Chapter 28 Chapter Eleven

For in time the guide made a suggestion worthy of consideration. How far are travelers from the heights of Skuthari?About 60 kilometers.How much time is left? 48 hours.If the horses refuse to walk at night, this time is too little. It would be possible to shorten the distance considerably by abandoning this winding road, which is much longer, and going straight through this extreme corner between the shores of the Black Sea and the Sea of ​​Marmara, and taking the shortest route anyway. 12 kilometers. "My lord Kerabon," said the guide, in his characteristic indifferent tone, "this is what I propose to you, and I insist on your consent to it."

"But isn't the road by the sea safer than the road in the interior?" Kerabong asked. "There is as little danger to be feared in the interior as on the seashore," replied the guide. "Are you familiar with the path you suggest we take?" Kerabong asked again. "I've walked through these forests 20 times when I was logging them," the guide said dismissively. "I don't see any hesitation," Kerabong said. "It's worth changing the route to shorten the remaining distance by 12 kilometers!" Ahme listened without saying a word.

"What do you think, Ahme?" Lord Kerabong asked his nephew. Ahme did not answer.He was evidently wary of this guide, and it must be admitted that his wariness grew more and more vigilant as his destination drew nearer. In fact, this man's sly behavior, sometimes he would disappear for no reason when he was walking in front of the team, and he always hid aside under the pretext of camping during the rest, and the strange and even suspicious eyes he cast on Ahme The surveillance of the girl, all this could not reassure Ahme, so he did not take his eyes off the guide whom he had received in Trabzon, who he did not know where and who he was.But his uncle didn't take it seriously, and it was difficult for him to take his premonition as reality.

"Well, Ahme?" Kerabong asked again. "I want to hear your opinion before making a decision on the guide's new suggestion! What do you think of this route?" "I think, Uncle, that we have been taking the seaside roads so far, and that it might not be prudent to leave them." "That's why, Ahme, since the guide is very familiar with the path we're going to take? Besides, saving time is worth it!" "Uncle, we can drive the horse harder, it's not difficult..." "Well, Ahme, you're talking like that because Amasya is with us!" Kerabong yelled. "But if she's waiting for us in Skuta now, you'll be the first to rush us on the road!"

"It may be so, Uncle!" "Well, I am in charge of your interests, Ahme, and I think the sooner we arrive the better. We are always wasting time, and now that we can shorten the distance by twelve kilometers, there is no reason to hesitate! " "Okay, uncle," Ahme replied. "Since you want to do this, I won't argue..." "It's not that I want to do this, but because you have no reason, nephew, and I can completely refute you!" Ahme did not answer.At any rate, the guide could be sure that the young man had something in mind for his proposal.Their eyes met only for a moment, but enough to "probe each other," in fencing parlance.So Ahme decided not to just "beware", but "ready to fight".To him the Guide was an enemy, waiting only for an opportunity to attack him insidiously.

Besides, the travelers, who had hardly rested since Trabzon, could only be pleased at the decision to cut the distance short.Van Mittern and Bruno were eager to get to Skuthari to get out of their predicament; Lord Yanar and the venerable Sarabul wanted to return to Kurdistan with their brother-in-law and fiancé on a liner from the coast; And Ahme finally married, Najib is to participate in the wedding ceremony! So this suggestion was accepted.They decided to rest the night of September 27-28 in order to make the trek the next day. However, the guide also pointed out that some precautions should be taken, and the most important thing is to bring enough food for 24 hours, because there are no villages and towns in the area to be crossed.There are no caravansers, dukans or hotels along the way, so you must stock up on food.

Happily, at Cape Kelp, at a good price, we got everything we needed, even a donkey to carry the fresh purchases. It must be admitted that Lord Kerabong had a penchant for donkeys—no doubt equally obstinate—and a particular fondness for the one he had bought at Cape Kelp. The animal was small, but strong-rooted, capable of carrying a load like a horse, and carrying about 90 "ochs," or 100 kilograms.These donkeys are common in these parts of Anatolia, and they carry grain from here to the ports on the coast. The nostrils of this quick-witted donkey have been cut open to make it easier to spray flying insects that get into its nose.In this way, it has a happy look and a happy appearance, so it is called "laughing donkey".It is quite different from those poor little animals of which Théophile Gautier speaks, the wretched brutes "with drooping ears and blood streaming down their bony spines," and is likely to be as stubborn as Lord Kerabon, So Bruno thought it might have found its owner.

