the emperor i noticed a covered stand over on the eastern side. the wall of the arena is broken at regular intervals by doors heavily barred, leading into chambers anciently dens for ferocious animals, but at present prisons for criminals of desperate character. there are also a number of gates, one under the grand stand, the others forming northern, southern and eastern entrances. from this, i am sure my lord can, if he cares to, draught the cynegion, literally the menagerie, comprehending the whole enclosure, and the arena in the middle of it, where the monk will to-morrow expiate his heresy. formerly combats in the nature of wagers of battle were appointed for the place, and beasts were pitted against each other; but now the only bloody amusement permitted in it is when a criminal or an offender against god is given to the lion. on such occasions, they tell me, the open seats and grand stands are crowded to their utmost capacities.... if the description is tedious, i hope my lord's pardon, for besides wishing to give him an idea of the scene of the execution to-morrow, i thought to serve him in the day he is looking forward to with so much interest, when the locality will have to be considered with a view to military approach. in furtherance of the latter object, i beg to put my lord in possession of the accompanying diagram of the cynegion, observing particularly its relation to the city; by attaching it to the drawings heretofore sent him, he will be enabled to make a complete map of the country adjacent to the landward wall.... ali has just come in. as i supposed, he was detained by the high winds. his mullets are perfection. with them he brings a young sword-fish yet alive. i look at the mess, and grieve that i cannot send a portion to my lord for his breakfast. however, a few days now, and he will come to his own; the sea with its fish, and the land and all that belongs to it. the child of destiny can afford to wait." chapter x sergius to the lion about ten o'clock the day after the date of count corti's last despatch--ten of the morning--a woman appeared on the landing in front of port st. peter, and applied to a boatman for passage to the cynegion. she was thickly veiled, and wore an every-day overcloak of brown stuff closely buttoned from her throat down. her hands were gloved, and her feet coarsely shod. in a word, her appearance was that of a female of the middle class, poor but respectable. the landing was thronged at the time. it seemed everybody wanted to get to the menagerie at once. boatmen were not lacking. their craft, of all known models, lay in solid block yards out, waiting turns to get in; and while they waited, the lusty, half-naked fellows flirted their oars, quarrelled with each other in good nature, greek-like, and yelled volleys at the slow bargain makers whose turns had arrived. twice the woman asked if she could have a seat. "how many of you are there?" she was asked in reply. "i am alone." "you want the boat alone?" "yes." "well, that can't be. i have seats for several--and wife and four babies at home told me to make the most i could out of them. it has been some time since one has tried to look old tamerlane in the eye, thinking to scare him out of his dinner. the game used to be common; it's not so now." "but i will pay you for all the seats." "full five?" "yes." "in advance?" "yes." "jump in, then--and get out your money--fifty-five noumias--while i push through these howling water-dogs." by the time the boat was clear of the pack, truly enough the passenger was with the fare in hand. "look," she said, "here is a bezant." at sight of the gold piece, the man's countenance darkened, and he stopped rowing. "i can't change that. you might as well have no money at all." "friend," she returned, "row me swiftly to the first gate of the cynegion, and the piece is yours." "by my blessed patron! i'll make you think you are on a bird, and that these oars are wings. sit in the middle--that will do. now!" the fellow was stout, skilful, and in earnest. in a trice he was under headway, going at racing speed. the boats in the harbor were moving in two currents, one up, the other down; and it was noticeable those in the first were laden with passengers, those of the latter empty. evidently the interest was at the further end of the line, and the day a holiday to the two cities, byzantium and galata. yet of the attractions on the water and the shores, the woman took no heed; she said never a word after the start; but sat with head bowed, and her face buried in her hands. occasionally, if the boatman had not been so intent on earning the gold piece, he might have heard her sob. for some reason, the day was not a holiday to her. "we are nearly there," he at length said. without lifting the veil, she glanced at a low wall on the left-hand shore, then at a landing, shaky from age and neglect, in front of a gate in the wall; and seeing it densely blockaded, she spoke: "please put me ashore here. i have no time to lose." the bank was soft and steep. "you cannot make it." "i can if you will give me your oar for a step." "i will." in a few minutes she was on land. pausing then to toss the gold piece to the boatman, she heard his thanks, and started hastily for the gate. within the cynegion, she fell in with some persons walking rapidly, and talking of the coming event as if it were a comedy. "he is a russian, you say?" "yes, and what is strange, he is the very man who got the prince of india's negro"-"the giant?" "yes--who got him to drown that fine young fellow demedes." "where is the negro now?" "in a cell here." "why didn't they give him to the lion?" "oh, he had a friend--the princess irene." "what is to be done with him?" "afterwhile, when the affair of the cistern is forgotten, he will be given a purse, and set free." "pity! for what sport to have seen him in front of the old tartar!" "yes, he's a fighter." in the midst of this conversation, the party came in sight of the central building, externally a series of arches supporting a deep cornice handsomely balustraded, and called the gallery. "here we are!--but see the people on the top! i was afraid we would be too late. let us hurry." "which gate?" "the western--it's the nearest." "can't we get in under the grand stand?" "no, it's guarded." these loquacious persons turned off to make the western gate; but the woman in brown kept on, and ere long was brought to the grand stand on the north. an arched tunnel, amply wide, ran under it, with a gate at the further end admitting directly to the arena. a soldier of the foreign legion held the mouth of the tunnel. "good friend," she began, in a low, beseeching tone, "is the heretic who is to suffer here yet?" "he was brought out last night." "poor man! i am a friend of his"--her voice trembled--"may i see him?" "my orders are to admit no one--and i do not know which cell he is in." the supplicant, sobbing and wringing her hands, stood awhile silent. then a roar, very deep and hoarse, apparently from the arena, startled her and she trembled. "tamerlane!" said the soldier. "o god!" she exclaimed. "is the lion turned in already?" "not yet. he is in his den. they have not fed him for three days." she stayed her agitation, and asked: "what are your orders?" "not to admit any one." "to the cells?" "the cells, and the arena also." "oh, i see! you can let me stand at the gate yonder?" "well--yes. but if you are the monk's friend, why do you want to see him die?" she made no reply, but took from a pocket a bezant, and contrived to throw its yellow gleam in the sentinel's eyes. "is the gate locked?" "no, it is barred on this side." "does it open into the arena?" "yes." "i do not ask you to violate your orders," she continued, calmly; "only let me go to the gate, and see the man when he is brought out." she offered him the money, and he took it, saying: "very well. i can see no harm in that. go." the gate in question was open barred, and permitted a view of nearly the whole circular interior. the spectacle presented was so startling she caught one of the bars for support. throwing back the veil, she looked, breathing sighs which were almost gasps. the arena was clear, and thickly strewn with wet sand. there were the walls shutting it in, like a pit, and on top of them, on the ascending seats back to the last one--was it a cloud she beheld? a second glance, and she recognized the body of spectators, men, women and children, compacted against the sky. how many of them there were! thousands and thousands! she clasped her hands, and prayed. twelve o'clock was the hour for the expiation. waiting so wearily there at the gate--praying, sighing, weeping by turns--the woman was soon forgotten by the sentinel. she had bought his pity. in his eyes she was only a lover of the doomed monk. an hour passed thus. if the soldier's theory were correct, if she were indeed a poor love-lorn creature come to steal a last look at the unfortunate, she eked small comfort from her study of the cloud of humanity on the benches. their jollity, their frequent laughter and hand-clapping reached her in her retreat. "merciful god!" she kept crying. "are these beings indeed in thy likeness?" in a moment of wandering thought, she gave attention to the fastenings of the gate, and observed the ends of the bar across it rested in double iron sockets on the side toward her; to pass it, she had only to raise the bar clear of the socket and push. afterwhile the door of a chamber nearly opposite her opened, and a man stood in the aperture. he was very tall, gigantic even; and apparently surprised by what he beheld, he stepped out to look at the benches, whereat the light fell upon him and she saw he was black. his appearance called for a roar of groans, and he retired, closing the door behind him. then there was an answering roar from a cell near by at her left. the occupants of the benches applauded long and merrily, crying, "tamerlane! tamerlane!" the woman shrank back terrified. a little later another man entered the arena, from the western gate. going to the centre he looked carefully around him; as if content with the inspection, he went next to a cell and knocked. two persons responded by coming out of the door; one an armed guardsman, the other a monk. the latter wore a hat of clerical style, and a black gown dropping to his bare feet, its sleeves of immoderate length completely muffling his hands. instantly the concourse on the benches arose. there was no shouting--one might have supposed them all suddenly seized with shuddering sympathy. but directly a word began passing from mouth to mouth; at first, it was scarcely more than a murmur; soon it was a byname on every tongue: "the heretic! the heretic!" the monk was sergius. his guard conducted him to the centre of the field, and, taking off his hat, left him there. in going he let his gauntlet fall. sergius picked it up, and gave it to him; then calm, resigned, fearless, he turned to the east, rested his hands on his breast palm to palm, closed his eyes, and raised his face. he may have had a hope of rescue in reserve; certain it is, they who saw him, taller of his long gown, his hair on his shoulders and down his back, his head upturned, the sunlight a radiant imprint on his forehead, and wanting only a nimbus to be the christ in apparition, ceased jeering him; it seemed to them that in a moment, without effort, he had withdrawn his thoughts from this world, and surrendered himself. they could see his lips move; but what they supposed his last prayer was only a quiet recitation: "i believe in god, and jesus christ, his son." the guard withdrawn, three sharp mots of a trumpet rang out from the stand. a door at the left of the tunnel gate was then slowly raised; whereupon a lion stalked out of the darkened depths, and stopped on the edge of the den thus exposed, winking to accustom his eyes to the day-splendor. he lingered there very leisurely, turning his ponderous head from right to left and up and down, like a prisoner questioning if he were indeed at liberty. having viewed the sky and the benches, and filled his deep chest with ample draughts of fresh air, suddenly tamerlane noticed the monk. the head rose higher, the ears erected, and, snuffing like a hound, he fretted his shaggy mane; his yellow eyes changed to coals alive, and he growled and lashed his sides with his tail. a majestic figure was he now. "what is it?" he appeared asking himself. "prey or combat?" still in a maze, he stepped out into the arena, and shrinking close to the sand, inched forward creeping toward the object of his wonder. the spectators had opportunity to measure him, and drink their fill of terror. the monk was a goodly specimen of manhood, young, tall, strong; but a fig for his chances once this enemy struck him or set its teeth in his flesh! an ox could not stand the momentum of that bulk of bone and brawn. it were vain telling how many--not all of them women and children--furtively studied the height of the wall enclosing the pit to make sure of their own safety upon the seats. sergius meantime remained in prayer and recitation; he was prepared for the attack, but as a non-resistant; if indeed he thought of battle, he was not merely unarmed--the sleeves of his gown deprived him of the use of his hands. from the man to the lion, from the lion to the man, the multitude turned shivering, unable nevertheless to look away. presently the lion stopped, whined, and behaved uneasily. was he afraid? such was the appearance when he began trotting around at the base of the wall, halting before the gates, and seeking an escape. under the urgency, whatever it was, from the trot he broke into a gallop, without so much as a glance at the monk. a murmur descended from the benches. it was the people recovering from their horror, and impatient. ere long they became positive in expression; in dread doubtless of losing the catastrophe of the show, they yelled at the cowardly beast. in the height of this tempest, the gate of the tunnel under the grand stand opened quickly, and was as quickly shut. death brings no deeper hush than fell upon the assemblage then. a woman was crossing the sand toward the monk! round sped the lion, forward she went! two victims! well worth the monster's hunger through the three days to be so banqueted on the fourth! there are no laws of behavior for such situations. impulse and instinct rush in and take possession. while the thousands held their breath, they were all quickened to know who the intruder was. she was robed in white, was bareheaded and barefooted. the dress, the action, the seraphic face were not infrequent on the water, and especially in the churches; recognition was instantaneous, and through the eager crowded ranks the whisper flew: "god o' mercy! it is the princess--the princess irene!" strong men covered their eyes, women fainted. the grand stand had been given up to the st. james', and they and their intimates filled it from the top seat to the bottom; and now directly the identity became assured, toward them, or rather to the hegumen conspicuous in their midst, innumerable arms were outstretched, seconding the cry: "save her! save her! let the lion be killed!" easier said than done. crediting the brotherhood with lingering sparks of humanity, the game was beyond their interference. the brute was lord. who dared go in and confront him? about this time, the black man, of whom we have spoken, looked out of his cell again. to him the pleading arms were turned. he saw the monk, the princess, and the lion making its furious circuit--saw them and retreated, but a moment after reappeared, attired in the savageries which were his delight. in the waist-belt he had a short sword, and over his left shoulder a roll like a fisherman's net. and now he did not retreat. the princess reached sergius safely, and placing a hand on his arm, brought him back, as it were, to life and the situation. "fly, little mother--by the way you came--fly!" he cried, in mighty anguish. "o god! it is too late--too late." wringing his hands, he gave way to tears. "no, i will not fly. did i not bring you to this? let death come to us both. better the quick work of the lion than the slow torture of conscience. i will not fly! we will die together. i too believe in god and jesus christ his son." she reached up, and rested her hand upon his shoulder. the repetition of the creed, and her companionship restored his courage, and smiling, despite the tears on his cheeks, he said: "very well, little mother. the army of the martyrs will receive us, and the dear lord is at his mansion door to let us in." the lion now ceased galloping. stopping over in the west quarter of the field, he turned his big burning eyes on the two thus resigning themselves, and crouching, put himself in motion toward them; his mane all on end; his jaws agape, their white armature whiter of the crimson tongue lolling adrip below the lips. he had given up escape, and, his curiosity sated, was bent upon his prey. the charge of cowardice had been premature. the near thunder of his roaring was exultant and awful. there was great ease of heart to the people when nilo--for he it was--taking position between the devoted pair and their enemy, shook the net from his shoulder, and proceeded to give an example of his practice with lions in the jungles of kash-cush. keeping the brute steadily eye to eye, he managed so that while retaining the leaden balls tied to its disengaged corners one in each hand, the net was presently in an extended roll on the ground before him. leaning forward then, his hands bent inwardly knuckle to knuckle at his breast, his right foot advanced, the left behind the right ready to carry him by a step left aside, he waited the attack--to the beholders, a figure in shining ebony, giantesque in proportions, phidian in grace. tamerlane stopped. what new wonder was this? and while making the study, he settled flat on the sand, and sunk his roaring into uneasy whines and growls. by this time every one looking on understood nilo's intent--that he meant to bide the lion's leap, and catch and entangle him in the net. what nerve and nicety of calculation--what certainty of eye--what knowledge of the savage nature dealt with--what mastery of self, limb and soul were required for the feat! just at this crisis there was a tumult in the grand stand. those who turned that way saw a man in glistening armor pushing through the brethren there in most unceremonious sort. in haste to reach the front, he stepped from bench to bench, knocking the gowned churchmen right and left as if they were but so many lay figures. on the edge of the wall, he tossed his sword and shield into the arena, and next instant leaped after them. before astonishment was spent, before the dull of faculties could comprehend the intruder, before minds could be made up to so much as yell, he had fitted the shield to his arm, snatched up the sword, and run to the point of danger. there, with quick understanding of the negro's strategy, he took place behind him, but in front of the princess and the monk. his agility, cumbered though he was, his amazing spirit, together with the thought that the fair woman had yet another champion over whom the lion must go ere reaching her, wrought the whole multitude into ecstasy. they sprang upon the benches, and their shouting was impossible of interpretation except as an indication of a complete revulsion of feeling. in fact, many who but a little before had cheered the lion or cursed him for cowardice now prayed aloud for his victims. the noise was not without effect on the veteran tamerlane. he surveyed the benches haughtily once, then set forward again, intent on nilo. the movement, in its sinuous, flexile gliding, resembled somewhat a serpent's crawl. and now he neither roared nor growled. the lolling tongue dragged the sand; the beating of the tail was like pounding with a flail; the mane all erect trebly enlarged the head; and the eyes were like live coals in a burning bush. the people hushed. nilo stood firm; thunder could as easily have diverted a statue; and behind him, not less steadfast and watchful, count corti kept guard. thirty feet away--twenty-five--twenty--then the great beast stopped, collected himself, and with an indescribable roar launched clear of the ground. up, at the same instant, and forward on divergent lines, went the leaden balls; the netting they dragged after them had the appearance of yellow spray blown suddenly in the air. when the monster touched the sand again, he was completely enveloped. the struggle which ensued--the gnashing of teeth, the bellowing, the rolling and blind tossing and pitching, the labor with the mighty limbs, the snapping of the net, the burrowing into the sand, the further and more inextricable entanglement of the enraged brute may be left to imagination. almost before the spectators realized the altered condition, nilo was stabbing him with the short sword. the well-directed steel at length accomplished the work, and the pride of the cynegion lay still in the bloody tangle--then the benches found voice. amidst the uproar count corti went to nilo. "who art thou?" he asked, in admiration. the king smiled, and signified his inability to hear or speak. whereupon the count led him to the princess. "take heart, fair saint," he said. "the lion is dead, and thou art safe." she scarcely heard him. he dropped upon his knee. "the lion is dead, o princess, and here is the hand which slew him--here thy rescuer." she looked her gratitude to nilo--speak she could not. "and thou, too," the count continued, to the monk, "must have thanks for him." sergius replied: "i give thee thanks, nilo--and thou, noble italian--i am only a little less obliged to thee--thou wast ready with thy sword." he paused, glanced at the grand stand, and went on: "it is plain to me, count corti, that thou thinkest my trial happily ended. the beast is dead truly; but yonder are some not less thirsty for blood. it is for them to say what i must further endure. i am still the heretic they adjudged me. do thou therefore banish me from thy generous mind; then thou canst give it entirely to her who is most in need of it. remove the princess--find a chair for her, and leave me to god." "what further can they do?" asked the count. "heaven hath decided the trial in thy favor. have they another lion?" the propriety of the monk's suggestion was obvious; it was not becoming for the princess to remain in the public eye; besides, under reaction of spirit, she was suffering. "have they another lion?" the count repeated. anxious as he was to assist the princess, he was not less anxious, if there was further combat, to take part in it. the count was essentially a fighting man. the open door of nilo's cell speedily attracted his attention. "help me, sir monk. yonder is a refuge for the princess. let us place her in safety. i will return, and stay with thee. if the reverend christians, thy brethren in the grand stand, are not content, by allah"--he checked himself--"their cruelty would turn the stomach of a mohammedan." a few minutes, and she was comfortably housed in the cell. "now, go to thy place; i will send for a chair, and rejoin thee." at the tunnel gate, the count was met by a number of the st. james', and he forgot his errand. "we have come," said one of them to sergius, "to renew thy arrest." "be it so," sergius replied; "lead on." but count corti strode forward. "by whose authority is this arrest renewed?" he demanded. "our hegumen hath so ordered." "it shall not be--no, by the mother of your christ, it shall not be unless you bring me the written word of his majesty making it lawful." "the hegumen"-"i have said it, and i carry a sword"--the count struck the hilt of the weapon with his mailed hand, so the clang was heard on the benches. "i have said it, and my sword says it. go, tell thy hegumen." then sergius spoke: "i pray you interfere not. the heavenly father who saved me this once is powerful to save me often." "have done, sir monk," the count returned, with increasing earnestness. "did i not hear thee say the same in thy holy sancta sophia, in such wise that these deserved to cast themselves at thy feet? instead, lo! the lion there. and for the truth, which is the soul of the world as god is its maker--the truth and the maker being the same--it is not interest in thee alone which moves me. she, thy patroness yonder, is my motive as well. there are who will say she followed thee hither being thy lover; but thou knowest better, and so do i. she came bidden by conscience, and except thou live, there will be no ease of conscience for her--never. wherefore, sir monk, hold thy peace. thou shalt no more go hence of thine own will than these shall take thee against it.... return, ye men of blood--return to him who sent you, and tell him my sword vouches my word, being so accustomed all these years i have been a man. bring they the written word of his majesty, i will give way. let them send to him." the brethren stared at the count. had he not been willing to meet old tamerlane with that same sword? they turned about, and were near the tunnel gate going to report, when it was thrown open with great force, and the emperor constantine appeared on horseback, the horse bloody with spurring and necked with foam. riding to the count he drew rein. "sir count, where is my kinswoman?" corti kissed his hand. "she is safe, your majesty--she is in the cell yonder." the emperor's eye fell upon the carcass of the lion. "thou didst it, count?" "no--this man did it." the emperor gazed at nilo, thus designated, and taking a golden chain of fine workmanship from his neck, he threw it over the black king's. at the door of the cell, he dismounted; within, he kissed the princess on the forehead. "a chair will be here directly." "and sergius?" she asked. "the brotherhood must forego their claim now. heaven has signified its will." he thereupon entered into explanation. the necessity upon him was sore and trying, else he had never surrendered sergius to the brotherhood. he expected the hegumen would subject him to discipline--imprisonment or penance. he had even signed the order placing the lion at service, supposing they meant merely a trial of the monk's constancy. withal the proceeding was so offensive he had refused to witness it. an officer came to the palace with intelligence which led him to believe the worst was really intended. to stop it summarily, he had ordered a horse and a guard. another officer reported the princess in the arena with sergius and the lion. with that his majesty had come at speed. and he was grateful to god for the issue. in a short time the sedan was brought, and the princess borne to her house. summoning the brotherhood from the grand stand, the emperor forbade their pursuing sergius further; the punishment had already been too severe. the hegumen protested. constantine arose in genuine majesty, and denouncing all clerical usurpations, he declared that for the future he would be governed by his own judgment in whatever concerned the lives of his subjects and the welfare of his empire. the declaration was heard by the people on the benches. by his order, sergius was conducted to blacherne, and next day installed a janitor of the imperial chapel; thus ending his connection with the brotherhood of the st. james'. "your majesty," said count corti, at the conclusion of the scene in the arena, "i pray a favor." constantine, by this time apprised of the count's gallantry, bade him speak. "give me the keeping of this negro." "if you mean his release from prison, sir count, take him. he can have no more suitable guardian. but it is to be remembered he came to the city with one calling himself the prince of india, and if at any time that mysterious person reappears, the man is to be given back to his master." the count regarded nilo curiously--he was merely recalling the prince. "your majesty is most gracious. i accept the condition." the captain of the guard, coming to the tunnel under the grand stand, was addressed by the sentinel there. "see--here are a dress, a pair of shoes, and a veil. i found them by the gate there." "how came they there?" "a woman asked me to let her stand by the gate, and see the heretic when they brought him out, and i gave her permission. she wore these things." "the princess irene!" exclaimed the officer. "very well. send them to me, and i will have her pleasure taken concerning them." the cynegion speedily returned to its customary state. but the expiation remained in the public mind a date to which all manner of events in city life was referred; none of them, however, of such consequence as the loss to the emperor of the allegiance of the st. james'. thenceforth the brotherhoods were united against him. book vi constantine chapter i the sword of solomon the current of our story takes us once more to the white castle at the mouth of the sweet waters of asia. it is the twenty-fifth of march, 1452. the weather, for some days cloudy and tending to the tempestuous, changed at noon, permitting the sun to show himself in a field of spotless blue. at the edge of the mountainous steep above roumeli hissar, the day-giver lingered in his going down, as loath to leave the life concentrated in the famous narrows in front of the old castle. on the land, there was an army in waiting; therefore the city of tents and brushwood booths extending from the shore back to the hills, and the smoke pervading the perspective in every direction. on the water, swinging to each other, crowding all the shallows of the delta of the little river, reaching out into the sweep of the bosphorus, boats open and boats roofed--scows, barges, galleys oared and galleys with masts--ships--a vast conglomerate raft. about the camp, and to and fro on the raft, men went and came, like ants in storing time. two things, besides the locality, identified them--their turbans, and the crescent and star in the red field of the flags they displayed. history, it would appear, takes pleasure in repetition. full a thousand years before this, a greater army had encamped on the banks of the same sweet waters. then it was of persians; now it is of turks; and curiously there are no soldiers to be seen, but only working men, while the flotilla is composed of carrying vessels; here boats laden with stone; there boats with lime; yonder boats piled high with timber. at length the sun, drawing the last ravelling of light after it, disappeared. about that time, the sea gate in front of the palace of julian down at constantinople opened, and a boat passed out into the marmora. five men plied the oars. two sat near the stern. these latter were count corti and ali, son of abed-din the faithful. two hours prior, ali, with a fresh catch of fish, entered the gate, and finding no purchaser in the galley, pushed on to the landing, and thence to the palace. "o emir," he said, when admitted to the count, "the light of the world, our lord mahommed is arrived." the intelligence seemed to strike the count with a sudden ague. "where is he?" he asked, his voice hollow as from a closed helmet. ere the other could answer, he added a saving clause: "may the love of allah be to him a staff of life!" "he is at the white castle with mollahs, pachas, and engineers a host.... what a way they were in, rushing here and there, like squealing swine, and hunting quarters, if but a crib to lie in and blow! shintan take them, beards, boots, and turbans! so have they lived on fat things, slept on divans of down under hangings of silk, breathed perfumed airs in crowded harems, heaven knows if now they are even fit to stop an arrow. they thought the old castle of bajazet-ilderim another jehan-numa. by the delights of paradise, o emir--ha, ha, ha!--it was good to see how little the light of the world cared for them! at the castle, he took in with him for household the ancient _gabour_ ortachi-khalil and a prince of india, whom he calls his messenger of the stars; the rest were left to shift for themselves till their tents arrive. halting the incomparables, [footnote: janissaries.] out beyond roumeli-hissar, he summoned the three tails, [footnote: pachas.] nearly dead from fatigue, having been in the saddle since morning, and rode off with them fast as his arab could gallop across the country, and down the long hill behind therapia, drawing rein at the gate before the palace of the princess irene." "the palace of the princess irene," the count repeated. "what did he there?" "he dismounted, looked at the brass plate on the gate-post, went in, and asked if she were at home. being told she was yet in the city, he said: 'a message for her to be delivered to-night. here is a purse to pay for going. tell her aboo-obeidah, the singing sheik'--only the prophet knows of such a sheik--'has been here, bidden by sultan mahommed to see if her house had been respected, and inquire if she has yet her health and happiness.' with that, he called for his horse, and went through the garden and up to the top of the promontory; then he returned to hissar faster than he went to therapia; and when, to take boat for the white castle, he walked down the height, two of the three tails had to be lifted from their saddles, so nearly dead were they." here ali stopped to laugh. "pardon me, o emir," he resumed, "if i say last what i should have said first, it being the marrow of the bone i bring you.... before sitting to his pilaf, our lord mahommed sent me here. 'thou knowest to get in and out of the unbelieving city,' he said. 'go privily to the emir mirza, and bid him come to me to-night.'" "what now, ali?" "my lord was too wise to tell me." "it is a great honor, ali. i shall get ready immediately." when the night was deep enough to veil the departure, the count seated himself in the fisher's boat, a great cloak covering his armor. half a mile below the sweet waters the party was halted. "what is this, ali?" "the lord mahommed's galleys of war are down from the black sea. these are their outlyers." at the side of one of the vessels, the count showed the sultan's signet, and there was no further interruption. a few words now with respect to corti. he had become a christian. next, the bewilderment into which the first sight of the princess irene had thrown him instead of passing off had deepened into hopeless love. and farther--constantine, a genuine knight himself; in fact more knight than statesman; delighting in arms, armor, hounds, horses, and martial exercises, including tournaments, hawking, and hunting, found one abiding regret on his throne--he could have a favorite but never a comrade. the denial only stimulated the desire, until finally he concluded to bring the italian to court for observation and trial, his advancement to depend upon the fitness, tact, and capacity he might develop. one day an order was placed in the count's hand, directing him to find quarters at blacherne. the count saw the honor intended, and discerned that acceptance would place him in better position to get information for mahommed, but what would the advantage avail if he were hindered in forwarding his budget promptly? no, the mastership of the gate was of most importance; besides which the seclusion of the julian residence was so favorable to the part he was playing; literally he had no one there to make him afraid. upon receipt of the order he called for his horse, and rode to blacherne, where his argument of the necessity of keeping the moslem crew of his galley apart brought about a compromise. his majesty would require the count's presence during the day, but permit him the nights at julian. he was also allowed to retain command of the gate. a few months then found him in constantine's confidence, the imperial favorite. yet more surprising as a coincidence, he actually became to the emperor what he had been to mahommed. he fenced and jousted with him, instructed him in riding, trained him to sword and bow. every day during certain hours he had his new master's life at mercy. with a thrust of sword, stroke of battle-axe, or flash of an arrow, it was in his power to rid mahommed of an opponent concerning whom he wrote: "o my lord, i think you are his better, yet if ever you meet him in personal encounter, have a care." but the unexpected now happened to the count. he came to have an affection for this second lord which seriously interfered with his obligations to the first one. its coming about was simple. association with the greek forced a comparison with the turk. the latter's passion was a tide before which the better gifts of god to rulers--mercy, justice, discrimination, recognition of truth, loyalty, services--were as willows in the sweep of a wave. constantine, on the other hand, was thoughtful, just, merciful, tender-hearted, indisposed to offend or to fancy provocation intended. the difference between a man with and a man without conscience--between a king all whose actuations are dominated by religion and a king void of both conscience and religion--slowly but surely, we say, the difference became apparent to the count, and had its inevitable consequences. such was the count's new footing in blacherne. the changes wrought in his feeling were forwarded more than he was aware by the standing accorded him in the reception-room of the princess irene. after the affair at the cynegion he had the delicacy not to push himself upon the attention of the noble lady. in preference he sent a servant every morning to inquire after her health. ere long he was the recipient of an invitation to come in person; after which his visits increased in frequency. going to blacherne, and coming from it, he stopped at her house, and with every interview it seemed his passion for her intensified. now it were not creditable to the young princess' discernment to say she was blind to his feeling; yet she was careful to conceal the discovery from him, and still more careful not to encourage his hope. she placed the favor shown him to the account of gratitude; at the same time she admired him, and was deeply interested in the religious sentiment he was beginning to manifest. in the count's first audience after the rescue from the lion, she explained how she came to be drawn to the cynegion. this led to detail of her relations with sergius, concluding with the declaration: "i gave him the signal to speak in sancta sophia, and felt i could not live if he died the death, sent to it by me." "princess," the count replied, "i heard the monk's sermon in sancta sophia, but did not know of your giving the signal. has any one impugned your motive in going to the cynegion? give me his name. my sword says you did well." "count corti, the lord has taken care of his own." "as you say, princess irene. hear me before addressing yourself to something else.... i remember the words of the creed--or if i have them wrong correct me: 'i believe in god, and jesus christ, his son.'" "it is word for word." "am i to understand you gave him the form?" "the idea is father hilarion's." "and the two articles. are they indeed sayings of jesus christ?" "even so." "give me the book containing them." taking a new testament from the table, she gave it to him. "you will find the sayings easily. on the margins opposite them there are markings illuminated in gold." "thanks, o princess, most humbly. i will return the book." "no, count, it is yours." an expression she did not understand darkened his face. "are you a christian?" she asked. he flushed deeply, and bowed while answering: "my mother is a christian." that night count corti searched the book, and found that the strength of faith underlying his mother's prayers for his return to her, and the princess' determination to die with the monk, were but christian lights. "princess irene," he said one day, "i have studied the book you gave me; and knowing now who christ is, i am ready to accept your creed. tell me how i may know myself a believer?" a lamp in the hollow of an alabaster vase glows through the transparency; so her countenance responded to the joy behind it. "render obedience to his commands--do his will, o count--then wilt thou be a believer in christ, and know it." the darkness she had observed fall once before on his face obscured it again, and he arose and went out in silence. brave he certainly was, and strong. who could strike like him? he loved opposition for the delight there was in overcoming it; yet in his chamber that night he was never so weak. he resorted to the book, but could not read. it seemed to accuse him. "thou islamite--thou son of mahomet, though born of a christian, whom servest thou? judas, what dost thou in this city? hypocrite--traitor--which is thy master, mahomet or christ?" he fell upon his knees, tore at his beard, buried his head in his arms. he essayed prayer to christ. "jesus--mother of jesus--o my mother!" he cried in agony. the hour he was accustomed to give to mahommed came round. he drew out the writing materials. "the princess"--thus he began a sentence, but stopped--something caught hold of his heart--the speaking face of the beloved woman appeared to him--her eyes were reproachful--her lips moved--she spoke: "count corti, i am she whom thou lovest; but what dost thou? is it not enough to betray my kinsman? thy courage--what makest thou of it but wickedness? ... write of me to thy master. come every day, and contrive that i speak, then tell him of it. am i sick? tell him of it. do i hold to this or that? tell him. am i shaken by visions of ruin to my country? tell him of them. what is thy love if not the servant for hire of his love? traitor--panderer!" the count pushed the table from him, and sprang to foot writhing. to shut out the word abhorrent above all other words, he clapped his hands tight over his ears--in vain. "panderer!"