Chapter 27 chapter Ten

The next day, September 18, just as the sun was gilding the minaret of the tallest mosque in the city, a small procession emerged from one of the gates in the fortified walls to bid a final farewell to the poetic Trabzon. The little procession to the Bosphorus was led along the coastal road by a guide whom Lord Kerabong was glad to have at their service. The guide really knew the northern parts of Anatolia inside out: he belonged to the wanderers known locally as "lumbermen." The word is used to refer to certain woodcutters who by trade roam about this part of Anatolia and Asia Minor, where walnut trees grow in abundance here and there.These trees have some very hard knots or natural protrusions, so this kind of wood can be used to make any kind of wooden tools, and it is an extremely rare material.

Hearing that these strangers were leaving Trebzon for Skuthari, the wooden man came just last night to offer his services.He seemed very intelligent and very familiar with these intricacies of the road.He answered very clearly the questions that Lord Kerabong asked him.So he was guaranteed a good pay, and if he could get the little party to the high ground on the Bosporus by 12 days—the deadline for the wedding of Amasya and Ahme—he would get Remuneration will be doubled. Ahmet questioned the guide, and although there was something in his impassive face and in his cautious manner that displeased them, without being able to explain why, Ahmet saw no reason not to believe him.What's more, for a journey that needs to be completed at a very fast speed, there is no one who has been running around here all his life and is familiar with this area. There is no one who is more reassuring than him.

The Bumpman thus became the guide of Lord Kerabon and his companions, and he determined the direction of the little party.He was in charge of choosing the place of rest, arranging the camp, and ensuring the safety of all, and when he was promised that his reward would be doubled if he reached Skuthari within the stipulated time, he replied: "Lord Kerabong can fully trust my enthusiasm, and since he proposes to pay double for my services, I also promise that if he does not return to his villa in Skuthari before 12 days, I will Not a penny." "In the name of Muhammad! This is the one for me!" Kerabong said, referring to the passage to his nephew.

"Yes," replied Ahme, "but, however suitable the guide may be, let us not forget not to risk rashly on these roads of Anatolia!" "Hey! You're always worried!" "Uncle Kerabong, for me to really believe that there is no danger until we get to Skuthari..." "After marrying you! That's good!" Kelabang said while shaking Ahme's hand. "Well, I promise you, in 12 days, Amasia will be the wife of the most suspicious nephew." "But she also..." "The best uncle's niece!" Kerabong exclaimed, laughing.

The means of transport for this small team were as follows: two "talikas", that is, fairly comfortable open carriages with the tops pulled up in bad weather.There are four horses pulling the carts, two for each cart, and two riding horses.Ahme is very happy to find these vehicles in Trabzon despite the high price, because it makes the trip much more comfortable. Lord Kerabong, Amasya and Najib were in the first carriage, with Nisib in the back seat.In the second carriage sat the noble Sarabel, beside her fiancé, opposite her brother, and Bruno as a servant. One on horseback was Ahme, and the other was a guide. He sometimes galloped by the door of the fast-moving carriage, and sometimes stepped forward a little to open the way for everyone.

As the place was not safe, the travelers carried long guns and pistols, not counting the weapons in the belts of Lord Yarnar and his sister, and Lord Kerabon's excellent pistol which did not go off.Ahme took care to guard against any attack, although the guide assured him that he was safe on these roads. In short, using these vehicles to cover about 2,000 kilometers in 12 days, even if there are no horses to change in this area where there are few post stations, even if the horses are allowed to rest every night, there is no difficulty that cannot be overcome.So barring some accident or improbable accident, the trip around the Black Sea will be completed on schedule.

The region stretching from Trabzon to Sinop is called Yanik by the Turks.Beyond Yanik is the Anatolian mainland, which used to be Bithynia, and now it has become one of the most extensive pasha management areas in Turkey in Asia.It includes the former western part of Asia Minor, the capital is Kutaikh, and the main cities are Blus, Smyrna, Angola, etc. The small team set off from Trabzon at six o'clock in the morning and reached Platana at nine o'clock after walking five kilometers. Pratana is the ancient Hermyasa.To get here you have to pass through a valley where barley, wheat and corn grow, and large tracts of tobacco are also very lush here.Lord Kerabong is full of praise for the products of this Asian land, the leaves of these tobaccos are dried to a golden color without processing.His trading partner and friend, Van Mittern, would probably have been even more unable to resist the urge to admire, had he not been prohibited from admiring anything but the venerable Sarabul.

