Chapter 19 Chapter two
"A curious country!" van Mettain wrote in his travel notes, and recorded some fleeting impressions.The women worked in the fields, doing all kinds of heavy work, while the men spun linen and knitted sweaters.
The good Dutch were not mistaken.This was still the case in the distant province of Razistan, where the second half of the journey began.
This is a little-known region, starting from the Caucasus border, between the Sharsut Valley, Churok Valley and the coast of the Black Sea, belonging to Armenia in Turkey.Few travelers have ventured to these pasha counties of Trabzon since the arrival of the Frenchman Ted Roller.They lie between these mountains, which reach down to Lake Van and enclose the Armenian capital of Erzurum, the capital of 120,000 inhabitants.
Yet the region has had some great feats in history.These plateaus are the birthplace of the two tributaries of the Euphrates, and he led his "army of ten thousand" after the defeat and left here to the banks of the Faz River.The Faz River was not at all the Leon that flows into Poti: it was the Kur River that flowed down from the Caucasus, and not far from Razistan, which Lord Gaukerabon and his companions were now crossing.
what!How many valuable observations would undoubtedly have been made by van Mettain, had he had time, of which even the Dutch polymath is ignorant!Xenophon, general, historian, and philosopher, had left the country of Karduk and this mountain of Chenelim, where the Greeks had cheered to the waves of the bridge of Ouching, which was about to be pierced, with the Taoks and Why couldn't Van Mittern discover the exact location of the battlefield when the Chalibu were fighting?
But Van Mettain had neither time for tours nor research, or rather he was prevented from doing so.When Bruno came again to urge his master to borrow the money necessary after parting from Monsieur Kerabon, Van Metertain always replied:
"Let's talk in Xiaopa Village!"
So everyone went to Xiaopa Village.But could there be found a means of transport, a car of any kind, to replace the comfortable horse-drawn carriage that was crushed at the Poti railroad crossing?
It's a serious problem, with almost 250km to go, but only 17 days to the 30th of the month.Lord Kerabong must go back there that day!Ahme planned to meet Amasia who was waiting for him to hold the wedding in the villa of Śgutarí on that day!So it is not difficult to understand that both uncle and nephew are equally impatient.So how to complete the second half of the journey is very embarrassing.
To find a stagecoach or cart in these remote villages of Asia Minor is by no means to be expected.They were forced to use only a local means of transport, which of course must be extremely crude.
So Kerabon walked, and Bruno led him and his master's horse, for Van Mittain preferred to walk by his friend's side; A group of people walked with a heavy heart.Ahme left first so that he could go to Xiaopa Village to prepare a residence, get a car, and start the road again after the sun came out.
They walked slowly and silently.Master Kerabon suppressed his inner anger, but repeated these words repeatedly: "Cossacks, railroads, carriages, Safar!" Realizing that his friend's anger might explode at any time, he had no chance to take advantage of it and dared not speak.
They reached the village of Chopa at 9 o'clock in the evening.Since this section is on foot, you must rest overnight.The conditions of the hotel were mediocre, but they were so tired that they all slept for 10 hours in a row, while Ahme went to the countryside to find transportation that night.
The next day was September 14, and at seven o'clock a harnessed buggy was already at the door of the hotel.
This crude carriage has two wheels and can barely fit three people inside. How can it not remind people of the old stagecoach!There are two horses on the shaft of the cart, and it is really not much to pull such a heavy cart.Fortunately, Ahme had a tarp put over the wooden frame over the carriage, so that it would keep out the wind and rain.This is the only way to go until there is no better means of transportation, because it seems impossible to get to Trabzon more comfortably with a better car.
It is not difficult to understand that when seeing this carriage, no matter how optimistic Van Mittain was, although Bruno was terribly tired, he couldn't help making a grimace, but Lord Kerabong only glanced at them. It immediately became serious.
"That's all I can find, Uncle!" Ahme said, pointing to the carriage.