--he heard with his soul--"panderer! when thou hast delivered me to mahommed, what is he to give thee? how much?" thus shame, like a wild dog, bayed at him. for relief he ran out into the garden. and it was only the beginning of misery. such the introduction or first chapter, what of the catastrophe? he could not sleep for shame. in the morning he ordered his horse, but had not courage to go to blacherne. how could he look at the kindly face of the master he was betraying? he thought of the princess. could he endure her salutation? she whom he was under compact to deliver to mahommed? a paroxysm of despair seized him. he rode to the gate st. romain, and out of it into the country. gallop, gallop--the steed was good--his best arab, fleet and tireless. noon overtook him--few things else could--still he galloped. the earth turned into a green ribbon under the flying hoofs, and there was relief in the speed. the air, whisked through, was soothing. at length he came to a wood, wild and interminable, belgrade, though he knew it not, and dismounting by a stream, he spent the day there. if now and then the steed turned its eyes upon him, attracted by his sighs, groans and prayer, there was at least no accusation in them. the solitude was restful; and returning after nightfall, he entered the city through the sortie under the palace of blacherne known as the cercoporta. it is well pain of spirit has its intermissions; otherwise long life could not be; and if sleep bring them, so much the better. next day betimes, the count was at blacherne. "i pray grace, o my lord!" he said, speaking to the question in the emperor's look. "yesterday i had to ride. this confinement in the city deadens me. i rode all day." the good, easy master sighed: "would i had been with you, count." thus he dismissed the truancy. but with the princess it was a lengthy chapter. if the emperor was never so gracious, she seemed never so charming. he wrote to mahommed in the evening, and walked the garden the residue of the night. so weeks and months passed, and march came--even the night of the twenty-fifth, with its order from the sultan to the white castle--an interval of indecision, shame, and self-indictment. how many plans of relief he formed who can say? suicide he put by, a very last resort. there was also a temptation to cut loose from mahommed, and go boldly over to the emperor. that would be a truly christian enlistment for the approaching war; and aside from conformity to his present sympathies, it would give him a right to wear the princess' favor on his helmet. but a fear shook the resort out of mind. mahommed, whether successful or defeated, would demand an explanation of him, possibly an accounting. he knew the sultan. of all the schemes presented, the most plausible was flight. there was the gate, and he its keeper, and beyond the gate, the sunny italian shore, and his father's castle. the seas and sailing between were as green landscapes to a weary prisoner, and he saw in them only the joy of going and freedom to do. welcome, and to god the praise! more than once he locked his portables of greatest value in the cabin of the galley. but alas! he was in bonds. life in constantinople now comprehended two of the ultimate excellencies to him, princess irene and christ--and their joinder in the argument he took to be no offence. from one to another of these projects he passed, and they but served to hide the flight of time. he was drifting--ahead, and not far, he heard the thunder of coming events--yet he drifted. in this condition, the most envied man in constantinople and the most wretched, the sultan's order was delivered to him by ali. the time for decision was come. tired--ashamed--angry with himself, he determined to force the end. the count arrived at the castle, was immediately admitted to the sultan; indeed, had he been less resolute, his master's promptitude would have been a circumstance of disturbing significance. observation satisfied him mahommed was in the field; for with all his epicureanism in times of peace, when a campaign was in progress the conqueror resolved himself into a soldierly example of indifference to luxury. in other words, with respect to furnishment, the interior of the old castle presented its every day ruggedness. one lamp fixed to the wall near the door of the audience chamber struggled with the murk of a narrow passage, giving to view an assistant chamberlain, an armed sentinel, and two jauntily attired pages in waiting. surrendering his sword to the chamberlain, the count halted before the door, while being announced; at the same time, he noticed a man come out of a neighboring apartment clad in black velvet from head to foot, followed closely by a servant. it was the prince of india. the mysterious person advanced slowly, his eyes fixed on the floor, his velvet-shod feet giving out no sound. his air indicated deep reflection. in previous encounters with him, the count had been pleased; now his sensations were of repugnance mixed with doubt and suspicion. he had not time to account for the change. it may have had origin in the higher prescience sometimes an endowment of the spirit by which we stand advised of a friend or an enemy; most likely, however, it was a consequence of the curious tales abroad in constantinople; for at the recognition up sprang the history of the prince's connection with lael, and her abandonment by him, the more extraordinary from the evidences of his attachment to her. up sprang also the opinion of universal prevalence in the city that he had perished in the great fire. what did it all mean? what kind of man was he? the servant carried a package wrapped in gold-embroidered green silk. coming near, the prince raised his eyes--stopped--smiled--and said: "count corti--or mirza the emir--which have i the honor of meeting?" in spite of the offence he felt, corti blushed, such a flood of light did the salutation let in upon the falsity of his position. far from losing presence of mind, he perceived at once how intimately the prince stood in the councils of the sultan. "the lord mahommed must be heard before i can answer," he returned, calmly. in an instant the prince became cordial. "that was well answered," he said. "i am pleased to have my judgment of you confirmed. your mission has been a trying one, but you have conducted it like a master. the lord mahommed has thanked me many times that i suggested you for it. he is impatient to see you. we will go in together." mahommed, in armor, was standing by a table on which were a bare cimeter, a lamp brightly burning, and two large unrolled maps. in one of the latter, the count recognized constantinople and its environs cast together from his own surveys. retired a few steps were the two viziers, kalil pacha and his rival, saganos pacha, the mollah kourani, and the sheik akschem-sed-din. the preaching of the mollah had powerfully contributed to arousing the fanatical spirit of the sultan's mohammedan subjects. the four were standing in the attitude usual to turkish officials in presence of a superior, their heads bowed, their hands upon their stomachs. in speaking, if they raised their eyes from the floor it was to shoot a furtive glance, then drop them again. "this is the grand design of the work by which you will be governed," mahommed said to the counsellors, laying the finger points of his right hand upon the map unknown to the count, and speaking earnestly. "you will take it, and make copies tonight; for if the stars fail not, i will send the masons and their workmen to the other shore in the morning." the advisers saluted--it would be difficult to say which of them with the greatest unction. looking sharply at kalil, the master asked: "you say you superintended the running of the lines in person?" kalil saluted separately, and returned: "my lord may depend upon the survey." "very well. i wait now only the indication of heaven that the time is ripe for the movement. is the prince of india coming?" "i am here, my lord." mahommed turned as the prince spoke, and let his eyes rest a moment upon count corti, without a sign of recognition. "come forward, prince," he said. "what is the message you bring me?" "my lord," the prince replied, after prostration, "in the hebrew scriptures there is a saying in proof of the influence the planets have in the affairs of men: 'then fought the kings of canaan in taanach by the waters of megiddo; they fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against sisera.' now art thou truly sultan of sultans. to-morrow--the twenty-sixth of march--will be memorable amongst days, for then thou mayst begin the war with the perfidious greek. from four o'clock in the morning the stars which fought against sisera will fight for mahommed. let those who love him salute and rejoice." the counsellors, dropping on their knees, fell forward, their faces on their hands. the prince of india did the same. count corti alone remained standing, and mahommed again observed him. "hear you," the latter said, to his officers. "go assemble the masons and their workmen, the masters of boats, and the chiefs charged with duties. at four o'clock in the morning i will move against europe. the stars have said it, and their permission is my law. rise!" as his associates were moving backward with repeated genuflections, the prince of india spoke: "o most favored of men! let them stay a moment." at a sign from the sultan they halted; thereupon the prince of india beckoned syama to come, and taking the package from his hands, he laid it on the table. "for my lord mahommed," he said. "what is it?" mahommed demanded. "a sign of conquest.... my lord knows king solomon ruled the world in his day, its soul of wisdom. at his death dominion did not depart from him. the secret ministers in the earth, the air and the waters, obedient to allah, became his slaves. my lord knows of whom i speak. who can resist them? ... in the tomb of hiram, king of tyre, the friend of king solomon, i found a sarcophagus. it was covered with a model in marble of the temple of the hebrew almighty god. removing the lid, lo! the mummy of hiram, a crown upon its head, and at its feet the sword of solomon, a present without price. i brought it away, resolved to give it to him whom the stars should elect for the overthrow of the superstitions devised by jesus, the bastard son of joseph the carpenter of nazareth.... undo the wrappings, lord mahommed." the sultan obeyed, and laying the last fold of the cloth aside, drew back staring, and with uplifted hands. "kalil--kourani--akschem-sed-din--all of you, come look. tell me what it is--it blinds me." the sword of solomon lay before them; its curved blade a gleam of splendor, its scabbard a mass of brilliants, its hilt a ruby so pure we may say it retained in its heart the life of a flame. "take it in hand, lord mahommed," said the prince of india. the young sultan lifted the sword, and as he did so down a groove in its back a stream of pearls started and ran, ringing musically, and would not rest while he kept the blade in motion. he was speechless from wonder. "now may my lord march upon constantinople, for the stars and every secret minister of solomon will fight for him." so saying, the prince knelt before the sultan, and laid his lips on the instep of his foot, adding: "oh, my lord! with that symbol in hand, march, and surely as tabor is among the mountains and carmel by the sea, so surely christ will give place to mahomet in sancta sophia. march at four o'clock." and the counsellors left kisses on the same instep, and departed. thence through the night the noises of preparation kept the space between the hills of the narrows alive with echoes. at the hour permitted by the stars--four o'clock--a cloud of boats cast loose from the asiatic shore, and with six thousand laborers, handmen to a thousand master masons, crossed at racing speed to europe. "god is god, and mahomet is his prophet," they shouted. the vessels of burden, those with lime, those with stone, those with wood, followed as they were called, and unloading, hauled out, to give place to others. before sun up the lines of the triangular fort whose walls near roumeli-hissar are yet intact, prospectively a landmark enduring as the pyramids, were defined and swarming with laborers. the three pachas, kalil, sarudje, and saganos, superintended each a side of the work, and over them all, active and fiercely zealous, moved mahommed, the sword of solomon in his hand. and there was no lack of material for the structure extensive as it was. asia furnished its quota, and christian towns and churches on the bosphorus were remorselessly levelled for the stones in them; wherefore the outer faces of the curtains and towers are yet speckled with marbles in block, capital and column. thus mahommed, taking his first step in the war so long a fervid dream, made sure of his base of operations. on the twenty-eighth of august, the work completed, from his camp on the old asometon promontory he reconnoitred the country up to the ditch of constantinople, and on the first of september betook himself to adrianople. chapter ii mahommed and count corti make a wager upon the retirement of the prince of india and the counsellors, mahommed took seat by the table, and played with the sword of solomon, making the pearls travel up and down the groove in the blade, listening to their low ringing, and searching for inscriptions. this went on until count corti began to think himself forgotten. at length the sultan, looking under the guard, uttered an exclamation--looked again--and cried out: "o allah! it is true!--may i be forgiven for doubting him!--come, mirza, come see if my eyes deceive me. here at my side!" the count mastered his surprise, and was presently leaning over the sultan's shoulder. "you remember, mirza, we set out together studying hebrew. against your will i carried you along with me until you knew the alphabet, and could read a little. you preferred italian, and when i brought the learned men, and submitted to them that hebrew was one of a family of tongues more or less alike, and would have sent you with them to the sidonian coast for inscriptions, you refused. do you remember?" "my lord, those were the happiest days of my life." mahommed laughed. "i kept you three days on bread and water, and let you off then because i could not do without you.... but for the matter now. under this guard--look--are not the brilliants set in the form of letters?" corti examined closely. "yes, yes; there are letters--i see them plainly--a name." "spell it." "s-o-l-o-m-o-n." "then i have not deceived myself," mahommed exclaimed. "nor less has the prince of india deceived me." he grew more serious. "a marvellous man! i cannot make him out. the more i do with him the more incomprehensible he becomes. the long past is familiar to him as the present to me. he is continually digging up things ages old, and amazing me with them. several times i have asked him when he was born, and he has always made the same reply: 'i will tell when you are lord of constantinople.' ... how he hates christ and the christians! ... this is indeed the sword of solomon--and he found it in the tomb of hiram, and gives it to me as the elect of the stars now. ponder it, o mirza! now at the mid of the night in which i whistle up my dogs of war to loose them on the _gabour_--how, mirza--what ails you? why that change of countenance? is he not a dog of an unbeliever? on your knees before me--i have more to tell you than to ask. no, spurs are troublesome. to the door and bid the keeper there bring a stool--and look lest the lock have an ear hanging to it. old kalil, going out, though bowing, and lip-handing me, never took his eyes off you." the stool brought, corti was about to sit. "take off your cap"--mahommed spoke sternly--"for as you are not the mirza i sent away, i want to see your face while we talk. sit here, in the full of the light." the count seated, placed his hooded cap on the floor. he was perfectly collected. mahommed fingered the ruby hilt while searching the eyes which as calmly searched his. "how brave you are!" the sultan began, but stopped. "poor mirza!" he began again, his countenance softened. one would have said some tender recollection was melting the shell of his heart. "poor mirza! i loved you better than i loved my father, better than i loved my brothers, well as i loved my mother--with a love surpassing all i ever knew but one, and of that we will presently speak. if honor has a soul, it lives in you, and the breath you draw is its wine, purer than the first expressage of grapes from the prophet's garden down by medina. your eyes look truth, your tongue drips it as a broken honey-comb drips honey. you are truth as god is god." he was speaking sincerely. "fool--fool--that i let you go!--and i would not--no, by the rose-door of paradise and the golden stairs to the house of allah, i would not had i loved my full moon of full moons less. she was parted from me; and with whose eyes could i see her so well as with yours, o my falcon? who else would report to me so truly her words? love makes men and lions mad; it possessed me; and i should have died of it but for your ministering. wherefore, o mirza"-the count had been growing restive; now he spoke. "my lord is about committing himself to some pledge. he were wise, did he hear me first." "perhaps so," the sultan rejoined, uncertainly, but added immediately: "i will hear you." "it is true, as my lord said, i am not the mirza he despatched to italy. the changes i have undergone are material; and in recounting them i anticipate his anger. he sees before him the most wretched of men to whom death would be mercy." "is it so bad? you were happy when you went away. was not the mission to your content?" "my lord's memory is a crystal cup from which nothing escapes--a cup without a leak. he must recall how i prayed to stay with him." "yes, yes." "my dread was prophetic." "tell me of the changes." "i will--and truly as there is but one god, and he the father of life and maker of things. first, then, the affection which at my going was my lord's, and which gave me to see him as the light of the world, and the perfection of glory in promise, is now divided." "you mean there is another light of the world? be it so, and still you leave me flattered. how far you had to travel before finding the other! who is he?" "the emperor of the greeks." "constantine? are his gifts so many and rich? the next." "i am a christian." "indeed? perhaps you can tell me the difference between god and allah. yesterday kourani said they were the same." "nay, my lord, the difference is between christ and mahomet." "the mother of the one was a jewess, the mother of the other an arab--i see. go on." the count did not flinch. "my lord, great as is your love of the princess irene"--mahommed half raised his hands, his brows knit, his eyes filled with fire, but the count continued composedly--"mine is greater." the sultan recovered himself. "the proof, the proof!" he said, his voice a little raised. "my love of her is consuming me, but i see you alive." "my lord's demand is reasonable. i came here to make the avowal, and die. would my lord so much?" "you would die for the princess?" "my lord has said it." "is there not something else in the urgency?" "yes--honor." the count's astonishment was unspeakable. he expected an outburst of wrath unappeasable, a summons for an executioner; instead, mahommed's eyes became humid, and resting his elbow on the table, and his face on the thumb and forefinger, he said, gazing sorrowfully: "ahmed was my little brother. his mother published before my father's death, that my mother was a slave. she was working for her child already, and i had him smothered in a bath. cruel? god forgive me! it was my duty to provide for the peace of my people. i had a right to take care of myself; yet will i never be forgiven. kismet!... i have had many men slain since. i travel, going to mighty events beckoned by destiny. the ordinary cheap soul cannot understand how necessary it is that my path should be smooth and clear; for sometime i may want to run; and he will amuse or avenge himself by stamping me in history a monster without a soul. kismet! ... but you, my poor mirza, you should know me better. you are my brother without guile. i am not afraid to love you. i do love you. let us see.... your letters from constantinople--i have them all--told me so much more than you intended, i could not suspect your fidelity. they prepared me for everything you have confessed. hear how in my mind i disposed of them point by point.... 'mirza,' i said, 'pities the _gabour_ emperor; in the end he will love him. loving a hundred men is less miraculous in a man than loving one. he will make comparisons. why not? the _gabour_ appeals to him through his weakness, i through my strength. i would rather be feared than pitied. moreover, the _gabour's_ day runs to its close, and as it closes, mine opens. pity never justified treason.' ... and i said, too, on reading the despatch detailing your adventures in italy: 'poor mirza! now has he discovered he is an italian, stolen when a child, and having found his father's castle and his mother, a noble woman, he will become a christian, for so would i in his place.' did i stop there? the wife of the pacha who received you from your abductors is in broussa. i sent to her asking if she had a keepsake or memento which would help prove your family and country. see what she returned to me." from under a cloth at the further end of the table, mahommed drew a box, and opening it, produced a collar of lace fastened with a cameo pin. on the pin there was a graven figure. "tell me, mirza, if you recognize the engraving." the count took the cameo, looked at it, and replied, with a shaking voice: "the arms of the corti! god be praised!" "and here--what are these, and what the name on them?" mahommed gave him a pair of red morocco half-boots for a child, on which, near the tops, a name was worked in silk. "it is mine, my lord--my name--'ugo.'" he cast himself before the sultan, and embraced his knees, saying, in snatches as best he could: "i do not know what my lord intends--whether he means i am to die or live--if it be death, i pray him to complete his mercy by sending these proofs to my mother"-"poor mirza, arise! i prefer to have your face before me." directly the count was reseated, mahommed continued: "and you, too, love the princess irene? you say you love her more than i? and you thought i could not endure hearing you tell it? that i would summon black hassan with his bowstring? with all your opportunities, your seeing and hearing her, as the days multiplied from tens to hundreds, is it for me to teach you she will come to no man except as a sacrifice? what great thing have you to offer her? while i--well, by this sword of solomon, to-morrow morning i set out to say to her: 'for thy love, o my full moon of full moons, for thy love thou shalt have the redemption of thy church.'... and besides, did i not foresee your passion? courtiers stoop low and take pains to win favor; but no courtier, not even a professional, intending merely to please me, could have written of her as you did; and by that sign, o mirza, i knew you were in the extremity of passion. offended? not so, not so! i sent you to take care of her--fight for her--die, if her need were so great. of whom might i expect such service but a lover? did i not, the night of our parting, foretell what would happen?" he paused gazing at the ruby of the ring on his finger. "see, mirza! there has not been a waking hour since you left me but i have looked at this jewel; and it has kept color faithfully. often as i beheld it, i said: 'mirza loves her because he cannot help it; yet he is keeping honor with me. mirza is truth, as god is god. from his hand will i receive her in constantinople'"-"o my lord"-"peace, peace! the night wanes, and you have to return. of what was i speaking? oh, yes"-"but hear me, my lord. at the risk of your displeasure i must speak." "what is it?" "in her presence my heart is always like to burst, yet, as i am to be judged in the last great day, i have kept faith with my lord. once she thanked me--it was after i offered myself to the lion--o heaven! how nearly i lost my honor! oh, the agony of that silence! the anguish of that remembrance! i have kept the faith, my lord. but day by day now the will to keep it grows weaker. all that holds me steadfast is my position in constantinople. what am i there?" the count buried his face in his hands, and through the links in his surcoat the tremor which shook his body was apparent. mahommed waited. "what am i there? having come to see the goodness of the emperor, i must run daily to betray him. i am a christian; yet as judas sold his master, i am under compact to sell my religion. i love a noble woman, yet am pledged to keep her safely, and deliver her to another. o my lord, my lord! this cannot go on. shame is a vulture, and it is tearing me--my heart bleeds in its beak. release me, or give me to death. if you love me, release me." "poor mirza!" "my lord, i am not afraid." mahommed struck the table violently, and his eyes glittered. "that ever one should think i loved a coward! yet more intolerable, that he whom i have called brother should know me so little! can it be, o mirza, can it be, you tell me these things imagining them new to me? ... let me have done. what we are saying would have become us ten years ago, not now. it is unmanly. i had a purpose in sending for you.... your mission in constantinople ends in the morning at four o'clock. in other words, o mirza, the condition passes from preparation for war with the _gabour_ to war. observe now. you are a fighting man--a knight of skill and courage. in the rencounters to which i am going--the sorties, the assaults, the duels single and in force, the exchanges with all arms, bow, arbalist, guns small and great, the mines and countermines--you cannot stay out. you must fight. is it not so?" corti's head arose, his countenance brightened. "my lord, i fear i run forward of your words--forgive me." "yes, give ear.... the question now is, whom will you fight--me or the _gabour?_" "o my lord"-"be quiet, i say. the issue is not whether you love me less. i prefer you give him your best service." "how, my lord?" "i am not speaking in contempt, but with full knowledge of your superiority with weapons--of the many of mine who must go down before you. and that you may not be under restraint of conscience or arm-tied in the melee, i not only conclude your mission, but release you from every obligation to me." "every obligation!" "i know my words, emir, yet i will leave nothing uncertain.... you will go back to the city free of every obligation to me--arm-free, mind-free. be a christian, if you like. send me no more despatches advisory of the emperor"-"and the princess irene, my lord?" mahommed smiled at the count's eagerness. "have patience, mirza.... of the moneys had from me, and the properties heretofore mine in trust, goods, horses, arms, armor, the galley and its crew, i give them to you without an accounting. you cannot deliver them to me or dispose of them, except with an explanation which would weaken your standing in blacherne, if not undo you utterly. you have earned them." corti's face reddened. "with all my lord's generosity, i cannot accept this favor. honor"-"silence, emir, and hear me. i have never been careless of your honor. when you set out for italy, preparatory to the mission at constantinople, you owed me duty, and there was no shame in the performance; but now--so have the changes wrought--that which was honorable to mirza the emir is scandalous to count corti. after four o'clock you will owe me no duty; neither will you be in my service. from that hour mirza, my falcon, will cease to be. he will have vanished. or if ever i know him more, it will be as count corti, christian, stranger, and enemy." "enemy--my lord's enemy? never!" the count protested with extended arms. "yes, circumstances will govern. and now the princess irene." mahommed paused; then, summoning his might of will, and giving it expression in a look, he laid a forcible hand on the listener's shoulder. "of her now.... i have devised a promotion for you, emir. after to-night we will be rivals." corti was speechless--he could only stare. "by the rose-door of paradise--the only oath fit for a lover--or, as more becoming a knight, by this sword of solomon, emir, i mean the rivalry to be becoming and just. i have an advantage of you. with women rank and riches are as candles to moths. on the other side your advantage is double; you are a christian, and may be in her eyes day after day. and not to leave you in mean condition, i give you the moneys and property now in your possession; not as a payment--god forbid!--but for pride's sake--my pride. mahommed the sultan may not dispute with a knight who has only a sword." "i have estates in italy." "they might as well be in the moon. i shall enclose constantinople before you could arrange with the jews, and have money enough to buy a feather for your cap. if this were less true, comes then the argument: how can you dispose of the properties in hand, and quiet the gossips in the _gabour's_ palace? 'where are your horses?' they will ask. what answer have you? 'where your galley?' answer. 'where your mohammedan crew?' answer." the count yielded the debate, saying: "i cannot comprehend my lord. such thing was never heard of before." "must men be restrained because the thing they wish to do was never heard of before? shall i not build a mosque with five minarets because other builders stopped with three? ... to the sum of it all now. christian or moslem, are you willing to refer our rivalry for the young woman to god?" "my wonder grows with listening to my lord." "nay, this surprises you because it is new. i have had it in mind for months. it did not come to me easily. it demanded self-denial--something i am unused to.... here it is--i am willing to call heaven in, and let it decide whether she shall be mine or yours--this lily of paradise whom all men love at sight. dare you as much?" the soldier spirit arose in the count. "now or then, here or there, as my lord may appoint. i am ready. he has but to name his champion." "i protest. the duel would be unequal. as well match a heron and a hawk. there is a better way of making our appeal. listen.... the walls of constantinople have never succumbed to attack. hosts have dashed against them, and fled or been lost. it may be so with me; but i will march, and in my turn assault them, and thou defending with thy best might. if i am beaten, if i retire, be the cause of failure this or that, we--you and i, o mirza--will call it a judgment of heaven, and the princess shall be yours; but if i success and enter the city, it shall be a judgment no less, and then"--mahommed's eyes were full of fire--"then"-"what then, my lord?" "thou shalt see to her safety in the last struggle, and conduct her to sancta sophia, and there deliver her to me as ordered by god." corti was never so agitated. he turned pale and red--he trembled visibly. mahommed asked mockingly: "is it mirza i am treating with, or count corti? are christians so unwilling to trust god?" "but, my lord, it is a wager you offer me." "call it so." "and its conditions imply slavery for the princess. change them, my lord--allow her to be consulted and have her will, be the judgment this or that." mahommed clinched his hands. "am i a brute? did ever woman lay her head on my breast perforce?" the count replied, firmly: "such a condition would be against us both alike." the sultan struggled with himself a moment. "be it so," he rejoined. "the wager is my proposal, and i will go through with it. take the condition, emir. if i win, she shall come to me of her free will or not at all." "a wife, my lord?" "in my love first, and in my household first--my sultana." the animation which then came to the count was wonderful. he kissed mahommed's hand. "now has my lord outdone himself in generosity. i accept. in no other mode could the issue be made so absolutely a determination of heaven." mahommed arose. "we are agreed.--the interview is finished.--ali is waiting for you." he replaced the cover on the box containing the collar and the half-boots. "i will send these to the countess your mother; for hereafter you are to be to me ugo, count corti.... my falcon hath cast its jess and hood. mirza is no more. farewell mirza." corti was deeply moved. prostrating himself, he arose, and replied: "i go hence more my lord's lover than ever. death to the stranger who in my presence takes his name in vain." as he was retiring, mahommed spoke again: "a word, count.... in what we are going to, the comfort and safety of the princess irene may require you to communicate with me. you have ready wit for such emergencies. leave me a suggestion." corti reflected an instant. "the signal must proceed from me," he said. "my lord will pitch his tent in sight"-"by solomon, and this his sword, yes! every _gabour_ who dares look over the wall shall see it while there is a hill abiding." the count bowed. "i know my lord, and give him this--god helping me, i will make myself notorious to the besiegers as he will be to the besieged. if at any time he sees my banderole, or if it be reported to him, let him look if my shield be black; if so, he shall come himself with a shield the color of mine, and place himself in my view. my lord knows i make my own arrows. if i shoot one black feathered, he must pick it up. the ferrule will be of hollow lead covering a bit of scrip." "once more, count corti, the issue is with god. good night." traversing the passage outside the door, the count met the prince of india. "an hour ago i would have entitled you emir: but now"--the prince smiled while speaking--"i have stayed to thank count corti for his kindness to my black friend nilo." "your servant?" "my friend and ally--nilo the king.... if the count desires to add to the obligation, he will send the royal person to me with ali when he returns to-night." "i will send him." "thanks, count corti." the latter lingered, gazing into the large eyes and ruddy face, expecting at least an inquiry after lael. he received merely a bow, and the words: "we will meet again." night was yet over the city, when ali, having landed the count, drew out of the gate with nilo. the gladness of the king at being restored to his master can be easily fancied. chapter iii the bloody harvest in june, a few days after the completion of the enormous work begun by mahommed on the asometon promontory, out of a gate attached to the high residence of blacherne, familiarly known as the caligaria, there issued a small troop of horsemen of the imperial military establishment. the leader of this party--ten in all--was count corti. quite a body of spectators witnessed the exit, and in their eyes he was the most gallant knight they had ever seen. they cheered him as, turning to the right after issuance from the gate, he plunged at a lively trot into the ravine at the foot of the wall, practically an immense natural fosse. "god and our lady of blacherne," they shouted, and continued shouting while he was in sight, notwithstanding he did not so much as shake the banderole on his lance in reply. of the count's appearance this morning it is unnecessary to say more than that he was in the suit of light armor habitual to him, and as an indication of serious intent, bore, besides the lance, a hammer or battle-axe fixed to his saddle-bow, a curved sword considerably longer, though not so broad as a cimeter, a bow and quiver of arrows at his back, and a small shield or buckler over the quiver. the favorite chestnut arab served him for mount, its head and neck clothed in flexible mail. the nine men following were equipped like himself in every particular, except that their heads were protected by close-fitting conical caps, and instead of armor on their legs, they wore flowing red trousers. of them it may be further remarked, their mode of riding, due to their short stirrups, was indicative of folk akin to the bedouin of the desert. upon returning from the last interview with mahommed in the white castle, the count had subjected the crew of his galley to rigorous trial of fitness for land service. nine of them he found excellent riders after their fashion, and selecting them as the most promising, he proceeded to instruct them in the use of the arms they were now bearing. his object in this small organization was a support to rush in after him rather than a battle front. that is, in a charge he was to be the lance's point, and they the broadening of the lance's blade; while he was engaged, intent on the foe before him, eight of them were to guard him right and left, and, as the exigencies of combat might demand, open and close in fan-like movement. the ninth man was a fighter in their rear. in the simple manoeuvring of this order of battle he had practised them diligently through the months. the skill attained was remarkable; and the drilling having been in the hippodrome, open to the public, the concourse to see it had been encouraging. in truth, the wager with mahommed had supplied the count with energy of body and mind. he studied the chances of the contest, knowing how swiftly it was coming, and believed it possible to defend the city successfully. at all events, he would do his best, and if the judgment were adverse, it should not be through default on his part. the danger--and he discerned it with painful clearness--was in the religious dissensions of the greeks; still he fancied the first serious blow struck by the turks, the first bloodshed, would bring the factions together, if only for the common safety. it is well worth while here to ascertain the views and feelings of the people whom count corti was thus making ready to defend. this may be said of them generally: it seemed impossible to bring them to believe the sultan really intended war against the city. "what if he does?" they argued. "who but a young fool would think of such a thing? if he comes, we will show him the banner of the blessed lady from the walls." if in the argument there was allusion to the tower on the asometon heights, so tall one could stand on its lead-covered roof, and looking over the intermediate hills, almost see into constantinople, the careless populace hooted at the exaggeration: "there be royal idiots as well as every-day idiots. staring at us is one thing, shooting at us is another. towers with walls thirty feet thick are not movable." one day a report was wafted through the gates that a gun in the water battery of the new turkish fort had sunk a passing ship. "what flag was the ship flying?" "the venetian." "ah, that settles it," the public cried. "the sultan wants to keep the venetians out of the black sea. the turks and the venetians have always been at war." a trifle later intelligence came that the sultan, lingering at basch-kegan, supposably because the air along the bosphorus was better than the air at adrianople, had effected a treaty by which the podesta of galata bound his city to neutrality; still the complacency of the byzantines was in no wise disturbed. "score one for the genoese. it is good to hear of their beating the venetians." occasionally a wanderer--possibly a merchant, more likely a spy--passing the bazaars of byzantium, entertained the booth-keepers with stories of cannon being cast for the sultan so big that six men tied together might be fired from them at once. the greeks only jeered. some said: "oh, the mahound must be intending a salute for the man in the moon of ramazan!" others decided: "well, he is crazier than we thought him. there are many hills on the road to adrianople, and at the foot of every hill there is a bridge. to get here he must invent wings for his guns, and even then it will be long before they can be taught to fly." at times, too, the old city was set agog with rumors from the asiatic provinces opposite that the sultan was levying unheard-of armies; he had half a million recruits already, but wanted a million. "oh, he means to put a lasting quietus on huniades and his hungarians. he is sensible in taking so many men." in compliment to the intelligence of the public, this obliviousness to danger had one fostering circumstance--the gates of the city on land and water stood open day and night. "see," it was everywhere said, "the emperor is not alarmed. who has more at stake than he? he is a soldier, if he is an _azymite_. he keeps ambassadors with the sultan--what for, if not to be advised?" and there was a great deal in the argument. at length the greek ambassadors were expelled by mahommed. it was while he lay at basch-kegan. they themselves brought the news. this was ominous, yet the public kept its spirits. the churches, notably sancta sophia, were more than usually crowded with women; that was all, for the gates not only remained open, but traffic went in and out of them unhindered--out even to the turkish camp, the byzantines actually competing with their neighbors of galata in the furnishment of supplies. nay, at this very period every morning a troop of the imperial guard convoyed a wagon from blacherne out to basch-kegan laden with the choicest food and wines; and to the officer receiving them the captain of the convoy invariably delivered himself: "from his majesty, the emperor of the romans and greeks, to the lord mahommed, sultan of the turks. prosperity and long life to the sultan." if these were empty compliments, if the relations between the potentates were slippery, if war were hatching, what was the emperor about? six months before the fort opposite the white castle was begun, constantine had been warned of mahommed's projected movement against his capital. the warning was from kalil pacha; and whether kalil was moved by pity, friendship, or avarice is of no moment; certain it is the emperor acted upon the advice. he summoned a council, and proposed war; but was advised to send a protesting embassy to the enemy. a scornful answer was returned. seeing the timidity of his cabinet, cast upon himself, he resolved to effect a policy, and accordingly expostulated, prayed, sent presents, offered tribute, and by such means managed to satisfy his advisers; yet all the time he was straining his resources in preparation. in the outset, he forced himself to face two facts of the gravest import: first, of his people, those of age and thews for fighting were in frocks, burrowing in monasteries; next, the clergy and their affiliates were his enemies, many openly preferring a turk to an _azymite_. a more discouraging prospect it is difficult to imagine. there was but one hope left him. europe was full of professional soldiers. perhaps the pope had influence to send him a sufficient contingent. would his holiness interest himself so far? the brave emperor despatched an embassy to rome, promising submission to the papacy, and praying help in christ's name. meantime his agents dispersed themselves through the aegean, buying provisions and arms, enginery, and war material of all kinds. this business kept his remnant of a navy occupied. every few days a vessel would arrive with stores for the magazine under the hippodrome. by the time the fort at roumeli hissar was finished, one of his anxieties was in a measure relieved. the other was more serious. then the frequency with which he climbed the tower of isaac, the hours he passed there gazing wistfully southward down the mirror of the marmora, became observable. the valorous, knightly heart, groaning under the humiliations of the haughty turk, weary not less of the incapacity of his own people to perceive their peril, and arise heroically to meet it, found opportunity to meditate while he was pacing the lofty lookout, and struggling to descry the advance of the expected succor. in this apology the reader who has wondered at the inaction of the emperor what time the sultan was perfecting his asiatic communications is answered. there was nothing for him but a siege. to that alternative the last of the romans was reduced. he could not promise himself enough of his own subjects to keep the gates, much less take the field. the country around constantinople was given to agriculture. during the planting season, and the growing, the greek husbandmen received neither offence nor alarm from the turks. but in june, when the emerald of the cornfields was turning to gold, herds of mules and cavalry horses began to ravage the fields, and the watchmen, hastening from their little huts on the hills to drive them out, were set upon by the soldiers and beaten. they complained to the emperor, and he sent an embassy to the sultan praying him to save the crops from ruin. in reply, mahommed ordered the son of isfendiar, a relative, to destroy the harvest. the peasants resisted, and not unsuccessfully. in the south, and in the fields near hissar on the north, there were deaths on both sides. intelligence of the affair coming to constantine, he summoned count corti. "the long expected has arrived," he said. "blood has been shed. my people have been attacked and slain in their fields; their bodies lie out unburied. the war cannot be longer deferred. it is true the succors from the holy father have not arrived; but they are on the way, and until they come we must defend ourselves. cold and indifferent my people have certainly been. now i will make a last effort to arouse them. go out toward hissar, and recover the dead. have the bodies brought in just as they are. i will expose them in the hippodrome. perhaps their bruises and blood may have an effect; if not, god help this christian city. i will give you a force." "your majesty," the count replied, "such an expedition might provoke an advance upon the city before you are entirely prepared. permit me to select a party from my own men." "as you choose. a guide will accompany you." to get to the uplands, so to speak, over which, north of galata, the road to hissar stretched, corti was conducted past the cynegion and through the districts of eyoub to the sweet waters of europe, which he crossed by a bridge below the site of the present neglected country palace of the sultan. up on the heights he turned left of pera, and after half an hour's rapid movement was trending northward parallel with the bosphorus, reaches of which were occasionally visible through cleftings of the mountainous shore. straw-thatched farmhouses dotted the hills and slopes, and the harvest spread right and left in cheerful prospect. the adventurer had ample time to think; but did little of it, being too full of self-gratulation at having before him an opportunity to recommend himself to the emperor, with a possibility of earning distinction creditable in the opinion of the princess irene. at length an exclamation of his guide aroused him to action. "the turks, the turks!" "where?" "see that smoke." over a hilltop in his front, the count beheld the sign of alarm crawling slowly into the sky. "here is a village--to our left, but"-"have done," said corti, "and get me to the fire. is there a nearer way than this?" "yes, under the hill yonder." "is it broken?" "it narrows to a path, but is clear." the count spoke in arabic to his followers, and taking the gallop, pushed the guide forward. shortly a party of terror-stricken peasants ran down toward him. "why do you run? what is the matter?" he asked. "oh, the turks, the turks!" "what of them? stand, and tell me." "we went to work this morning cutting corn, for it is now ripe enough. the mahounds broke in on us. we were a dozen to their fifty or more. we only escaped, and they set fire to the field. o christ, and the most holy mother! let us pass, or we too will be slain!" "are they mounted?" "some have horses, some are afoot." "where are they now?" "in the field on the hill." "well, go to the village fast as you can, and tell the men there to come and pick up their dead. tell them not to fear, for the emperor has sent me to take care of them." with that the count rode on. this was the sight presented him when he made the ascent: a wheat field sloping gradually to the northeast; fire creeping across it crackling, smoking, momentarily widening; through the cloud a company of turkish soldiers halted, mostly horsemen, their arms glinting brightly in the noon sun; blackened objects, unmistakably dead men, lying here and there. thus the tale of the survivors of the massacre was confirmed. corti gave his lance with the banderole on it to the guide. by direction his berbers drove their lances into the earth that they might leave them standing, drew their swords, and brought their bucklers forward. then he led them into the field. a few words more, directions probably, and he started toward the enemy, his followers close behind two and two, with a rear-guardsman. he allowed no outcry, but gradually increased the pace. there were two hundred and more yards to be crossed, level, except the slope, and with only the moving line of fire as an impediment. the crop, short and thin, was no obstacle under the hoofs. the turks watched the movement herded, like astonished sheep. they may not have comprehended that they were being charged, or they may have despised the assailants on account of their inferiority in numbers, or they may have relied on the fire as a defensive wall; whatever the reason, they stood passively waiting. when the count came to the fire, he gave his horse the spur, and plunging into the smoke and through the flame full speed, appeared on the other side, shouting: "christ and our lady of blacherne!" his long sword flashed seemingly brighter of the passage just made. fleckings of flame clung to the horses. what the battle-cry of the berbers we may not tell. they screamed something un-christian, echoes of the desert. then the enemy stirred; some drew their blades, some strung their bows; the footmen amongst them caught their javelins or half-spears in the middle, and facing to the rear, fled, and kept flying, without once looking over their shoulders. one man mounted, and in brighter armor than the others, his steel cap surmounted with an immense white turban, a sparkling aigrette pinned to the turban, cimeter in hand, strove to form his companions--but it was too late. "christ and our lady of blacherne!"--and with that corti was in their midst; and after him, into the lane he opened, his berbers drove pell-mell, knocking turks from their saddles, and overthrowing horses--and there was cutting and thrusting, and wounds given, and souls rendered up through darkened eyes. the killing was all on one side; then as a bowl splinters under a stroke, the turkish mass flew apart, and went helter-skelter off, each man striving to take care of himself. the berbers spared none of the overtaken. spying the man with the showy armor, the count made a dash to get to him, and succeeded, for to say truth, he was not an unwilling foeman. a brief combat took place, scarcely more than a blow, and the turk was disarmed and at mercy. "son of isfendiar," said corti, "the slaying these poor people with only their harvest knives for weapons was murder. why should i spare your life?" "i was ordered to punish them." "by whom?" "my lord the sultan." "do your master no shame. i know and honor him." "yesterday they slew our moslems." "they but defended their own.... you deserve death, but i have a message for the lord mahommed. swear by the bones of the prophet to deliver it, and i will spare you." "if you know my master, as you say, he is quick and fierce of temper, and if i must die, the stroke may be preferable at your hand. give me the message first." "well, come with me." the two remained together until the flight and pursuit were ended; then, the fire reduced to patches for want of stalks to feed it, the count led the way back to the point at which he entered the field. taking his lance from the guide, he passed it to the prisoner. "this is what i would have you do," he said. "the lance is mine. carry it to your master, the lord mahommed, and say to him, ugo, count corti, salute him, and prays him to look at the banderole, and fix it in his memory. he will understand the message, and be grateful for it. now will you swear?" the banderole was a small flag of yellow silk, with a red moon in the centre, and on the face of the moon a white cross. glancing at it, the son of isfendiar replied: "take off the cross, and you show me a miniature standard of the _silihdars_, my lord's guard of the palace." then looking the count full in the face, he added: "under other conditions i should salute you mirza, emir of the hajj." "i have given you my name and title. answer." "i will deliver the lance and message to my lord--i swear it by the bones of the prophet." scarcely had the turk disappeared in the direction of hissar, when a crowd of peasants, men and women, were seen coming timorously from the direction of the village. the count rode to meet them, and as they were provided with all manner of litters, by his direction the dead greeks were collected, and soon, with piteous lamentations, a funeral cortege was on the road moving slowly to constantinople. anticipating a speedy reappearance of the turks, hostilities being now unavoidable, count corti despatched messengers everywhere along the bosphorus, warning the farmers and villagers to let their fields go, and seek refuge in the city. so it came about that the escort of the murdered peasants momentarily increased until at the bridge over the sweet waters of europe it became a column composed for the most part of women, children, and old men. many of the women carried babies. the old men staggered under such goods as they could lay their hands on in haste. the able-bodied straggled far in the rear with herds of goats, sheep, and cattle; the air above the road rang with cries and prayers, and the road itself was sprinkled with tears. in a word, the movement was a flight. corti, with his berbers, lingered in the vicinity of the field of fight watchful of the enemy. in the evening, having forwarded a messenger to the emperor, he took stand at the bridge; and well enough, for about dusk a horde of turkish militia swept down from the heights in search of plunder and belated victims. at the first bite of his sword, they took to their heels, and were not again seen. by midnight the settlements and farmhouses of the up-country were abandoned; almost the entire district from galata to fanar on the black sea was reduced to ashes. the greek emperor had no longer a frontier or a province--all that remained to him was his capital. many of the fugitives, under quickening of the demonstration at the bridge, threw their burdens away; so the greater part of them at an early hour after nightfall appeared at the adrianople gate objects of harrowing appeal, empty-handed, broken down, miserable. constantine had the funeral escort met at the gate by torch-bearers, and the sextons of the blacherne chapel. intelligence of the massacre, and that the corpses of the harvesters would be conveyed to the hippodrome for public exposure, having been proclaimed generally through the city, a vast multitude was also assembled at the gate. the sensation was prodigious. there were twenty litters, each with a body upon it unwashed and in bloody garments, exactly as brought in. on the right and left of the litters the torchmen took their places. the sextons lit their long candles, and formed in front. behind trudged the worn, dust-covered, wretched fugitives; and as they failed to realize their rescue, and that they were at last in safety, they did not abate their lamentations. when the innumerable procession passed the gate, and commenced its laborious progress along the narrow streets, seldom, if ever, has anything of the kind more pathetic and funereally impressive been witnessed. let be said what may, after all nothing shall stir the human heart like the faces of fellowmen done to death by a common enemy. there was no misjudgment of the power of the appeal in this instance. it is no exaggeration to say byzantium was out assisting--so did the people throng the thoroughfares, block the street intersections, and look down from the windows and balconies. afar they heard the chanting of the sextons, monotonous, yet solemnly effective; afar they saw the swaying candles and torches; and an awful silence signalized the approach of the pageant; but when it was up, and the bodies were borne past, especially when the ghastly countenances of the sufferers were under eye plainly visible in the red torchlight, the outburst of grief and rage in every form, groans, curses, prayers, was terrible, and the amazing voice, such by unity of utterance, went with the dead, and followed after them until at last the hippodrome was reached. there the emperor, on horseback, and with his court and guards, was waiting, and his presence lent nationality to the mournful spectacle. conducting the bearers of the litters to the middle of the oblong area, he bade them lay their burdens down, and summoned the city to the view. "let there be no haste," he said, "for, in want of their souls, the bruised bodies of our poor countrymen shall lie here all tomorrow, every gaping wound crying for vengeance. then on the next day it will be for us to say what we will do--fight, fly, or surrender." through the remainder of the night the work of closing the gates and making them secure continued without cessation. the guards were strengthened at each of them, and no one permitted to pass out. singular to say, a number of eunuchs belonging to the sultan were caught and held. some of the enraged greeks insisted on their death; but the good heart of the emperor prevailed, and the prisoners were escorted to their master. the embassy which went with them announced the closing of the gates. "since neither oaths, nor treaty, nor submission can secure peace, pursue your impious warfare"--thus constantine despatched to mahommed. "my trust is in god; if it shall please him to mollify your heart, i shall rejoice in the change; if he delivers the city in your hands, i submit without a murmur to his holy will. but until he shall pronounce between us, it is my duty to live and die in defence of my people." [footnote: gibbon] mahommed answered with a formal declaration of war. it remains to say that the bodies of the harvesters were viewed as promised. they lay in a row near the twisted serpent, and the people passed them tearfully; in the night they were taken away and buried. sadder still, the result did not answer the emperor's hope. the feeling, mixed of sorrow and rage, was loudly manifested; but it was succeeded by fear, and when the organization of companies was attempted, the exodus was shameful. thousands fled, leaving about one hundred thousand behind, not to fight, but firm in the faith that heaven would take care of the city. after weeks of effort, five thousand greeks took the arms offered them, and were enrolled. chapter iv europe answers the cry for help a man in love, though the hero of many battles, shall be afraid in the presence of his beloved, and it shall be easier for him to challenge an enemy than to ask her love in return. count corti's eagerness to face the lion in the gallery of the cynegion had established his reputation in constantinople for courage; his recent defence of the harvesters raised it yet higher; now his name was on every tongue. his habit of going about in armor had in the first days of his coming subjected him to criticism; for the eyes before which he passed belonged for the most part to a generation more given to prospecting for bezants in fields of peace than the pursuit of glory in the ruggeder fields of war. but the custom was now accepted, and at sight of him, mounted and in glistening armor, even the critics smiled, and showered his head with silent good wishes, or if they spoke it was to say to each other: "oh, that the blessed mother would send us more like him!" and the count knew he had the general favor. we somehow learn such things without their being told us. up in the empyrean courtly circles his relations were quite as gratifying. the emperor made no concealment of his partiality, and again insisted on bringing him to blacherne. "your majesty," the count said one day, "i have no further need of my galley and its crew. i beg you to do with them as you think best." constantine received the offer gratefully. "the galley is a godsend. i will order payment for it. duke notaras, the grand admiral, will agree with you about the price." "if your majesty will permit me to have my way," the count rejoined, "you will order the vessel into the harbor with the fleet, and if the result of the war is with your majesty, the grand admiral can arrange for the payment; if otherwise"--he smiled at the alternative--"i think neither your majesty nor myself will have occasion for a ship." the galley was transferred from the bay of julian to anchorage in the golden horn. that night, speaking of the tender, the emperor said to phranza: "count corti has cast his lot with us. as i interpret him, he does not mean to survive our defeat. see that he be charged to select a bodyguard to accompany me in action." "is he to be captain of the guard?" "yes." the duty brought the count to blacherne. in a few days he had fifty men, including his nine berbers. these circumstances made him happy. he found peace of mind also in his release from mahommed. not an hour of the day passed without his silently thanking the sultan for his magnanimity. but no matter for rejoicing came to him like the privilege of freely attending the princess irene. not only was her reception-room open to him; whether she went to blacherne or sancta sophia, he appeared in her train. often when the hour of prayer arrived, she invited him as one of her household to accompany her to the apartment she had set apart for chapel exercises; and at such times he strove to be devout, but in taking her for his pattern of conduct--as yet he hardly knew when to arise or kneel, or cross himself--if his thoughts wandered from the madonna and child to her, if sometimes he fell to making comparisons in which the madonna suffered as lacking beauty--nay, if not infrequently he caught himself worshipping the living woman at the foot of the altar rather than the divinity above it, few there were who would have been in haste to condemn him even in that day. there is nothing modern in the world's love of a lover. by the treaty with mahommed he was free to tell the princess of his passion; and there were moments in which it seemed he must cast himself at her feet and speak; but then he would be seized with a trembling, his tongue would unaccountably refuse its office, and he would quiet himself with the weakling's plea--another time--to-morrow, to-morrow. and always upon the passing of the opportunity, the impulse being laid with so many of its predecessors in the graveyard of broken resolutions--every swain afraid keeps such a graveyard--always he sallied from her door eager for an enemy on whom to vent his vexation. "ah," he would say, with prolonged emphasis upon the exclamation--"if mahommed were only at the gate! is he never coming?" one day he dismounted at the princess' door, and was ushered into the reception-room by lysander. "i bring you good news," he said, in course of the conversation. "what now?" she asked. "every sword counts. i am just from the port of blacherne, whither i accompanied the grand equerry to assist in receiving one john grant, who has arrived with a following of free lances, mostly my own countrymen." "who is john grant?" "a german old in eastern service; more particularly an expert in making and throwing hollow iron balls filled with inflammable liquid. on striking, the balls burst, after which the fire is unquenchable with water." "oh! our greek fire rediscovered!" "so he declares. his majesty has ordered him the materials he asks, and that he go to work to-morrow getting a store of his missiles ready. the man declares also, if his holiness would only proclaim a crusade against the turks. constantinople has not space on her walls to hold the volunteers who would hasten to her defence. he says genoa, venice, all italy, is aroused and waiting." "john grant is welcome," the princess returned; "the more so that his holiness is slow." afterward, about the first of december, the count again dismounted at her door with news. "what is it now?" she inquired. "noble princess, his holiness has been heard from." "at last?" "a legate will arrive to-morrow." "only a legate! what is his name?" "isidore, grand metropolitan of russia." "brings he a following?" "no soldiers; only a suite of priests high and low." "i see. he comes to negotiate. alas!" "why alas?" "oh, the factions, the factions!" she exclaimed, disconsolately; then, seeing the count still in wonder, she added: "know you not that isidore, familiarly called the cardinal, was appointed metropolitan of the russian greek church by the pope, and, rejected by it, was driven to refuge in poland? what welcome can we suppose he will receive here?" "is he not a greek?" "yes, truly; but being a latin churchman, the brotherhoods hold him an apostate. his first demand will be to celebrate mass in sancta sophia. if the world were about shaking itself to pieces, the commotion would be but little greater than the breaking of things we will then hear. oh, it is an ill wind which blows him to our gates!" meantime the hippodrome had been converted into a campus martius, where at all hours of the day the newly enlisted men were being drilled in the arms to which they were assigned; now as archers, now as slingers; now with balistas and catapults and arquebuses; now to the small artillery especially constructed for service on the walls. and as trade was at an end in the city, as in fact martial preparation occupied attention to the exclusion of business in the commercial sense, the ancient site was a centre of resort. thither the count hastened to work off the disheartenment into which the comments of the princess had thrown him. that same week, however, he and the loyal population of constantinople in general, were cheered by a coming of real importance. early one morning some vessels of war hove in sight down the marmora. their flags proclaimed them christian. simultaneously the lookouts at point demetrius reported a number of turkish galleys plying to and fro up the bosphorus. it was concluded that a naval battle was imminent. the walls in the vicinity of the point were speedily crowded with spectators. in fact, the anxiety was great enough to draw the emperor from his high residence. not doubting the galleys were bringing him stores, possibly reinforcements, he directed his small fleet in the golden horn to be ready to go to their assistance. his conjecture was right; yet more happily the turks made no attempt upon them. turning into the harbor, the strangers ran up the flags of venice and genoa, and never did they appear so beautiful, seen by byzantines--never were they more welcome. the decks were crowded with helmed men who responded vigorously to the cheering with which they were saluted. constantine in person received the newcomers at the port of blacherne. from the wall over the gate the princess irene, with an escort of noble ladies, witnessed the landing. a knight of excellent presence stepped from a boat, and announced himself. "i am john justiniani of genoa," he said, "come with two thousand companions in arms to the succor of the most christian emperor constantine. guide me to him, i pray." "the emperor is here--i am he." justiniani kissed the hand extended to him, and returned with fervor: "christ and the mother be praised! much have i been disquieted lest we should be too late. your majesty, command me." "duke notaras," said the emperor, "assist this noble gentleman and his companions. when they are disembarked, conduct them to me. for the present i will lodge them in my residence." then he addressed the genoese: "duke notaras, high admiral of the empire, will answer your every demand. in god's name, and for the imperilled religion of our redeeming lord, i bid you welcome." it seemed the waving of scarfs and white hands on the wall, and the noisy salutations of the people present, were not agreeable to the duke; although coldly polite, he impressed justiniani as an ill second to the stately but courteous emperor. at night there was an audience in the very high residence, and justiniani assisted phranza in the presentation of his companions; and though the banquet which shortly succeeded the audience may not, in the courses served or in its table splendors, have vied with those alexis resorted to for the dazzlement of the chiefs of the first crusade, it was not entirely wanting in such particulars; for it has often happened, if the chronicles may be trusted, that the expiring light of great countries has lingered longest in their festive halls, just as old families have been known to nurture their pride in sparkling heirlooms, all else having been swept away. the failings on this occasion, if any there were, constantine more than amended by his engaging demeanor. soldier not less than emperor, he knew to win the sympathy and devotion of soldiers. of his foreign guests that evening many afterwards died hardly distinguishing between him and the holy cause which led them to their fate. the table was long, and without head or foot. on one side, in the middle, the emperor presided; opposite him sat the princess irene; and on their right and left, in gallant interspersion, other ladies, the wives and daughters of senators, nobles, and officials of the court, helped charm the western chivalry. and of the guests, the names of a few have been preserved by history, together with the commands to which they were assigned in the siege. there was andrew dinia, under duke notaras, a captain of galleys. there was the venetian contarino, intrusted with the defence of the golden grate. there was maurice cataneo, a soldier of genoa, commandant of the walls on the landward side between the golden gate and the gate selimbria. there were two brothers, gentlemen of genoa, paul bochiardi and antonin troilus bochiardi, defendants of the adrianople gate. there was jerome minotte, bayle of venice, charged with safe keeping the walls between the adrianople gate and the cerco portas. there was the artillerist, german john grant, who, with theodore carystos, made sure of the gate charsias. there was leonardo de langasco, another genoese, keeper of the wood gate. there was gabriel travisan; with four hundred other venetians, he maintained the stretch of wall on the harbor front between point demetrius and the port st. peter. there was pedro guiliani, the spanish consul, assigned to the guardianship of the wall on the sea side from point demetrius to the port of julian. there also was stout nicholas gudelli; with the emperor's brother, he commanded the force in reserve. now these, or the major part of them, may have been free lances; yet they did not await the motion of nicholas, the dilatory pope, and were faithful, and to-day exemplify the saying: "that men may rise on stepping-stones of their dead selves to higher things." chapter v count corti receives a favor "gracious princess, the italian, count corti, is at the door. he prays you to hear a request from him." "return, lysander, and bring the count." it was early morning, with february in its last days. the visitor's iron shoes clanked sharply on the marble floor of the reception room, and the absence of everything like ornament in his equipment bespoke preparation for immediate hard service. "i hope the mother is keeping you well," she said, presenting her hand to him. with a fervor somewhat more marked than common, he kissed the white offering, and awaited her bidding. "my attendants are gone to the chapel, but i will hear you--or will you lend us your presence at the service, and have the audience afterwards?" "i am in armor, and my steed is at the door, and my men biding at the adrianople gate; wherefore, fair princess, if it be your pleasure, i will present my petition now." in grave mistrust, she returned: "god help us, count! i doubt you have something ill to relate. since the good gregory fled into exile to escape his persecutors, but more especially since cardinal isidore attempted latin mass in sancta sophia, and the madman gennadius so frightened the people with his senseless anathemas, [footnote: the scene here alluded to by the princess irene is doubtless the one so vividly described by gibbon as having taken place in sancta sophia, the 12th of december, 1452, being the mass celebrated by cardinal isidore in an attempt to reconcile the latin and greek factions. enumerating the consequences of the same futile effort at compromise, von hammer says: "instead of uniting for the common defence, the greeks and latins fled, leaving the churches empty; the priests refused the sacrament to the dying who were not of their faith; the monks and nuns repudiated confessors who acknowledged the _henoticon_ (decree ordaining the reunion of the two churches); a spirit of frenzy took possession of the convents; one _religieuse_, to the great scandal of all the faithful, adopted the faith and costume of the mussulmans, eating meat and adoring the prophet. thus lent passed." (vol. ii., p. 397.) to the same effect we read in the universal history of the catholic church (vol. xxii., p. 103): "the religious who affected to surpass others in sanctity of life and purity of faith, following the advice of gennadius and their spiritual advisers, as well as that of the preachers and laity of their party, condemned the decree of union, and anathematized those who approved or might approve it. the common people, sallying from the monasteries, betook themselves to the taverns; there flourishing glasses of wine, they reviled all who had consented to the union, and drinking in honor of an image of the mother of god, prayed her to protect and defend the city against mahomet, as she had formerly defended it against chosroes and the kagan. we will have nothing to do with assistance from the latins or a union with them. far from us be the worship of the _azymites_."] i have been beset with forebodings until i startle at my own thoughts. it were gentle, did you go to your request at once." she permitted him to lead her to an armless chair, and, standing before her, he spoke with decision: "princess irene, now that you have resolved finally to remain in the city, and abide the issue of the siege, rightly judging it an affair determinable by god, it is but saying the truth as i see it, that no one is more interested in what betides us from day to day than you; for if heaven frowns upon our efforts at defence, and there comes an assault, and we are taken, the conqueror, by a cruel law of war, has at disposal the property both public and private he gains, and every living thing as well. we who fight may die the death he pleases; you--alas, most noble and virtuous lady, my tongue refuses the words that rise to it for utterance!" the rose tints in her cheeks faded, yet she answered: "i know what you would say, and confess it has appalled me. sometimes it tempts me to fly while yet i can; then i remember i am a palaeologus. i remember also my kinsman the emperor is to be sustained in the trial confronting him. i remember too the other women, high and low, who will stay and share the fortunes of their fighting husbands and brothers. if i have less at stake than they, count corti, the demands of honor are more rigorous upon me." the count's eyes glowed with admiration, but next moment the light in them went out. "noble lady," he began, "i hope it will not be judged too great a familiarity to say i have some days been troubled on your account. i have feared you might be too confident of our ability to beat the enemy. it seems my duty to warn you of the real outlook that you may permit us to provide for your safety while opportunities favor." "for my flight, count corti?" "nay, princess irene, your retirement from the city." she smiled at the distinction he made, but replied: "i will hear you, count." "it is for you to consider, o princess--if reports of the sultan's preparation are true--this assault in one feature at least will be unparalleled. the great guns for which he has been delaying are said to be larger than ever before used against walls. they may destroy our defences at once; they may command all the space within those defences; they may search every hiding-place; the uncertainties they bring with them are not to be disregarded by the bravest soldier, much less the unresisting classes.... in the next place, i think it warrantable from the mass of rumors which has filled the month to believe the city will be assailed by a force much greater than was ever drawn together under her walls. suffer me to refer to them, o princess... the sultan is yet at adrianople assembling his army. large bodies of footmen are crossing the hellespont at gallipolis and the bosphorus at hissar; in the region of adrianople the country is covered with hordes of horsemen speaking all known tongues and armed with every known weapon--cossacks from the north, arabs from the south, koords and tartars from the east, roumanians and slavs from beyond the balkans. the roads from the northwest are lined with trains bringing supplies and siege-machinery. the cities along the shores of the black sea have yielded to mahommed; those which defied him are in ruins. an army is devastating morea. the brother whom his majesty the emperor installed ruler there is dead or a wanderer, no man can say in what parts. assistance cannot be expected from him. above us, far as the sea, the bays are crowded with ships of all classes; four hundred hostile sail have been counted from the hill-tops. and now that there is no longer a hope of further aid from the christians of europe, the effect of the news upon our garrison is dispiriting. our garrison! alas, princess, with the foreigners come to our aid, it is not sufficient to man the walls on the landward side alone." "the picture is gloomy, count, but if you have drawn it to shake my purpose, it is not enough. i have put myself in the hands of the blessed mother. i shall stay, and be done with as god orders." again the count's face glowed with admiration. "i thought as much, o princess," he said warmly; "yet it seemed to me a duty to advise you of the odds against us; and now, the duty done, i pray you hear me as graciously upon another matter.... last night, seeing the need of information of the enemy, i besought his majesty to allow me to ride toward adrianople. he consented, and i set out immediately; but before going, before bidding you adieu, noble princess and dear lady, i have a prayer to offer you." he hesitated; then plucking courage from the embarrassment of silence, went on: "dear lady, your resolution to stay and face the dangers of the siege and assault fills me with alarm for your safety." he cast himself upon his knees, and stretched his hands to her. "give me permission to protect you. i devote my sword to you, and the skill of my hands--my life, my soul. let me be your knight." she arose, but he continued: "some day, deeds done for your country and religion may give me courage to speak more boldly of what i feel and hope; but now i dare go no further than ask what you have just heard. let me be your protector and knight through the perils of the siege at least." the princess was pleased with the turn his speech had taken. she thought rapidly. a knight in battle, foremost in the press, her name a conquering cry on his lips were but the constituents of a right womanly ambition. she answered: "count corti, i accept thy offer." taking the hand she extended, he kissed it reverently, and said: "i am happy above other men. now, o princess, give me a favor--a glove, a scarf--something i may wear, to prove me thy knight." she took from her neck a net of knitted silk, pinkish in hue, and large enough for a kerchief or waist sash. "if i go about this gift," she said, her face deeply suffused, "in a way to provoke a smile hereafter; if in placing it around thy neck with my own hands"--with the words, she bent over him, and dropped the net outside the hood so the ends hung loosely down his breast--"i overstep any rule of modesty, i pray you will not misunderstand me. i am thinking of my country, my kinsman, of religion and god, and the service even unto noble deeds thou mayst do them. rise, count corti. in the ride before thee now, in the perils to come, thou shalt have my prayers." the count arose, but afraid to trust himself in further speech, he carried her hand to his lips again, and with a simple farewell, hurried out, and mounting his horse rode at speed for the adrianople gate. four days after, he reentered the gate, bringing a prisoner, and passing straight to the very high residence, made report to the emperor, justiniani and duke notaras in council. "i have been greatly concerned for you, count," said constantine; "and not merely because a good sword can be poorly spared just now." the imperial pleasure was unfeigned. "your majesty's grace is full reward for my performance," the count replied, and rising from the salutation, he began his recital. "stay," said the emperor, "i will have a seat brought that you may be at ease." corti declined: "the arabs have a saying, your majesty--'a nest for a setting bird, a saddle for a warrior.' the jaunt has but rested me, and there was barely enough danger in it.... the turk is an old acquaintance. i have lived with him, and been his guest in house and tent, and as a comrade tempted providence at his side under countless conditions, until i know his speech and usages, himself scarcely better. my african berbers are all mohammedans who have performed the pilgrimage. one of them is a muezzin by profession; and if he can but catch sight of the sun, he will never miss the five hours of prayer. none of them requires telling the direction to mecca.... i issued from your majesty's great gate about the third hour, and taking the road to adrianople, journeyed till near midday before meeting a human being. there were farms and farmhouses on my right and left, and the fields had been planted in good season; but the growing grain was wasted; and when i sought the houses to have speech with their tenants they were forsaken. twice we were driven off by the stench of bodies rotting before the doors." "greeks?" "greeks, your majesty.... there were wild hogs in the thickets which fled at sight of us, and vultures devouring the corpses." "were there no other animals, no horses or oxen?" asked justiniani. "none, noble genoese--none seen by us, and the swine were spared, i apprehend, because their meat is prohibited to the children of islam.... at length hadifah, whom i have raised to be a sheik--your majesty permitting--and whose eyes discover the small things with which space is crowded as he were a falcon making circles up near the sun--hadifah saw a man in the reeds hiding; and we pursued the wretch, and caught him, and he too was a greek; and when his fright allowed him to talk, he told us a band of strange people, the like of whom he had never seen, attacked his hut, burned it, carried off his goats and she buffaloes; and since that hour, five weeks gone, he had been hunting for his wife and three girl-children. god be merciful to them! of the turks he could tell nothing except that now, everything of value gone, they too had disappeared. i gave the poor man a measure of oaten cakes, and left him to his misery. god be merciful to him also!" "did you not advise him to come to me?" "your majesty, he was a husband and father seeking his family; with all humility, what else is there for him to do?" "i give your judgment credit, count. there is nothing else." "i rode on till night, meeting nobody, friend or foe--on through a wide district, lately inhabited, now a wilderness. the creatures of the sultan had passed through it, and there was fire in their breath. we discovered a dried-up stream, and by sinking in its bed obtained water for our horses. there, in a hollow, we spent the night.... next morning, after an hour's ride, we met a train of carts drawn by oxen. the groaning and creaking of the distraught wheels warned me of the encounter before the advance guard of mounted men, quite a thousand strong, were in view. i did not draw rein"-"what!" cried justiniani, astonished. "with but a company of nine?" the count smiled. "i crave your pardon, gallant captain. in my camp the night before, i prepared my berbers for the meeting." "by the bones of the saints, count corti, thou dost confuse me the more! with such odds against thee, what preparations were at thy command?" "'there was never amulet like a grain of wit in a purse under thy cap.' good captain, the saying is not worse of having proceeded from a persian. i told my followers we were likely at any moment to be overtaken by a force too strong for us to fight; but instead of running away, we must meet them heartily, as friends enlisted in the same cause; and if they asked whence we were, we must be sure of agreement in our reply. i was to be a turk; they, egyptians from west of the nile. we had come in by the new fortress opposite the white castle, and were going to the mighty lord mahommed in adrianople. beyond that, i bade them be silent, leaving the entertainment of words to me." the emperor and justiniani laughed, but notaras asked: "if thy berbers are mohammedans, as thou sayest, count corti, how canst thou rely on them against mohammedans?" "my lord the high admiral may not have heard of the law by which, if one arab kills another, the relatives of the dead man are bound to kill him, unless there be composition. so i had merely to remind hadifah and his companions of the turks we slew in the field near basch-kegan." corti continued: "after parley with the captain of the advance guard, i was allowed to ride on; and coming to the train, i found the carts freighted with military engines and tools for digging trenches and fortifying camps. there were hundreds of them, and the drivers were a multitude. indeed, your majesty, from head to foot the caravan was miles in reach, its flanks well guarded by groups of horsemen at convenient intervals." this statement excited the three counsellors. "after passing the train," the count was at length permitted to resume, "my way was through bodies of troops continuously--all irregulars. it must have been about three o'clock in the afternoon when i came upon the most surprising sight. much i doubt if ever the noble captain justiniani, with all his experience, can recall anything like it. "first there was a great company of pioneers with tools for grading the hills and levelling the road; then on a four-wheeled carriage two men stood beating a drum; their sticks looked like the enlarged end of a galley oar. the drum responded to their blows in rumbles like dull thunder from distant clouds. while i sat wondering why they beat it, there came up next sixty oxen yoked in pairs. your majesty can in fancy measure the space they covered. on the right and left of each yoke strode drivers with sharpened goads, and their yelling harmonized curiously with the thunder of the drum. the straining of the brutes was pitiful to behold. and while i wondered yet more, a log of bronze was drawn toward me big at one end as the trunk of a great plane tree, and so long that thirty carts chained together as one wagon, were required to support it laid lengthwise; and to steady the piece on its rolling bed, two hundred and fifty stout laborers kept pace with it unremittingly watchful. the movement was tedious, but at last i saw"-"a cannon!" exclaimed the genoese. "yes, noble captain, the gun said to be the largest ever cast." "didst thou see any of the balls?" "other carts followed directly loaded with gray limestones chiselled round; and to my inquiry what the stones were for, i was told they were bullets twelve spans in circumference, and that the charge of powder used would cast them a mile." the inquisitors gazed at each other mutely, and their thoughts may be gathered from the action of the emperor. he touched a bell on a table, and to phranza, who answered the call, he said: "lord chamberlain, have two men well skilled in the construction of walls report to me in the morning. there is work for them which they must set about at once. i will furnish the money." [footnote: before the siege by the turks, two monks, manuel giagari and neophytus of rhodes, were charged with repairing the walls, but they buried the sums intrusted to them for these works; and in the pillage of the city seventy thousand pieces of gold thus advanced by the emperor were unearthed.