Chapter 33 Chapter Sixteen

Skuthari was celebrating the festival, and the quays from the port to the Sultan's pavilion were crowded, while across the strait Constantinople was on the quays from the first pontoon to the barracks in Tophane Square. The same is true.Turks, Albanians, Greeks, Europeans or Asians in small boats, boats with colorful flags, in the port of Kinkerna and on the waters of the Bosphorus, between the coasts of two continents Constantly coming and going. It was obvious that there had to be something unusual and striking to draw so many people here. So when Ahmey and Selim, Amasya and Najib paid their taxes and disembarked at Tophane Jetty, there was a burst of joyful cheers, but they were not in the mood to share.

But whatever the spectacle, if it attracted so many, of course among the curious crowd there would be Lord Van Mittern—who is now also Lord Kurdish! —his fiancée, the venerable Sarabul, and his brother-in-law, Monsieur Yanar, with Bruno the obedient. Ahme also found these traveling companions on the pier. Was Van Mittain taking the new family for a walk, or was he being led by her?The latter possibility seems much more likely. Anyway, when Ahmey met them, Sarabul was saying to her fiancé: "Yes, Lord Van Mittern, our festivals in Kurdistan are much more lively!" Van Mettaine replied submissively:

"I fully believe it, fair Sarabul!" This sentence won Master Yanar's expressionless evaluation: "now it's right!" Now and then there were shouts from the crowd—impatient shouts, indeed—but Ahme and Amasya paid little attention to them. "No, dear Amasya," Ahme said, "I know my uncle well, but I never thought he would be so stubborn!" "So," said Najib, "as long as this tax is paid, he will never come to Constantinople?" "He? . . . will never come!" "If I feel sorry for the property that Lord Kerabong wants to make us lose, it's not for me but for you, and only for you!"

"Let us forget all this..." Ahme replied, "in order to forget all this more quickly, and to make a clean break with this unreasonable uncle whom I have always regarded as my father, we leave Constantinople. Dimbaugh back to Odessa!" "Ah! This Kerabong!" Selim shouted angrily. "He should be sentenced to death!" "Yes," Najib replied, "like being the husband of that Kurdish woman! Why didn't he marry that woman?" Sarabur, preoccupied with her newly recaptured fiancé, certainly did not hear Najib's exasperating thoughts, nor Selim's reply:

"Him?...he will subdue her in the end...just like he is so stubborn that he can subdue even wild beasts!" "Very likely!" Bruno said sadly to himself. "But before that, it was my master who entered this cage!" However, Ahme and his companions didn't care about what happened on Pera Pier and Kincorna Pier.In their present state of mind, they had little interest in these, so they could barely hear what one Turk said to another: "What a daring man this Storch is! How dare he cross the Bosporus...and in this way..." "Yes," replied the other, laughing, "those who put a new tax on boats never imagined such a thing!"

Even though Ahme didn't want to know what the two Turks were talking about, he couldn't help but answer when he was greeted. "Hey! Isn't this Master Ahme?" It was the Chief of Police—the one who had provoked Kerabong to embark on a trip around the Black Sea—speaking to him. "Oh! It's you, sir?" Ahmet replied. "That's right... to be honest, we want to congratulate you! I just heard that Lord Kerabong has successfully fulfilled his promise! He didn't cross the Bosphorus, he just reached Skutali!" "Indeed," replied Ahme, very coldly.

"Remarkable! To not pay 10 balas, he must have spent thousands of pounds!" "You're right!" "Hey! He's got a lot of money in advance, Mr. Kerabong!" jeered the Chief Constable. "Taxes will always be collected. As long as he is still so stubborn, he will have to come back to Constantinople the same way!" "He would if he wanted to!" Ahme replied.He was so angry with his uncle that he didn't want to hear or answer the police chief's jeers. "Well! He's going to give in eventually," said the chief again. "He's going to cross the Bosphorus! ... But the customs officer is watching the boat, waiting for him where he's going to land! ... Unless he swims ... or flies ..."

"Why not, if it suits him?..." Ahme said expressionlessly. At this time, there was a curious commotion in the crowd, and the voice of discussion became louder and louder.All arms point to the Bosphorus, to Skuthari, and everyone cranes their necks. "There he is! . . . Storsh! . . . Storsh!" Immediately there were shouts from all directions. Ahme and Amasya, Selim and Naguib, Sarabur, Van Mittain and Yanar, Bruno and Nisib, were near Tophane Jetty, in Kincor on the corner of Nadir Quay, so it was possible to see what a moving spectacle unfolded before the curious crowd.

Beyond Skuthari, about 600 feet above the waters of the Bosporus, stands a tower called the Tower, which is, what is now the Dardanelles, the famous swimmer. The visitor passes between Sestos and Abydos to meet Holo, the enchanting princess of Venus - a feat which the Sir renewed some sixty years ago as a Point of pride for the British across the 1,200-meter distance between the two shores. Could it be that an amateur, out of envy of the mythical hero and the author of The Robber, would renew this great feat by crossing the Bosphorus?no. Leander Tower is now called Quezkulesi, which means the Tower of Our Lady.A long rope is stretched from the shore of Sijuta to the tower, which serves as a strong support point, and then passes through the entire 1300-meter-long strait, and is tied to the towers erected at the Galata Pier and Topha. On a wooden tower at the corner of the inner square.

It turned out that the famous acrobat, the great Storsch—a rival of the equally great Blondin—was trying to cross the Bosphorus on this rope.To be honest, Blondin is completely risking his life when crossing the waterfall like this, because it is possible to fall into the inextricable rapids from a height of 150 feet; and the water here is very calm, in case of an accident However, Storch only fell into the water and could go ashore without serious injuries. But in the same way that Blondin rode on the shoulders of a trusting friend as he crossed Niagara Falls, Storsch is taking the aerial walk with a fellow acrobat.But instead of riding him on his shoulders, Storsch pushed him in a wheelbarrow.The wheel has a groove in the rim for a smoother ride on a tight rope.