As for the food, it is a quarter of a sheep cooked on the spot; "boogur", is a kind of bread made of wheat flour, which is dried on the stove and then buttered.These were enough for such a short distance, and they could be carried away by harnessing the donkey to a cart. The next day was September 28, and everyone was up shortly before sunrise.The carriage was immediately set up, and everyone took their places.Ahme and the guide rode on horseback, leading the little procession with the donkey leading them, and they set out on the road.An hour later, the vast Black Sea had disappeared behind high cliffs.In this region, travelers find the road a bit rough under their feet.

The road wasn't as good as it would have been, but the day hadn't been too rough—so Lord Kerabon was once again able to rant about his displeasure with the Ottoman authorities. "Clearly," he repeated, "we're close to their modern Constantinople!" "The roads in Kurdistan are much better than here!" Master Yanar reminded. "I'd like to believe that," replied Kerabon, "and my friends of Van Mettain won't even miss Holland any more!" "It's all the same!" The noble Kurdish woman retorted harshly, her domineering character was fully exposed at every opportunity.

Van Mettain would have handed over to the devil his friend Kerabon, who took pleasure in laughing at him.But at the end of the day, in less than forty-eight hours, he'll be able to regain full and complete freedom, so let the jokes go. The small team stopped at night in a dilapidated village with only a bunch of thatched huts barely fit for cattle.Here hundreds of wretched people lived in silence, on very little dairy, poor meat, and a kind of bread with more skin than flour.There was a sickening smell in the air: it was the burning of tesek, a peat made of dung mixed with mud, which was the only fuel in these villages and which was sometimes used to build bricks. The wall of the hut.

