Chapter 9 Chapter nine

At this moment, a servant of the house—a person who, according to the Ottoman custom, was specially appointed to announce the arrival of guests—appeared through a side door in the corridor. "Lord Ahme," he said to the young man, "a stranger has come and wants to speak to you." "Who is it?" Ahme asked. "A Maltese captain. He insists that you see him." "Very well! I'll go..." Ahme replied. "My dear Ahme," said Amasya, "if the captain has nothing special to say, you can see him here." "Maybe he's the one who pilots this fascinating sailing boat?" Najib reminded, pointing to the boat anchored in the water below the property.

"It is possible!" replied Ahme. "Let him in." The servant withdrew, and a moment later the stranger appeared through the corridor door. He is Captain Yaud, and the sailing ship "Gidar" he drives is a fast ship of about 100 tons, which is suitable for sailing along the Black Sea and for traveling between ports on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Much to Yaud's displeasure, he broke down a bit late under banker Selim's villa.After talking with Skarbant, Lord Safar's steward, he took the Bulgarian and Romanian train from Constantinople to Odessa without even an hour's delay.So he arrived a few days earlier than Master Kailabon, because this "old Turk" moved slowly and only walked 15 to 16 kilometers in 24 hours.But in Odessa, he encountered bad weather and did not dare to take the risk of sailing the "Ghidal" out of the port. He could only wait for the northeast wind to ravage the land of Europe.It was not until this morning that his sailboat was able to drop anchor below the villa.In doing so, he's only a short time ahead of Lord Kerabong, which could be to his detriment.

Yaud had to act on the same day. His wishful thinking was to use tricks first, and use force if the tricks failed.But that night the "Gidar" had to take Amasia away from the anchorage in Odessa. When people woke up and chased him, his sailboat had already escaped with the northeast wind. This type of hijacking is happening elsewhere on the Black Sea coast, if not more.If they are frequent in Turkish waters, on the coast of Anatolia, they are no less terrifying in the territories directly ruled by the Moscow authorities.Only a few years ago, it was in Odessa that a series of hijackings took place, and the whereabouts of the hijackers are still unknown.Missing girls belonging to the upper class of Odessa, it is safe to assume that they had been hijacked on board a ship to be sold on the hideous slave market in Asia Minor.

What these despicable guys have done in this South Russian capital, Yaud is now planning to do it again for the benefit of Lord Safar. The Gidal was no longer fit for him to undertake such an endeavor, but her captain would not back down from the 10 per cent profit he expected to extract from the "business." This was Yaoud's plan: to lure the girl to the "Ghidal" ship, under the pretense of showing her and selling her all kinds of precious clothing materials bought from the main producing areas along the coast.It is likely that Ahme will accompany Amasya to see it first, but maybe she will come again only with Najib?That way she might be out to sea before someone else comes to her rescue.If, on the contrary, Amasia refused to board the ship despite Yaud's rhetoric, the Maltese captain would attempt to kidnap her by force.The house of the banker Selim was built alone in a small bay in the depths of the harbour, and his family could not resist the crew of the sailing boat.But in this case there will be a fight, and the circumstances of the hijacking will soon be known.So for hijackers, in the end, it's best to go quietly and not cause a stir.

"Is this Lord Ahme?" Captain Yaud asked when he came in, followed by a sailor with some cloth under his arm. "It is I," replied Ahme, "and you? . . . " "I'm Captain Yaud, and I'm driving the sailboat 'Jidar', which is moored in front of the banker Selim's house right now." "What do you want to do?" "Lord Ahme," Yaud replied, "I heard that your wedding will be held soon..." "You have heard, Captain, it is the most important thing in my heart!" "I understand, Lord Ahme," Yaud said, turning to Amasia. "That's why I thought of letting you control all the wealth on my sailboat."

"Hey! Captain Yaud, your idea is not bad!" Ahme said. "My dear Ahmey, what else do I need?" said the girl. "What do I know?" Ahme replied. "These Levant captains often have something precious to choose from, so it's time to see..." "Yeah! Go see it and buy it," Najib yelled. "We're going to bankrupt Lord Kerabong to punish him for being late!" "What's in your cargo hold?" Ahme asked. "The precious cloth I got from the place of origin," Yaud replied, "I have always been in this business."