"That's all we need!" replied Kerabon, not wanting to show any nostalgia for his splendid stagecoach.
"That's right..." Ahme said again, "This carriage is covered with thick hay..."
"We'll be like princes, nephew!"
"Some princes on the stage!" whispered Bruno.
"Huh?" Kerabong snorted.
"Besides," Ahme continued, "we are only 60 kilometers away from Trabzon. I believe we can change to a better car there."
"I'll say it again, this one is enough!" Kerabong said, watching with a frown to see if he suddenly noticed a look of rebuttal on the faces of his companions.
But under the weight of this terrible gaze, everyone put on a expressionless face.
Their arrangement was as follows: Mr. Kerabon, Van Mittaine and Bruno sat in the carriage, and the coachman rode one of the horses, taking care to change the other horse every time he walked; Nisib followed on horseback, and they hoped to reach Trabzon without too much delay.Arriving in that important city, they intended to end their journey in the most comfortable way possible.
Two hookahs survived the crash and were returned to their original owners.In addition, some food and utensils were loaded on the carriage, so Lord Kairabang signaled to set off.In this coastal area, the villages are all very close to each other, rarely more than four or five kilometers away.Rest and supplementation of food was therefore very easy for them, and even the impatient Ahme agreed to a proper rest on the way, especially since food was plentiful in the "Dukan" of the village.
"On the road!" Ahme repeated when his uncle was seated in the carriage.
At this moment Bruno approached Van Mittain and said with an almost imperious seriousness:
"Master, when will you make that suggestion to Lord Kailabon?"
"I haven't had my chance yet," replied Van Metertain vaguely. "Besides, I don't think I'm quite ready yet..."
"So we're going to climb into it?" Bruno said, pointing at the carriage with a dismissive gesture.
"Yes... it's temporary!"
"But when did you decide to take the money that set us free?"
"On to the next village," replied Van Mittern.
"To the next village?..."
"Good! To Arshava!"
Bruno shook his head disapprovingly, and sat behind his master in the carriage.The heavy car was still going fairly fast on the sloping road.
But the weather wasn't great.It appears that stormy clouds are building up to the west, and the threat of a storm can be felt beyond the horizon.This section of the coast is not easy to walk, being directly impacted by the currents from the open sea.There are unpredictable events, and the faithful of Muhammad know how to resign themselves to their fate better than anyone else.The worry, however, is that the Black Sea will no longer show that it lives up to its Greek name, "Ouchen Bridge," which means very hospitable, but will look like its Turkish name, Kara Dequitz, which bodes ill.
It is very fortunate that this is not the alpine region through which the journey will pass.There were no roads at all, and one had to venture through forests untouched by a woodcutter's axe, and it was almost impossible for a carriage to pass there.The coast here is easier to walk, and there is always a road between the villages.The road weaves among Alpine fruit trees, shaded by walnuts and chestnuts, laurel and rose bushes, and flanked by tangled vines of wild grapes.
But if the frontier is easy for travellers, its depressions are bad for health.There stretched fetid swamps, and typhoid fever was endemic from May to August.Fortunately it was September, and the health of Lord Kerabong and his companions was not in any danger.Fatigue is okay, but not sickness, but if you can never recover, you can sleep forever.When the most obstinate Turk reasoned thus, his companions had nothing to say.
Nearly 9 o'clock in the morning, the carriage stopped in the village of Arshava.They were going to leave in an hour's time, so that Van Mettaine could not tell of his great plan of borrowing money from his friend Kerabon.
So Bruno asked him:
"How is it, master, is it done?..."
"No, Bruno, not yet."
"But it's about time..."
"Let's talk about it in the next village!"
"To the next village?..."
"Yes, to Wiz."
From a pecuniary point of view, Bruno was as dependent on his master as his master was on Lord Kerabon.So he sat down again in the carriage, but this time he concealed his bad mood.