It should be admitted that this is a rare sight: not 900 feet of Niagara Falls, but 1300 feet, such a long journey that may fall more than once! At this time, Storsi appeared on the rope connecting the coast of Asia and the Tower of Our Lady, and he pushed his companion in the wheelbarrow to reach the lighthouse at the top of Kezkulesi safely. This initial success drew many cheers. Then people saw the acrobat walking down the rope flexibly. Although the rope was tied very firmly, it still almost reached the water surface of the Bosphorus in the middle.He keeps pushing his counterpart with steady footsteps, maintaining his balance with cool skill.It is wonderful! When Storch reached the middle of the rope, it was much more difficult, as it was now an upward climb to reach the top of the wooden tower.But the acrobat has strong muscles and flexible limbs, and he keeps pushing the unicycle.His companion, motionless and composed in the car, was certainly as dangerous and brave as he was, since the slightest movement would have jeopardized the balance of the car. At last there was a chorus of admiration and a cry of relief. Storch safely reached the top of the wooden tower, and he and his companions descended a staircase that led to the corner of the quay where Ahme and his companions were. The bold move was a complete success, though it must be admitted that the man Storch had just pushed in the wheelbarrow was half as much a part of the cheers that Asia gave to Europe in their salute. But what a cry Ahme uttered!Should he, could he believe his eyes?The famous acrobat's companion stood in front of Storch after shaking hands, looking at him with a smile. "Kerabon, my uncle Kerabon!" Ahme cried, and the two girls, Sarabul, Van Mittain, Yanar, Selim, Bruno, all crowded around him. Come around. He is Lord Kailabon! "It was I, my friends," he said in his victorious voice, "that took the brave acrobat's place and took his companion's place, and I crossed the Bosphorus!  … No ...! Came over the Bosphorus to sign your marriage contract, Nephew Ahme!" "Oh! Lord Kerabong! . . . my uncle!" cried Amasia. "I know you won't abandon us!" "Great!" Najib said, clapping his hands. "What a man he is!" said Van Mettaine. “Can't find it anywhere in the Netherlands!” "That's my opinion!" said Sarabul coldly. "Yes, I came and didn't pay," Kerabong said this time to the police chief, "yes! Didn't pay . The 800,000 spent on the trip!" "I congratulate you," replied the prefect, who could only bow before such obstinacy. Cheers of honor to Lord Kerabong rang out from all directions, while the stubborn do-gooder joyfully embraced his daughter Amasya and son Ahme. "Now we go to the judges in Constantinople!" he said. "Yes, uncle, to the judge," answered Ahme. "Oh! You are the best man!" "No matter what you say," retorted Lord Kerabong, "I'm not going to be stubborn at all...unless someone disagrees with me!" There is no need to say more about the next thing.In the afternoon, the judge accepted the marriage contract, and then the imam read a verse in the mosque, and then they returned to their home in Galata, before the clock struck midnight on the 30th of this month, Ahme and his dear Amasya, the wealthy daughter of the banker Selim, is married. That evening, a despondent Van Mittern prepared to go to Kurdistan with his brother-in-law Lord Yanar, the venerable Sarabul, to finally become his wife after a final ceremony in that distant country up. At the farewell, in the presence of Ahme, Amasya, Najib and Bruno, he could not help but mildly reprimand his friend: "When I think, Kerabong, I married so I wouldn't upset you... a second time!" "My poor Van Mettaine," replied Lord Kerabon, "if this engagement had not been a dream, I would never have forgiven myself!" "A dream! . . . " went on Van Mettaine. "Does this seem like a dream? Oh, if only it hadn't been for this telegram! . . . " As he spoke, he took out the crumpled telegram from his pocket and read it mechanically. "Yes! . . . This telegram . . . 'Mrs. Van Mettaine, five weeks ago, died . . . her husband . . . '" "Deceased her husband?..." Kerabong exclaimed. "What does this mean?" He took the telegram and read: "'Mrs. Van Mettaine, five weeks ago, went to see her husband, and left for Constantinople.' To see! . . . not to die!" "He's not a widower!" The words escaped everyone's mouths, and Lord Kerabong exclaimed, for good reason this time: "Another mistake by this stupid telegraph office! . . . It never does anything else!" "No! Not a widower! . . . Not a widower! . . . " continued Van Mettaine. "I'm so glad to be back with the first wife . . . because I'm afraid of the second!" When Lord Yarnar and His Excellency Sarabul learned what had happened, they were furious, but in the end they could only admit the truth.Van Mettain was married and would be reunited that day with his first and only wife.As a sign of reconciliation, she brought him a "Valencia" bulb. "We'll have better, sister," Yanar reassured the inconsolable widow, "better than..." "A better man than this block of ice in Holland!..." replied the venerable Sarabul, "and it's not hard to find!" So the two of them set off for Kurdistan, though it is probable that Van Mettain's wealthy friends made up for their travel with a large sum of thread, so that they would not have to worry about returning to that distant country. As for being so tough. But at the end of the day, in order to cross the Bosphorus, can't Lord Kerabong always pull a rope between Constantinople and Skuthari, so he never crosses the strait again? No!For a while, he insisted on not going out for a walk.But one day he proposed directly to the government to redeem the right to cross the channel in small boats.His suggestion was accepted.He must have paid a fortune for it, but he's also more famous.Any foreigner who comes here now pays a visit to the "stubborn Kerabon", considering him one of the most astonishing treasures of the Ottoman capital.

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