The district is full of fine trees, firs and pines to rival the grandest in Holstein and Denmark.Beech, and wild hazel, gooseberry, raspberry.Bruno noticed with some envy that the local people had fat bellies at an early age, which humiliated him, an already scrawny Dutchman. At noon they crossed the little village called Fore, and behind them on the left were the first ranges of the Alps of Pontique.Peasants crisscrossed the road, some going to Trabzon and others returning from there.They were dressed in coarse brown wool and capes or sheepskin caps, and by their side the wives wore striped cotton that stood out on red wool petticoats.

This area is more or less connected with Chromatophane, and is famous because of the famous retreat of the "Ten Thousand Army".But the hapless Van Mittern was passing through this district under the menacing gaze of Yarnar, without even having the right to ask his guide!He had therefore asked Bruno to inquire on his behalf, and to make a note on the way.Bruno was not thinking about the exploits of the Greek general, so when he left Trabzon, he forgot to point out to his master the hill overlooking the coast, where the "ten thousand men" returned from the province of Macroniena. "Army" from the top of this hill shouted passionately to the waves of the Black Sea.Truth be told, that's not what a faithful servant should do.

After walking about 20 kilometers during the day, the team stopped at Dirpori for the night.Here, "Kaivak" made from lamb's stomach, the milk skin formed after the goat's milk is warmed, and the cheese made from yogurt through the method of rennet are very popular among travelers with a good appetite after a long journey. welcome.Moreover, there are all kinds of mutton, so Nissi can eat to his heart's content without worrying about violating Islamic laws, and Bruno can't play tricks on him anymore. They left the small village early in the morning on September 19, passing through Sepe and its small port of three or four light-draft merchant ships during the day.The guide was well aware of these roads, which are sometimes barely visible in the plains, and there was nothing to say, so they walked 25 kilometers under his leadership, and they reached Keresum very late.