"What's the matter with him, the lad?" Kerabong asked.
"Nothing," replied Van Mettaine hastily, in order to divert the subject. "Maybe I'm a little tired!"
"He!" retorted Kerabong, "he looks so good! I even think he's put on weight!"
"Me!" Bruno exclaimed very excitedly.
"Yes! He could easily be a handsome and benevolent Turk, fat and dignified!"
Bruno fell silent when he heard this untimely compliment and was about to explode when Van Mittain seized his arm.
The carriage had been galloping rhythmically, and there would really be nothing to be said if it had not been for some unpleasant rather than painful contusions from the violent jolts caused by the bumps.
The road is not deserted.Some Raz descended from the slopes of the Alps in Ponteque, and traveled by this road to their trade or trade.If Van Mittern hadn't been so concerned about Bruno's "questioning" of him, he could have noted in his little notebook the differences in customs between the Caucasians and the Lazis.Instead of the Georgian toque, they wore a Phrygian hat with a band wrapped around the head like a hairstyle.These mountain people are tall and strong, with fair skin, elegant and flexible, with two bullet belts crossed on their chests, just like the blowpipes of the flutes of animal gods.Their usual weapons were a short spear and a broad-bladed dagger carried in a brass-trimmed belt.
There are also donkey drivers on the road, who transport various agricultural products harvested in the central region to the coastal villages.
All in all, even under these conditions, as long as the weather does not turn bad and dreadful, the traveler has nothing to complain about the journey.
At 11 o'clock in the morning, they reached Viz in ancient Pixit, whose Greek name is "boxwood", as evidenced by the lush vegetation around it.They had a simple lunch here - it seemed that Master Kerabong thought it was too simple, and this time he complained in a bad mood for a while.
Van Mettain, therefore, did not find an opportunity to tell him about his intentions.So when he set off, Bruno pulled him aside again and asked:
"How is it, master?"
"Then, Bruno, to the next village."
"what?"
"Yes, to Artashin!"
Exasperated by such a weakness, Bruno lay down muttering in the carriage, while his master cast affectionate glances at the moving scene, for here Dutch cleanliness and Italian beauty mingled up.
The passage in Artashin was the same as in Viz and Arshava.They changed horses here at 3 o'clock in the evening, and set off again at 4 o'clock.But under the stern urging of Bruno, his master, unable to wait any longer, promised to make his claim before reaching the village of Atina, where he had decided to spend the night.
The village is five kilometers away, which brings the day's distance to 15 kilometers.To be honest, it's not bad for such a car.But it is going to rain and the road will become difficult to walk. It seems that there will be a delay.
Ahme watched with concern as the weather got worse and worse.The stormy clouds were thickening and the air was so stuffy it was hard to breathe.At night or in the evening, there is bound to be a violent storm at sea.After a few thunderclaps, due to the effect of the electric discharge, a strong wind will blow in the sky, and the strong wind will turn the water vapor into a torrential rain.
However, the carriage can only accommodate three people.Neither Ahme nor Nisib could get shelter under the tarpaulin, and the tarpaulin might not stand up to the storm.Therefore, the riders, like everyone else, must rush to the next village as soon as possible.
Two or three times Lord Kerabong stuck his head out of the tarpaulin and looked at the sky, which was getting darker and darker.
"The weather has turned bad?" he said.
"Yes, uncle," Ahme replied. "Hopefully we can reach the station before the rainstorm!"
"Come in the carriage when it rains."
"Then who will give me the seat?"
"Bruno! This brave lad can ride his horse..."
"Of course," added Van Metertain hastily, he could not refuse for his faithful servant...
But what is certain is that he did not look at Bruno when he answered, and he dared not do so.Bruno tried his best to restrain himself from attacking, and his master felt this clearly.
"Better hurry," Ahme added. "If a storm blows, the tarpaulin of the carriage will be soaked and the seats will be useless."