--von hammer, vol. ii., p. 417.] "i have but little more of importance to engage your majesty's attention.... behind the monster cannon, two others somewhat smaller were brought up in the same careful manner. i counted seventeen pieces all brass, the least of them exceeding in workmanship and power the best in the hippodrome." "were there more?" justiniani asked. "many more, brave captain, but ancient, and unworthy mention.... the day was done when, by sharp riding, i gained the rear of the train. at sunrise on the third day, i set out in return.... i have a prisoner whom this august council may examine with profit. he will, at least, confirm my report." "who is he?" "the captain of the advance guard." "how came you by him?" "your majesty, i induced him to ride a little way with me, and at a convenient time gave his bridle rein to hadifah. in his boyhood the sheik was trained to leading camels, and he assures me it is much easier to lead a horse." the sally served to lighten the sombre character of the count's report, and in the midst of the merriment, he was dismissed. the prisoner was then brought in, and put to question; next day the final preparation for the reception of mahommed was begun. with a care equal to the importance of the business, constantine divided the walls into sections, beginning on the landward side of the golden gate or seven towers, and ending at the cynegion. of the harbor front he made one division, with the grand gate of blacherne and the acropolis or point serail for termini; from point serail to the seven towers he stationed patrols and lookouts, thinking the sea and rocks sufficient to discourage assault in that quarter. his next care was the designation of commandants of the several divisions. the individuals thus honored have been already mentioned; though it may be well to add how the papal legate, cardinal isidore, doffing his frock and donning armor, voluntarily accepted chief direction along the harbor--an example of martial gallantry which ought to have shamed the lukewarm greeks morosely skulking in their cells. shrewdly anticipating a concentration of effort against the gate st. romain, and its two auxiliary towers, bagdad and st. romain, the former on the right hand and the latter on the left, he assigned justiniani to its defence. upon the walls, and in the towers numerously garnishing them, the gallant emperor next brought up his guns and machines, with profuse supplies of missiles. then, after flooding the immense ditch, he held a review in the hippodrome, whence the several detachments marched to their stations. riding with his captains, and viewing the walls, now gay with banners and warlike tricking, constantine took heart, and told how amurath, the peerless warrior, had dashed his janissaries against them, and rued the day. "is this boy mahommed greater than his father?" he asked. "god knows," isidore responded, crossing himself breast and forehead. and well content, the cavalcade repassed the ponderous gate st. romain. all that could be done had been done. there was nothing more but to wait. chapter vi mahommed at the gate st. romain in the city april seemed to have borrowed from the delays of mahommed; never month so slow in coming. at last, however, its first day, dulled by a sky all clouds, and with winds from the balkans. the inertness of the young sultan was not from want of will or zeal. it took two months to drag his guns from adrianople; but with them the army moved, and as it moved it took possession, or rather covered the land. at length, he too arrived, bringing, as it were, the month with him; and then he lost no more time. about five miles from the walls on the south or landward side, he drew his hordes together in the likeness of a line of battle, and at a trumpet call they advanced in three bodies simultaneously. so a tidal wave, far extending, broken, noisy, terrible, rises out of the deep, and rolls upon a shore of stony cliffs. near ten o'clock in the forenoon of the sixth of april the emperor mounted the roof of the tower of st. romain, mentioned as at the left of the gate bearing the same name. there were with him justiniani, the cardinal isidore, john grant, phranza, theophilus palaeologus, duke notaras, and a number of inferior persons native and foreign. he had come to see all there was to be seen of the turks going into position. the day was spring-like, with just enough breeze to blow the mists away. the reader must think of the roof as an immense platform accessible by means of a wooden stairway in the interior of the tower, and battlemented on the four sides, the merlons of stone in massive blocks, and of a height to protect a tall man, the embrasures requiring banquettes to make them serviceable. in arrangement somewhat like a ship's battery, there are stoutly framed arbalists and mangonels on the platform, and behind them, with convenient spaces between, arquebuses on tripods, cumbrous catapults, and small cannon on high axles ready for wheeling into position between the merlons. near each machine its munitions lie in order. leaning against the walls there are also spears, javelins, and long and cross bows; while over the corner next the gate floats an imperial standard, its white field emblazoned with the immemorial greek cross in gold. the defenders of the tower are present; and as they are mostly byzantines, their attitudes betray much more than cold military respect, for they are receiving the emperor, whom they have been taught to regard worshipfully. they study him, and take not a little pride in observing that, clad in steel cap-a-pie, he in no wise suffers by comparison with the best of his attendants, not excepting justiniani, the renowned genoese captain. not more to see than be seen, the visor of his helmet is raised; and stealing furtive glances at his countenance, noble by nature, but just now more than ordinarily inspiring, they are better and stronger for what they read in it. on the right and left the nearest towers obstruct the view of the walls in prolongation; but southward the country spreads before the party a campania rolling and fertile, dotted with trees scattered and in thin groves, and here and there an abandoned house. the tender green of vegetation upon the slopes reminds those long familiar with them that grass is already invading what were lately gardens and cultivated fields. constantine makes the survey in silence, for he knows how soon even the grass must disappear. just beyond the flooded ditch at the foot of the first or outward wall is a road, and next beyond the road a cemetery crowded with tombs and tombstones, and brown and white mausolean edifices; indeed, the chronicles run not back to a time when that marginal space was unallotted to the dead. from the far skyline the eyes of the fated emperor drop to the cemetery, and linger there. presently one of his suite calls out: "hark! what sound is that?" they all give attention. "it is thunder." "no--thunder rolls. this is a beat." constantine and justiniani remembered count corti's description of the great drum hauled before the artillery train of the turks, and the former said calmly: "they are coming." almost as he spoke the sunlight mildly tinting the land in the farness seemed to be troubled, and on the tops of the remote hillocks there appeared to be giants rolling them up, as children roll snow-balls--and the movement was toward the city. the drum ceased not its beating or coming. justiniani by virtue of his greater experience, was at length able to say: "your majesty, it is here in front of us; and as this gate st. romain marks the centre of your defences, so that drum marks the centre of an advancing line, and regulates the movement from wing to wing." "it must be so, captain; for see--there to the left--those are bodies of men." "and now, your majesty, i hear trumpets." a little later some one cried out: "now i hear shouting." and another: "i see gleams of metal." ere long footmen and horsemen were in view, and the byzantines, brought to the wall by thousands, gazed and listened in nervous wonder; for look where they might over the campania, they saw the enemy closing in upon them, and heard his shouting, and the neighing of horses, the blaring of horns, and the palpitant beating of drums. "by our lady of blacherne," said the emperor, after a long study of the spectacle, "it is a great multitude, reaching to the sea here on our left, and, from the noise, to the golden horn on our right; none the less i am disappointed. i imagined much splendor of harness and shields and banners, but see only blackness and dust. i cannot make out amongst them one sultanic flag. tell me, most worthy john grant--it being reported that thou hast great experience combating with and against these hordes--tell me if this poverty of appearance is usual with them." the sturdy german, in a jargon difficult to follow, answered: "these at our left are the scum of asia. they are here because they have nothing; their hope is to better their condition, to return rich, to exchange ragged turbans for crowns, and goatskin jackets for robes of silk. look, your majesty, the tombs in front of us are well kept; to-morrow if there be one left standing, it will have been rifled. of the lately buried there will not be a ring on a finger or a coin under a tongue. oh, yes, the ghouls will look better next week! only give them time to convert the clothes they will strip from the dead into fresh turbans. but when the janissaries come your majesty will not be disappointed. see--their advance guard now--there on the rising ground in front of the gate." there was a swell of ground to the right of the gate rather than in front of it, and as the party looked thither, a company of horsemen were seen riding slowly but in excellent order, and the sheen of their arms and armor silvered the air about them. immediately other companies deployed on the right and left of the first one; then the thunderous drum ceased; whereat, from the hordes out on the campania, brought to a sudden standstill, detachments dashed forward at full speed, and dismounting, began digging a trench. "be this sultan like or unlike his father, he is a soldier. he means to cover his army, and at the same time enclose us from sea to harbor. to-morrow, my lord, only high-flying hawks can communicate with us from the outside." this, from justiniani to the emperor, was scarcely noticed, for behind the deploying janissaries, there arose an outburst of music in deep volume, the combination of clarions and cymbals so delightful to warriors of the east; at the same instant a yellow flag was displayed. then old john grant exclaimed: "the colors of the _silihdars!_ mahommed is not far away. nay, your majesty, look--the sultan himself!" through an interval of the guard, a man in chain mail shooting golden sparkles, helmed, and with spear in hand and shield at his back, trotted forth, his steed covered with flowing cloths. behind him appeared a suite mixed of soldiers and civilians, the former in warlike panoply, the latter in robes and enormous turbans. down the slope the foremost rider led as if to knock at the gate. on the tower the cannon were loaded, and run into the embrasures. "mahommed, saidst thou, john grant?" "mahommed, your majesty." "then i call him rash; but as we are not ashamed of our gates and walls, let him have his look in peace.... hear you, men, let him look, and go in peace." the repetition was in restraint of the eager gunners. further remark was cut short by a trumpet sounded at the foot of the tower. an officer peered over the wall, and reported: "your majesty, a knight just issued from the gate is riding forth. i take him to be the italian, count corti." constantine became a spectator of what ensued. ordinarily the roadway from the country was carried over the deep moat in front of the gate st. romain by a floor of stout timbers well balustraded at the sides, and resting on brick piers. of the bridge nothing now remained but a few loose planks side by side ready to be hastily snatched from their places. to pass them afoot was a venture; yet count corti, when the emperor looked at him from the height, was making the crossing mounted, and blowing a trumpet as he went. "is the man mad?" asked the emperor, in deep concern. "mad? no, he is challenging the mahounds to single combat; and, my lords and gentlemen, if he be skilful as he is bold, then, by the three kings of cologne, we will see some pretty work in pattern for the rest of us." thus grant replied. corti made the passage safely, and in the road beyond the moat halted, and drove the staff of his banderole firmly in the ground. a broad opening through the cemetery permitted him to see and be seen by the turks, scarcely a hundred yards away. standing in his stirrups, he sounded the trumpet again--a clear call ringing with defiance. mahommed gave over studying the tower and deep-sunken gate, and presently beckoned to his suite. "what is the device on yon pennon?" he asked. "a moon with a cross on its face." "say you so?" twice the defiance was repeated, and so long the young sultan, sat still, his countenance unusually grave. he recognized the count; only he thought of him by the dearer oriental name, mirza. he knew also how much more than common ambition there was in the blatant challenge--that it was a reminder of the treaty between them, and, truly interpreted, said, in effect: "lo, my lord! she is well, and for fear thou judge me unworthy of her, send thy bravest to try me." and he hesitated--an accident might quench the high soul. alas, then, for the princess irene in the day of final assault! who would deliver her to him? the hordes, and the machinery, all the mighty preparation, were, in fact, less for conquest and glory than love. sore the test had there been one in authority to say to him: "she is thine, lord mahommed; thine, so thou take her, and leave the city." a third time the challenge was delivered, and from the walls a taunting cheer descended. then the son of isfendiar, recognizing the banderole, and not yet done with chafing over his former defeat, pushed through the throng about mahommed, and prayed: "o my lord, suffer me to punish yon braggart." mahommed replied: "thou hast felt his hand already, but go--i commend thee to thy houris." he settled in his saddle smiling. the danger was not to the count. the arms, armor, weapons, and horse-furniture of the moslem were identical with the italian's; and it being for the challenged party to determine with what the duel should be fought, whether with axe, sword, lance or bow, the son of isfendiar chose the latter, and made ready while advancing. the count was not slow in imitating him. each held his weapon--short for saddle service--in the left hand, the arrow in place, and the shield on the left forearm. no sooner had they reached the open ground in the cemetery than they commenced moving in circles, careful to keep the enemy on the shield side at a distance of probably twenty paces. the spectators became silent. besides the skill which masters in such affrays should possess, they were looking for portents of the result. three times the foemen encircled each other with shield guard so well kept that neither saw an opening to attack; then the turk discharged his arrow, intending to lodge it in the shoulder of the other's horse, the buckling attachments of the neck mail being always more or less imperfect. the count interposed his shield, and shouted in osmanli: "out on thee, son of isfendiar! i am thy antagonist, not my horse. thou shalt pay for the cowardice." he then narrowed the circle of his movement, and spurring full speed, compelled the turk to turn on a pivot so reduced it was almost a halt. the exposure while taking a second shaft from the quiver behind the right shoulder was dangerously increased. "beware!" the count cried again, launching his arrow through the face opening of the hood. the son of isfendiar might never attain his father's pachalik. there was not voice left him for a groan. he reeled in his saddle, clutching the empty air, then tumbled to the earth. the property of the dead man, his steed, arms, and armor, were lawful spoils; but without heeding them, the count retired to his banderole, and, amidst the shouts of the greeks on the walls and towers, renewed the challenge. a score of chiefs beset the sultan for permission to engage the insolent _gabour_. to an arab sheik, loudest in importunity, he said: "what has happened since yesterday to dissatisfy thee with life?" the sheik raised a lance with a flexible shaft twenty feet in length, made of a cane peculiar to the valley of the jordan, and shaking it stoutly, replied: "allah, and the honor of my tribe!" perceiving the man's reliance in his weapon, mahommed returned: "how many times didst thou pray yesterday?" "five times, my lord." "and to-day?" "twice." "go, then; but as yon champion hath not a lance to put him on equality with thee, he will be justified in taking to the sword." the sheik's steed was of the most precious strain of el-hejaz; and sitting high in the saddle, a turban of many folds on his head, a striped robe drawn close to the waist, his face thin, coffee-colored, hawk-nosed, and lightning-eyed, he looked a king of the desert. galloping down on the christian, he twirled the formidable lance dextrously, until it seemed not more than a stalk of dried papyrus. the count beheld in the performance a trick of the _djerid_ he had often practised with mahommed. uncertain if the man's robe covered armor, he met him with an arrow, and seeing it fall off harmless, tossed the bow on his back, drew sword, and put his horse in forward movement, caracoling right and left to disturb the enemy's aim. nothing could be more graceful than this action. suddenly the sheik stopped playing, and balancing the lance overhead, point to the foe, rushed with a shrill cry upon him. corti's friends on the tower held their breath; even the emperor said: "it is too unequal. god help him!" at the last moment, however--the moment of the thrust--changing his horse to the right, the count laid himself flat upon its side, under cover of his shield. the thrust, only a little less quick, passed him in the air, and before the sheik could recover or shorten his weapon, the trained foeman was within its sweep. in a word, the arab was at mercy. riding with him side by side, hand on his shoulder, the count shouted: "yield thee!" "dog of a christian, never! do thy worst." the sword twirled once--a flash--then it descended, severing the lance in front of the owner's grip. the fragment fell to the earth. "now yield thee!" the sheik drew rein. "why dost thou not kill me?" "i have a message for thy master yonder, the lord mahommed." "speak it then." "tell him he is in range of the cannon on the towers, and only the emperor's presence there restrains the gunners. there is much need for thee to haste." "who art thou?" "i am an italian knight who, though thy lord's enemy, hath reason to love him. wilt thou go?" "i will do as thou sayest." "alight, then. thy horse is mine." "for ransom?" "no." the sheik dismounted grumblingly, and was walking off when the cheering of the greeks stung him to the soul. "a chance--o christian, another chance--to-day--to-morrow!" "deliver the message; it shall be as thy lord may then appoint. bestir thyself." the count led the prize to the banderole, and flinging the reins over it, faced the gleaming line of janissaries once more, trumpet at mouth. he saw the sheik salute mahommed; then the attendants closed around them. "a courteous dog, by the prophet!" said the sultan. "in what tongue did he speak?" "my lord, he might have been bred under my own tent." the sultan's countenance changed. "was there not more of his message?" he was thinking of the princess irene. "yes, my lord." "repeat it." "he will fight me again to-day or to-morrow, as my lord may appoint--and i want my horse. without him, el-hejaz will be a widow." a red spot appeared on mahommed's forehead. "begone!" he cried angrily. "seest thou not, o fool, that when we take the city we will recover thy horse? fight thou shalt not, for in that day i shall have need of thee." thereupon he bade them open for him, and rode slowly back up the eminence, and when he disappeared corti was vainly sounding his trumpet. the two horses were led across the dismantled bridge, and into the gate. "heaven hath sent me a good soldier," said the emperor to the count, upon descending from the tower. then justiniani asked: "why didst thou spare thy last antagonist?" corti answered truthfully. "it was well done," the genoese returned, offering his hand. "ay," said constantine, cordially, "well done. but mount now, and ride with us." "your majesty, a favor first.... a man is in the road dead. let his body be placed on a bier, and carried to his friends." "a most christian request! my lord chamberlain, attend to it." the cavalcade betook itself then to other parts, the better to see the disposition of the turks; and everywhere on the landward side it was the same--troops in masses, and intrenchments in progress. closing the inspection at set of sun, the emperor beheld the sea and the bosphorus in front of the golden horn covered with hundreds of sails. "the leaguer is perfected," said the genoese. "and the issue with god," constantine replied. "let us to hagia st. sophia." chapter vii the great gun speaks the first sufficient gleam of light next morning revealed to the watchmen on the towers an ominous spectacle. through the night they had heard a medley of noises peculiar to a multitude at work with all their might; now, just out of range of their own guns, they beheld a continuous rampart of fresh earth grotesquely spotted with marbles from the cemetery. in no previous siege of the byzantine capital was there reference to such a preliminary step. to the newly enlisted, viewing for the first time an enemy bodily present, it seemed like the world being pared down to the smallest dimensions; while their associate veterans, to whom they naturally turned for comfort, admitted an appreciable respect for the sultan. either he had a wise adviser, they said, or he was himself a genius. noon--and still the workmen seemed inexhaustible--still the rampart grew in height--still the hordes out on the campania multiplied, and the horizon line west of the gate st. romain was lost in the increasing smoke of a vast bivouac. nightfall--and still the labor. about midnight, judging by the sounds, the sentinels fancied the enemy approached nearer the walls; and they were not mistaken. with the advent of the second morning, here and there at intervals, ill-defined mounds of earth were seen so much in advance of the intrenched line that, by a general order, a fire of stones and darts was opened upon them; and straightway bodies of bowmen and slingers rushed forward, and returned the fire, seeking to cover the mound builders. this was battle. noon again--and battle. in the evening--battle. the advantage of course was with the besieged. the work on the mounds meanwhile continued, while the campania behind the intrenchment was alive with a creaking of wheels burdened by machinery, and a shouting of ox-drivers; and the veterans on the walls said the enemy was bringing up his balistas and mangonels. the third morning showed the mounds finished, and crowned with mantelets, behind which, in working order and well manned, every sort of engine known in sieges from alexander to the crusaders was in operation. thenceforward, it is to be observed, the battle was by no means one-sided. in this opening there was no heat or furore of combat; it was rather the action of novices trying their machines, or, in modern artillery parlance, finding the range. many minutes often intervened between shots, and as the preliminary object on the part of the besiegers was to destroy the merlons sheltering the warders, did a stone strike either wall near the top, the crash was saluted by cheers. now the foreigners defending were professionals who had graduated in all the arts of town and castle taking. these met the successes of their antagonists with derision. "apprentices," they would say, "nothing but apprentices."... "see those fellows by the big springal there turning the winch the wrong way!" ... "the turbaned sons of satan! have they no eyes? i'll give them a lesson. look!" and if the bolt fell truly, there was loud laughter on the walls. the captains, moreover, were incessantly encouraging the raw men under them. "two walls, and a hundred feet of flooded ditch! there will be merry christmas in the next century before the mahounds get to us at the rate they are coming. shoot leisurely, men--leisurely. an infidel for every bolt!" now on the outer wall, which was the lower of the two, and naturally first to draw the enemy's ire, and then along the inner, the emperor went, indifferent to danger or fatigue, and always with words of cheer. "the stones under our feet are honest," he would say. "the persian came thinking to batter them down, but after many days he fled; and search as we will, no man can lay a finger on the face of one of them, and say, 'here chosroes left a scar.' so amurath, sometimes called murad, this young man's father, wasted months, and the souls of his subjects without count; but when he fled not a coping block had been disturbed in its bed. what has been will be again. god is with us." when the three days were spent, the greeks under arms began to be accustomed to the usage, and make merry of it, like the veterans. the fourth day about noon the emperor, returning from a round of the walls, ascended the bagdad tower mentioned as overlooking the gate st. romain on the right hand; and finding justiniani on the roof, he said to him: "this fighting, if it may be so called, captain, is without heart. but two of our people have been killed; not a stone is shaken. to me it seems the sultan is amusing us while preparing something more serious." "your majesty," the genoese returned, soberly, "now has heaven given you the spirit of a soldier and the eyes as well. old john grant told me within an hour that the yellow flag on the rising ground before us denotes the sultan's quarters in the field, and is not to be confounded with his battle flag. it follows, i think, could we get behind the janissaries dismounted on the further slope of the rise, yet in position to meet a sally, we would discover the royal tent not unwisely pitched, if, as i surmise, this gate is indeed his point of main attack. and besides here are none of the old-time machines as elsewhere along our front; not a catapult, or bricole, or bible--as some, with wicked facetiousness, have named a certain invention for casting huge stones; nor have we yet heard the report of a cannon, or arquebus, or bombard, although we know the enemy has them in numbers. wherefore, keeping in mind the circumstance of his presence here, the omissions satisfy me the sultan relies on his great guns, and that, while amusing us, as your majesty has said, he is mounting them. to-morrow, or perhaps next day, he will open with them, and then"-"what then?" constantine asked. "the world will have a new lesson in warfare." the emperor's countenance, visible under his raised visor, knit hard. "dear, dear god!" he said, half to himself. "if this old christian empire should be lost through folly of mine, who will there be to forgive me if not thou?" then, seeing the genoese observing him with surprise, he continued: "it is a simple tale, captain.... a dacian, calling himself urban, asked audience of me one day, and being admitted, said he was an artificer of cannon; that he had plied his art in the foundries of germany, and from study of powder was convinced of the practicality of applying it to guns of heavier calibre than any in use. he had discovered a composition of metals, he said, which was his secret, and capable, when properly cast, of an immeasurable strain. would i furnish him the materials, and a place, with appliances for the work such as he would name, i might collect the machines in my arsenal, and burn them or throw them into the sea. i might even level my walls, and in their stead throw up ramparts of common earth, and by mounting his guns upon them secure my capital against the combined powers of the world. he refused to give me details of his processes. i asked him what reward he wanted, and he set it so high i laughed. thinking to sound him further, i kept him in my service a few days; but becoming weary of his importunities, i dismissed him. i next heard of him at adrianople. the sultan mahommed entertained his propositions, built him a foundry, and tried one of his guns, with results the fame of which is a wonder to the whole east. it was the log of bronze count corti saw on the road--now it is here--and heaven sent it to me first." "your majesty," returned the genoese, impressed by the circumstance, and the evident remorse of the emperor, "heaven does not hold us accountable for errors of judgment. there is not a monarch in europe who would have accepted the man's terms, and it remains to be seen if mahommed, as yet but a callow youth, has not been cheated. but look yonder!" as he spoke, the janissaries in front of the gate mounted and rode forward, probably a hundred yards, pursued by a riotous shouting and cracking of whips. presently a train of buffaloes, yoked and tugging laboriously at something almost too heavy for them, appeared on the swell of earth; and there was a driver for every yoke, and every driver whirled a long stick with a longer lash fixed to it, and howled lustily. "it is the great gun," said constantine. "they are putting it in position." justiniani spoke to the men standing by the machines: "make ready bolt and stone." the balistiers took to their wheels eagerly, and discharged a shower of missiles at the janissaries and ox-drivers. "too short, my men--more range." the elevation was increased; still the bolts fell short. "bring forward the guns!" shouted justiniani. the guns were small bell-mouthed barrels of hooped iron, muzzle loading, mounted on high wheels, and each shooting half a dozen balls of lead large as walnuts. they were carefully aimed. the shot whistled and sang viciously. "higher, men!" shouted the genoese, from a merlon. "give the pieces their utmost range." the janissaries replied with a yell. the second volley also failed. then justiniani descended from his perch. "your majesty," he said, "to stop the planting of the gun there is nothing for us but a sally." "we are few, they are many," was the thoughtful reply. "one of us on the wall is worth a score of them in the field. their gun is an experiment. let them try it first." the genoese replied: "your majesty is right." the turks toiled on, backing and shifting their belabored trains, until the monster at last threatened the city with its great black cyclopean eye. "the dacian is not a bad engineer," said the emperor. "see, he is planting other pieces." thus justiniani; for oxen in trains similar to the first one came up tugging mightily, until by mid-afternoon on each flank of the first monster three other glistening yellow logs lay on their carriages in a like dubious quiet, leaving no doubt that st. romain was to be overwhelmed, if the new agencies answered expectations. if there was anxiety here, over the way there was impatience too fierce for control. urban, the dacian, in superintendency of the preparation, was naturally disposed to be careful, so much, in his view, depended on the right placement of the guns; but mahommed, on foot, and whip in hand, was intolerant, and, not scrupling to mix with the workmen, urged them vehemently, now with threats, now with promises of reward. "thy beasts are snails! give me the goad," he cried, snatching one from a driver. then to urban: "bring the powder, and a bullet, for when the sun goes down thou shalt fire the great gun. demur not. by the sword of solomon, there shall be no sleep this night in yon _gabour_ city, least of all in the palace they call blacherne." the dacian brought his experts together. the powder in a bag was rammed home; with the help of a stout slab, a stone ball was next rolled into the muzzle, then pushed nakedly down on the bag. of a truth there was need of measureless strength in the composition of the piece. finally the vent was primed, and a slow-match applied, after which urban reported: "the gun is ready, my lord." "then watch the sun, and--_bismillah!_--at its going down, fire.... aim at the gate--this one before us--and if thou hit it or a tower on either hand, i will make thee a _begler-bey_." the gun-planting continued. finally the sun paused in cloudy splendor ready to carry the day down with it. the sultan, from his tent of many annexes bedouin fashion, walked to where urban and his assistants stood by the carriage of the larger piece. "fire!" he said. urban knelt before him. "will my lord please retire?" "why should i retire?" "there is danger." mahommed smiled haughtily. "is the piece trained on the gate?" "it is; but i pray"-"now if thou wilt not have me believe thee a dog not less than an unbeliever, rise, and do my bidding." the dacian, without more ado, put the loose end of the slow-match into a pot of live coals near by, and when it began to spit and sputter, he cast it off. his experts fled. only mahommed remained with him; and no feat of daring in battle could have won the young padishah a name for courage comparable to that the thousands looking on from a safe distance now gave him. "will my lord walk with me a little aside? he can then see the ball going." mahommed accepted the suggestion. "look now in a line with the gate, my lord." the match was at last spent. a flash at the vent--a spreading white cloud--a rending of the air--the rattle of wheels obedient to the recoil of the gun--a sound thunder in volume, but with a crackle sharper than any thunder--and we may almost say that, with a new voice, and an additional terror, war underwent a second birth. mahommed's ears endured a wrench, and for a time he heard nothing; but he was too intent following the flight of the ball to mind whether the report of the gun died on the heights of galata or across the bosphorus at scutari. he saw the blackened sphere pass between the towers flanking the gate, and speed on into the city--how far, or with what effect, he could not tell, nor did he care. urban fell on his knees. "mercy, my lord, mercy!" "for what? that thou didst not hit the gate? rise, man, and see if the gun is safe." and when it was so reported, he called to kalil, the vizier, now come up: "give the man a purse, and not a lean one, for, by allah! he is bringing constantinople to me." and despite the ringing in his ears, he went to his tent confident and happy. on the tower meantime constantine and the genoese beheld the smoke leap forth and curtain the gun, and right afterward they heard the huge ball go tearing past them, like an invisible meteor. their eyes pursued the sound--where the missile fell they could not say--they heard a crash, as if a house midway the city had been struck--then they gazed at each other, and crossed themselves. "there is nothing for us now but the sally," said the emperor. "nothing," replied justiniani. "we must disable the guns." "let us go and arrange it." there being no indication of further firing, the two descended from the tower. the plan of sortie agreed upon was not without ingenuity. the gate under the palace of blacherne called _cercoporta_ was to be opened in the night. [footnote: in the basement of the palace of blacherne there was an underground exit, cercoporta or gate of the circus; but isaac comnenus had walled it up in order to avoid the accomplishment of a prediction which announced that the emperor frederick would enter constantinople through it.... but before the siege by mahommed the exit was restored, and it was through it the turks passed into the city.--von hammer, _hist. de l'empire ottoman._] count corti, with the body-guard mounted, was to pass out by it, and surprise the janissaries defending the battery. simultaneously justiniani should sally by the gate st. romain, cross the moat temporarily bridged for the purpose, and, with the footmen composing the force in reserve, throw himself upon the guns. the scheme was faithfully attempted. the count, stealing out of the ancient exit in the uncertain light preceding the dawn, gained a position unobserved, and charged the careless turks. by this time it had become a general report that the net about his neck was a favor of the princess irene, and his battle cry confirmed it--_for god and irene!_ bursting through the half-formed opposition, he passed to the rear of the guns, and planted his banderole at the door of mahommed's tent. had his men held together, he might have returned with a royal prisoner. while attention was thus wholly given the count, justiniani overthrew the guns by demolishing the carriages. a better acquaintance with the operation known to moderns as "spiking a piece," would have enabled him to make the blow irreparable. the loss of janissaries was severe; that of the besieged trifling. the latter, foot and horse, returned by the gate st. romain unpursued. mahommed, aroused by the tumult, threw on his light armor, and rushed out in time to hear the cry of his assailant, and pluck the banderole from its place. at sight of the moon with the cross on its face, his wrath was uncontrollable. the aga in command and all his assistants were relentlessly impaled. there were other sorties in course of the siege, but never another surprise. chapter viii mahommed tries his guns again hardly had the bodies making the sortie retired within the gate when the janissaries on the eminence were trebly strengthened, and the noises in that quarter, the cracking of whips, the shouting of ox-drivers, the hammering betokened a prodigious activity. the besieged, under delusion that the guns had been destroyed, could not understand the enemy. not until the second ensuing morning was the mystery solved. the watchmen on the towers, straining to pierce the early light, then beheld the great bronze monster remounted and gaping at them through an embrasure, and other monsters of a like kind on either side of it, fourteen in all, similarly mounted and defended. the warders on the towers, in high excitement, sent for justiniani, and he in turn despatched a messenger to the emperor. together on the bagdad tower the two discussed the outlook. "your majesty," said the genoese, much chagrined, "the apostate dacian must be master of his art. he has restored the cannon i overthrew." after a time constantine replied: "i fear we have underrated the new sultan. great as a father may be, it is possible for a son to be greater." perceiving the emperor was again repenting the dismissal of urban, the captain held his peace until asked: "what shall we now do?" "your majesty," he returned, "it is apparent our sally was a failure. we slew a number of the infidels, and put their master--may god confound him!--to inconvenience, and nothing more. now he is on guard, we may not repeat our attempt. my judgment is that we let him try his armament upon our walls. they may withstand his utmost effort." the patience this required was not put to a long test. there was a sudden clamor of trumpets, and the janissaries, taking to their saddles, and breaking right and left into divisions, cleared the battery front. immediately a vast volume of smoke hid the whole ground, followed by a series of explosions. some balls passing over the defences ploughed into the city; and as definitions of force, the sounds they made in going were awful; yet they were the least of the terrors. both the towers were hit, and they shook as if an earthquake were wrestling with them. the air whitened with dust and fragments of crushed stone. the men at the machines and culverins cowered to the floor. constantine and the genoese gazed at each other until the latter bethought him, and ordered the fire returned. and it was well done, for there is nothing which shall bring men round from fright like action. then, before there could be an exchange of opinion between the high parties on the tower, a man in half armor issued from the slowly rising cloud, and walked leisurely forward. instead of weapons, he carried an armful of stakes, and something which had the appearance of a heavy gavel. after a careful examination of the ground to the gate, he halted and drove a stake, and from that point commenced zigzagging down the slope, marking each angle. justiniani drew nearer the emperor, and said, in a low voice: "with new agencies come new methods. the assault is deferred." "nay, captain, our enemy must attack; otherwise he cannot make the moat passable." "that, your majesty, was the practice. now he will gain the ditch by a trench." "with what object?" "under cover of the trench, he will fill the ditch." constantine viewed the operation with increased gravity. he could see how feasible it was to dig a covered way under fire of the guns, making the approach and the bombardment simultaneous; and he would have replied, but that instant a mob of laborers--so the spades and picks they bore bespoke them--poured from the embrasure of the larger gun, and, distributing themselves at easy working intervals along the staked line, began throwing up the earth on the side next the city. officers with whips accompanied and stood over them. the engineer--if we may apply the modern term--was at length under fire of the besieged; still he kept on; only when he exhausted his supply of stakes did he retire, leaving it inferrible that the trench was to run through the opening in the cemetery to the bridge way before the gate. at noon, the laborers being well sunk in the ground, the cannon again vomited fire and smoke, and with thunderous reports launched their heavy bullets at the towers. again the ancient piles shook from top to base. some of the balistiers were thrown down. the emperor staggered under the shock. one ball struck a few feet below a merlon of the bagdad, and when the dust blew away, an ugly crack was seen in the exposed face of the wall, extending below the roof. while the inspection of damages immediately ordered is in progress, we take the liberty of transporting the reader elsewhere, that he may see the effect of this amazing warfare on other parties of interest in the tragedy. count corti was with his guard at the foot of the tower when the first discharge of artillery took place. he heard the loud reports and the blows of the shot which failed not their aim; he heard also the sound of the bullets flying on into the city, and being of a quick imagination, shuddered to think of the havoc they might inflict should they fall in a thickly inhabited district. then it came to him that the residence of the princess irene must be exposed to the danger. like a christian and a lover, he, sought to allay the chill he felt by signing the cross repeatedly, and with unction, on brow and breast. the pious performance brought no relief. his dread increased. finally he sent a man with a message informing the emperor that he was gone to see what damage the guns had done in the city. he had not ridden far when he was made aware of the prevalence of an extraordinary excitement. it seemed the entire population had been brought from their houses by the strange thunder, and the appalling flight of meteoric bodies over their roofs. men and women were running about asking each other what had happened. at the corners he was appealed to: "oh, for christ's sake, stop, and tell us if the world is coming to an end!" arid in pity lie answered: "do not be so afraid, good people. it is the turks. they are trying to scare us by making a great noise. go back into your houses." "but the bullets which passed over us. what of them?" "where did they strike?" "on further. god help the sufferers!" one cry he heard so often it made an impression upon him: "the _panagia!_ tell his majesty, as he is a christian, to bring the blessed madonna from the chapel." with each leap of his horse he was now nearing the alighting places of the missiles, and naturally the multiplying signs of terror he observed, together with a growing assurance that the abode of the princess was in the range of danger, quickened his alarm for her. the white faces of the women he met and passed without a word reminded him the more that she was subject to the same peril, and in thought of her he forgot to sympathize with them. in byzantium one might be near a given point yet far away; so did the streets run up and down, and here and there, their eccentricities in width and direction proving how much more accident and whim had to do with them originally than art or science. knowing this, the count was not sparing of his horse, and as his blood heated so did his fancy. if the fair princess were unhurt, it was scarcely possible she had escaped the universal terror. he imagined her the object of tearful attention from her attendants. or perhaps they had run away, and left her in keeping of the tender madonna of blacherne. at last he reached a quarter where the throng of people compelled him to slacken his gait, then halt and dismount. it was but a few doors from the princess'. one house--a frame, two stories--appeared the object of interest. "what has happened?" he asked, addressing a tall man, who stood trembling and praying to a crucifix in his hand. "god protect us, sir knight! see how clear the sky is, but a great stone--some say it was a meteor--struck this house. there is the hole it made. others say it was a bullet from the turks.--save us, o son of mary!" and he fell to kissing the crucifix. "was anybody hurt?" the count asked, shaking the devotee. "yes--two women and a child were killed.--save us, o son of god! thou hast the power from the father." the count picked his way toward the house till he could get no further, so was it blocked by a mass of women on their knees, crying, praying, and in agony of fright. there, sure enough, was a front beaten in, exposing the wrecked interior. but who was the young woman at the door calmly directing some men bringing out the body of one apparently dead? her back was to him, but the sunlight was tangled in her uncovered hair, making gold of it. her figure was tall and slender, and there was a marvellous grace in her action. who was she? the count's heart was prophetic. he gave the bridle rein to a man near by, and holding his sword up, pushed through the kneeling mass. he might have been more considerate in going; but he was in haste, and never paused until at the woman's side. "god's mercy, princess irene!" he cried, "what dost thou here? are there not men to take this charge upon them?" and in his joy at finding her safe, he fell upon his knees, and, without waiting for her to offer the favor, took one of her hands, and carried it to his lips. "nay, count corti, is it not for me to ask what thou dost here?" her face was solemn, and he could hardly determine if the eyes she turned to him were not chiding; yet they were full of humid violet light, and she permitted him to keep the hand while he replied: "the turk is for the time having his own way. we cannot get to him.... i came in haste to--to see what his guns have done--or--why should i not say it? princess, i galloped here fearing thou wert in need of protection and help. i remembered that i was thy accepted knight." she understood him perfectly, and, withdrawing her hand, returned: "rise, count corti, thou art in the way of these bearing the dead." he stood aside, and the men passed him with their burden--a woman drenched in blood. "is this the last one?" she asked them. "we could find no other." "poor creature! ... yet god's will be done! ... bear her to my house, and lay her with the others." then to the count she said: "come with me." the princess set out after the men. immediately the women about raised a loud lamentation; such as were nearest her cried out: "blessings on you!" and they kissed the hem of her gown, and followed her moaning and weeping. the body was borne into the house, and to the chapel, and all who wished went in. before the altar, two others were lying lifeless on improvised biers, an elderly woman and a half-grown girl. the lady in picture above the altar looked down on them, as did the holy child in her arms; and there was much comfort to the spectators in the look. then, when the third victim was decently laid out, sergius began the service for the dead. the count stood by the princess, her attendants in group a little removed from them. in the midst of the holy ministration, a sound like distant rolling thunder penetrated the chapel. every one present knew what it was by this time--knew at least it was not thunder--and they cried out, and clasped each other--from their knees many fell grovelling on the floor. sergius' voice never wavered. corti would have extended his arms to give the princess support; but she did not so much as change color; her hands holding a silver triptych remained firm. the deadly bullets were in the air and might alight on the house; yet her mind was too steadfast, her soul too high, her faith too exalted for alarm; and if the count had been prone to love her for her graces of person, now he was prompted to adore her for her courage. outside near by, there was a crash as of a flying solid smiting another dwelling, and, without perceptible interval, an outcry so shrill and unintermitted it required no explanation. the princess was the first to speak. "proceed, sergius," she said; nor might one familiar with her voice have perceived any alteration in it from the ordinary; then to the count again: "let us go out; there may be others needing my care." at the door corti said: "stay, o princess--a word, i pray." she had only to look at his face to discover he was the subject of a fierce conflict of spirit. "have pity on me, i conjure you. honor and duty call me to the gate; the emperor may be calling me; but how can i go, leaving you in the midst of such peril and horrors?" "what would you have me do?" "fly to a place of safety." "where?" "i will find a place; if not within these walls, then"-he stopped, and his eyes, bright with passion, fell before hers; for the idea he was about giving his tongue would be a doubly dishonorable coinage, since it included desertion of the beleaguered city, and violation of his compact with mahommed. "and then?" she asked. and love got the better of honor. "i have a ship in the harbor, o princess irene, and a crew devoted to me, and i will place you on its deck, and fly with you. doubt not my making the sea; there are not christians and mohammedans enough to stay me once my anchor is lifted, and my oars out; and on the sea freedom lives, and we will follow the stars to italy, and find a home." again he stopped, his face this time wrung with sudden anguish; then he continued: "god forgive, and deal with me mercifully! i am mad! ... and thou, o princess--do thou forgive me also, and my words and weakness. oh, if not for my sake, then for that which carried me away! or if thou canst not forget, pity me, pity me, and think of the wretchedness now my portion. i had thy respect, if not thy love; now both are lost--gone after my honor. oh! i am most miserable--miserable!" and wringing his hands, he turned his face from her. "count corti," she replied gently, "thou hast saved thyself. let the affair rest here. i forgive the proposal, and shall never remind thee of it. love is madness. return to duty; and for me"--she hesitated--"i hold myself ready for the sacrifice to which i was born. god is fashioning it; in his own time, and in the form he chooses, he will send it to me.... i am not afraid, and be thou not afraid for me. my father was a hero, and he left me his spirit. i too have my duty born within the hour--it is to share the danger of my kinsman's people, to give them my presence, to comfort them all i can. i will show thee what thou seemest not to have credited--that a woman can be brave as any man. i will attend the sick, the wounded, and suffering. to the dying i will carry such consolation as i possess--all of them i can reach--and the dead shall have ministration. my goods and values have long been held for the poor and unfortunate; now to the same service i consecrate myself, my house, my chapel, and altar.... there is my hand in sign of forgiveness, and that i believe thee a true knight. i will go with thee to thy horse." he bowed his head, and silently struggling for composure, carried the hand to his lips. "let us go now," she said. they went out together. another dwelling had been struck; fortunately it was unoccupied. in the saddle, he stayed to say: "thy soul, o princess irene, is angelic as thy face. thou hast devoted thyself to the suffering. am i left out? what word wilt thou give me?" "be the true knight thou art, count corti, and come to me as before." he rode away with a revelation; that in womanly purity and goodness there is a power and inspiration beyond the claims of beauty. the firing continued. seven times that day the turks assailed the gate st. romain with their guns; and while a few of the stones discharged flew amiss into the city, there were enough to still further terrorize the inhabitants. by night all who could had retreated to vaults, cellars, and such hiding-places as were safe, and took up their abodes in them. in the city but one woman went abroad without fear, and she bore bread and medicines, and dressed wounds, and assuaged sorrows, and as a madonna in fact divided worship with the madonna in the chapel up by the high residence. whereat count corti's love grew apace, though the recollection of the near fall he had kept him humble and circumspect. the same day, but after the second discharge of the guns, mahommed entered the part of his tent which, with some freedom, may be termed his office and reception-room, since it was furnished with seats and a large table, the latter set upon a heavily tufted rug, and littered over with maps and writing and drawing materials. notable amongst the litter was the sword of solomon. near it lay a pair of steel gauntlets elegantly gilt. one stout centre-tree, the main support of the roof of camel's hair, appeared gayly dressed with lances, shields, arms, and armor; and against it, strange to say, the companion of a bright red battle-flag, leant the banderole count corti had planted before the door the morning of the sally. a sliding flap overhead, managed by cords in the interior, was drawn up, admitting light and air. the office, it may be added, communicated by gay portieres with four other apartments, each having its separate centre-tree; one occupied by kalil, the vizier; one, a bed-chamber, so to speak; one, a stable for the imperial stud; the fourth belonged to no less a person than our ancient and mysterious acquaintance, the prince of india. mahommed was in half-armor; that is, his neck, arms, and body were in chain mail, the lightest and most flexible of the east, exquisitely gold-washed, and as respects fashion exactly like the suit habitually affected by count corti. his nether limbs were clad in wide trousers of yellow silk, drawn close at the ankles. pointed shoes of red leather completed his equipment, unless we may include a whip with heavy handle and long lash. could constantine have seen him at the moment, he would have recognized the engineer whose performance in tracing the trench he had witnessed with so much interest in the morning. the grand chamberlain received him with the usual prostration, and in that posture waited his pleasure. "bring me water. i am thirsty." the water was brought. "the prince of india now." presently the prince appeared in the costume peculiar to him--a cap and gown of black velvet, loose trousers, and slippers. his hair and beard were longer than when we knew him a denizen of constantinople, making his figure seem more spare and old; otherwise he was unchanged. he too prostrated himself; yet as he sank upon his knees, he gave the sultan a quick glance, intended doubtless to discover his temper more than his purpose. "you may retire." this to the chamberlain. upon the disappearance of the official, mahommed addressed the prince, his countenance flushed, his eyes actually sparkling. "god is great. all things are possible to him. who shall say no when he says yes? who resist when he bids strike? salute me, and rejoice with me, o prince. he is on my side. it was he who spoke in the thunder of my guns. salute me, and rejoice. constantinople is mine! the towers which have outlasted the ages, the walls which have mocked so many conquerors--behold them tottering to their fall! i will make dust of them. the city which has been a stumbling-block to the true faith shall be converted in a night. of the churches i will make mosques. salute me and rejoice! how may a soul contain itself knowing god has chosen it for such mighty things? rise, o prince and rejoice with me!" he caught up the sword of solomon, and in a kind of ecstasy strode about flourishing it. the prince, arisen, replied simply: "i rejoice with my lord;" and folding his arms across his breast, he waited, knowing he had been summoned for something more serious than to witness an outburst so wild--that directly this froth would disappear, as bubbles vanish from wine just poured. the most absolute of men have their ways--this was one of mahommed's. and behind his composed countenance the jew smiled, for, as he read it, the byplay was an acknowledgment of his influence over the chosen of god. and he was right. suddenly mahommed replaced the sword, and standing before him, asked abruptly: "tell me, have the stars fixed the day when i may assault the gabours?" "they have, my lord." "give it to me." the prince returned to his apartment, and came back with a horoscope. "this is their decision, my lord." in his character of messenger of the stars, the prince of india dispensed with every observance implying inferiority. without looking at the signs, or at the planets in their houses; without noticing the calculations accompanying the chart; glancing merely at the date in the central place, mahommed frowned, and said: "the twenty-ninth of may! fifty-three days! by allah and mahomet arid christ--all in one--if by the compound the oath will derive an extra virtue--what is there to consume so much time? in three days i will have the towers lording this gate they call st. romain in the ditch, and the ditch filled. in three days, i say." "perhaps my lord is too sanguine--perhaps he does not sufficiently credit the skill and resources of the enemy behind the gate--perhaps there is more to do than he has admitted into his anticipations." mahommed darted a look at the speaker. "perhaps the stars have been confidential with their messenger, and told him some of the things wanting to be done." "yes, my lord." the calmness of the prince astonished mahommed. "and art thou permitted to be confidential with me?" he asked. "my lord must break up this collection of his guns, and plant some of them against the other gates; say two at the golden gate, one at the caligaria, and before the selimbria and the adrianople two each. he will have seven left.... nor must my lord confine his attack to the landward side; the weakest front of the city is the harbor front, and it must be subjected. he should carry there at least two of his guns." "sword of solomon!" cried mahommed. "will the stars show me a road to possession of the harbor? will they break the chain which defends its entrance? will they sink or burn the enemy's fleet?" "no; those are heroisms left for my lord's endeavor." "thou dost taunt me with the impossible." the prince smiled. "is my lord less able than the crusaders? i know he is not too proud to be taught by them. once, marching upon the holy city, they laid siege to nicea, and after a time discovered they could not master it without first mastering lake ascanius. thereupon they hauled their ships three leagues overland, and launched them in the lake." [footnote: von hammer, _hist. de l'emp. ottoman._] mahommed became thoughtful. "if my lord does not distribute the guns; if he confines his attack to st. romain, the enemy, in the day of assault, can meet him at the breach with his whole garrison. more serious, if the harbor is left to the greeks, how can he prevent the genoese in galata from succoring them? my lord derives information from those treacherous people in the day; does he know of the intercourse between the towns by boats in the night? if they betray one side, will they be true to the other? my lord, they are christians; so are these with whom we are at war." the sultan sank into a seat; and satisfied with the impression he had made, the prince wisely allowed him his thoughts. "it is enough!" said the former, rising. then fixing his eye on his confederate, he asked: "what stars told thee these things, o prince?" "my lord, the firmament above is god's, and the sun and planets there are his mercifully to our common use. but we have each of us a firmament of our own. in mine, reason is the sun, and of its stars i mention two--experience and faith. by the light of the three, i succeed; when i refuse them, one or all, i surrender to chance." mahommed caught up the sword, and played with its ruby handle, turning it at angles to catch its radiations; at length he said: "prince of india, thou hast spoken like a prophet. go call kalil and saganos." chapter ix the madonna to the rescue we have given the opening of the siege of byzantium by mahommed with dangerous minuteness, the danger of course being from the critic. we have posted the warders on their walls, and over against them set the enemy in an intrenched line covering the whole landward side of the city. we have planted mahommed's guns, and exhibited their power, making it a certainty that a breach in the wall must be sooner or later accomplished. we have shown the effect of the fire of the guns, not only on the towers abutting the gate which was the main object of attack, but on the non-combatants, the women and children, in their terror seeking safety in cellars, vaults, and accessible underground retreats. we have carefully assembled and grouped those of our characters who have survived to this trying time; and the reader is informed where they are, the side with which their fortunes are cast, their present relations to each other, and the conditions which environ them. in a word, the reader knows their several fates are upon them, and the favors we now most earnestly pray are to be permitted to pass the daily occurrences of the siege, and advance quickly to the end. even battles can become monotonous in narrative. the sultan, we remark, adopted the suggestions of the prince of india. he distributed his guns, planting some of them in front of the several gates of the city. to control the harbor, he, in modern parlance, erected a battery on a hill by galata; then in a night, he drew a part of his fleet, including a number of his largest vessels, from besich-tasch on the bosphorus over the heights and hollows of pera, a distance of about two leagues, and dropped them in the golden horn. these constantine attacked. justiniani led the enterprise, but was repulsed. a stone bullet sunk his ship, and he barely escaped with his life. most of his companions were drowned; those taken were pitilessly hung. mahommed next collected great earthen jars--their like may yet be seen in the east--and, after making them air-tight, laid a bridge upon them out toward the single wall defending the harbor front. at the further end of this unique approach he placed a large gun; and so destructive was the bombardment thus opened that fire-ships were sent against the bridge and battery. but the genoese of galata betrayed the scheme, and it was baffled. the prisoners captured were hanged in view of the greeks, and in retaliation constantine exposed the heads of a hundred and sixty turks from the wall. on the landward side mahommed was not less fortunate. the zigzag trench was completed, and a footing obtained for his men in the moat, whence they strove to undermine the walls. of the lives lost during these operations no account was taken, since the hordes were the victims. their bodies were left as debris in the roadway so expensively constructed. day after day the towers bagdad and st. romain were more and more reduced. immense sections of them tumbling into the ditch were there utilized. day after day the exchange of bullets, bolts, stones, and arrows was incessant. the shouting in many tongues, heating of drums, and blowing of horns not seldom continued far into the night. the greeks on their side bore up bravely. old john grant plied the assailants with his inextinguishable fire. constantine, in seeming always cheerful, never shirking, visited the walls; at night, he seconded justiniani in hastening needful repairs. finally the steady drain upon the stores in magazine began to tell. provisions became scarce, and the diminution of powder threatened to silence the culverins and arquebuses. then the emperor divided his time between the defences and sancta sophia--between duty as a military commander, and prayer as a christian trustful in god. and it was noticeable that the services at which he assisted in the ancient church were according to latin rites; whereat the malcontents in the monasteries fell into deeper sullenness, and refused the dying the consolation of their presence. gennadius assumed the authority of the absent patriarch, and was influential as a prophet. the powerful brotherhood of the st. james', composed of able-bodied gentry and nobles who should have been militant at the gates, regarded the emperor as under ban. notaras and justiniani quarrelled, and the feud spread to their respective followers. one day, about the time the turkish ships dropped, as it were, from the sky into the harbor, when the store of powder was almost exhausted, and famine menaced the city, five galleys were reported in the offing down the marmora. about the same time the turkish flotilla was observed making ready for action. the hungry people crowded the wall from the seven towers to point serail. the emperor rode thither in haste, while mahommed betook himself to the shore of the sea. a naval battle ensued under the eyes of the two. [footnote: the following is a translation of von hammer's spirited account of this battle: "the 15th of april, 1453, the turkish fleet, of more than four hundred sails, issued from the bay of phidalia, and directing itself toward the mouth of the bosphorus on the western side, cast anchor near the two villages to-day besich-tasch. a few days afterward five vessels appeared in the marmora, one belonging to the emperor, and four to the genoese. during the month of march they had been unable to issue from scio; but a favorable wind arising, they arrived before constantinople, all their sails unfurled. a division of the turkish fleet, more than a hundred and fifty in number, advanced to bar the passage of the christian squadron and guard the entrance to the harbor. the sky was clear, the sea tranquil, the walls crowded with spectators. the sultan himself was on the shore to enjoy the spectacle of a combat in which the superiority of his fleet seemed to promise him a certain victory. but the eighteen galleys at the head of the division, manned by inexperienced soldiers, and too low at the sides, were instantly covered with arrows, pots of greek fire, and a rain of stones launched by the enemy. they were twice repulsed. the greeks and the genoese emulated each other in zeal. flectanelli, captain of the imperial galley, fought like a lion; cataneo, novarro, balaneri, commanding the genoese, imitated his example. the turkish ships could not row under the arrows with which the water was covered; they fouled each other, and two took fire. at this sight mahommed could not contain himself; as if he would arrest the victory of the greeks, he spurred his horse in the midst of the ships. his officers followed him trying to reach the vessels combating only a stone's throw away. the soldiers, excited by shame or by fear, renewed the attack, but without success, and the five vessels, favored by a rising wind, forced a passage through the opposition, and happily entered the harbor."] the christian squadron made the golden horn, and passed triumphantly behind the chain defending it. they brought supplies of corn and powder. the relief had the appearance of a merciful providence, and forthwith the fighting was renewed with increased ardor. kalil the vizier exhorted mahommed to abandon the siege. "what, retire now? now that the gate st. romain is in ruins and the ditch filled?" the sultan cried in rage. "no, my bones to eyoub, my soul to eblis first. allah sent me here to conquer." those around attributed his firmness, some to religious zeal, some to ambition; none of them suspected how much the compact with count corti had to do with his decision. to the lasting shame of christian europe, the arrival of the five galleys, and the victory they achieved, were all of succor and cheer permitted the heroic emperor. but the unequal struggle wore on, and with each set of sun mahommed's hopes replumed themselves. from much fondling and kissing the sword of solomon, and swearing by it, the steel communicated itself to his will; while on the side of the besieged, failures, dissensions, watching and labor, disparity in numbers, inferiority in arms, the ravages of death, and the neglect of christendom, slowly but surely invited despair. weeks passed thus. april went out; and now it is the twenty-third of may. on the twenty-ninth--six days off--the stars, so we have seen, will permit an assault. and on this day the time is verging midnight. between the sky and the beleaguered town a pall of clouds is hanging thick. at intervals light showers filter through the pall, and the drops fall perpendicularly, for there is no wind. and the earth has its wrap of darkness, only over the seven hills of the old capital it appears to be in double folds oppressively close. darkness and silence and vacancy, which do not require permission to enter by a gate, have possession of the streets and houses; except that now and then a solitary figure, gliding swiftly, turns a corner, pauses to hear, moves on again, and disappears as if it dropped a curtain behind it. desertion is the rule. the hush is awful. where are the people? to find each other friends go from cellar to cellar. there are vaults and arched passages, crypts under churches and lordly habitations, deep, damp, mouldy, and smelling of rotten air, sheltering families. in many districts all life is underground. sociality, because it cannot exist under such conditions save amongst rats and reptiles, ceased some time ago. yet love is not dead--thanks, o heaven, for the divine impulse!--it has merely taken on new modes of expression; it shows itself in tears, never in laughter; it has quit singing, it moans; and what moments mothers are not on their knees praying, they sit crouched, and clasping their little ones, and listen pale with fear and want. listening is the universal habit; and the start and exclamation with which in the day the poor creatures recognize the explosive thunder of mahommed's guns explain the origin of the habit. at this particular hour of the twenty-third of may there are two notable exceptions to the statement that darkness, silence and vacancy have possession of the streets and houses. by a combination of streets most favorable for the purpose, a thoroughfare had come into use along which traffic preferably drove its bulky commodities from st. peter's on the harbor to the gates st. romain and adrianople; its greater distance between terminal points being offset by advantages such as solidity, width and gentler grades. in one of the turns of this very crooked way there is now a murky flush cast by flambeaux sputtering and borne in hand. on either side one may see the fronts of houses without tenants, and in the way itself long lines of men tugging with united effort at some cumbrous body behind them. there is no clamor. the labor is heavy, and the laborers in earnest. some of them wear round steel caps, but the majority are civilians with here and there a monk, the latter by the latin cross at his girdle an _azymite_. now and then the light flashes back from a naked torso streaming with perspiration. one man in armor rides up and down the lines on horseback. he too is in earnest. he speaks low when he has occasion to stop and give a direction, but his face seen in flashes of the light is serious, and knit with purpose. the movement of the lines is slow; at times they come to a dead stand-still. if the halt appears too long the horseman rides back and comes presently to the black hull of a dismantled galley on rollers. the stoppages are to shift the rollers forward. when the shifting is done, he calls out: "make ready, men!" whereupon every one in the lines catches hold of a rope, and at his "now--for love of christ!" there follows a pull with might, and the hull drags on. in these later days of the siege there are two persons actively engaged in the defence who are more wrought upon by the untowardness of the situation than any or all their associates--they are the emperor and count corti. there should be no difficulty in divining the cause of the former's distress. it was too apparent to him that his empire was in desperate straits; that as st. romain underwent its daily reduction so his remnant of state and power declined. and beholding the dissolution was very like being an enforced witness of his own dying. but count corti with the deepening of the danger only exerted himself the more. he seemed everywhere present--now on the ruins of the towers, now in the moat, now foremost in a countermine, and daily his recklessness increased. his feats with bow and sword amazed his friends. he became a terror to the enemy. he never tired. no one knew when he slept. and as note was taken of him, the question was continually on the lip, what possesses the man? he is a foreigner--this is not his home--he has no kindred here--what can be his motive? and there were who said it was christian zeal; others surmised it was soldier habit; others again, that for some reason he was disgusted with life; yet others, themselves of sordid natures, said the emperor affected him, and that he was striving for a great reward in promise. as in the camps of the besiegers none knew the actual reason of mahommed's persistence, so here the secret of the activity which left the count without a peer in performance and daring went without explanation. a few--amongst them the emperor--were aware of the meaning of the red net about the italian's neck--it shone so frequently through the smoke and dust of hourly conflict as to have become a subject of general observation--yet in the common opinion he was only the lady's knight; and his battle cry, _for christ and irene--now!_ did but confirm the opinion. time and time again, mahommed beheld the doughty deeds of his rival, heard his shout, saw the flash of his blade, sometimes near, sometimes afar, but always where the press was thickest. strange was it that of the two hosts he alone understood the other's inspiration? he had only to look into his own heart, and measure the force of the passion there. the horseman we see in charge of the removal of the galley-hulk this night of the twenty-third of may is count corti. it is wanted at st. romain. the gate is a hill of stone and mortar, without form; the moat almost level from side to side; and justiniani has decided upon a barricade behind a new ditch. he will fill the hull with stones, and defend from its deck; and it must be on the ground by break of day. precisely as count corti was bringing the galley around the turn of the thoroughfare, constantine was at the altar in sancta sophia where preparations for mass were making; that is, the priests were changing their vestments, and the acolytes lighting the tall candles. the emperor sat in his chair of state just inside the brass railing, unattended except by his sword-bearer. his hands were on his knees, his head bowed low. he was acknowledging a positive need of prayer. the ruin at the gate was palpable; but god reigned, and might be reserving his power for a miraculous demonstration. the preparation was about finished when, from the entrances of the church opposite the nave, a shuffling of many feet was heard. the light in that quarter was weak, and some moments passed before the emperor perceived a small procession advancing, and arose. the garbs were of orthodox brotherhoods which had been most bitter in their denunciation. none of them had approached the door of the holy house for weeks. the imperial mind was greatly agitated by the sight. were the brethren recanting their unpatriotic resolutions? had heaven at last given them an understanding of the peril of the city? had it brought to them a realization of the consequences if it fell under the yoke of the turk?--that the whole east would then be lost to christendom, with no date for its return? a miracle!--and to god the glory! and without a thought of himself the devoted man walked to the gate of the railing, and opening it, waited to receive the penitents. before him in front of the gate they knelt--in so far they yielded to custom. "brethren," he said, "this high altar has not been honored with your presence for many days. as basileus, i bid you welcome back, and dare urge the welcome in god's holy name. reason instructs me that your return is for a purpose in some manner connected with the unhappy condition in which our city and empire, not to mention our religion, are plunged. rise, one of you, and tell me to what your appearance at this solemn hour is due." a brother in gray, old and stooped, arose, and replied: "your majesty, it cannot be that you are unacquainted with the traditions of ancient origin concerning constantinople and hagia sophia; forgive us, however, if we fear you are not equally well informed of a more recent prophecy, creditably derived, we think, and presume to speak of its terms. 'the infidels'--so the prediction runs--'will enter the city; but the instant they arrive at the column of constantine the great, an angel will descend from heaven, and put a sword in the hands of a man of low estate seated at the foot of the column, and order him to avenge the people of god with it. overcome by sudden terror, the turks will then take to flight, and be driven, not only from the city, but to the frontier of persia.' [footnote: von hammer.] this prediction relieves us, and all who believe in it, from fear of mahommed and his impious hordes, and we are grateful to heaven for the divine intervention. but, your majesty, we think to be forgiven, if we desire the honor of the deliverance to be accounted to the holy mother who has had our fathers in care for so many ages, and redeemed them miraculously in instances within your majesty's knowledge. wherefore to our purpose.... we have been deputed by the brotherhoods in constantinople, united in devotion to the most blessed madonna of blacherne, to pray your permission to take the _panagia_ from the church of the virgin of hodegetria, where it has been since the week of the passover, and intrust it to the pious women of the city. to-morrow at noon, your majesty consenting, they will assemble at the acropolis, and with the banner at their head, go in procession along the walls and to every threatened gate, never doubting that at the sight of it the sultan and his unbaptized hordes will be reft of breath of body or take to flight.... this we pray of your majesty, that the mother of god may in these degenerate days have back the honor and worship accorded her by the emperors and greeks of former times." the old man ceased, and again fell upon his knees, while his associate deputies rang the space with loud _amens_. it was well the light was dim, and the emperor's face in shadow; it was well the posture of the petitioners helped hide him from close study; a feeling mixed of pity, contempt, and unutterable indignation seized him, distorting his features, and shaking his whole person. recantation and repentance!--pledge of loyalty!--offer of service at the gates and on the shattered walls!--heaven help him! there was no word of apology for their errors and remissness--not a syllable in acknowledgment of his labors and services--and he about to pray god for strength to die if the need were, as became the emperor of a brave and noble people! an instant he stood gazing at them--an instant of grief, shame, mortification, indignation, all heightened by a burning sense of personal wrong. ay, god help him! "bear with me a little," he said quietly, and passing the waiting priests, went and knelt upon a step of the altar in position to lay his head upon the upper step. minutes passed thus. the deputies supposed him praying for the success of the morrow's display; he was in fact praying for self-possession to answer them as his judgment of policy demanded. at length he arose, and returned to them, and had calmness to say: "arise, brethren, and go in peace. the keeper of the church will deliver the sacred banner to the pious women. only i insist upon a condition; if any of them are slain by the enemy, whom you and they know to have been bred in denial of womanly virtue, scorning their own mothers and wives, and making merchandise of their daughters--if any of them be slain, i say, then you shall bear witness to those who sent you to me that i am innocent of the blood-guilt. arise, and go in peace." they marched out of the church as they had come in, and he proceeded with the service. next day about ten o'clock in the morning there was a lull in the fighting at the gate st. romain. it were probably better to say the turks for some reason rested from their work of bringing stones, tree-trunks, earth in hand carts, and timbers wrenched from houses--everything, in fact, which would serve to substantially fill the moat in that quarter. then upon the highest heap of what had been the tower of bagdad count corti appeared, a black shield on his arm, his bow in one hand, his banderole in the other. "have a care, have a care!" his friends halloed. "they are about firing the great gun." corti seemed not to hear, but deliberately planted the banderole, and blowing his trumpet three times, drew an arrow from the quiver at his back. the gun was discharged, the bullet striking below him. when the dust cleared away, he replied with his trumpet. then the turks, keeping their distance, set up a cry. most of the arrows shot at him fell short. seeing their indisposition to accept his challenge, he took seat upon a stone. not long then until a horseman rode out from the line of janissaries still guarding the eminence, and advanced down the left of the zigzag galloping. he was in chain mail glistening like gold, but wore flowing yellow trousers, while his feet were buried in shoe-stirrups of the royal metal. looking over the small round black shield on his left arm, and holding a bow in the right hand, easy in the saddle, calm, confident, the champion slackened speed when within arrow flight, but commenced caracoling immediately. a prolonged hoarse cry arose behind him. of the christians, the count alone recognized the salute of the janissaries, still an utterance amongst turkish soldiers, in literal translation: _the padishah! live the padishah!_ the warrior was mahommed himself! arising, the count placed an arrow at the string, and shouted, "_for christ and irene--now!_" with the last word, he loosed the shaft. catching the missile lightly on his shield, mahommed shouted back: "_allah-il-allah!_" and sent a shaft in return. the exchange continued some minutes. in truth, the count was not a little proud of the enemy's performance. if there was any weakness on his part, if his clutch of the notch at the instant of drawing the string was a trifle light, the fault was chargeable to a passing memory. this antagonist had been his pupil. how often in the school field, practising with blunted arrows, the two had joyously mimicked the encounter they were now holding. at last a bolt, clanging dully, dropped from the sultan's shield, and observing that it was black feathered, he swung from his seat to the ground, and, shifting the horse between him and the foe, secured the missile, and remounted. _"allah-il-allah!"_ he cried, slowly backing the charger out of range. the count repeated the challenge through his trumpet, and sat upon the stone again; but no other antagonist showing himself, he at length descended from the heap. in his tent mahommed examined the bolt; and finding the head was of lead, he cut it open, and extracted a scrip inscribed thus: "to-day at noon a procession of women will appear on the walls. you may know it by the white banner a monk will bear, with a picture of the madonna painted on it. _the princess irene marches next after the banner._" mahommed asked for the time. it was half after ten o'clock. in a few minutes the door was thronged by mounted officers, who, upon receiving a verbal message from him, sped away fast as they could go. thereupon the conflict was reopened. indeed, it raged more fiercely than at any previous time, the slingers and bowmen being pushed up to the outer edge of the moat, and the machines of every kind plied over their heads. in his ignorance of the miracle expected of the lady of the banner, mahommed had a hope of deterring the extraordinary march. nevertheless at the appointed hour, ten o'clock, the church of the virgin of hodegetria was surrounded by nuns and monks; and presently the choir of sancta sophia issued from the house, executing a solemn chant; the emperor followed in basilean vestments; then the _panagia_ appeared. at sight of the picture of the very holy virgin painted front view, the eyes upraised, the hands in posture of prayer, the breast covered by a portrait of the child, the heads encircled by the usual nimbus, the mass knelt, uttering cries of adoration. the princess irene, lightly veiled and attired in black, advanced, and, kissing the fringed corners of the hallowed relic, gathered the white staying ribbons in her hands; thereupon the monk appointed to carry it moved after the choir, and the nuns took places. and there were tears and sighs, but not of fear. the mother of god would now assume the deliverance of her beloved capital. as it had been to the avars, and later to the russians under askold and dir, it would be now to mahommed and his ferocious hordes--all heaven would arm to punish them. they would not dare look at the picture twice, or if they did--well, there are many modes of death, and it will be for the dear mother to choose. thus the women argued. possibly a perception of the failure in the defence, sharpened by a consciousness of the horrors in store for them if the city fell by assault, turned them to this. there is no relief from despair like faith. from the little church, the devotees of the very holy virgin took their way on foot to the southeast, chanting as they went, and as they went their number grew. whence the accessions, none inquired. they first reached a flight of steps leading to the banquette or footway along the wall near the golden gate. the noise of the conflict, the shouting and roar of an uncounted multitude of men in the heat and fury of combat, not to more than mention the evidences of the conflict--arrows, bolts, and stones in overflight and falling in remittent showers--would have dispersed them in ordinary mood; but they were under protection--the madonna was leading them--to be afraid was to deny her saving grace. and then there was no shrinking on the part of the princess irene. even as she took time and song from the choir, they borrowed of her trust. at the foot of the steps the singers turned aside to allow the _panagia_ to go first. the moment of miracle was come! what form would the manifestation take? perhaps the doors and windows of heaven would open for a rain of fire--perhaps the fighting angels who keep the throne of the father would appear with swords of lightning--perhaps the mother and son would show themselves. had they not spared and converted the khagan of the avars? whatever the form, it were not becoming to stand between the _panagia_ and the enemy. the holy man carrying the ensign was trustful as the women, and he ascended the steps without faltering. gathering the ribbons a little more firmly in her hands, the princess kept her place. up--up they were borne--mother and son. then the white banner was on the height--seen first by the greeks keeping the wall, and in the places it discovered them, they fell upon their faces, next by the hordes. and they--oh, a miracle, a miracle truly!--they stood still. the bowman drawing his bow, the slinger whirling his sling, the arquebusers taking aim matches in hand, the strong men at the winches of the mangonels, all stopped--an arresting hand fell on them--they might have been changed to pillars of stone, so motionlessly did they stand and look at the white apparition. _kyrie eleison_, thrice repeated, then _christie eleison_, also thrice repeated, descended to them in the voices of women, shrilled by excitement. and the banner moved along the wall, not swiftly as if terror had to do with its passing, but slowly, the image turned outwardly, the princess next it, the ribbons in her hands; after her the choir in full chant; and then the long array of women in ecstasy of faith and triumph; for before they were all ascended, the hordes at the edge of the moat, and those at a distance--or rather such of them as death or wounds would permit--were retreating to their entrenchment. nor that merely--the arrest which had fallen at the golden gate extended along the front of leaguerment from the sea to blacherne, from blacherne to the acropolis. so it happened that in advance of the display of the picture, without waiting for the _kyrie eleison_ of the glad procession, the turks took to their defences; and through the city, from cellar, and vault, and crypt, and darkened passage, the wonderful story flew; and there being none to gainsay or explain it, the miracle was accepted, and the streets actually showed signs of a quick return to their old life. even the very timid took heart, and went about thanking god and the _panagia blachernitissa_. and here and there the monks passed, sleek and blithe, and complacently twirling the greek crosses at the whip-ends of their rosaries of polished horn buttons large as walnuts, saying: "the danger is gone. see what it is to have faith! had we kept on trusting the _azymites_, whether roman cardinal or apostate emperor, a muezzin would ere long, perhaps to-morrow, be calling to prayer from the dome of hagia sophia. blessed be the _panagia!