"That's good! Let these girls see! They are much more knowledgeable than I am, dear Amasia, if there are some clothes you like in the cargo hold of the captain of the 'Gidal', I will be very happy!" "I have no doubts about this," Yaud said. "Besides, I have brought various samples. Please take a look before boarding the ship." "Let's see! Let's see!" Najib shouted. "But I warn you, Captain, that nothing is too beautiful for my mistress!" "It's true!" Ahme said. Yaud made the appropriate gesture, the sailor opened some samples, and the captain of the sailboat showed them to the girl.

"These are silks embroidered with silver borders from Bursa," he said. "They have only just appeared in the markets of Constantinople." "They're really beautifully crafted," Amasya said, looking at the materials, which glistened under Najib's nimble fingers as if they were woven with light. "Look! Look!" cried the gypsy girl. "We couldn't have found a better one on the Odessa market!" "Indeed, it seems to have been made just for you, dear Amasya!" said Ahme. "I'll also show you these Sgutari and Turnovo muslins. From this sample you can judge how perfect the workmanship is, but you won't know the various details until you are on board. Be amazed by the sheen in a variety of patterns and colors!"

"Okay, it's a deal, Captain, let's go and see the 'Jidar'!" Najib said loudly: "You won't regret it," Yaud said again. "But allow me to show you a few more things. It's diamond brocade, silk shirting with sheer stripes, fabric, muslin, Persian shawl for the belt, taffeta for the trousers . . . " Amasya never tires of admiring the sumptuous drapery which the Maltese captain has so skilfully folded and shone before her eyes.He was almost as good a sailor as he was a nimble businessman, and the Guidal was probably used to lucky sailing.All women—and young Turkish women are no exception—will be tempted to see these imitations of oriental craftsmanship.

Ahme could easily see how his fiancée gazed at them with admiration.Apparently, as Najib said, the markets of Odessa, Constantinople, and even the shops of Ludovik and famous Armenian merchants will not offer more wonderful options. "My dear Amasia," said Ahmey, "you will not let the honest captain's work be in vain, will you? Since he has shown you such fine materials, and since he has on board a more beautiful , let's go to his boat and have a look." "Yes! Yes!" Najib shouted, she couldn't stay any longer, and was already running towards the beach.

"Oh we'll find it," Ahmey added, "a few pieces of silk that a crazy girl like Najib will like!" "Hey!" Najib replied, "When people celebrate the wedding of my mistress and a generous lord like Lord Ahme, don't I want to honor her?" "Especially such a gracious grown-up!" said the girl, offering her hand to her betrothed. "That is settled, Captain," said Ahme. "You wait for us on your ship." "When will I go?" Yaud asked, "Because I want to be able to show you all my wealth there." "Then...in the afternoon." "Why not go right away?" Najib exclaimed. "Oh! So hasty!" said Amasia, laughing. "She is more anxious than I am to look at this floating market, and I can see what gift Ahme promised to give her, so that she can be more flirtatious!" "Coquettish," said Najib in a soft voice, "coquettish only for your sake, dear mistress!" "Lord Ahme," said Captain Yaud at this moment, "if you decide, you can go to the 'Gidal' now and have a look. I can call my boat and let it lean under the steps. , just a few strokes will send you to the boat." "Call it then, Captain," replied Ahme. "By the way... get on board!" Najib shouted. "Since Najib wants to go, let's get on the boat!" the girl continued. Captain Yaud ordered all the samples he had brought to be repacked. Now he was walking towards the railing, and when he reached the bottom of the stairs, he let out a long cry. Immediately there was activity on the deck of the sailboat.A large boat hung on the port davit was swiftly lowered into the sea, and in less than five minutes a slender, brisk skiff, stroked by four oars, made its way up to the bottom rung of the ladder. So Captain Yaud signaled to Lord Ahme that the boat was ready. Despite his strong self-control, Yaoud couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement.Isn't this a godsend opportunity to realize this hijacking?Time is running out, as Lord Kerabong could be here any minute.What's more, before taking the ridiculous trip around the Black Sea, he never expressed that he didn't want to hold Amasya and Ahme's wedding as soon as possible.In that case, Amasia would become Ahme's wife, and she would no longer be the girl that Lord Safar was waiting for in the palace! That's it!Yaoud suddenly felt the urge to use violence, which came from his savage nature, which did not know what prudence was.Besides, the situation is also very favorable. You can take advantage of the current wind direction to get out of the waterway.When the news of the girl's disappearance spread suddenly and someone thought of chasing him, the sailboat was already on the sea.Of course, if Ahmey was not there, and only Amasya and Naguib were on board the "Jidar", Yaoud would immediately set sail for the sea while these two unsuspecting girls were picking in the cargo hold.It is easy to lock them up in the cabin and keep them from screaming until they leave the port.If Ahme is present, it is more difficult, but not impossible.As for getting rid of this young man later, no matter how powerful he is, even if he needs to be killed, it will not embarrass the captain of the "Ghidal".Killing people will make hijacking more thrilling.Lord Safar will also pay more, that's all. Yaoud just waited on the steps of the stairs for Ahme and his female companions to board the dinghy of the "Gidal", while thinking about what to do.The light boats swayed gracefully on the gently undulating water, less than a chain away. Ahme was standing on the last step and had already helped Amasya to sit in the back seat of the boat when the corridor door opened.Then a man in his fifties, dressed in Turkish clothes that looked like European clothes, rushed in and shouted: "Amasia? . . . Ahme? . . . " This was Selim the banker, father of the maiden, business partner and friend of Lord Kerabong. "My daughter?... Ahme?..." Selim kept asking. Amasia regained hold of Ahme's hand extended to her, and immediately got off the boat and ran to the steps. "Father, what happened?" she asked. "Why did you come here so quickly from the city?" "There is important news!" "Is it good news?..." Ahme asked. "Excellent!" Selim replied. "A special courier from my friend Kerabong just arrived at my bank!" "Really?" Najib yelled. "A courier told me he was coming," Selim said, "and not far behind!" "My Uncle Kerabon!" Ahme said repeatedly, "My Uncle Kerabon isn't in Constantinople anymore?" "No, and I'll be right here waiting for him!" Fortunately for the captain of the "Ghidal", no one saw his furious appearance.The imminent arrival of Ahme's uncle was the worst contingency that he had ever feared in carrying out his plan. "Oh! Merciful Lord Kerabong!" Najib cried. "But why did he come?" asked the girl. "For your wedding, dear hostess!" Najib replied. "What was he doing in Odessa if he didn't for that?" "That's a good statement," Selim said. "I think so too!" Ahme said. "Without that reason, why did he leave Constantinople? He has changed his mind, my venerable uncle! He has suddenly abandoned his firm, his business, without notice! . . . a surprise!" "Ah! What a reception he will receive!" Najib cried. "What a welcome he will receive here!" "Did his messenger tell you nothing about why he came, father?" Amasia asked. "Nothing," Selim replied. "This man asked for a horse at the Mayaki station, because my friend Kerabon was going to stop there to change horses. He came to the bank to tell me that my friend Kerabon was not stopping in Odessa, but directly Come here so my friend Kerabong can show up any minute!" If it is said that Kerabong friend of Selim the banker, Uncle Kerabong of Amasya and Ahmey, Lord Kerabong of Najib are all "absent" at this moment to receive the most cordial tribute, then of course it is not necessary Needless to say, his arrival means an early wedding!It is the happiness that unmarried couples are about to enjoy!Such a match made in heaven doesn't even have to meet the predestined deadline!what!Lord Kerabong is the nicest man, even at his most stubborn! Yaud watched the happy family scene from beginning to end indifferently, but he didn't let the boat go back. For him, it was important to know what Lord Kailabon had planned.He might indeed be worried, will Master Kairabang continue to travel around the Black Sea after the wedding of Amasia and Ahme? At this moment there were voices outside, among them the eager voice of a man the loudest.The door opened, and Lord Kerabong appeared with Van Mittaine, Bruno, and Nisib.