"Push the horse faster," Kerabong said to the coachman, "and whip it hard!"
The coachman was as anxious to reach Atina as the traveler, and he lashed his whip mercilessly.But the poor animals couldn't stand the stuffy air, and they couldn't run on the unleveled gravel road.
How envious Lord Kerabong and his companions were when their carriage crossed the "Chapar" at about seven o'clock in the evening!It was the British courier who delivered European mail to Tehran once every fortnight.He could reach the Persian capital from Trabzon in twelve days, with two or three horses laden with boxes, and some gendarme escort.But in the post he had priority over any other traveler, so Ahme feared that after arriving at Atina, he might only find some exhausted horses.
It was a good thing that Lord Kerabong hadn't thought of that at all, otherwise he would have had a legitimate opportunity to complain, and he wouldn't let it pass!
Besides, he might be looking for this opportunity.Well, at last Van Mettain had offered him his chance.
The Dutchman had already agreed to Bruno's request, and he could no longer back down, and finally made a risky proposal, but he had to be as flexible as possible.Bad weather seemed to him a very appropriate opening statement before getting down to business.
"My friend Kerabong," he said at first, not wanting to offer any advice but to ask for advice, "what do you think about this weather?"
"my thoughts?……"
"Yes! . . . It's the autumnal equinox, you know, and the worry is that the second half of the journey isn't as smooth as the first!"
"Then let it not go well, that's it!" Kerabong replied coldly. "I have no right to change the conditions of the climate! I have no power over nature, and I know that, Van Mittern!"
"No... of course it is," replied the Dutchman, which was not a very good start. "That's not what I want to say, my dear friend!"
"Then what do you want to say?"
"At the end of the day, this may just be an illusion of a storm, or at best a storm that will pass..."
"All storms will pass, Van Mittern! They will go on for a while more or less...like debates, but they will pass...and then the good weather...of course!"
"Unless the weather is not seriously affected! . . . " warned Van Mittain, "if it were not for the equinox . . . "
"Since it's the equinox," Kerabon replied, "you should resign yourself to it! I can't let it not be the equinox! Do you have anything to blame me for, Van Metertaine?"
"No! . . . I assure you . . . blame you . . . me, my friend Kerabon," replied Van Mettaine.
Things were clearly not going well.If Bruno hadn't been behind him, hadn't been for his silent instigation, Van Mittern might have given up on this dangerous conversation for a later time.But there’s no turning back now—especially as Kerabong confronts him, frowning:
"What's the matter with you, Van Mettaine? Something seems to be on your mind?"
"I?"
"That's right, it's you! Look, if you have something to say, just say it! I don't like people to put on a straight face and refuse to say why!"
"Me! Stern to you?"
"Did you have something to say against me? I invited you to supper in Skuthari, didn't I take you to Skuthari? My carriage was crushed on that damned railway." Now, is this my fault?"
Why!yes!It was his fault, and only his fault!But the Dutchman was careful not to blame him.
"Is it my fault that the weather is bad, and we have only a pony-cart? Look! Tell me!"
The perplexed van Mettaine did not know how to answer, so he could only ask his impatient companion whether he intended to stay in Atina or Trebzon if the weather made the journey difficult.
"Difficult doesn't mean impossible, right?" Kerabong replied, "I'm going to reach Skuthari by the end of the month, so let's keep going even if everything in nature is against us!"
Van Metertaine then mustered all his courage, and in a tone of evident hesitation made his great proposal.
"Then, my friend Kerabon," he said, "if you don't mind too much, I ask your permission... to let Bruno and I... yes... allow us to stay in Atina."
"You asked me to allow you to stay in Atina?..." Kelabang asked word by word.
"Yes...Allow...Agree...Because without your consent, I absolutely don't want...No..."
"Leave us alone, right?"
"Oh! Temporarily...for a short time!..." added Van Mettaine hastily. "We're so tired, Bruno and I! We'd rather go to Constantinople by sea. . . . Yes! . . . by sea . . . "
"Go by sea?"