_ to-night let us sleep; and then--then we will dismiss the mercenaries with their latin tongues." but there will be skeptics to the last hour of the last day; so is the world made of kinds of men. constantine and justiniani did not disarm or lay aside their care. in unpatriotic distrust, they kept post behind the ruins of st. romain, and saw to it that the labor of planting the hull of the galley for a new wall, strengthened with another ditch of dangerous depth and width, was continued. and they were wise; for about four o'clock in the afternoon, there was a blowing of horns on the parapet by the monster gun, and five heralds in tunics stiff with gold embroidery, and trousers to correspond--splendid fellows, under turbans like balloons, each with a trumpet of shining silver--set out for the gate, preceding a stately unarmed official. the heralds halted now and then to execute a flourish. constantine, recognizing an envoy, sent justiniani and count corti to meet him beyond the moat, and they returned with the sultan's formal demand for the surrender of the city. the message was threatening and imperious. the emperor replied offering to pay tribute. mahommed rejected the proposal, and announced an assault. the retirement of the hordes at sight of the _panagia_ on the wall was by mahommed's order. his wilfulness extended to his love--he did not intend the princess irene should suffer harm. chapter x the night before the assault the artillery of mahommed had been effective, though not to the same degree, elsewhere than at st. romain. jerome the italian and leonardo di langasco the genoese, defending the port of blacherne in the lowland, had not been able to save the xiloporta or wood gate on the harbor front harmless; under pounding of the floating battery it lay in the dust, like a battered helmet. john grant and theodore de carystos looked at the green hills of eyoub in front of the gate caligaria or charsias, assigned to them, through fissures and tumbles-down which made their hearts sore. the bochiardi brothers, paul and antonin, had fared no better in their defence of the gate adrianople. at the gate selimbria, theophilus palaeologus kept the imperial flag flying, but the outer faces of the towers there were in the ditch serving the uses of the enemy. contarino the venetian, on the roof of the golden gate, was separated from the wall reaching northward to selimbria by a breach wide enough to admit a chariot. gabriel trevisan, with his noble four hundred venetians, kept good his grip on the harbor wall from the acropolis to the gate of st. peter's. through the incapacity or treason of duke notaras, the upper portion of the golden horn was entirely lost to the christians. from the seven towers to galata the ottoman fleet held the wall facing the marmora as a net of close meshes holds the space of water it is to drag. in a word, the hour for assault had arrived, and from the twenty-fourth to evening of the twenty-eighth of may mahommed diligently prepared for the event. the attack he reduced to a bombardment barely sufficient to deter the besiegers from systematic repairs. the reports of his guns were but occasionally heard. at no time, however, was the energy of the man more conspicuous. previously his orders to chief officers in command along the line had been despatched to them; now he bade them to personal attendance; and, as may be fancied, the scene at his tent was orientally picturesque from sunrise to sunset. such an abounding of moslem princes and princes not moslem, of pachas, and beys, and governors of castles, of sheiks, and captains of hordes without titles; such a medley of costumes, and armor, and strange ensigns; such a forest of tall shafts flying red horse-tails; such a herding of caparisoned steeds; such a company of trumpeters and heralds--had seldom if ever been seen. it seemed the east from the euphrates and red sea to the caspian, and the west far as the iron gates of the danube, were there in warlike presence. yet for the most part these selected lions of tribes kept in separate groups and regarded each other askance, having feuds and jealousies amongst themselves; and there was reason for their good behavior--around them, under arms, were fifteen thousand watchful janissaries, the flower of the sultan's host, of whom an old chronicler has said, each one is a giant in stature, and the equal of ten ordinary men. throughout those four days but one man had place always at mahommed's back, his confidant and adviser--not kalil, it is to be remarked, or saganos, or the mollah kourani, or akschem-sed-din the dervish. "my lord," the prince of india had argued when the sultan resolved to summon his vassal chiefs to personal conference, "all men love splendor; pleasing the eye is an inducement to the intelligent; exciting the astonishment of the vulgar disposes them to submit to superiority in another without wounding their vanity. the rajahs in my country practise this philosophy with a thorough understanding. having frequently to hold council with their officials, into the tent or hall of ceremony they bring their utmost riches. the lesson is open to my lord." so when his leaders of men were ushered into the audience, the interior of mahommed's tent was extravagantly furnished, and their prostrations were at the step of a throne. nevertheless in consenting to the suggestion, the sultan had insisted upon a condition. "they shall not mistake me for something else than a warrior--a politician or a diplomatist, for instance--or think the heaviest blow i can deal is with the tongue or a pen. art thou hearing, prince?" "i hear, my lord." "so, by the tomb of the prophet--may his name be exalted!--my household, viziers and all, shall stand at my left; but here on my right i will have my horse in panoply; and he shall bear my mace and champ his golden bit, and be ready to tread on such of the beggars as behave unseemly." and over the blue and yellow silken rugs of khorassan, with which the space at the right of the throne was spread, the horse, bitted and house led, had free range, an impressive reminder of the master's business of life. as they were christians or moslems, mahommed addressed the vassals honored by his summons, and admitted separately to his presence; for the same arguments might not be pleasing to both. "i give you trust," he would say to the christian, "and look for brave and loyal service from you.... i shall be present with you, and as an eyewitness judge of your valor, and never had men such incentives. the wealth of ages is in the walls before us, and it shall be yours--money, jewels, goods and people--all yours as you can lay hands on it. i reserve only the houses and churches. are you poor, you may go away rich; if rich, you may be richer; for what you get will be honorable earnings of your right hand of which none shall dispossess you--and to that treaty i swear.... rise now, and put your men in readiness. the stars have promised me this city, and their promises are as the breath of the god we both adore." very different in style and matter were his utterances to a moslem. "what is that hanging from thy belt?" "it is a sword, my lord." "god is god, and there is no other god--_amin!_ and he it was who planted iron in the earth, and showed the miner where it was hid, and taught the armorer to give it form, and harden it, even the blade at thy belt; for god had need of an instrument for the punishment of those who say 'god hath partners.' ... and who are they that say 'god hath partners--a son and his mother'? here have they their stronghold; and here have we been brought to make roads through its walls, and turn their palaces of unbelief into harems. for that thou hast thy sword, and i mine--_amin!_... it is the will of god that we despoil these _gabours_ of their wealth and their women; for are they not of those of whom it is said: 'in their hearts is a disease, and god hath increased their disease, and for them is ordained a painful punishment, because they have charged the prophet of god with falsehood'? that they who escape the sharpness of our swords shall be as beggars, and slaves, and homeless wanderers--such is the punishment, and it is the judgment of god--_amin!_ ... that they shall leave all they have behind them--so also hath god willed, and i say it shall be. i swear it. and that they leave behind them is for us who were appointed from the beginning of the world to take it; that also god wills, and i say it shall be. i swear it. _amin!_ ... what if the way be perilous, as i grant it is? is it not written: 'a soul cannot die except by permission of god, according to a writing of god, definite as to time'? and if a man die, is it not also written: 'repute not those slain in god's cause to be dead; nay, alive with god, they are provided for'? they are people of the 'right hand,' of whom it is written: 'they shall be brought nigh god in the gardens of delight, upon inwrought couches reclining face to face. youths ever young shall go unto them round about with goblets and ewers, and a cup of flowing wine; and fruits of the sort which they shall choose, and the flesh of birds of the kind which they shall desire, and damsels with eyes like pearls laid up, we will give them as a reward for that which they have done.' ... but the appointed time is not yet for all of us--nay, it is for the fewest--_amin!_ ... and when the will of god is done, then for such as live, lo! over the walls yonder are gold refined and coined, and gold in vessels, and damsels on silken couches, their cheeks like roses of damascus, their arms whiter and cooler than lilies, and as pearls laid up are their eyes, and their bodies sweeter than musk on the wings of the south wind in a grove of palms. with the gold we can make gardens of delight; and the damsels set down in the gardens, ours the fault if the promise be not made good as it was spoken by the prophet--'paradise shall be brought near unto the pious, to a place not distant from them, so they shall see it!' ... being of those who shall 'receive their books in the right hand,' more need not be said unto you. i only reserve for myself the houses when you have despoiled them, and the churches. make ready yourself and your people, and tell them faithfully what i say, and swear to. i will come to you with final orders. arise!" [footnote: for the quotations in this speech, see _selections from the koran_, by edward william lane.] from sunrise to sunset of the twenty-seventh mahommed was in the saddle going with the retinue of a conqueror from chief to chief. from each he drew a detachment to be held in reserve. one hundred thousand men were thus detached. "see to it," he said finally, "that you direct your main effort against the gate in front of you.... put the wild men in the advance. the dead will be useful in the ditch.... have the ladders at hand.... at the sound of my trumpets, charge.... proclaim for me that he who is first upon the walls shall have choice of a province. i will make him governor. god is god. i am his servant, ordering as he has ordered." on the twenty-eighth, he sent all the dervishes in camp to preach to the moslems in arms; and of such effect were their promises of pillage and paradise that after the hour of the fifth prayer, the multitude, in all quite two hundred and fifty thousand, abandoned themselves to transports of fanaticism. of their huts and booths they made heaps, and at night set fire to them; and the tents of the pachas and great officers being illuminated, and the ships perfecting the blockade dressed in lights, the entrenchment from blacherne to the seven towers, and the sea thence to the acropolis, were in a continued brilliance reaching up to the sky. even the campania was invaded by the dazzlement of countless bonfires. and from the walls the besieged, if they looked, beheld the antics of the hordes; if they listened, they heard the noise, in the distance, a prolonged, inarticulate, irregular clamor of voices, near by, a confusion of songs and cries. at times the bray of trumpets and the roll of drums great and small shook the air, and smothered every rival sound. and where the dervishes came, in their passage from group to group, the excitement arose out of bounds, while their dancing lent diablerie to the scene. assuredly there was enough in what they beheld to sink the spirit of the besieged, even the boldest of them. the cry _allah-il-allah_ shouted from the moat was trifling in comparison with what they might have overheard around the bonfires. "why do you burn your huts?" asked a prudent officer of his men. "because we will not need them more. the city is for us to-morrow. the padishah has promised and sworn." "did he swear it?" "ay, by the bones of the three in the tomb of the prophet." at another fire, the following: "yes, i have chosen my palace already. it is on the hill over there in the west." and again: "tell us, o son of mousa, when we are in the town what will you look for?" "the things i most want." "well, what things?" "may the jinn fill thy stomach with green figs for such a question of my mother's son! what things? two horses out of the emperor's stable. and thou--what wilt thou put thy hand to first?" "oh, i have not made up my mind! i am thinking of a load of gold for my camel--enough to take my father and his three wives to mecca, and buy water for them from the zem-zem. praised be allah!" "bah! gold will be cheap." "yes, as bezants; but i have heard of a bucket the unbelieving greeks use at times for mixing wine and bread in. it is when they eat the body of their god. they say the bucket is so big it takes six fat priests to lift it." "it is too big. i'll gather the bezants." "well," said a third, with a loud moslem oath, "keep to your gold, whether in pots or coin. for me--for me"-"ha, ha!--he don't know." "don't i? thou grinning son of a hindoo ape." "what is it, then?" "the thing which is first in thy mind." "name it." "a string of women." "old or young?" "an _hoo-rey-yeh_ is never old." "what judgment!" sneered the other. "i will take some of the old ones as well." "what for?" "for slaves to wait on the young. was it not said by a wise man, 'sweet water in the jar is not more precious than peace in the family'?" undoubtedly the evil genius of byzantium in this peril was the prince of india. "my lord," he had said, cynically, "of a truth a man brave in the day can be turned into a quaking coward at night; you have but to present him a danger substantial enough to quicken his imagination. these greeks have withstood you stoutly; try them now with your power a vision of darkness." "how, prince?" "in view and hearing from the walls let the hordes kindle fires to-night. multiply the fires, if need be, and keep the thousands in motion about them, making a spectacle such as this generation has not seen; then"-the singular man stopped to laugh. mahommed gazed at him in silent wonder. "then," he continued, "so will distorted fancy do its work, that by midnight the city will be on its knees praying to the mother of god, and every armed man on the walls who has a wife or daughter will think he hears himself called to for protection. try it, my lord, and thou mayst whack my flesh into ribbons if by dawn the general fear have not left but a half task for thy sword." it was as the jew said. attracted by the illumination in the sky, suggestive of something vast and terrible going on outside the walls, and still full of faith in a miraculous deliverance, thousands hastened to see the mercy. what an awakening was in store for them! enemies seemed to have arisen out of the earth--devils, not men. the world to the horizon's rim appeared oppressed with them. nor was it possible to misapprehend the meaning of what they beheld. "to-morrow--to-morrow"--they whispered to each other--"god keep us!" and pouring back into the streets, they became each a preacher of despair. yet--marvelous to say--the monks sallied from their cells with words of cheer. "have faith," they said. "see, we are not afraid. the blessed mother has not deserted her children. believe in her. she is resolved to allow the _azymite_ emperor to exhaust his vanity that in the last hour he and his latin myrmidons may not deny her the merit of the salvation. compose yourselves, and fear not. the angel will find the poor man at the column of constantine." the ordinary soul beset with fears, and sinking into hopelessness, is always ready to accept a promise of rest. the people listened to the priestly soothsayers. nay, the too comforting assurance made its way to the defenders at the gates, and hundreds of them deserted their posts; leaving the enemy to creep in from the moat, and, with hooks on long poles, actually pull down some of the new defences. it scarcely requires telling how these complications added weight to the cares with which the emperor was already overladen. through the afternoon he sat by the open window of a room above the cercoporta, or sunken gate under the southern face of his high residence, [footnote: this room is still to be seen. the writer once visited it. arriving near, his turkish _cavass_ requested him to wait a moment. the man then advanced alone and cautiously, and knocked at the door. there was a conference, and a little delay; after which the _cavass_ announced it was safe to go in. the mystery was revealed upon entering. a half dozen steaming tubs were scattered over the paved floor, and by each of them stood a scantily attired woman with a dirty _yashmak_ covering her face. the chamber which should have been very sacred if only because there the last of the byzantine emperors composedly resigned himself to the inevitable, had become a filthy den devoted to one of the most ignoble of uses. the shame is, of course, to the greeks of constantinople.] watching the movements of the turks. the subtle prophet which sometimes mercifully goes before death had discharged its office with him. he had dismissed his last hope. beyond peradventure the hardest task to one pondering his fate uprisen and standing before him with all its attending circumstances, is to make peace with himself; which is simply viewing the attractions of this life as birds of plumage in a golden cage, and deliberately opening the door, and letting them loose, knowing they can never return. this the purest and noblest of the imperial greeks--the evil times in which his race as a ruler was run prevent us from terming him the greatest--had done. he was in armor, and his sword rested against the cheek of a window. his faithful attendants came in occasionally, and spoke to him in low tones; but for the most part he was alone. the view of the enemy was fair. he could see their intrenchment, and the tents and ruder quarters behind it. he could see the standards, many of them without meaning to him, the detachments on duty and watchful, the horsemen coming and going, and now and then a column in movement. he could hear the shouting, and he knew the meaning of it all--the final tempest was gathering. about four o'clock in the afternoon, phranza entered the room, and going to his master's right hand, was in the act of prostrating himself. "no, my lord," said the emperor, reaching out to stay him, and smiling pleasantly, "let us have done with ceremony. thou hast been true servant to me--i testify it, god hearing--and now i promote thee. be as my other self. speak to me standing. to-morrow is my end of days. in death no man is greater than another. tell me what thou bringest." on his knees, the grand chamberlain took the steel-gloved hand nearest him, and carried it to his lips. "your majesty, no servant had ever a more considerate and loving master." an oppressive silence followed. they were both thinking the same thought, and it was too sad for speech. "the duty your majesty charged me with this morning "--thus phranza upon recovery of his composure--"i attended to." "and you found it?" "even as your majesty had warning. the hegumens of the brotherhoods"-"all of them, o phranza?" "all of them, your majesty--assembled in a cloister of the pantocrator." "gennadius again!" the emperor's hands closed, and there was an impatient twitching of his lips. "though why should i be astonished? hark, my friend! i will tell thee what i have as yet spoken to no man else. thou knowest kalil the vizier has been these many years my tributary, and that he hath done me many kindly acts, not always in his master's interest. the night of the day our christian ships beat the turks the grand vizier sent me an account of a stormy scene in mahommed's tent, and advised me to beware of gennadius. ah, i had fancied myself prepared to drink the cup heaven hath in store for me, lees and all, without a murmur, but men will be men until their second birth. it is nature! ... oh, my phranza, what thinkest thou the false monk is carrying under his hood?" "some egg of treason, i doubt not." "having driven his serenity, the pious and venerable gregory, into exile, he aspires to succeed him." "the hypocrite!--the impostor!--the perjured!--he, patriarch!" cried phranza, with upraised eyes. "and from whose hands thinkest thou he dreams of deriving the honor?" "not your majesty's." the emperor smiled faintly. "no--he regards mahommed the sultan a better patron, if not a better christian." "forbid it heaven!" and phranza crossed himself repeatedly. "nay, good friend, hear his scheme, then thou mayst call the forbidding powers with undeniable reason....he undertook--so kalil privily declared--if mahommed would invest him with the patriarchate, to deliver constantinople to him." "by what means? he has no gate in keeping--he is not even a soldier." "my poor phranza! hast thou yet to learn that perfidy is not a trait of any class? this gowned traitor hath a key to all the gates. hear him--i will ply the superstition of the greeks, and draw them from the walls with a prophecy." phranza was able to cry out: "oh! that so brave a prince, so good a master should be at the mercy of--of such a"-"with all thy learning, i see thou lackest a word. let it pass, let it pass--i understand thee....but what further hast thou from the meeting?" phranza caught the hand again, and laid his forehead upon it while he replied: "to-night the brotherhoods are to go out, and renew the story of the angel, and the man at the foot of the column of constantine." the calmness of the emperor was wonderful. he gazed at the turks through the window, and, after reflection, said tranquilly: "i would have saved it--this old empire of our fathers; but my utmost now is to die for it--ay, as if i were blind to its unworthiness. god's will be done, not mine!" "talk not of dying--o beloved lord and master, talk not so! it is not too late for composition. give me your terms, and i will go with them to"-"nay, friend, i have done better--i have made peace with myself.... i shall be no man's slave. there is nothing more for me--nothing except an honorable death. how sweet a grace it is that we can put so much glory in dying! a day of greek regeneration may come--then there may be some to do me honor--some to find worthy lessons in my life--perchance another emperor of byzantium to remember how the last of the palaeologae accepted the will of god revealed to him in treachery and treason.... but there is one at the door knocking as he were in haste. let him enter." an officer of the guard was admitted. "your majesty," he said, after salutation, "the captain justiniani, and the genoese, his friends, are preparing to abandon the gates." constantine seized his sword, and arose. "tell me about it," he said, simply. "justiniani has the new ditch at st. romain nearly completed, and wanting some cannon, he made request for them of the high admiral, who refused, saying, 'the foreign cowards must take care of themselves.'" "ride, sir, to the noble captain, and tell him i am at thy heels." "is the duke mad?" constantine continued, the messenger having departed. "what can he want? he is rich, and hath a family--boys verging on manhood, and of excellent promise. ah, my dear friend in need, what canst thou see of gain for him from mahommed?" "life, your majesty--life, and greater riches." "how? i did not suppose thou thoughtest so ill of men." "of some--of some--not all." then phranza raised his head, and asked, bitterly: "if five galleys won the harbor, every moslem sail opposing, why could not twelve or more do better? does not mahommed draw his supplies by sea?" the emperor looked out of the window again, but not at the turks. "lord phranza," he said, presently, "thou mayst survive to-morrow's calamity; if so, being as thou art skilful with the pen, write of me in thy day of leisure two things; first, i dared not break with duke notaras while mahommed was striving for my gates--he could and would have seized my throne--the church, the brotherhoods, and the people are with him--i am an _azymite._ say of me next that i have always held the decree of union proclaimed by the council of florence binding upon greek conscience, and had i lived, god helping me roll back this flood of islam, it should have been enforced.... hither--look hither, lord phranza"--he pointed out of the window--"and thou wilt see an argument of as many divisions as there are infidels beleaguering us why the church of christ should have one head; and as to whether the head should be patriarch or bishop, is it not enough that we are perishing for want of western swords?"--he would have fallen into silence again, but roused himself: "so much for the place i would have in the world's memory.... but to the present affair. reparation is due justiniani and his associates. do thou prepare a repast in the great dining hall. our resources are so reduced i may not speak of it as a banquet; but as thou lovest me do thy best with what we have. for my part, i will ride and summon every noble greek in arms for church and state, and the foreign captains. in such cheer, perhaps, we can heal the wounds inflicted by notaras. we can at least make ready to die with grace." he went out, and taking horse, rode at speed to the gate st. romain, and succeeded in soothing the offended genoese. at ten o'clock the banquet was held. the chroniclers say of it that there were speeches, embraces, and a fresh resolution to fight, and endure the worst or conquer. and they chose a battle-cry--_christ and holy church._ at separating, the emperor, with infinite tenderness, but never more knightly, prayed forgiveness of any he might have wronged or affronted; and the guests came one by one to bid him adieu, and he commended them to god, and the gratitude of christians in the ages to come, and his hands were drenched with their tears. from the very high residence he visited the gates, and was partially successful in arresting the desertions actually in progress. finally, all other duties done, his mind turning once more to god, he rode to sancta sophia, heard mass, partook of the communion, and received absolution according to latin rite; after which the morrow could hold no surprise for him. and he found comfort repeating his own word: how sweet a grace it is that we can put so much glory in dying. chapter xi count corti in dilemma from the repast at blacherne--festive it was in no sense--count corti escorted the emperor to the door of sancta sophia; whence, by permission, and taking with him his nine berbers, he rode slowly to the residence of the princess irene. slowly, we say, for nowhere in the pent area of byzantium was there a soul more oppressed. if he looked up, it was to fancy all the fortunate planets seated in their houses helping mahommed's star to a fullest flood of splendor; if he looked down, it was to see the wager--and his soul cried out, lost! lost! though one be rich, or great, or superior in his calling, wherein is the profit of it if he have lost his love? besides the anguish of a perception of his rival's better fortune, the count was bowed by the necessity of deciding certain consequences unforeseen at the time the wager was made. the place of the surrender of the princess was fixed. thinking forward now, he could anticipate the scene in the great church--the pack of fugitives, their terror and despair, the hordes raging amongst them. how was he single-handed to save her unharmed in the scramble of the hour? thoughts of her youth, beauty, and rank, theretofore inspirations out of heaven, set him to shivering with an ague more like fear than any he had ever known. nor was this all. the surrender was by the terms to be to mahommed himself. the sultan was to demand her of him. he groaned aloud: "oh, dear god and holy mother, be merciful, and let me die!" for the first time it was given him to see, not alone that he might lose the woman to his soul all the sun is to the world, but her respect as well. by what management was he to make the surrender without exposing the understanding between the conqueror and himself? she would be present--she would see what took place--she would hear what was said. and she would not be frightened. the image of the madonna above the altar in the nave would not be more calm. the vaguest suspicion of a compact, and she the subject, would put her upon inquiry; then--"oh, fool--idiot--insensate as my sword-grip!" thus, between groans, he scourged himself. it was late, but her home was now a hospital filled with wounded men, and she its sleepless angel. old lysander admitted him. "the princess irene is in the chapel." thus directed, the count went thither well knowing the way. a soldier just dead was the theme of a solemn recital by sergius. the room was crowded with women in the deepest excitement of fear. corti understood the cause. poor creatures! they had need of religious comfort. a thousand ghosts in one view could not have overcome them as did the approach of the morrow. at the right of the altar, he discovered the princess in the midst of her attendants, who kept close to her, like young birds to the mother in alarm. she was quiet and self-contained. apparently she alone heard the words of the reader; and whereas the count came in a penitent--doubtful--in a maze--unknowing what to do or where to turn, one glance at her face restored him. he resolved to tell her his history, omitting only the character in which he entered her kinsman's service, and the odious compact with mahommed. her consent to accompany him to sancta sophia must be obtained; for that he was come. his presence in the chapel awakened a suppressed excitement, and directly the princess came to him. "what has happened, count corti? why are you here?" "to speak with you, o princess irene' "go with me, then." she conducted him into a passage, and closed the door behind them. "the floor of my reception room is overlaid with the sick and suffering--my whole house is given up to them. speak here; and if the news be bad, dear count, it were mercy not to permit the unfortunates to hear you." she was not thinking of herself. he took the hand extended to him, and kissed it--to him it was the hand of more than the most beautiful woman in the world--it was the hand of a saint in white transfigurement. "thy imperial kinsman, o princess, is at the church partaking of the holy communion, and receiving absolution." "at this hour? why is he there, count?" corti told her of the repast at the palace, and recounted the scene at parting. "it looks like despair. can it be the emperor is making ready to die? answer, and fear not for me. my life has been a long preparation. he believes the defence is lost--the captains believe so--and thou?" "o princess, it is terrible saying, but i too expect the judgment of god in the morning." the hall was so dimly lighted he could not see her face; but the nerve of sympathy is fine--he felt she trembled. only a moment--scarcely longer than taking a breath--then she answered: "judgment is for us all. it will find me here." she moved as if to return to the chapel; but he stepped before her, and drawing out a chair standing by the door, said, firmly, yet tenderly: "you are weary. the labor of helping the unfortunate these many days--the watching and anxiety--have been trying upon you. sit, i pray, and hear me." she yielded with a sigh. "the judgment which would find you here, o princes, would not be death, but something more terrible, so terrible words burn in thinking of it. i have sworn to defend you: and the oath, and the will to keep it, give me the right to determine where and how the defence shall be made. if there are advantages, i want them, for your sweet sake." he stopped to master his feeling. "you have never stood on the deck of a ship in wreck, and seen the sea rush in to overwhelm it," he went on presently: "i have; and i declare to you, o beloved lady, nothing can be so like to-morrow when the hordes break into the city, as that triumph of waters; and as on the deck there was no place of safety for the perishing crew, neither will there be place of safety for man, woman, or child in byzantium then--least of all for the kinswoman of the emperor--for her--permit me to say it--whose loveliness and virtue are themes for story-tellers throughout the east. as a prize--whether for ransom or dishonor--richer than the churches and the palaces, and their belongings, be they jewels or gold, or anointed crown, or bone of saint, or splinter of the true cross, or shred from the shirt of christ--to him who loves her, a prize of such excellence that glory, even the glory mahommed is now dreaming of when he shall have wrenched the keys of the gates from their rightful owner dead in the bloody breach, would pale if set beside it for comparison, and sink out of sight--think you she will not be hunted? or that the painted mother above the altar, though it spoke through a miraculous halo, could save her when found? no, no, princess, not here, not here!... you know i love you; in an unreasoning moment i dared tell you so; and you may think me passion-blind, and that i hung the vow to defend you upon my soul's neck, thinking it light as this favor you were pleased to give me; that love being a braggart, therefore i am a braggart. let me set myself right in your opinion--your good opinion, o princess, for it is to me a world of such fair shining i dream of it as of a garden in paradise.... if you do not know how hardly i have striven in this war, send, i pray, and ask any of the captains, or the most christian sovereign i have just left making his peace with god. some of them called me mad, but i pardoned them--they did not know the meaning of my battle-cry--'for christ and irene'--that i was venturing life less for constantinople, less for religion--i almost said, less for christ--than for you, who are all things in one to me, the fairest on earth, the best in heaven.... at last, at last i am driven to admit we may fail--that to-morrow, whether i am here or there, at your side or under the trampling, you may be a prisoner at mercy." at these words, of infinite anguish in utterance, the princess shuddered, and looked up in silent appeal. "attend me now. you have courage above the courage of women; therefore i may speak with plainness.... what will become of you--i give the conclusion of many wrangles with myself--what will become of you depends upon the hands which happen to be laid on you first. o princess, are you giving me heed? do you comprehend me?" "the words concern me more than life, count." "i may go on then.... i have hope of saving your life and honor. you have but to do what i advise. if you cannot trust me, further speech were idleness, and i might as well take leave of you. death in many forms will be abroad to-morrow--nothing so easily found." "count corti," she returned, "if i hesitate pledging myself, it is not because of distrust. i will hear you." "it is well said, dear lady." he stopped--a pleasant warmth was in his heart--a perception, like dim light, began breaking through the obscurities in his mind. to this moment, in fact, he had trouble gaining his own consent to the proposal on his tongue; it seemed so like treachery to the noble woman--so like a cunning inveiglement to deliver her to mahommed under the hated compact. now suddenly the proposal assumed another appearance--it was the best course--the best had there been no wager, no compact, no obligation but knightly duty to her. as he proceeded, this conviction grew clearer, bringing him ease of conscience and the subtle influence of a master arguing right. he told her his history then, holding nothing back but the two points mentioned. twice only she interrupted him. "your mother, count corti--poor lady--how she has suffered! but what happiness there is in store for her!" and again: "how wonderful the escape from the falsehoods of the prophet! there is no love like christ's love unless--unless it be a mother's." at the conclusion, her chin rested in the soft palm of her hand, and the hand, unjewelled, was white as marble just carven, and, like the arm, a wonder of grace. of what was she thinking?--of him? had he at last made an impression upon her? what trifles serve the hope of lovers! at length she asked: "then, o count, thou wert his playmate in childhood?" a bitter pang struck him--that pensiveness was for mahommed--yet he answered: "i was nearest him until he took up his father's sword." "is he the monster they call him?" "to his enemies, yes--and to all in the road to his desires, yes--but to his friends there was never such a friend." "has he heart to"-the omission, rather than the question, hurt him--still he returned: "yes, once he really loves." then she appeared to awake. "to the narrative now--forgive my wandering." the opportunity to return was a relief to him, and he hastened to improve it. "i thank you for grace, o princess, and am reminded of the pressure of time. i must to the gate again with the emperor.... this is my proposal. instead of biding here to be taken by some rapacious hordesman, go with me to sancta sophia, and when the sultan comes thither--as he certainly will--deliver yourself to him. if, before his arrival, the plunderers force the doors of the holy house, i will stand with you, not, princess, as count corti the italian, but mirza the emir and janissary, appointed by the sultan to guard you. my berbers will help the assumption." he had spoken clearly, yet she hesitated. "ah," he said, "you doubt mahommed. he will be upon honor. the glory-winners, princess, are those always most in awe of the judgment of the world." yet she sat silent. "or is it i who am in your doubt?" "no, count. but my household--my attendants--the poor creatures are trembling now--some of them, i was about saying, are of the noblest families in byzantium, daughters of senators and lords of the court. i cannot desert them--no, count corti, not to save myself. the baseness would be on my soul forever. they must share my fortune, or i their fate." still she was thinking of others! more as a worshipper than lover, the count replied: "i will include them in my attempt to save you. surely heaven will help me, for your sake, o princess." "and i can plead for them with him. count corti, i will go with you." the animation with which she spoke faded in an instant. "but thou--o my friend, if thou shouldst fall?" "nay, let us be confident. if heaven does not intend your escape, it would be merciful, o beloved lady, did it place me where no report of your mischance and sorrows can reach me. looking at the darkest side, should i not come for you, go nevertheless to the church. doubt not hearing of the entry of the turks. seek mahommed, if possible, and demand his protection. tell him, i, mirza the emir, counselled you. on the other side, be ready to accompany me. make preparation to-night--have a chair at hand, and your household assembled--for when i come, time will be scant.... and now, god be with you! i will not say be brave--be trustful." she extended her hand, and he knelt, and kissed it. "i will pray for you, count corti." "heaven will hear you." he went out, and rejoining the emperor, rode with him from the church to blacherne. chapter xii the assault the bonfires of the hordes were extinguished about the time the christian company said their farewells after the last supper in the very high residence, and the hordes themselves appeared to be at rest, leaving night to reset her stars serenely bright over the city, the sea, and the campania. to the everlasting honor of that company, be it now said, they could under cover of the darkness have betaken themselves to the ships and escaped; yet they went to their several posts. having laid their heads upon the breast of the fated emperor, and pledged him their lives, there is no account of one in craven refuge at the break of day. the emperor's devotion seems to have been a communicable flame. this is the more remarkable when it is remembered that in the beginning the walls were relied upon to offset the superiority of the enemy in numbers, while now each knight and man-at-arms knew the vanity of that reliance--knew himself, in other words, one of scant five thousand men--to such diminished roll had the besieged been reduced by wounds, death and desertion--who were to muster on the ruins of the outer wall, or in the breaches of the inner, and strive against two hundred and fifty thousand goaded by influences justly considered the most powerful over ferocious natures--religious fanaticism and the assurance of booty without limit. the silence into which the turkish host was sunk did not continue a great while. the greeks on the landward walls became aware of a general murmur, followed shortly by a rumble at times vibrant--so the earth complains of the beating it receives from vast bodies of men and animals in hurried passage. "the enemy is forming," said john grant to his associate carystos, the archer. minotle, the venetian bayle, listening from the shattered gate of adrianople, gave order: "arouse the men. the turks are coming." justiniani, putting the finishing touches upon his masked repairs behind what had been the alley or passage between the towers bagdad and st. romain, was called to by his lookout: "come up, captain--the infidels are stirring--they seem disposed to attack." "no," the captain returned, after a brief observation, "they will not attack to-night--they are getting ready." none the less, without relieving his working parties, he placed his command in station. at selimbria and the golden gate the christians stood to arms. so also between the gates. then a deep hush descended upon the mighty works--mighty despite the slugging they had endured--and the silence was loaded with anxiety. for such of my readers as have held a night-watch expectant of battle at disadvantage in the morning it will be easy putting themselves in the place of these warders at bay; they can think their thoughts, and hear the heavy beating of their hearts; they will remember how long the hours were, and how the monotony of the waiting gnawed at their spirits until they prayed for action, action. on the other hand, those without the experience will wonder how men can bear up bravely in such conditions--and that is a wonder. in furtherance of his plan, mahommed drew in his irregulars, and massed them in the space between the intrenchment and the ditch; and by bringing his machines and small guns nearer the walls, he menaced the whole front of defence with a line amply provided with scaling ladders and mantelets. behind the line he stationed bodies of horsemen to arrest fugitives, and turn them back to the fight. his reserves occupied the intrenchments. the janissaries were retained at his quarters opposite st. romain. the hordes were clever enough to see what the arrangement portended for them, and they at first complained. "what, grumble, do they?" mahommed answered. "ride, and tell them i say the first choice in the capture belongs to the first over the walls. theirs the fault if the city be not an empty nest to all who come after them." the earth in its forward movement overtook the moon just before daybreak; then in the deep hush of expectancy and readiness, the light being sufficient to reveal to the besieged the assault couchant below them, a long-blown flourish was sounded by the turkish heralds from the embrasure of the great gun. other trumpeters took up the signal, and in a space incredibly short it was repeated everywhere along the line of attack. a thunder of drums broke in upon the music. up rose the hordes, the archers and slingers, and the ladder bearers, and forward, like a bristling wave, they rushed, shouting every man as he pleased. in the same instant the machines and light guns were set in operation. never had the old walls been assailed by such a tempest of bolts, arrows, stones and bullets--never had their echoes been awakened by an equal explosion of human voices, instruments of martial music, and cannon. the warders were not surprised by the assault so much as by its din and fury; and when directly the missiles struck them, thickening into an uninterrupted pouring rain, they cowered behind the merlons, and such other shelters as they could find. this did not last long--it was like the shiver and gasp of one plunged suddenly into icy water. the fugitives were rallied, and brought back to their weapons, and to replying in kind; and having no longer to shoot with care, the rabble fusing into a compact target, especially on the outer edge of the ditch, not a shaft, or bolt, or stone, or ball from culverin went amiss. afterwhile, their blood warming with the work, and the dawn breaking, they could see their advantage of position, and the awful havoc they were playing; then they too knew the delight in killing which more than anything else proves man the most ferocious of brutes. the movement of the hordes was not a dash wholly without system--such an inference would be a great mistake. there was no pretence of alignment or order--there never is in such attacks--forlorn hopes, receiving the signal, rush on, each individual to his own endeavor; here, nevertheless, the pachas and beys directed the assault, permitting no blind waste of effort. they hurled their mobs at none but the weak places--here a breach, there a dismantled gate. thousands were pushed headlong into the moat. the ladders then passed down to such of them as had footing were heavy, but they were caught willingly; if too short, were spliced; once planted so as to bring the coping of the wall in reach, they swarmed with eager adventurers, who, holding their shields and pikes overhead, climbed as best they could. those below cheered their comrades above, and even pushed them up. "the spoils--think of the spoils--the gold, the women!... _allah-il-allah!