Keresum is built at the foot of a hill with steep slopes on both sides.This is ancient Farnasia, where the "ten thousand soldiers" stayed for 10 days to recover their strength.There are ruins on the hill overlooking the port entrance and it looks picturesque. Lord Kerabong would have easily stocked up here with pipe-pipes of cherry wood, a highly traded commodity, and cherry trees were indeed everywhere in this pasha prefecture.Van Mittain also thought it necessary to tell his fiancée this historical fact: it was from Keresum that the Roman provincial governor Lujulius introduced the first cherry trees to Europe and adapted them to the natural environment. European climate. Sarabol had never heard the famous taster speak, and seemed to take little interest in van Mittain's erudite discourse.Van Mettain was always at the mercy of this arrogant man.He looked like the most melancholy Kurd imaginable.But his friend Kerabon didn't know if he was joking or not, and kept praising his new outfit, Bruno just shrugged his shoulders. "Yes, Van Mettaine, yes!" Kerabon repeated, "you are too well dressed, this robe, this turban, to be a real Kurd, you only need Lord Yanar Scary beard!" "I've never had a beard," replied Van Mettaine. "You don't have a beard?" cried Sarabul. "He has no beard?" Lord Yarnar repeated with the most contemptuous tone. "At least you hardly have, venerable Sarabul!" "Well, you'll have it," said the domineering Kurdish woman again, "and I'll take care of growing your beard!" "Poor Mr. Van Mettain!" whispered young Amasi, rewarding him with a tender glance. "Okay! It's all going to end with a laugh!" Najib repeated, while Bruno shook his head like an ominous bird. The next day, September 20, after walking along the Roman road said to be built by Lujulius to connect Anatolia with the provinces of Armenia, the small procession rode on a sunny day. In fine weather we passed through the village of Aptal, and towards noon we passed through the village of Ordu.The road follows the borders of some majestic woods, tiered upon the hills, of an extraordinary variety of trees, oak, elm, elm, mechanized, sycamore, plum, hybrid olive, Juniper, white and black mulberry, walnut and Egyptian fig.The vines flourished like ivy in temperate countries, winding up to the tall treetops.And that's not counting the shrubs, the mountain groves, the split-hazel, the clematis, the elderberry, the clover, the jasmine, the holy willow; , azaleas, chervils, daffodils, milkweed, mallows, cornflowers, violets, oriental clementines and more.And wild tulips, yes, tulips!When Van Mettain looked at them, despite the unpleasant memories of his first marriage, all the instincts of the amateur were awakened in him!In truth, the presence of the first Mrs. van Mettain was now a guarantee against the attempted marriage of the second.Undoubtedly the venerable Dutchman is lucky and 10 times luckier to have been married at the time of the first wedding! Pass by Yeshun.After Cape Bruan, the guide led the small procession through the ruins of the ancient city of Poremonium to the village of Fatiza, where men and horses slept comfortably all night. Ahme, who has always been sober, has not found anything suspicious so far.We have traveled more than 50 kilometers from Trabzon to the present, and during this period, there is no danger to Lord Kairabong and his companions.The moody guide is always smart and alert to get out of trouble when he is on the road and resting.But Ahmey felt some uncontrollable doubts about this person, so he never took it lightly in ensuring everyone's safety, and always remained vigilant without showing any signs. At dawn on the 21st, they left Fatiza.Towards noon the port of Unieh, at the former mouth of the Enus River, and its building sites fell to the right.Then the road stretches through vast hemp-grown fields, rounds some of the ruined corners of this historic coast, and reaches the mouth of Teschenbep, where a tribe of horsewomen is said to have once lived.After passing through the village of Terme in the afternoon, we arrived at Sansuan, an immigrant place in ancient Athens in the evening, to spend the night. Sansuan is one of the important ports for trade with Europe on the east coast of the Black Sea.Although the anchorage at the mouth of the Egil-Ilmak River was not safe, and the water in the port was not deep enough, the trade here was quite prosperous, and watermelons were exported all the way to Constantinople.Watermelons, known locally as wild strawberries, grow in abundance in the surrounding area.An ancient fortress elegantly built on the coast, barely defending against attacks from the sea. Bruno, who was wasting away, thought that these wild strawberries were too watery to make him strong at all, so Master Kerabon and his companions ate them to their heart's content, but he refused to taste them.In fact, this honest young man has not only been put to the test when he was fat, but he is still losing weight, and even Lord Kerabong can't help but admit it. "But," he said consolingly, "we're going to Egypt, and if you like, Bruno, you can trade your body for a profit!" "What kind of deal?..." Bruno asked. "Sell yourself as a mummy!" The unfortunate servant was displeased at this remark, and he certainly hoped that something more unlucky would happen to Lord Kerabong than his master's second marriage. "But you will see that nothing will happen to this Turk," he said to himself, "and all evil will befall Christians like us!" Lord Kerabon was indeed in excellent health, and had been in good spirits since seeing his plans carried out under the most favorable conditions, both weather and safety. On September 22, the village of Millis passed through, and Kisir passed through the pontoon bridge; the next day we reached Gales, and we arrived at Chubanglar at noon, but when the carriage passed the above-mentioned places, except for the necessary rest Nothing stays outside.In fact, Lord Kelabang would really like to visit a place called Bafira or Bafra, if only for a few hours.That place, a little behind them, had the laughing tobacco trade, where long wooden slats of bundled tobacco often filled Kerabong's warehouses in Constantinople.But if you want to go, you must go around a circle of about 10 kilometers. Since the journey is still very long, it is best not to extend it. On the evening of the 23rd, the small team successfully reached Sinop on the upper border of Anatolia. This Sinope on the isthmus, that is, Sinope of ancient Strabon