"That's right... my friend Kerabong... oh! I know you don't like the sea!...I don't say this against you!...I know very well that any sea voyage will be unpleasant for you!...Because I think you go on Walking along the beach is a natural thing... It's just that I'm too tired to walk this difficult journey... And... look carefully, Bruno has lost weight!..."
"Ha!...Bruno is thin!" Kerabon said, without even turning his head to look at the hapless servant, who kept pointing at the clothes fluttering over his emaciated body.
"So, my friend Kerabon," continued Van Mittain, "if we stay at Atina and return to Europe under more favorable conditions, please don't blame us too much! . . . Once again, we will meet you in Constantinople... or rather in Skuta, yes... in Skuta. Keep people waiting when the wedding of your young friend Ahme It won't be me!"
Van Mettain said all he wanted to say, and he waited for Lord Kerabon's answer.Such a reasonable request, will it be simply agreed, or angrily reprimanded?
The Dutchman bowed his head, not daring to raise his eyes to his formidable companion.
"Van Mittaine," replied Kerabon in a calmer tone than one might expect, "Van Mittaine, you will admit that your proposal has reason to shock me, even to provoke it." the nature of..."
"Friend Kellabon! . . . " cried Van Mettaine, and the words made him think some violence was about to take place.
"Let me finish, please!" said Kerabon, "you should have thought that it was impossible for me not to be genuinely distressed by this parting! I would even say that I would never have expected such a suggestion to come from a A trading partner I've done business with for 30 years..."
"Kerabon!" cried Van Mettaine.
"Ah! By Allah! Just let me finish!" exclaimed Kerabong, unable to control what seemed to him a very natural movement. "But, after all, you are free! You are neither my kinsman nor my servant! You are only my friend, and a friend can do anything, even sever a friendship that has been established for so many years! "
"Kerabon! . . . my dear Kerabon! . . . " cried Van Metertain, deeply moved by the reproach.
"If you want to stay in Atina, stay in Atina; or if you want to stay in Trabzon, stay in Trabzon!"
After saying this, Lord Kerabong leaned in his corner, as if surrounded by unrelated people and strangers, just occasional companions on the road.
In short, if Bruno was very happy with the state of affairs, Van Metertain was saddened by the pain he had caused his friend.But in the end, his plan had worked, and he saw no reason to cancel his proposal, although he might have thought of it, let alone Bruno.
The rest is a matter of money.Or stay in the local area for a period of time, or end the trip under other conditions, and borrow a sum of money according to the situation, which should not be difficult.Van Mettaine's important shares in the Rotterdam firm were about to be deposited in the Bank of Constantinople, and Lord Kerabon had only to recover the loaned money by a check from the Dutchman.
"Friends from Kerabon," said Van Metertain after a few minutes of unbroken silence.
"Anything else, sir?" Kerabong asked, as if answering some obnoxious person.
"At Atina..." went on Van Mettaine, the word "sir" stinging at his heart.
"Well, here we are at Atina," answered Kerabong, "and we part! It's settled!"
"Yes, of course... Kerabong!"
Indeed, he dared not say: Kerabong friend!
"Yes...of course...so I want you to leave me some money..."
"Money! What money? . . . "
"A small sum of money...you can get it back...in the Bank of Constantinople..."
"A small sum of money?"
"You know that I set off with very little money . . . as you have been so generous in paying for the journey."
"These expenses are only related to me!"
"Okay! . . . I don't want to argue . . . "
"I won't let you spend a pound," replied Kerabong, "not a pound!"
"I am very grateful to you," replied Van Mettaine, "but now I don't have a Barra, so I have to ask you..."
"I have no money to lend you at all," Kerabong replied coldly, "I have only enough money left for the journey!"
"But... will you give it to me?..."
"I tell you, not a dime!"
"What?..." Bruno said.