_... up, up--it is the way to paradise!" darts and javelins literally cast the climbers in a thickened shade. sometimes a ponderous stone plunging down cleaned a ladder from top to bottom; sometimes, waiting until the rounds were filled, the besieged applied levers, and swung a score and more off helpless and shrieking. no matter--_allah-il-allah!_ the living were swift to restore and attempt the fatal ascents. every one dead and every one wounded became a serviceable clod; rapidly as the dump and cumber of humanity filled the moat the ladders extended their upward reach; while drum-beat, battle-cry, trumpet's blare, and the roar of cannon answering cannon blent into one steady all-smothering sound. in the stretches of space between gates, where the walls and towers were intact, the strife of the archers and slingers was to keep the greeks occupied, lest they should reenforce the defenders hard pressed elsewhere. during the night the blockading vessels had been warped close into the shore, and, the wall of the seafront being lower than those on the land side, the crews, by means of platforms erected on the decks, engaged the besieged from a better level. there also, though attempts at escalade were frequent, the object was chiefly to hold the garrison in place. in the harbor, particularly at the wood gate, already mentioned as battered out of semblance to itself by the large gun on the floating battery, the turks exerted themselves to effect a landing; but the christian fleet interposed, and there was a naval battle of varying fortune. so, speaking generally, the city was wrapped in assault; and when the sun at last rode up into the clear sky above the asiatic heights, streets, houses, palaces, churches--the hills, in fact, from the sea to the tower of isaac--were shrouded in ominous vapor, through which such of the people as dared go abroad flitted pale and trembling; or if they spoke to each other, it was to ask in husky voices, what have you from the gates? passing now to the leading actors in this terrible tragedy. mahommed retired to his couch early the night previous. he knew his orders were in course of execution by chiefs who, on their part, knew the consequences of failure. the example made of the admiral in command of the fleet the day the five relieving christian galleys won the port was fresh in memory. [footnote: he was stretched on the ground and whipped like a common malefactor.] "to-morrow, to-morrow," he kept repeating, while his pages took off his armor, and laid the pieces aside. "to-morrow, to-morrow," lingered in his thoughts, when, his limbs stretched out comfortably on the broad bronze cot which served him for couch, sleep crept in as to a tired child, and laid its finger of forgetfulness upon his eyelids. the repetition was as when we run through the verse of a cheerful song, thinking it out silently, and then recite the chorus aloud. once he awoke, and, sitting up, listened. the mighty host which had its life by his permission was quiet--even the horses in their apartment seemed mindful that the hour was sacred to their master. falling to sleep again, he muttered: "to-morrow, to-morrow--irene and glory. i have the promise of the stars." to mahommed the morrow was obviously but a holiday which was bringing him the kingly part in a joyous game--a holiday too slow in coming. about the third hour after midnight he was again awakened. a man stood by his cot imperfectly shading the light of a lamp with his hand. "prince of india!" exclaimed mahommed, rising to a sitting posture. "it is i, my lord." "what time is it?" the prince gave him the hour. "is it so near the break of day?" mahommed yawned. "tell me"--he fixed his eyes darkly on the visitor--"tell me first why thou art here?" "i will, my lord, and truly. i wished to see if you could sleep. a common soul could not. it is well the world has no premonitory sense." "why so?" "my lord has all the qualities of a conqueror." mahommed was pleased. "yes, i will make a great day of to-morrow. but, prince of india, what shadows are disturbing thee? why art thou not asleep?" "i too have a part in the day, my lord." "what part?" "i will fight, and"-mahommed interrupted him with a laugh. "thou!" and he looked the stooped figure over from head to foot. "my lord has two hands--i have four--i will show them." returning to his apartment, the prince reappeared with nilo. "behold, my lord!" the black was in the martial attire of a king of kash-cush--feathered coronet, robe of blue and red hanging from shoulder to heel, body under the robe naked to the waist, assegai in the oft-wrapped white sash, skirt to the knees glittering with crescents and buttons of silver, sandals beaded with pearls. on his left arm depended a shield rimmed and embossed with brass; in his right hand he bore a club knotted, and of weight to fell a bull at a blow. without the slightest abashment, but rather as a superior, the king looked down at the young sultan. "i see--i understand--i welcome the four hands of the prince of india," mahommed said, vivaciously; then, giving a few moments of admiration to the negro, he turned, and asked: "prince, i have a motive for to-morrow--nay, by the cool waters of paradise, i have many motives. tell me thine. in thy speech and action i have observed a hate for these greeks deep as the shintan's for god. why? what have they done to thee?" "they are christians," the jew returned, sullenly. "that is good, prince, very good--even the prophet judged it a justification for cleaning the earth of the detestable sect--yet it is not enough. i am not old as thou"--mahommed lost the curious gleam which shone in the visitor's eyes--"i am not old as thou art; still i know hate like thine must be from a private grievance." "my lord is right. to-morrow i will leave the herd to the herd. in the currents of the fight i will hunt but one enemy--constantine. judge thou my cause." then he told of lael--of his love for her--of her abduction by demedes--his supplication for the emperor's assistance--the refusal. "she was the child of my soul," he continued, passionately. "my interest in life was going out; she reinspired it. she was the promise of a future for me, as the morning star is of a gladsome day. i dreamed dreams of her, and upon her love builded hopes, like shining castles on high hills. yet it was not enough that the greek refused me his power to discover and restore her. she is now in restraint, and set apart to become the wife of a christian--a christian priest--may the fiends juggle for his ghost!--to-morrow i will punish the tyrant--i will give him a dog's death, and then seek her. oh! i will find her--i will find her--and by the light there is in love, i will show him what all of hell there can be in one man's hate!" for once the cunning of the prince overreached itself. in the rush of passion he forgot the exquisite sensory gifts of the potentate with whom he was dealing; and mahommed, observant even while shrinking from the malignant fire in the large eyes, discerned incoherencies in the tale, and that it was but half told; and while he was resolving to push his messenger of the stars to a full confession, a distant rumble invaded the tent, accompanied by a trample of feet outside. "it is here, prince of india--the day of destiny. let us get ready, thou for thy revenge, i for glory and"--irene was on his tongue, but he suppressed the name. "call my chamberlain and equerry.... on the table there thou mayst see my arms--a mace my ancestor ilderim [footnote: bajazet.] bore at nicopolis, and thy sword of solomon.... god is great, and the jinn and the stars on my side, what have we to fear?" within half an hour he rode out of the tent. "blows the wind to the city or from it?" he asked his chief aga of janissaries. "toward the city, my lord." "exalted be the name of the prophet! set the flower of the faithful in order--a column of front wide as the breach in the gate--and bring the heralds. i shall be by the great gun." pushing his horse on the parapet, he beheld the space before him, down quite to the moat--every trace of the cemetery had disappeared--dark with hordes assembled and awaiting the signal. satisfied, happy, he looked then toward the east. none better than he knew the stars appointed to go before the sun--their names were familiar to him--now they were his friends. at last a violet corona infinitely soft glimmered along the hill tops beyond scutari. "stand out now," he cried to the five in their tabards of gold--"stand out now, and as ye hope couches in paradise, blow--blow the stones out of their beds yonder--god was never so great!" then ensued the general advance which has been described, except that here, in front of st. romain, there was no covering the assailants with slingers and archers. the fill in the ditch was nearly level with the outer bank, from which it may be described as an ascending causeway. this advantage encouraged the idea of pouring the hordesmen _en masse_ over the hill composed of the ruins of what had been the towers of the gate. there was an impulsive dash under incitement of a mighty drumming and trumpeting--a race, every man of the thousands engaged in it making for the causeway--a jam--a mob paralyzed by its numbers. they trampled on each other--they fought, and in the rebound were pitched in heaps down the perpendicular revetment on the right and left of the fill. of those thus unfortunate the most remained where they fell, alive, perhaps, but none the less an increasing dump of pikes, shields, and crushed bodies; and in the roar above them, cries for help, groans, and prayers were alike unheard and unnoticed. all this justiniani had foreseen. behind loose stones on top of the hill, he had collected culverins, making, in modern phrase, a masked battery, and trained the pieces to sweep the causeway; with them, as a support, he mixed archers and pikemen. on either flank, moreover, he stationed companies similarly armed, extending them to the unbroken wall, so there was not a space in the breach undefended. the captain, on watch and expectant, heard the signal. "to the emperor at blacherne," he bade; "and say the storm is about to break. make haste." then to his men: "light the matches, and be ready to throw the stones down." the hordesmen reached the edge of the ditch; that moment the guns were unmasked, and the genoese leader shouted: "fire, my men!--_christ and holy church!_" then from the christian works it was bullet, bolt, stone, and shaft, making light of flimsy shield and surcoat of hide; still the hordesmen pushed on, a river breasting an obstruction. now they were on the causeway. useless facing about--behind them an advancing wall--on both sides the ditch. useless lying down--that was to be smothered in bloody mire. forward, forward, or die. what though the causeway was packed with dead and wounded?--though there was no foothold not slippery?--though the smell of hot blood filled every nostril?--though hands thrice strengthened by despair grappled the feet making stepping blocks of face and breast? the living pressed on leaping, stumbling, staggering; their howl, "gold--spoils--women--slaves," answered from the smoking hill, "_christ and holy church._" and now, the causeway crossed, the leading assailants gain the foot of the rough ascent. no time to catch breath--none to look for advantage--none to profit by a glance at the preparation to receive them--up they must go, and up they went. arrows and javelins pierce them; stones crush them; the culverins spout fire in their faces, and, lifting them off their uncertain footing, hurl them bodily back upon the heads and shields of their comrades. along the brow of the rocky hill a mound of bodies arises wondrous quick, an obstacle to the warders of the pass who would shoot, and to the hordesmen a barrier. slowly the corona on the scutarian hills deepened into dawn. the emperor joined justiniani. count corti came with him. there was an affectionate greeting. "your majesty, the day is scarcely full born, yet see how islam is rueing it." constantine, following justiniani's pointing, peered once through the smoke; then the necessity of the moment caught him, and, taking post between guns, he plied his long lance upon the wretches climbing the rising mound, some without shields, some weaponless, most of them incapable of combat. with the brightening of day the mound grew in height and width, until at length the christians sallied out upon it to meet the enemy still pouring on. an hour thus. suddenly, seized with a comprehension of the futility of their effort, the hordesmen turned, and rushed from the hill and the causeway. the christians suffered but few casualties; yet they would have gladly rested. then, from the wall above the breach, whence he had used his bow, count corti descended hastily. "your majesty," he said, his countenance kindled with enthusiasm, "the janissaries are making ready." justiniani was prompt. "come!" he shouted. "come every one! we must have clear range for the guns. down with these dead! down with the living. no time for pity!" setting the example, presently the defenders were tossing the bodies of their enemies down the face of the hill. on his horse, by the great gun, mahommed had observed the assault, listening while the night yet lingered. occasionally a courier rode to him with news from this pacha or that one. he heard without excitement, and returned invariably the same reply: "tell him to pour the hordes in." at last an officer came at speed. "oh, my lord, i salute you. the city is won." it was clear day then, yet a light not of the morning sparkled in mahommed's eyes. stooping in his saddle, he asked: "what sayest thou? tell me of it, but beware--if thou speakest falsely, neither god nor prophet shall save thee from impalement to the roots of thy tongue." "as i have to tell my lord what i saw with my own eyes, i am not afraid.... my lord knows that where the palace of blacherne begins on the south there is an angle in the wall. there, while our people were feigning an assault to amuse the greeks, they came upon a sunken gate"-"the cercoporta--i have heard of it." "my lord has the name. trying it, they found it unfastened and unguarded, and, pushing through a darkened passage, discovered they were in the palace. mounting to the upper floor, they attacked the unbelievers. the fighting goes on. from room to room the christians resist. they are now cut off, and in a little time the quarter will be in our possession." mahommed spoke to kalil: "take this man, and keep him safely. if he has spoken truly, great shall be his reward; if falsely, better he were not his mother's son." then to one of his household: "come hither.... go to the sunken gate cercoporta, pass in, and find the chief now fighting in the palace of blacherne. tell him i, mahommed, require that he leave the palace to such as may follow him, and march and attack the defenders of this gate, st. romain, in the rear. he shall not stop to plunder. i give him one hour in which to do my bidding. ride thou now as if a falcon led thee. for allah and life!" next he called his aga of janissaries. "have the hordes before this gate retired. they have served their turn; they have made the ditch passable, and the _gabours_ are faint with killing them. observe, and when the road is cleared let go with the flower of the faithful. a province to the first through; and this the battle-cry: _allah-il-allah!_ they will fight under my eye. minutes are worth kingdoms. go thou, and let go." always in reserve, always the last resort in doubtful battle, always the arm with which the sultans struck the finishing blow, the janissaries thus summoned to take up the assault were in discipline, spirit, and splendor of appearance the _elite_ corps of the martial world. riding to the front, the aga halted to communicate mahommed's orders. down the columns the speech was passed. the flower of the faithful were in three divisions dismounted. throwing off their clumsy gowns, they stood forth in glittering mail, and shaking their brassy shields in air, shouted the old salute: "_live the padishah! live the padishah!_" the road to the gate was cleared; then the aga galloped back, and when abreast of the yellow flag of the first division, he cried: "_allah-il-allah!_ forward!" and drum and trumpet breaking forth, a division moved down in column of fifties. slowly at first, but solidly, and with a vast stateliness it moved. so at pharsalia marched the legion caesar loved--so in decision of heady fights strode the old guard of the world's last conqueror. approaching the ditch, the fresh assailants set up the appointed battle-cry, and quickening the step to double time rushed over the terrible causeway. mahommed then descended to the ditch, and remained there mounted, the sword of solomon in his hand, the mace of ilderim at his saddle bow; and though hearing him was impossible, the faithful took fire from his fire--enough that they were under his eye. the feat attempted by the hordes was then repeated, except now there was order in disorder. the machine, though shaken and disarranged, kept working on, working up. somehow its weight endured. slowly, with all its drench and cumber, the hill was surmounted. again a mound arose in front of the battery--again the sally, and the deadly ply of pikes from the top of the mound. the emperor's lance splintered; he fought with a pole-axe; still even he became sensible of a whelming pressure. in the gorge, the smoke, loaded with lime-dust, dragged rather than lifted; no man saw down it to the causeway; yet the ascending din and clamor, possessed of the smiting power of a gust of wind, told of an endless array coming. there was not time to take account of time; but at last a turkish shield appeared over the ghastly rampart, glimmering as the moon glimmers through thick vapor. thrusts in scores were made at it, yet it arose; then a janissary sprang up on the heap, singing like a muezzin, and shearing off the heads of pikes as reapers shear green rye. he was a giant in stature and strength. both genoese and greeks were disposed to give him way. the emperor rallied them. still the turk held his footing, and other turks were climbing to his support. now it looked as if the crisis were come, now as if the breach were lost. in the last second a cry _for christ and irene_ rang through the melee, and count corti, leaping from a gun, confronted the turk. "ho, son of ouloubad! hassan, hassan!" [footnote: one of the janissaries, hassan d'ouloubad, of gigantic stature and prodigious strength, mounted to the assault under cover of his shield, his cimeter in the right hand. he reached the rampart with thirty of his companions. nineteen of them were cast down, and hassan himself fell struck by a stone.--von hammer.] he shouted, in the familiar tongue. "who calls me?" the giant asked, lowering his shield, and gazing about in surprise. "i call you--i, mirza the emir. thy time has come. _christ and irene. now!_" with the word the count struck the janissary fairly on the flat cap with his axe, bringing him to his knees. almost simultaneously a heavy stone descended upon the dazed man from a higher part of the wall, and he rolled backward down the steep. constantine and justiniani, with others, joined the count, but too late. of the fifty comrades composing hassan's file, thirty mounted the rampart. eighteen of them were slain in the bout. corti raged like a lion; but up rushed the survivors of the next file--and the next--and the vantage-point was lost. the genoese, seeing it, said: "your majesty, let us retire." "is it time?" "we must get a ditch between us and this new horde, or we are all dead men." then the emperor shouted: "back, every one! for love of christ and holy church, back to the galley!" the guns, machines, store of missiles, and space occupied by the battery were at once abandoned. constantine and corti went last, facing the foe, who warily paused to see what they had next to encounter. the secondary defence to which the greeks resorted consisted of the hulk brought up, as we have seen, by count corti, planted on its keel squarely in rear of the breach, and filled with stones. from the hulk, on right and left, wings of uncemented masonry extended to the main wall in form thus: [illustration] a ditch fronted the line fifteen feet in width and twelve in depth, provided with movable planks for hasty passage. culverins were on the hulk, with ammunition in store. greatly to the relief of the jaded christians, who, it is easy believing, stood not on the order of going, they beheld the reserves, under demetrius palaeologus and nicholas giudalli, in readiness behind the refuge. the emperor, on the deck, raised the visor of his helmet, and looked up at an imperial flag drooping in the stagnant air from a stump of the mast. whatever his thought or feeling, no one could discern on his countenance an unbecoming expression. the fact, of which he must have been aware, that this stand taken ended his empire forever, had not shaken his resolution or confidence. to demetrius palaeologus, who had lent a hand helping him up the galley's side, he said: "thank you, kinsman. god may still be trusted. open fire." the janissaries, astonished at the new and strange defence, would have retreated, but could not; the files ascending behind drove them forward. at the edge of the ditch the foremost of them made a despairing effort to resist the pressure rushing them to their fate--down they went in mass, in their last service no better than the hordesmen--clods they became--clods in bright harness instead of bull-hide and shaggy astrakhan. from the wings, bolts and stones; from the height of the wall, bolts and stones; from the hulk, grapeshot; and the rattle upon the shields of the faithful was as the passing of empty chariots over a pompeiian street. imprecations, prayers, yells, groans, shrieks, had lodgement only in the ear of the most merciful. the open maw of a ravenous monster swallowing the column fast as mahommed down by the great moat drove it on--such was the new ditch. yet another, the final horror. when the ditch was partially filled, the christians brought jugs of the inflammable liquid contributed to the defence by john grant; and cast them down on the writhing heap. straightway the trench became a pocket of flame, or rather an oven from which the smell of roasting human flesh issued along with a choking cloud! the besieged were exultant, as they well might be--they were more than holding the redoubtable flower of the faithful at bay--there was even a merry tone in their battle-cry. about that time a man dismounted from a foaming horse, climbed the rough steps to the deck of the galley, and delivered a message to the emperor. "your majesty. john grant, minotle the bayle, carystos, langasco, and jerome the italian are slain. blacherne is in possession of the turks, and they are marching this way. the hordes are in the streets. i saw them, and heard the bursting of doors, and the screams of women." constantine crossed himself three times, and bowed his head. justiniani turned the color of ashes, and exclaimed: "we are undone--undone! all is lost!" and that his voice was hoarse did not prevent the words being overheard. the fire slackened--ceased. men fighting jubilantly dropped their arms, and took up the cry--"all is lost! the hordes are in, the hordes are in!" doubtless count corti's thought sped to the fair woman waiting for him in the chapel, yet he kept clear head. "your majesty," he said, "my berbers are without. i will take them, and hold the turks in check while you draw assistance from the walls. or"--he hesitated, "or i will defend your person to the ships. it is not too late." indeed, there was ample time for the emperor's escape. the berbers were keeping his horse with corti's. he had but to mount, and ride away. no doubt he was tempted. there is always some sweetness in life, especially to the blameless. he raised his head, and said to justiniani: "captain, my guard will remain here. to keep the galley they have only to keep the fire alive in the ditch. you and i will go out to meet the enemy." ... then he addressed himself to corti: "to horse, count, and bring theophilus palaeologus. he is on the wall between this gate and the gate selimbria.... ho, christian gentlemen," he continued, to the soldiers closing around him, "all is not lost. the bochiardi at the adrianople gate have not been heard from. to fly from an unseen foe were shameful, we are still hundreds strong. let us descend, and form. god cannot"-that instant justiniani uttered a loud cry, and dropped the axe he was holding. an arrow had pierced the scales of his gauntlet, and disabled his hand. the pain, doubtless, was great, and he started hastily as if to descend from the deck. constantine called out: "captain, captain!" "give me leave, your majesty, to go and have this wound dressed." "where, captain?" "to my ship." the emperor threw his visor up--his face was flushed--in his soul indignation contended with astonishment. "no, captain, the wound cannot be serious; and besides, how canst thou get to thy ships?" justiniani looked over the bulwark of the vessel. the alley from the gate ran on between houses abutting the towers. a ball from one of mahommed's largest guns had passed through the right-hand building, leaving a ragged fissure. thither the captain now pointed. "god opened that breach to let the turks in. i will go out by it." he stayed no longer, but went down the steps, and in haste little short of a run disappeared through the fissure so like a breach. the desertion was in view of his genoese, of whom a few followed him, but not all. many who had been serving the guns took swords and pikes, and gathering about the emperor, cried out: "give orders, your majesty. we will bide with you." he returned them a look full of gratitude. "i thank you, gentlemen. let us go down, and join our shields across the street. to my guard i commit defence of the galley." unfastening the purple half-cloak at his back, and taking off his helmet, he called to his sword-bearer: "here, take thou these, and give me my sword.... now, gallant gentlemen--now, my brave countrymen--we will put ourselves in the keeping of heaven. come!" they had not all gained the ground, however, when there arose a clamor in their front, and the hordesmen appeared, and blocking up the passage, opened upon them with arrows and stones, while such as had javelins and swords attacked them hand to hand. the christians behaved well, but none better than constantine. he fought with strength, and in good countenance; his blade quickly reddened to the hilt. "strike, my countrymen, for city and home. strike, every one, for _christ and holy church!_" and answering him: "_christ and holy church!_" they all fought as they had strength, and their swords were also reddened to the hilt. quarter was not asked; neither was it given. theirs to hold the ground, and they held it. they laid the hordesmen out over it in scattered heaps which grew, and presently became one long heap the width of the alley; and they too fell, but, as we are willing to believe, unconscious of pain because lapped in the delirium of battle-fever. five minutes--ten--fifteen--then through the breach by which justiniani ingloriously fled theophilus palaeologus came with bared brand to vindicate his imperial blood by nobly dying; and with him came count corti, francesco de toledo, john the dalmatian, and a score and more christian gentlemen who well knew the difference between an honorable death and a dishonored life. steadily the sun arose. half the street was in its light, the other half in its shade; yet the struggle endured; nor could any man have said god was not with the christians. suddenly a louder shouting arose behind them. they who could, looked to see what it meant, and the bravest stood stone still at sight of the janissaries swarming on the galley. over the roasting bodies of their comrades, undeterred by the inextinguishable fire, they had crossed the ditch, and were slaying the imperial body-guard. a moment, and they would be in the alley, and then-up rose a wail: "the janissaries, the janissaries! _kyrie eleison!_" through the knot of christians it passed--it reached constantine in the forefront, and he gave way to the antagonist with whom he was engaged. "god receive my soul!" he exclaimed; and dropping his sword, he turned about, and rushed back with wide extended arms. "friends--countrymen!--is there no christian to kill me?" then they understood why he had left his helmet off. while those nearest stared at him, their hearts too full of pity to do him the last favor one can ask of another, from the midst of the hordesmen there came a man of singular unfitness for such a scene--indeed a delicate woman had not been more out of place--for he was small, stooped, withered, very white haired, very pale, and much bearded--a black velvet cap on his head, and a gown of the like about his body, unarmed, and in every respect unmartial. he seemed to glide in amongst the christians as he had glided through the close press of the turks; and as the latter had given him way, so now the sword points of the christians went down--men in the heat of action forgot themselves, and became bystanders--such power was there in the unearthly eyes of the apparition. "is there no christian to kill me?" cried the emperor again. the man in velvet stood before him. "prince of india!" "you know me? it is well; for now i know you are not beyond remembering." the voice was shrill and cutting, yet it shrilled and cut the sharper. "remember the day i called on you to acknowledge god, and give him his due of worship. remember the day i prayed you on my knees to lend me your power to save my child, stolen for a purpose by all peoples held unholy. behold your executioner!" he stepped back, and raised a hand; and ere one of those standing by could so much as cry to god, nilo, who, in the absorption of interest in his master, had followed him unnoticed--nilo, gorgeous in his barbarisms of kash-cush, sprang into the master's place. he did not strike; but with infinite cruel cunning of hand--no measurable lapse of time ensuing--drew the assegai across the face of the astonished emperor. constantine--never great till that moment of death, but then great forever--fell forward upon his shield, calling in strangled utterance: "god receive my soul!" the savage set his foot upon the mutilated countenance, crushing it into a pool of blood. an instant, then through the petrified throng, knocking them right and left, count corti appeared. "_for christ and irene!_" he shouted, dashing the spiked boss of his shield into nilo's eyes--down upon the feathered coronal he brought his sword--and the negro fell sprawling upon the emperor. oblivious to the surroundings, count corti, on his knees, raised the emperor's head, slightly turning the face--one look was enough. "his soul is sped!" he said; and while he was tenderly replacing the head, a hand grasped his cap. he sprang to his feet. woe to the intruder, if an enemy! the sword which had known no failure was drawn back to thrust--above the advanced foot the shield hung in ready poise--between him and the challenger there was only a margin of air and the briefest interval of time--his breath was drawn, and his eyes gleamed with vengeful murder--but--some power invisible stayed his arm, and into his memory flashed the lightning of recognition. "prince of india," he shouted, "never wert thou nearer death!" "thou--liest! death--and--i"-the words were long drawn between gasps, and the speech was never finished. the tongue thickened, then paralyzed. the features, already distorted with passion, swelled, and blackened horribly. the eyes rolled back--the hands flew up, the fingers apart and rigid--the body rocked--stiffened--then fell, sliding from the count's shield across the dead emperor. the combat meantime had gone on. corti, with a vague feeling that the prince's flight of soul was a mystery in keeping with his life, took a second to observe him, and muttered: "peace to him also!" looking about him then, he was made aware that the christians, attacked in front and rear, were drawing together around the body of constantine--that their resistance was become the last effort of brave men hopeless except of the fullest possible payment for their lives. this was succeeded by a conviction of duty done on his part, and of every requirement of honor fulfilled; thereupon with a great throb of heart, his mind reverted to the princess irene waiting for him in the chapel. he must go to her. but how? and was it not too late? there are men whose wits are supernaturally quickened by danger. the count, pushing through the intervening throng, boldly presented himself to the janissaries, shouting while warding the blows they aimed at him: "have done, o madmen! see you not i am your comrade, mirza the emir? have done, i say, and let me pass. i have a message for the padishah!" he spoke turkish, and having been an idol in the barracks--their best swordsman--envied, and at the same time beloved--they knew him, and with acclamations opened their files, and let him pass. by the fissure which had served justiniani, he escaped from the terrible alley, and finding his berbers and his horse, rode with speed for the residence of the princess irene. not a christian survived the combat. greek, genoese, italian lay in ghastly composite with hordesmen and mailed moslems around the emperor. in dying they had made good their battle-cry--_for christ and holy church!_ let us believe they will yet have their guerdon. about an hour after the last of them had fallen, when the narrow passage was deserted by the living--the conquerors having moved on in search of their hire--the prince of india aroused, and shook himself free of the corpses cumbering him. upon his knees he gazed at the dead--then at the place--then at the sky. he rubbed his hands--made sure he was sound of person--he seemed uncertain, not of life, but of himself. in fact, he was asking, who am i? and the question had reference to the novel sensations of which he was conscious. what was it coursing through his veins? wine?--elixir?--some new principle which, hidden away amongst the stores of nature, had suddenly evolved for him? the weights of age were gone. in his body--bones, arms, limbs, muscles--he recognized once more the glorious impulses of youth; but his mind--he started--the ideas which had dominated him were beginning to return--and memory! it surged back upon him, and into its wonted chambers, like a wave which, under pressure of a violent wind, has been momentarily driven from a familiar shore. he saw, somewhat faintly at first, the events which had been promontories and lofty peaks cast up out of the level of his long existence. then that day and that event! how distinctly they reappeared to him! they must be the same--must be--for he beheld the multitude on its way to calvary, and the victim tottering under the cross; he heard the tribune ask, "ho, is this the street to golgotha?" he heard his own answer, "i will guide you;" and he spit upon the fainting man of sorrows, and struck him. and then the words--"tarry thou till i come!" identified him to himself. he looked at his hands--they were black with what had been some other man's life-blood, but under the stain the skin was smooth--a little water would make them white. and what was that upon his breast? beard--beard black as a raven's wing! he plucked a lock of hair from his head. it, too, was thick with blood, but it was black. youth--youth--joyous, bounding, eager, hopeful youth was his once more! he stood up, and there was no creak of rust in the hinges of his joints; he knew he was standing inches higher in the sunlit air; and a cry burst from him--"o god, i give thanks!" the hymn stopped there, for between him and the sky, as if it were ascending transfigured, he beheld the victim of the crucifixion; and the eyes, no longer sad, but full of accusing majesty, were looking downward at him, and the lips were in speech: "tarry thou till i come!" he covered his face with his hands. yes, yes, he had his youth back again, but it was with the old mind and nature--youth, that the curse upon him might, in the mortal sense, be eternal! and pulling his black hair with his young hands, wrenching at his black beard, it was given him to see he had undergone his fourteenth transformation, and that between this one and the last there was no lapse of connection. old age had passed, leaving the conditions and circumstances of its going to the youth which succeeded. the new life in starting picked up and loaded itself with every burden and all the misery of the old. so now while burrowing, as it were, amongst dead men, his head upon the breast of the emperor whom, treating nilo as an instrument in his grip, he had slain, he thought most humanly of the effects of the transformation. first of all, his personal identity was lost, and he was once more a wanderer without an acquaintance, a friend, or a sympathizer on the earth. to whom could he now address himself with a hope of recognition? his heart went out primarily to lael--he loved her. suppose he found her, and offered to take her in his arms; she would repulse him. "thou art not my father. he was old--thou art young." and syama, whose bereavements of sense had recommended him for confidant in the event of his witnessing the dreaded circumstance just befallen--if he addressed himself to syama, the faithful creature would deny him. "no; my master was old--his hair and beard were white--thou art a youth. go hence." and then mahommed, to whom he had been so useful in bringing additional empire, and a glory which time would make its own forever--did he seek mahommed again--"thou art not the prince of india, my peerless messenger of the stars. he was old--his hair and beard were white--thou art a boy. ho, guards, take this impostor, and do with him as ye did with balta-ogli stretch him on the ground, and beat the breath out of him." there is nothing comes to us, whether in childhood or age, so crushing as a sense of isolation. who will deny it had to do with the marshalling of worlds, and the peopling them--with creation? these reflections did but wait upon the impulse which still further identified him to himself--the impulse to go and keep going--and he cast about for solaces. "it is the judgment," he said, with a grim smile; "but my stores remain, and hiram of tyre is yet my friend. i have my experience of more than a thousand years, and with it youth again. i cannot make men better, and god refuses my services. nevertheless i will devise new opportunities. the earth is round, and upon its other side there must be another world. perhaps i can find some daring spirit equal to the voyage and discovery--some one heaven may be more willing to favor. but this meeting place of the old continents"--he looked around him, and then to the sky--"with my farewell, i leave it the curse of the most accursed. the desired of nations, it shall be a trouble to them forever." then he saw nilo under a load of corpses, and touched by remembrance of the poor savage's devotion, he uncovered him to get at his heart, which was still beating. next he threw away his cap and gown, replaced them with a bloody tarbousche and a shaggy angora mantle, selected a javelin, and sauntered leisurely on into the city. having seen constantinople pillaged by christians, he was curious to see it now sacked by moslems--there might be a further solace in the comparison. [footnote: according to the earliest legends, the wandering jew was about thirty years old when he stood in the road to golgotha, and struck the saviour, and ordered him to go forward. at the end of every hundred years, the undying man falls into a trance, during which his body returns to the age it was when the curse was pronounced. in all other respects he remains unchanged.] chapter xiii mahommed in sancta sophia count corti, we may well believe, did not spare his own steed, or those of his berbers; and there was a need of haste of which he was not aware upon setting out from st. romain. the turks had broken through the resistance of the christian fleet in the harbor, and were surging into the city by the gate st. peter (phanar), which was perilously near the residence of the princess irene. already the spoil-seekers were making sure of their hire. more than once he dashed by groups of them hurrying along the streets in search of houses most likely to repay plundering. there were instances when he overtook hordesmen already happy in the possession of "strings of slaves;" that is to say, of greeks, mostly women and children, tied by their hands to ropes, and driven mercilessly on. the wailing and prayers of the unfortunate smote the count to the heart; he longed to deliver them; but he had given his best efforts to save them in the struggle to save the city, and had failed; now it would be a providence of heaven could he rescue the woman waiting for him in such faith as was due his word and honor specially plighted to her. as the pillagers showed no disposition to interfere with him, he closed his eyes and ears to their brutalities, and sped forward. the district in which the princess dwelt was being overrun when he at last drew rein at her door. with a horrible dread, he alighted, and pushed in unceremoniously. the reception-room was empty. was he too late? or was she then in sancta sophia? he flew to the chapel, and blessed god and christ and the mother, all in a breath. she was before the altar in the midst of her attendants. sergius stood at her side, and of the company they alone were perfectly self-possessed. a white veil lay fallen over her shoulders; save that, she was in unrelieved black. the pallor of her countenance, caused, doubtless, by weeks of care and unrest, detracted slightly from the marvelous beauty which was hers by nature; but it seemed sorrow and danger only increased the gentle dignity always observable in her speech and manner. "princess irene," he said, hastening forward, and reverently saluting her hand, "if you are still of the mind to seek refuge in sancta sophia, i pray you, let us go thither." "we are ready," she returned. "but tell me of the emperor." the count bent very low. "your kinsman is beyond insult and further humiliation. his soul is with god." her eyes glistened with tears, and partly to conceal her emotion she turned to the picture above the altar, and said, in a low voice, and brokenly: "o holy mother, have thou his soul in thy tender care, and be with me now, going to what fate i know not." the young women surrounded her, and on their knees filled the chapel with sobbing and suppressed wails. striving for composure himself, the count observed them, and was at once assailed by an embarrassment. they were twenty and more. each had a veil over her head; yet from the delicacy of their hands he could imagine their faces, while their rank was all too plainly certified by the elegance of their garments. as a temptation to the savages, their like was not within the walls. how was he to get them safely to the church, and defend them there? he was used to military problems, and decision was a habit with him; still he was sorely tried--indeed, he was never so perplexed. the princess finished her invocation to the holy mother. "count corti," she said, "i now place myself and these, my sisters in misfortune, under thy knightly care. only suffer me to send for one other.