and Poribe, is another important port of the Ouchen Bridge.It has always excellent anchorages, and ships of the finest wood from the nearby hill of Aio Antonio.It has a castle enclosed in a two-story wall, but there are only 500 households at most, five or six thousand people. what!Why wasn't Van Mittern born two or three thousand years earlier?How much he would praise this famous city, said to have been founded by the Argonauts, which became so important after being a colony of Miletus that Carthage, which was called the Bridge of Eugen, whose fleet was at the hands of the Romans The ages once spread all over the Black Sea, but in the end succumbed to Mehmet II, "because the ruler of the believers liked it well".But it was too late to discover its crumbling splendor, all that remained of a cornice, pediment, and capital in various styles.In addition, it should be noted that if the city was named Sinop because she was the daughter of Asopus and Metonus, who was hijacked by Apollo and brought to this place, this time it was the fairy who made it Tenderness is lost, and the fairy's name is Sarabul!Van Mettain could not help but suffer a little when he made this comparison. There is a distance of 125 kilometers between Sinop and Skuthari. Lord Kairabang only has seven days left. Even if he is not late, he cannot arrive early, so it is best not to delay at all. They left Sinop at dawn on the 24th, and made their way along the coast of Anatolia, winding their way.Nearly 10 o'clock the small party reached Istivan, reached Aparna by noon, traveled 15 kilometers during the day, and stopped in Inepoli in the evening, where the anchorage was attacked by winds from all directions, and it was very difficult for merchant ships to stop here. not safe. So Ahme suggested that he only rest here for two hours, and then drive overnight.Although a little tired but can win 12 hours, Lord Kelabang accepted his nephew's opinion.No one objected - including Bruno.What's more, Yanar and Sarabul also want to reach the Bosporus Strait quickly in order to return to Kurdistan.Van Mittern was equally anxious, but he was trying to get as far away from this Kurdistan as possible, and the very name alone terrified him! The guide made no objection to this, and announced that he could start at any time.The road was no obstacle to him at night as it was by day.This wooden man was instinctively accustomed to walking in dense forests, and it was no problem to identify the road by the sea. So they set off at eight o'clock in the evening, and shortly after sunset a bright full moon rose on the horizon by the sea.Amasya, Najib, and Lord Kerabong, His Excellency Sarabur, Yanar, and Van Mettayn were lying in the carriage, all falling asleep to the trot of the horses. So they did not see Cape Kelembe at all, where the sea-birds were swarming and filled the air with their deafening calls.In the morning they crossed Timleigh without incident.Then they came to Kidros, and in the evening they went to Amastra to rest for the night.After walking 60 kilometers in 36 hours, they really should have a good rest for a few hours. Van Mettain - should go on and on about this illustrious man who had read the guidebooks beforehand - if he had freedom of movement, if he hadn't lacked time and money, he might have searched for Amastra Port, looking for an item of archaeological value that no curio collector would dare deny. In fact, everyone knows that in 290 BC, Amastris, the wife of Lysimathus, one of Alexandria's generals, the famous founder of the city, was stuffed in a leather sack, Thrown by her brothers into the waters of the harbor she built.Oh, if his guidebook could be trusted, what honor would Van Mettain have for his success in scooping up this historic pocket!But having said that, he had neither the time nor the money, so he did not confide his dreams to anyone, including the venerable Sarabul, but kept his archaeologist's regrets to himself. The next day, September 26, they left early in the morning the ancient Genoese city, now a mere village making some children's toys.After walking three or four kilometers, we passed through the village of Bardan, then through the village of Fallas in the afternoon, through the village of Ozina in the evening, and finally reached the town of Elegre near midnight. Here they rest until dawn.This time is not enough, not to mention the travelers, even the horses are beginning to lose their strength. Since they left Trabzon, they have been running continuously except for a short respite, but there are still four days before the end of Gao's journey— - Only four days - September 27, 28, 29 and 30.The last day is not counted. There are many other things to do on that day.The problem would be particularly serious if Lord Kerabong and his companions were not on the shores of the Bosphorus by the early hours of the 30th.So we can't delay for a moment, Master Kailabang urged everyone to set off early in the morning. The name of Elegre comes from ancient Greece, which used to be a large capital.Its outline can still be seen from the ruined ramparts supported by some huge fig trees.The walled port, so important in the past, has declined like this city of six or seven thousand people.After being ruled by the Romans, Greeks, and Genoese, it fell into the hands of Mehmet II, and it changed from a glorious city into a small town, and industry and commerce ceased to exist. Sarabul's lucky fiancé could have satisfied more than one curiosity here.Is there not this Achelusian peninsula next to Hercules, and is there not a Tatar entrance in a mythical cave on the island?Didn't the Sicilians say that when Hercules came back from hell, didn't he bring back through this entrance?But Van Mettain still buried his wish deep in his heart.What's more, didn't Kerberos find his unchanging image in Yanar's brother-in-law who watched him with his eyes?Of course, this Kurdish lord doesn't have three heads, but one is enough for him.When he raised his head ferociously, the teeth in his bushy beard seemed about to bite someone, just like a three-headed dog on a leash! On September 27, the small procession passed through the village of Sakalia, and in the evening reached Cape Kelp, where the Emperor Aurelian was killed sixteen centuries ago.There they rested overnight and a meeting was held to modify the route of the journey so that they could reach Skuthari in the early hours of the last day, forty-eight hours later.

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