Fortunately, after listening to the guide's advice, the food problem has been resolved in advance.It is impossible to find anything in this miserable village, and the villagers will not give alms, but are likely to beg for alms. They passed the night safely in a dilapidated hut with a few bundles of fresh straw in it, and it was not unreasonable for Ahme to keep vigil with unprecedented vigilance.The guide did leave the village in the middle of the night and walked a few hundred paces forward. Ahme followed him without being seen, and did not return until he had returned to the camp. What is this man doing outside?Ahmey couldn't speculate, because he verified that the guide hadn't contacted anyone and hadn't approached anyone.In the stillness of the night there was not a single cry, and there was not a single signal on any side of the field! "Not a single signal?..." Ahme thought after returning to the hut. "But a momentary light on the southwestern horizon, isn't it a signal, a signal he's been waiting for?" At this time, something that he didn't pay attention to at first appeared in his mind again and again.He remembered very well that, while the guide was standing high in the ground, a light came on in the distance, flashed three times at brief intervals, and then disappeared.At first Ahme thought it was the shepherd's light.Now, in the solitary silence, in the strange silence that makes it difficult to sleep, he thought, he saw the light again, and it was not just a presentiment, but a sure sign. "Yes," thought he, "this guide has clearly betrayed us! He is in the service of some powerful person..." So who is it for?Ahme couldn't point it out.But he had a premonition that this betrayal had something to do with the kidnapping of Amasia.Had she not been confronted with new dangers after being rescued from her captors in Odessa, and now that she was only a few days' walk from Sghutari, shouldn't she approach her destination with extreme caution? Ahme passed the night in extreme anxiety, not knowing what to do.Should he expose the guide's treachery at once--he thought there was no doubt about it--or should he wait until the guide began to strike, in order to silence and punish his opponent? The rising sun calmed him a little.He therefore resolved to wait patiently another day in order to gain a better understanding of the guide's intentions.He decided to keep an eye on him all the time, and never let the guide go far no matter he was on the road or resting.Besides, he and his companions were armed, and if Amasia's safety were threatened, he would stand up to any attack without fear. Ahme regained control of herself.His face did not reveal any secrets in his heart.His friends didn't see it, not even Amasia's tender eyes that read his soul--not even the guide who was by his side and watched him constantly. The only decision Ahme had made was to tell his uncle his fears, and it was on this point that he set out to provoke the most violent arguments as soon as he had the opportunity. Early the next morning they left the poor village.If there were no treachery or blunder that day, it would be the last day of this journey to satisfy the pride of the most obstinate Ottoman.In any case, the day was very difficult.In order to cross this mountainous area, the shaft horse had to exert all its strength.Because of this alone, Ahme regretted changing his original course.Several times the men were obliged to get down and walk in order to lighten the carriage.On the steep and difficult passage, Amasya and Najib showed tenacious perseverance.Venerable Sarabul was no less in comparison.As for her chosen fiancé, Van Mittayn, he had been a little depressed since leaving Trebzon, and now he had to follow his orders. Moreover, they have no doubts about the direction forward.Obviously, the guide knew all the detours in this area, according to Kairabang, he knew it well, according to Ahme, he knew it too much.So the uncle praised the guide, but the nephew could not agree because he doubted the man's behavior.It must be added that throughout the day this man did not leave them for a moment, but was always at the head of the little procession. Things seemed to be going in a reasonable way, except that the roads were inherently difficult, for they were steep as they spiraled up the hill, and bumpy where they had just been washed by the rain.The horses, however, wanted to flee, but it was the last stretch of the road, and they could pull the wagon with uncommon strength, and they would have plenty of time to rest later. This was not the case with the little donkey, who pulled the cart briskly, and Lord Kerabong liked it very much for that. "In the name of Allah! It pleases me, this animal," he repeated, "and to mock the Ottoman authorities even more poignantly, I should like to ride on its back to the Bosphorus. On the shore of the strait!" People will admit it's an idea - a Kelaban kind of idea! —but no one to argue with him, lest he really couldn't help it. After a really tiring day, at nearly 9 o'clock in the evening, at the suggestion of the guide, the small party stopped and began to arrange camp. "How far are we from the Sghutari Heights?" Ahme asked. "There are still five or six kilometers," replied the guide. "Then why don't you move forward?" Ahme said again. "In a few hours, we'll be there..." "Lord Ahme," replied the guide. "In this part of the province, I might get lost at night, and I don't want to risk that! Tomorrow, on the contrary, by the light of dawn, I have nothing to worry about, and we shall be at the end of our journey before noon." "The man has a point," said Lord Kerabong. "Don't mess things up in such a rush! Camp here, nephew, and we'll have our last meal of the trip together, and we'll be saluting the waters of the Bosphorus before ten o'clock tomorrow morning!" All but Ahme agreed with Lord Kailabon.So everyone set to work to make the last night of the journey as comfortable as possible. Besides, the guide chose this place very well.It is a rather narrow defile between two mountains, which are not strictly speaking the hills of western Anatolia.The name of this pass is Nerissa Canyon.In the depths of the canyon, among the ridges of a plateau, are huge rocks, with semicircular steps on the left, and a deep cavern on the right, which could well accommodate the small party, as the results of its investigation have proved. If the place is suitable for travelers to rest, so is it for horses eager to eat and rest.A few hundred steps away from here, beyond the winding canyon, there is a meadow with water and grass.There Nesib was to lead the horses, and he would take care of them as they had done during the night's rest. Nisib then went to the meadow, and Ahmey accompanied him, to see the place, to see that there was no danger there. Ahme did not see anything suspicious.The meadow is deserted, surrounded by some rolling hills to the west.Night fell peacefully, and the moon, which was due to rise just before 11 o'clock, would light up the place in no time.Among the high clouds there are some motionless stars, which seem to be sleeping on the dome of the sky.There was not even a breath of wind in the air, and no sound could be heard. Ahme looked around the horizon extremely intently.Will there be any lights on top of the nearby hills tonight?Will the guide come at night and find some signal? ... There were no lights at the edge of the grass.Nor was there any signal from far in the field. Ahme charged Nisib with the utmost vigilance during the night's vigil, and ordered him to return immediately in the event of an accident that prevented the horses from being brought to camp.After Ahme finished speaking, he hurried to Nerissa Gorge again.