--go, sergius, and bring lael." one other! "now god help me!" he cried, involuntarily; and it seemed he was heard. "princess," he returned, "the turks have possession of the streets. on my way i passed them with prisoners whom they were driving, and they appeared to respect a right of property acquired. perhaps they will be not less observant to me; wherefore bring other veils here--enough to bind these ladies two and two." as she seemed hesitant, he added: "pardon me, but in the streets you must all go afoot, to appearances captives just taken." the veils were speedily produced, and the princess bound her trembling companions in couples hand to hand; submitting finally to be herself tied to lael. then when sergius was more substantially joined to the ancient lysander, the household sallied forth. a keener realization of the situation seized the gentler portion of the procession once they were in the street, and they there gave way to tears, sobs, and loud appeals to the saints and angels of mercy. the count rode in front; four of his berbers moved on each side; sheik hadifah guarded the rear; and altogether a more disconsolate company of captives it were hard imagining. a rope passing from the first couple to the last was the only want required to perfect the resemblance to the actual slave droves at the moment on nearly every thoroughfare in constantinople. the weeping cortege passed bands of pillagers repeatedly. once what may be termed a string in fact was met going in the opposite direction; women and children, and men and women were lashed together, like animals, and their lamentations were piteous. if they fell or faltered, they were beaten. it seemed barbarity could go no further. once the count was halted. a man of rank, with a following at his heels, congratulated him in turkish: "o friend, thou hast a goodly capture." the stranger came nearer. "i will give you twenty gold pieces for this one," pointing to the princess irene, who, fortunately, could not understand him--"and fifteen for this one." "go thy way, and quickly," said corti, sternly. "dost thou threaten me?" "by the prophet, yes--with my sword, and the padishah." "the padishah! oh, ho!" and the man turned pale. "god is great--i give him praise." at last the count alighted before the main entrance of the church. by friendly chance, also--probably because the site was far down toward the sea, in a district not yet reached by the hordesmen--the space in front of the vestibule was clear of all but incoming fugitives; and he had but to knock at the door, and give the name of the princess irene to gain admission. in the vestibule the party were relieved of their bonds; after which they passed into the body of the building, where they embraced each other, and gave praise aloud for what they considered a final deliverance from death and danger; in their transports, they kissed the marbles of the floor again and again. while this affecting scene was going on, corti surveyed the interior. the freest pen cannot do more than give the view with a clearness to barely stimulate the reader's imagination. it was about eleven o'clock. the smoke of battle which had overlain the hills of the city was dissipated; so the sun, nearing high noon, poured its full of splendor across the vast nave in rays slanted from south to north, and a fine, almost impalpable dust hanging from the dome in the still air, each ray shone through it in vivid, half-prismatic relief against the shadowy parts of the structure. such pillars in the galleries as stood in the paths of the sunbeams seemed effulgent, like emeralds and rubies. his eyes, however, refused everything except the congregation of people. "o heaven!" he exclaimed. "what is to become of these poor souls!" byzantium, it must be recalled, had had its triumphal days, when greeks drew together, like jews on certain of their holy occasions; undoubtedly the assemblages then were more numerous, but never had there been one so marked by circumstances. this was the funeral day of the empire! let the reader try to recompose the congregation the count beheld--civilians--soldiers--nuns--monks--monks bearded, monks shaven, monks tonsured--monks in high hats and loose veils, monks in gowns scarce distinguishable from gowns of women--monks by the thousand. ah, had they but dared a manly part on the walls, the cause of the christ for whom they affected such devotion would not have suffered the humiliation to which it was now going! as to the mass in general, let the reader think of the rich jostled by the poor--fine ladies careless if their robes took taint from the lazarus' next them--servants for once at least on a plane with haughty masters--senators and slaves--grandsires--mothers with their infants--old and young, high and low, all in promiscuous presence--society at an end--sancta sophia a universal last refuge. and by no means least strange, let the reader fancy the refugees on their knees, silent as ghosts in a tomb, except that now and then the wail of a child broke the awful hush, and gazing over their shoulders, not at the altar, but toward the doors of entrance; then let him understand that every one in the smother of assemblage--every one capable of thought--was in momentary expectation of a miracle. here and there moved priestly figures, holding crucifixes aloft, and halting at times to exhort in low voices: "be not troubled, o dearly beloved of christ! the angel will appear by the old column. if the powers of hell are not to prevail against the church, what may men do against the sword of god?" the congregation was waiting for the promised angel to rescue them from the barbarians. of opinion that the chancel, or space within the railing of the apse opposite him, was a better position for his charge than the crowded auditorium, partly because he could more easily defend them there, and partly because mahommed when he arrived would naturally look for the princess near the altar, the count, with some trouble, secured a place within it behind the brazen balustrade at the right of the gate. the invasion of the holy reserve by the berbers was viewed askance, but submitted to; thereupon the princess and her suite took to waiting and praying. afterwhile the doors in the east were barred by the janitor. still later there was knocking at them loud enough to be by authority. the janitor had become deaf. later still a yelling as of a mob out in the vestibule penetrated to the interior, and a shiver struck the expectant throng, less from a presentiment of evil at hand than a horrible doubt. an angel of the lord would hardly adopt such an incongruous method of proclaiming the miracle done. a murmur of invocation began with those nearest the entrances, and ran from the floor to the galleries. as it spread, the shouting increased in volume and temper. ere long the doors were assailed. the noise of a blow given with determination rang dreadful warning through the whole building, and the concourse arose. the women shrieked: "the turks! the turks!" even the nuns who had been practising faith for years joined their lay sisters in crying: "the turks! the turks!" the great, gowned, cowardly monks dropped their crucifixes, and, like the commoner sons of the church, howled: "the turks! the turks!" finally the doors were battered in, and sure enough--there stood the hordesmen, armed and panoplied each according to his tribe or personal preference--each a most unlikely delivering angel. this completed the panic. in the vicinity of the ruined doors everybody, overcome by terror, threw himself upon those behind, and the impulsion thus started gained force while sweeping on. as ever in such cases, the weak were the sufferers. children were overrun--infants dashed from the arms of mothers--men had need of their utmost strength--and the wisdom of the count in seeking the chancel was proved. the massive brazen railing hardly endured the pressure when the surge reached it; but it stood, and the princess and her household--all, in fact, within the chancel--escaped the crushing, but not the horror. the spoilsmen were in strength, but they were prudently slow in persuading themselves that the greeks were unarmed, and incapable of defending the church. ere long they streamed in, and for the first time in the history of the edifice the colossal christ on the ceiling above the altar was affronted by the slogan of islam--_allah-il-allah_. strange now as it may appear to the reader, there is no mention in the chronicles of a life lost that day within the walls of sancta sophia. the victors were there for plunder, not vengeance, and believing there was more profit in slaves than any other kind of property, their effort was to save rather than kill. the scene was beyond peradventure one of the cruelest in history, but the cruelty was altogether in taking possession of captives. tossing their arms of whatever kind upon their backs, the savages pushed into the pack of christians to select whom they would have. we may be sure the old, sick, weakly, crippled, and very young were discarded, and the strong and vigorous chosen. remembering also how almost universally the hordes were from the east, we may be sure a woman was preferred to a man, and a pretty woman to an ugly one. the hand shrinks from trying to depict the agonies of separation which ensued--mothers torn from their children, wives from husbands--their shrieks, entreaties, despair--the mirthful brutality with which their pitiful attempts at resistance were met--the binding and dragging away--the last clutch of love--the final disappearance. it is only needful to add that the rapine involved the galleries no less than the floor. all things considered, the marvel is that the cry--there was but one, just as the sounds of many waters are but one to the ear--which then tore the habitual silence of the august temple should have ever ceased--and it would not if, in its duration, human sympathy were less like a flitting echo. next to women, the monks were preferred, and the treatment they received was not without its touches of grim humor. their cowls were snatched off, and bandied about, their hats crushed over their ears, their veils stuffed in their mouths to stifle their outcries, their rosaries converted into scourges; and the laughter when a string of them passed to the doors was long and loud. they had pulled their monasteries down upon themselves. if the emperor, then lying in the bloody alley of st. romain, dead through their bigotry, superstition, and cowardice, had been vengeful in the slightest degree, a knowledge of the judgment come upon them so soon would have been at least restful to his spirit. it must not be supposed count corti was indifferent while this appalling scene was in progress. the chancel, he foresaw, could not escape the foray. there was the altar, loaded with donatives in gold and precious stones, a blazing pyramidal invitation. when the doors were burst in, he paused a moment to see if mahommed were coming. "the hordes are here, o princess, but not the sultan." she raised her veil, and regarded him silently. "i see now but one resort. as mirza the emir, i must meet the pillagers by claiming the sultan sent me in advance to capture and guard you for him." "we are at mercy, count corti," she replied. "heaven deal with you as you deal with us." "if the ruse fails, princess, i can die for you. now tie yourselves as before--two and two, hand to hand. it may be they will call on me to distinguish such as are my charge." she cast a glance of pity about her. "and these, count--these poor women not of my house, and the children--can you not save them also?" "alas, dear lady! the blessed mother must be their shield." while the veils were being applied, the surge against the railing took place, leaving a number of dead and fainting across it. "hadifah," the count called out, "clear the way to yon chair against the wall." the sheik set about removing the persons blockading the space, and greatly affected by their condition, the princess interceded for them. "nay, count, disturb them not. add not to their terror, i pray." but the count was a soldier; in case of an affray, he wanted the advantage of a wall at his back. "dear lady, it was the throne of your fathers, now yours. i will seat you there. from it you can best treat with the lord mahommed." ere long some of the hordes--half a dozen or more--came to the chancel gate. they were of the rudest class of anatolian shepherds, clad principally in half-cloaks of shaggy goat skin. each bore at his back a round buckler, a bow, and a clumsy quiver of feathered arrows. awed by the splendor of the altar and its surroundings, they stopped; then, with shouts, they rushed at the tempting display, unmindful of the living spoils crouched on the floor dumb with terror. others of a like kind reenforced them, and there was a fierce scramble. the latest comers turned to the women, and presently discovered the princess irene sitting upon the throne. one, more eager than the rest, was indisposed to respect the berbers. "here are slaves worth having. get your ropes," he shouted to his companions. the count interposed. "art thou a believer?" he asked in turkish. they surveyed him doubtfully, and then turned to hadifah and his men, tall, imperturbable looking, their dark faces visible through their open hoods of steel. they looked at their shields also, and at their bare cimeters resting points to the floor. "why do you ask?" the man returned. "because, as thou mayst see, we also are of the faithful, and do not wish harm to any whose mothers have taught them to begin the day with the fah-hat." the fellow was impressed. "who art thou?" "i am the emir mirza, of the household of our lord the padishah--to whom be all the promises of the koran! these are slaves i selected for him--all these thou seest in bonds. i am keeping them till he arrives. he will be here directly. he is now coming." a man wearing a bloody tarbousche joined the pillagers, during this colloquy, and pressing in, heard the emir's name passing from mouth to mouth. "the emir mirza! i knew him, brethren. he commanded the caravan, and kept the _mahmals,_ the year i made the pilgrimage.... stand off, and let me see." after a short inspection, he continued: "truly as there is no god but god, this is he. i was next him at the most holy corner of the kaaba when he fell down struck by the plague. i saw him kiss the black stone, and by virtue of the kiss he lived.... ay, stand back--or if you touch him, or one of these in his charge, and escape his hand, ye shall not escape the padishah, whose first sword he is, even as khalid was first sword for the prophet--exalted be his name!... give me thy hand, o valiant emir." he kissed the count's hand. "arise, o son of thy father," said corti; "and when our master, the lord mahommed, hath set up his court and harem, seek me for reward." the man stayed awhile, although there was no further show of interference; and he looked past the princess to lael cowering near her. he took no interest in what was going on around him--lael alone attracted him. at last he shifted his sheepskin covering higher upon his shoulders, and left these words with the count: "the women are not for the harem. i understand thee, o mirza. when the lord mahommed hath set up his court, do thou tell the little jewess yonder that her father the prince of india charged thee to give her his undying love." count corti was wonder struck--he could not speak--and so the wandering jew vanished from his sight as he now vanishes from our story. the selection among the other refugees in the chancel proceeded until there was left of them only such as were considered not worth the having. a long time passed, during which the princess irene sat with veil drawn close, trying to shut out the horror of the scene. her attendants, clinging to the throne and to each other, seemed a heap of dead women. at last a crash of music was heard in the vestibule--drums, cymbals, and trumpets in blatant flourish. four runners, slender lads, in short, sleeveless jackets over white shirts, and wide trousers of yellow silk, barefooted and bareheaded, stepped lightly through the central doorway, and, waving wands tipped with silver balls, cried, in long-toned shrill iteration: "the lord mahommed--mahommed, sultan of sultans." the spoilsmen suspended their hideous labor--the victims, moved doubtless by a hope of rescue, gave over their lamentations and struggling--only the young children, and the wounded, and suffering persisted in vexing the floor and galleries. next to enter were the five official heralds. halting, they blew a triumphant refrain, at which the thousands of eyes not too blinded by misery turned to them. and mahommed appeared! he too had escaped the angel of the false monks! when the fighting ceased in the harbor, and report assured him of the city at mercy, mahommed gave order to make the gate st. romain passable for horsemen, and with clever diplomacy summoned the pachas and other military chiefs to his tent; it was his pleasure that they should assist him in taking possession of the prize to which he had been helped by their valor. with a rout so constituted at his back, and an escort of _silihdars_ mounted, the runners and musicians preceding him, he made his triumphal entry into constantinople, traversing the ruins of the towers bagdad and st. romain. he was impatient and restless. in their ignorance of his passion for the grecian princess, his ministers excused his behavior on account of his youth [footnote: he was in his twenty-third year.] and the greatness of his achievement. passing st. romain, it was also observed he took no interest in the relics of combat still there. he gave his guides but one order: "take me to the house the _gabours_ call the glory of god." "sancta sophia, my lord?" "sancta sophia--and bid the runners run." his sheik-ul-islam was pleased. "hear!" he said to the dervishes with him. "the lord mahommed will make mosques of the houses of christ before sitting down in one of the palaces. his first honors are to god and the prophet." and they dutifully responded: "great are god and his prophet! great is mahommed, who conquers in their names!" the public edifices by which he was guided--churches, palaces, and especially the high aqueduct, excited his admiration; but he did not slacken the fast trot in which he carried his loud cavalcade past them until at the hippodrome. "what thing of devilish craft is here?" he exclaimed, stopping in front of the twisted serpents. "thus the prophet bids me!" and with a blow of his mace, he struck off the lower jaw of one of the pythons. again the dervishes shouted: "great is mahommed, the servant of god!" it was his preference to be taken to the eastern front of sancta sophia, and in going the guides led him by the corner of the bucoleon. at sight of the vast buildings, their incomparable colonnades and cornices, their domeless stretches of marble and porphyry, he halted the second time, and in thought of the vanity of human glory, recited: "the spider hath woven his web in the imperial palace; and the owl hath sung her watch-song on the towers of afrasiab." in the space before the church, as elsewhere along the route he had come, the hordes were busy carrying off their wretched captives; but he affected not to see them. they had bought the license of him, many of them with their blood. at the door the suite dismounted. mahommed however, kept his saddle while surveying the gloomy exterior. presently he bade: "let the runners and the heralds enter." hardly were they gone in, when he spoke to one of his pages: "here, take thou this, and give me my cimeter." and then, receiving the ruby-hilted sword of solomon in exchange for the mace of ilderim, without more ado he spurred his horse up the few broad stone steps, and into the vestibule. thence, the contemptuous impulse yet possessing him, he said loudly: "the house is defiled with idolatrous images. islam is in the saddle." in such manner--mounted, sword in hand, shield behind him--clad in beautiful gold-washed chain mail, the very ideal of the immortal emir who won jerusalem from the crusaders, and restored it to allah and the prophet--mahommed made his first appearance in sancta sophia. astonishment seized him. he checked his horse. slowly his gaze ranged over the floor--up to the galleries--up--up to the swinging dome--in all architecture nothing so nearly a self-depending sky. "here, take the sword--give me back my mace," he said. and in a fit of enthusiasm, not seeing, not caring for the screaming wretches under hoof, he rode forward, and, standing at full height in his stirrups, shouted: "idolatry be done! down with the trinity. let christ give way for the last and greatest of the prophets! to god the one god, i dedicate this house!" therewith he dashed the mace against a pillar; and as the steel rebounded, the pillar trembled. [footnote: the guides, if good moslems, take great pleasure in showing tourists the considerable dent left by this blow in the face of the pillar.] "now give me the sword again, and call achmet, my muezzin--achmet with the flute in his throat." the moods of mahommed were swift going and coming. riding out a few steps, he again halted to give the floor a look. this time evidently the house was not in his mind. the expression on his face became anxious. he was searching for some one, and moved forward so slowly the people could get out of his way, and his suite overtake him. at length he observed the half-stripped altar in the apse, and went to it. the colossal christ on the ceiling peered down on him through the shades beginning to faintly fill the whole west end. now he neared the brazen railing of the chancel--now he was at the gate--his countenance changed--his eyes brightened--he had discovered count corti. swinging lightly from his saddle, he passed with steps of glad impatience through the gateway. then to count corti came the most consuming trial of his adventurous life. the light was still strong enough to enable him to see across the church. comprehending the flourish of the heralds, he saw the man on horseback enter; and the mien, the pose in the saddle, the rider's whole outward expose of spirit, informed him with such certainty as follows long and familiar association, that mahommed was come--mahommed, his ideal of romantic orientalism in arms. a tremor shook him--his cheek whitened. to that moment anxiety for the princess had held him so entirely he had not once thought of the consequences of the wager lost; now they were let loose upon him. having saved her from the hordes, now he must surrender her to a rival--now she was to go from him forever. verily it had been easier parting with his soul. he held to his cimeter as men instantly slain sometimes keep grip on their weapons; yet his head sunk upon his breast, and he saw nothing more of mahommed until he stood before him inside the chancel. "count corti, where is"-mahommed caught sight of the count's face. "oh, my poor mirza!" a volume of words could not have so delicately expressed sympathy as did that altered tone. taking off his steel glove, the fitful conqueror extended the bare hand, and the count, partially recalled to the situation by the gracious offer, sunk to his knees, and carried the hand to his lips. "i have kept the faith, my lord," he said in turkish, his voice scarcely audible. "this is she behind me--upon the throne of her fathers. receive her from me, and let me depart." "my poor mirza! we left the decision to god, and he has decided. arise, and hear me now." to the notables closing around, he said, imperiously: "stand not back. come up, and hear me." stepping past the count, then, he stood before the princess. she arose without removing her veil, and would have knelt; but mahommed moved nearer, and prevented her. the training of the politest court in europe was in her action, and the suite looking on, used to slavishness in captives, and tearful humility in women, he held her with amazement; nor could one of them have said which most attracted him, her queenly composure or her simple grace. "suffer me, my lord," she said to him; then to her attendants: "this is mahommed the sultan. let us pray him for honorable treatment." presently they were kneeling, and she would have joined them, but mahommed again interfered. "your hand, o princess irene! i wish to salute it." sometimes a wind blows out of the sky, and swinging the bell in the cupola, starts it to ringing itself; so now, at sight of the only woman he ever really loved overtaken by so many misfortunes, and actually threatened by a rabble of howling slave-hunters, mahommed's better nature thrilled with pity and remorse, and it was only by an effort of will he refrained from kneeling to her, and giving his passion tongue. nevertheless a kiss, though on the hand, can be made tell a tale of love, and that was what the youthful conqueror did. "i pray next that you resume your seat," he continued. "it has pleased god, o daughter of a palaeologus, to leave you the head of the greek people; and as i have the terms of a treaty to submit of great concern to them and you, it were more becoming did you hear me from a throne.... and first, in this presence, i declare you a free woman--free to go or stay, to reject or to accept--for a treaty is impossible except to sovereigns. if it be your pleasure to go, i pledge conveyance, whether by sea or land, to you and yours--attendants, slaves, and property; nor shall there be in any event a failure of moneys to keep you in the state to which you have been used." "for your grace, lord mahommed, i shall beseech heaven to reward you." "as the god of your faith is the god of mine, o princess irene, i shall be grateful for your prayers.... in the next place, i entreat you to abide here; and to this i am moved by regard for your happiness. the conditions will be strange to you, and in your going about there will be much to excite comparisons of the old with the new; but the arabs had once a wise man, el hatim by name--you may have heard of him"--he cast a quick look at the eyes behind the veil--"el hatim, a poet, a warrior, a physician, and he left a saying: 'herbs for fevers, amulets for mischances, and occupation for distempers of memory.' if it should be that time proves powerless over your sorrows, i would bring employment to its aid.... heed me now right well. it pains me to think of constantinople without inhabitants or commerce, its splendors decaying, its palaces given over to owls, its harbor void of ships, its churches vacant except of spiders, its hills desolations to eyes afar on the sea. if it become not once more the capital city of europe and asia, some one shall have defeated the will of god; and i cannot endure that guilt or the thought of it. 'sins are many in kind and degree, differing as the leaves and grasses differ,' says a dervish of my people; 'but for him who stands wilfully in the eyes of the most merciful--for him only shall there be no mercy in the great day.'... yes, heed me right well--i am not the enemy of the greeks, o princess irene. their power could not agree with mine, and i made war upon it; but now that heaven has decided the issue, i wish to recall them. they will not listen to me. though i call loudly and often, they will remember the violence inflicted on them in my name. their restoration is a noble work in promise. is there a greek of trust, and so truly a lover of his race, to help me make the promise a deed done? the man is not; but thou, o princess--thou art. behold the employment i offer you! i will commission you to bring them home--even these sorrowful creatures going hence in bonds. or do you not love them so much?... religion shall not hinder you. in the presence of these, my ministers of state, i swear to divide houses of god with you; half of them shall be christian, the other half moslem; arid neither sect shall interfere with the other's worship. this i will seal, reserving only this house, and that the patriarch be chosen subject to my approval. or do you not love your religion so much?".... during the discourse the princess listened intently; now she would have spoken, but he lifted his hand. "not yet, not yet! it is not well for you to answer now. i desire that you have time to consider--and besides, i come to terms of more immediate concern to you.... here, in the presence of these witnesses, o princess irene, i offer you honorable marriage." mahommed bowed very low at the conclusion of this proposal. "and wishing the union in conscience agreeable to you, i undertake to celebrate it according to christian rite and moslem. so shall you become queen of the greeks--their intercessor--the restorer and protector of their church and worship--so shall you be placed in a way to serve god purely and unselfishly; and if a thirst for glory has ever moved you, o princess, i present it to you a cupful larger than woman ever drank.... you may reside here or in therapia, and keep your private chapel and altar, and choose whom you will to serve them. and these things i will also swear to and seal." again she would have interrupted him. "no--bear with me for the once. i invoke your patience," he said. "in the making of treaties, o princess, one of the parties must first propose terms; then it is for the other to accept or reject, and in turn propose. and this"--he glanced hurriedly around--"this is no time nor place for argument. be content rather to return to your home in the city or your country-house at therapia. in three days, with your permission, i will come for your answer; and whatever it be, i swear by him who is god of the world, it shall be respected.... when i come, will you receive me?" "the lord mahommed will be welcome." "where may i wait on you?" "at therapia," she answered. mahommed turned about then. "count corti, go thou with the princess irene to therapia. i know thou wilt keep her safely.--and thou, kalil, have a galley suitable for a queen of the greeks made ready on the instant, and let there be no lack of guards despatched with it, subject to the orders of count corti, for the time once more mirza the emir.... o princess, if i have been peremptory, forgive me, and lend me thy hand again. i wish to salute it." again she silently yielded to his request. kalil, seeing only politics in the scene, marched before the princess clearing the way, and directly she was out of the church. at the suggestion of the count, sedan chairs were brought, and she and her half-stupefied companions carried to a galley, arriving at therapia about the fourth hour after sunset. mahommed had indeed been imperious in the interview; but, as he afterward explained to her, with many humble protestations, he had a part to play before his ministers. no sooner was she removed than he gave orders to clear the building of people and idolatrous symbols; and while the work was in progress, he made a tour of inspection going from the floor to the galleries. his wonder and admiration were unbounded. passing along the right-hand gallery, he overtook a pilferer with a tarbousche full of glass cubes picked from one of the mosaic pictures. "thou despicable!" he cried, in rage. "knowest thou not that i have devoted this house to allah? profane a mosque, wilt thou?" and he struck the wretch with the flat of his sword. hastening then to the chancel, he summoned achmet, the muezzin. "what is the hour?" he asked. "it is the hour of the fourth prayer, my lord." "ascend thou then to the highest turret of the house, and call the faithful to pious acknowledgment of the favors of god and his prophet--may their names be forever exalted." thus sancta sophia passed from christ to mahomet; and from that hour to this islam has had sway within its walls. not once since have its echoes been permitted to respond to a christian prayer or a hymn to the virgin. nor was this the first instance when, to adequately punish a people for the debasement and perversions of his revelations, god, in righteous anger, tolerated their destruction. to-day there are two cities, lights once of the whole earth, under curses so deeply graven in their remains--sites, walls, ruins--that every man and woman visiting them should be brought to know why they fell. alas, for jerusalem! alas, for constantinople! postscripts. in the morning of the third day after the fall of the city, a common carrier galley drew alongside the marble quay in front of the princess' garden at therapia, and landed a passenger--an old, decrepit man, cowled and gowned like a monk. with tottering steps he passed the gate, and on to the portico of the classic palace. of lysander, he asked: "is the princess irene here or in the city?" "she is here." "i am a greek, tired and hungry. will she see me?" the ancient doorkeeper disappeared, but soon returned. "she will see you. this way." the stranger was ushered into the reception room. standing before the princess, he threw back his cowl. she gazed at him a moment, then went to him and, taking his hands, cried, her eyes streaming with tears: "father hilarion! now praised be god for sending you to me in this hour of uncertainty and affliction!" needless saying the poor man's trials ended there, and that he never again went cold, or hungry, or in want of a place to lay his head. but this morning, after breaking fast, he was taken into council, and the proposal of marriage being submitted to him, he asked first: "what are thy inclinations, daughter?" and she made unreserved confession. the aged priest spread his hands paternally over her head, and, looking upward, said solemnly: "i think i see the great designer's purpose. he gave thee, o daughter, thy beauties of person and spirit, and raised thee up out of unspeakable sorrows, that the religion of christ should not perish utterly in the east. go forward in the way he has opened unto thee. only insist that mahommed present himself at thy altar, and there swear honorable dealing with thee as his wife, and to keep the treaty proposed by him in spirit and letter. doth he those things without reservation, then fear not. the old greek church is not all we would have it, but how much better it is than irreligion; and who can now say what will happen once our people are returned to the city?" * * * * * in the afternoon, a boat with one rower touched at the same marble quay, and disembarked an arab. his face was a dusty brown, and he wore an _abba_ such as children of the desert affect. his dark eyes were wonderfully bright, and his bearing was high, as might be expected in the sheik of a tribe whose camels were thousands to the man, and who dwelt in dowars with streets after the style of cities. on his right forearm he carried a crescent-shaped harp of five strings, inlaid with colored woods and mother of pearl. "does not the princess irene dwell here?" he asked. lysander, viewing him suspiciously, answered: "the princess irene dwells here." "wilt thou tell her one aboo-obeidah is at the door with a blessing and a story for her?" the doorkeeper again disappeared, and, returning, answered, with evident misgivings, "the princess irene prays you to come in." aboo-obeidah tarried at the therapian palace till night fell; and his story was an old one then, but he contrived to make it new; even as at this day, though four hundred and fifty years older than when he told it to the princess, women of white souls, like hers, still listen to it with downcast eyes and flushing cheeks--the only story which time has kept and will forever keep fresh and persuasive as in the beginning'. they were married in her chapel at therapia, father hilarion officiating. thence, when the city was cleansed of its stains of war, she went thither with mahommed, and he proclaimed her his sultana at a feast lasting through many days. and in due time he built for her the palace behind point demetrius, yet known as the seraglio. in other words, mahommed the sultan abided faithfully by the vows aboo-obeidah made for him. [footnote: the throne of mahommed was guarded by the numbers and fidelity of his moslem subjects; but his national policy aspired to collect the remnant of the greeks; and they returned in crowds as soon as they were assured of their lives, their liberties, and the free exercise of their religion.... the churches of constantinople were shared between the two religions. gibbon. ] and so, with ampler means, and encouraged by mahommed, the princess irene spent her life doing good, and earned the title by which she became known amongst her countrymen--the most gracious queen of the greeks. sergius never took orders formally. with the sultana irene and father hilarion, he preferred the enjoyment and practice of the simple creed preached by him in sancta sophia, though as between the latins and the orthodox greeks he leaned to the former. the active agent dispensing the charities of his imperial benefactress, he endeared himself to the people of both religions. ere long, he married lael, and they lived happily to old age. * * * * * nilo was found alive, and recovering, joined count corti. * * * * * count corti retained the fraternal affection of mahommed to the last. the conqueror strove to keep him. he first offered to send him ambassador to john sobieski; that being declined, he proposed promoting him chief aga of janissaries, but the count declared it his duty to hasten to italy, and devote himself to his mother. the sultan finally assenting, he took leave of the princess irene the day before her marriage. an officer of the court representing mahommed conducted the count to the galley built in venice. upon mounting the deck he was met by the tripolitans, her crew, and sheik hadifah, with his fighting berbers. he was then informed that the vessel and all it contained belonged to him. the passage was safely made. from brindisi he rode to castle corti. to his amazement, it was completely restored. not so much as a trace of the fire and pillage it had suffered was to be seen. his reception by the countess can be imagined. the proofs he brought were sufficient with her, and she welcomed him with a joy heightened by recollections of the years he had been lost to her, and the manifest goodness of the blessed madonna in at last restoring him--the joy one can suppose a christian mother would show for a son returned to her, as it were, from the grave. the first transports of the meeting over, he reverted to the night he saw her enter the chapel: "the castle was then in ruins; how is it i now find it rebuilt?" "did you not order the rebuilding?" "i knew nothing of it." then the countess told him a man had presented himself some months prior, with a letter purporting to be from him, containing directions to repair the castle, and spare no expense in the work. "fortunately," she said, "the man is yet in brindisi." the count lost no time in sending for the stranger, who presented him a package sealed and enveloped in oriental style, only on the upper side there was a _tughra_, or imperial seal, which he at once recognized as mahommed's. with eager fingers he took off the silken wraps, and found a note in translation as follows: "mahommed the sultan to ugo, count corti, formerly mirza the emir. "the wager we made, o my friend, who should have been the son of my mother, is not yet decided, and as it is not given a mortal to know the will of the most compassionate until he is pleased to expose it, i cannot say what the end will be. yet i love you, and have faith in you; and wishing you to be so assured whether i win or lose, i send mustapha to your country in advance with proofs of your heirship, and to notify the noble lady, your mother, that you are alive, and about returning to her. also, forasmuch as a turk destroyed it, he is ordered to rebuild your father's castle, and add to the estate all the adjacent lands he can buy; for verily no countship can be too rich for the mirza who was my brother. and these things he will do in your name, not mine. and when it is done, if to your satisfaction, o count, give him a statement that he may come to me with evidence of his mission discharged. "i commend you to the favor of the compassionate. mahommed." when the missive was read, mustapha knelt to the count, and saluted him. then he conducted him into the chapel of the castle, and going to the altar, showed him an iron door, and said: "my master, the lord mahommed, instructed me to deposit here certain treasure with which he graciously intrusted me. receive the key, i pray, and search the vault, and view the contents, and, if it please you, give me a certificate which will enable me to go back to my country, and live there a faithful servant of my master, the lord mahommed--may he be exalted as the faithful are!" now when the count came to inspect the contents of the vault he was displeased; and seeing it, mustapha proceeded: "my master, the lord mahommed, anticipated that you might protest against receiving the treasure; if so, i was to tell you it was to make good in some measure the sums the noble lady your mother has paid in searching for you, and in masses said for the repose of your father's soul." corti could not do else than accept. finally, to complete the narrative, he never married. the reasonable inference is, he never met a woman with graces sufficient to drive the princess irene from his memory. after the death of the countess, his mother, he went up to rome, and crowned a long service as chief of the papal guard by dying of a wound received in a moment of victory. hadifah, the berbers, and nilo chose to stay with him throughout. the tripolitans were returned to their country; after which the galley was presented to the holy father. once every year there came to the count a special messenger from constantinople with souvenirs; sometimes a sword royally enriched, sometimes a suit of rare armor, sometimes horses of el hajez--these were from mahommed. sometimes the gifts were precious relics, or illuminated scriptures, or rosaries, or crosses, or triptychs wonderfully executed--so irene the sultana chose to remind him of her gratitude. syama wandered around constantinople a few days after the fall of the city, looking for his master, whom he refused to believe dead. lael offered him asylum for life. suddenly he disappeared, and was never seen or heard of more. it may be presumed, we think, that the prince of india succeeded in convincing him of his identity, and took him to other parts of the world--possibly back to cipango. the end. 