"I think Bruno dares to speak too!..." Kairabang's voice was full of threats.
"Of course," Bruno retorted.
"Shut up, Bruno," said Van Mittern, who did not want the servant's intervention to fuel their discussion.
Bruno fell silent.
"Dear Kerabon," went on Van Mettern, "it is, after all, a meager amount of money to allow me to spend a few days in Trabzon..."
"Trivial or not, sir," said Kerabong, "never expect to borrow anything from me!"
"1000 piastres are enough!..."
"Not in 1000, not in 100, not in 10, not in one!" Kerabong retorted, starting to lose his temper.
"What! Not one?"
"not even one!"
"So……"
"Then you can only go on this journey with us, Mr. Van Mettaine. You will have nothing! But I will leave you a piastre, a bara, half a bara, let You walk around at will...it's absolutely impossible!"
"Impossible?..."
"Never possible!"
The tone of saying "absolutely impossible" made Van Mittern and even Bruno understand that the decision of this stubborn man is irreversible, and if he says no, it means a hundred times!
Van Mittain was deeply hurt by the refusal of Kerabong, a former business partner and recent friend.It's hard to explain because the human heart, especially a calm and controlled Dutchman's heart contains secrets.But Bruno was irritated!what!Also traveling in these conditions, and perhaps even worse?He's going to go on this absurd road, this absurd journey, by car, on horseback, on foot, who knows?And all this just to satisfy a stubborn Ottoman man, even his own master trembles before him!He'd have to lose what little of his stomach was left, and Lord Kerabong, despite all his frustration and exhaustion, was still majestically plump!
Is such that!But what to do?Bruno had no choice but to complain, he could only hide in his corner and complain.For a moment he thought of leaving alone, and letting Van Mettain suffer all the consequences of such a despotism.But he was faced with a money problem, as if his master couldn't even pay his salary, so he could only follow along!
While this argument was going on, the carriage trundled along.The clouds in the sky were so thick that they seemed to weigh on the sea.The waves crashing on the shore were roaring lowly, indicating that the open sea was already rough and a storm was blowing on the horizon.
The coachman drove his horse furiously, and the poor beast trudged along.Ahme also yelled.How anxious he was to reach the village of Atina, but the storm was coming faster than them, there was no doubt now.
Lord Kerabong closed his eyes and said nothing.Van Mettain could not bear this silence, and preferred to let his old friend scold him.He felt that Kelabang was accumulating resentment against him, and how terrible it would be once this resentment broke out!
Finally Van Mittern couldn't sit still. He leaned into Kerabon's ear and said in a voice that Bruno couldn't hear:
"Kerabon friend!"
"What's the matter?" Kerabong asked.
"How could I give in to the idea of being away from you, even for a moment?" went on Van Mettaine.
"Yes! How come?"
"To be honest, I don't understand!"
"I don't understand either!" Kerabong replied.
That was enough, and van Mettaine sought Kerabon's hand with his, and Kerabon welcomed the penitence with a firm handshake, leaving the Dutchman's fingers long marked by his hand. .
It was nine o'clock in the evening, and the night was pitch black.The violent storm swept in violently, lightning flashed and thundered on the horizon, and the torrential rain made people worry that the carriage would overturn on the road several times. The shaft horse was exhausted and frightened. control over them.
What would happen in this case?There is no rest on this hillside by the sea, which is directly hit by the west wind, and there is no shelter from the rain. It takes half an hour to go to the village.
Ahme, who was very worried, didn't know what to do. At this time, at the bend of the coast, a bright light appeared at the range of a rifle. It was the lighthouse standing on the cliff in front of the village. bright.
Because it was night, Ahme wanted to ask the guards of the lighthouse to receive them. There should be someone in the signal station.
He knocked on the door of the hut built at the foot of the lighthouse.
In a little while, Lord Kerabon and his companions would be overwhelmed by the overwhelming storm.
Notes:
Notes: