Halil the Pedlar: A Tale of Old Stambul by M贸r J贸kai (reading an ebook txt) 馃摃
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- Author: M贸r J贸kai
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Musli felt his courage rising many degrees since he began bawling at a Grand Vizier.[Pg 234]
"Halil Patrona commands it to be done," he bellowed in Kabakulak's ear.
The Vizier threw back his head.
"Come, come, my son!" said he, "don't shout in my ear like that, just as if I were deaf. What did you say it was that Halil Patrona begs of me?"
"Don't twist my words, you old owl!" said Musli, naturally sotto voce. Then raising his voice, he added, "Halil Patrona wants Dzhanum Choja appointed Kapudan Pasha."
"Good, good, my son! just the very thing I wanted done myself; that has been resolved upon long ago, so you may go away home."
"Go away indeed! not yet! Then Wallachia wants a new voivode."
"It has got one already, got one already I tell you, my son. His name is Maurocordato. Bear it in mind鈥擬au-ro-cor-da-to."
"I don't mean to bother my tongue with it at all. As I pronounce it it is鈥擠jihan."
"Djihan? Who is Djihan?"
"Djihan is the Voivode of Wallachia."
"Very well, you shall have it so. And what do you want for yourself, my son, eh?"
Musli was inscribed in the list as the Aga of the Janissaries, but he was too modest to speak of himself.
"Don't trouble your head about me, Kabakulak,[Pg 235] while there are so many worthier men unprovided for. We want the Khan of the Crimea deposed and the banished Kaplan Giraj appointed in his stead."
"Very well, we will inform Kaplan Giraj of his promotion presently."
"Not presently, but instantly. Instantly, I say, without the least delay."
Musli accompanied his eloquence with such gesticulations that the Grand Vizier thought it prudent to fall back before him.
"Don't you feel well?" he asked Musli, who had suddenly become silent. In his excitement he had forgotten the other demands.
"Ah! I have it," he said, and sitting down on the floor at his ease, he took the list from his bosom and extending it on the floor, began reciting Halil Patrona's nominations seriatim.
The Grand Vizier approved of the whole thing, he had no objection to make to anything.
Musli left Janaki's elevation last of all: "He you must make Voivode of Moldavia," said he.
Suddenly Kabakulak went quite deaf. He could not hear a word of Musli's last demand.
Musli drew nearer to him, and making a speaking-trumpet out of his hands, bawled in his ear:
"Janaki I am talking about."
"Yes, yes! I hear, I hear. You want him to be[Pg 236] allowed to provide the Sultan's kitchen with the flesh of bullocks and sheep. So be it! He shall have the charge."
"Would that the angel Izrafil might blow his trumpet in thine ear!" said Musli to himself sotto voce. "I am not talking of his trade as a butcher," added he aloud. "I say that he is to be made Prince of Moldavia."
Kabakulak now thought it just as well to show that he heard what had been asked, and replied very gravely:
"You know not what you are asking. The Padishah, only four days ago, gave this office to Prince Ghyka, who is a wise and distinguished man. The Sultan cannot go back from his word."
"A wise and distinguished man!" cried Musli in amazement. "What am I to understand by that? Is there any difference then between one Giaour and another?"
"The Sultan has so ordered it, and without his knowledge I cannot take upon myself to alter his decrees."
"Very well, go to the Sultan then and get him to undo again what he has done. For the rest you can do what you like for what I care, only beware of one thing, beware lest you lose the favour of Halil Patrona!"[Pg 237]
Kabakulak by this time had had nearly enough of Musli, but the latter still continued diligently to consult his list. He recollected that Halil Patrona had charged him to say something else, but what it was he could not for the life of him call to mind.
"Ah, yes! now I have it!" he cried at last. "Halil commands that those nasty palaces which stand by the Sweet Waters shall be burnt to the ground."
"I suppose, my worthy incendiaries, you will next ask permission to plunder Stambul out and out?"
"It is too bad of you, Kabakulak, to speak like that. Halil does not want the palaces burnt for the love of the thing, but because he does not want the generals to have an asylum where they may hide, plant flowers, and wallow in vile delights just when they ought to be hastening to the camp. If every pasha had not his paradise here on earth and now, many more of them would desire the heavenly Paradise. That is why Halil Patrona would have all those houses of evil luxury burnt to the ground."
"May Halil Patrona live long enough to see it come to pass. This also will I report to the Sultan."
"Look sharp about it then! I will wait in your room here till you come back."
"You will wait here?"
"Yes, never mind about me! I have given orders that my dinner is to be sent after me here. I look[Pg 238] to you for coffee and tobacco, and if you happen to be delayed till early to-morrow morning, you will find me sleeping here on the carpet."
Kabakulak could now see that he had to do with a man of character who would not stir from the spot till everything had been settled completely to his satisfaction. The most expeditious mode of ending matters would, no doubt, have been to summon a couple of ciauses and make them lay the rascal's head at his own feet, but the political horizon was not yet sufficiently serene for such acts of daring. The bands of the insurgents were still encamping in the public square outside. First of all they must be hoodwinked and pacified, only after that would it be possible to proceed to extreme measures against them.
All that the Grand Vizier could do, therefore, was frankly to present all Halil Patrona's demands to the Sultan.
Mahmud granted everything on the spot.
In an hour's time the firmans and hatti-scherifs, deposing and elevating the various functionaries, were in Musli's hands as desired.
Only as to the method of destroying the kiosks did the Sultan venture to make a suggestion. They had better not be burnt to the ground, he opined, for thereby the Mussulmans would make themselves the laughing-stock of the whole Christian world; but he[Pg 239] undertook to dilapidate the walls and devastate the pleasure-gardens.
And within three days one hundred and twenty splendid kiosks, standing beside the Sweet Waters, had become so many rubbish heaps; and the rare and costly plants of the beautiful flower-gardens were chucked into the water, and the groves of amorous dallying were cut down to the very roots. Only ruins were now to be seen in the place of the fairy palaces wherein all manner of earthly joys had hitherto built their nests, and all this ruin was wrought in three days by Halil Patrona, just because there is but one God, and therefore but one Paradise, and because this Paradise is not on earth but in Heaven, and those who would attain thereto must strive and struggle valiantly for it in this life.[Pg 240]
[3] 1481 A.D.
[4] Ablutions before prayers.
[5] The first section of the Koran.
[6] The Imperial Treasury.
[7] The part of Stambul inhabited by the Greeks.
[8] Companies of horse.
[9] Tablets indicating the direction in which Mecca lies.
[10] "God be for ever gracious to him."
[11] Believer.
[12] Unbeliever.
[13] Anti-Christ.
[14] The prescribed almsgiving.
[15] Voluntary almsgiving.
[16] Peter the Great. The allusion is to the Peace of the Pruth.
CHAPTER XII. HUMAN HOPES.A time will come when the star has risen so high that it can rise no higher, and perchance learns to know that before long it must begin its inevitable descent!...
All Halil Patrona's wildest dreams had been realised. There he stood at the very apex of sovereignty, whence the course of empires, the destiny of worlds can be controlled. Ministers of State were pulled down or lifted up at his bidding, armies were sent against foreign powers as he directed, princes were strengthened on their thrones because Halil Patrona wished it, and the great men of the empire lay in the dust at his feet.
For whole days at a time he sat reading the books of the Ottoman chroniclers, the famous Rashid and the wise Chelbizade, and after that he would pore over maps and charts and draw lines of different colours across them in all directions, and dot them with dots which he alone understood the meaning of.[Pg 241] And those lines and dots stretched far, far away beyond the borders of the empire, right into the midst of Podolia and the Ukraine. He knew, and he only, what he meant by them.
The projects he was hatching required centuries for their fulfilment鈥攚hat is the life of a mere man?
In thought he endowed the rejuvenescent Ottoman Empire with the energies of a thousand years. Once more he perceived its conquering sword winning fresh victories, and extending its dominions towards the East and the South, but especially towards the North. He saw the most powerful of nations do it homage; he saw the guardian-angels of Islam close their eyes before the blinding flashes of the triumphant swords of the sons of Osman, and hasten to record in the Book of the Future events very different from those which had been written down before.
Ah, human hopes, human hopes!鈥攖he blast blows upon them and they crumble away to nothing.
But Halil's breast beat with a still greater joy, with a still loftier hope, when turning away from the tumult of the world, he opened the door of his private room and entered therein.
What voices are those which it does his soul good to hearken to? Why does he pause and stand listening before the curtain? What is he listening to?
It is the feeble cry of a child, a little baby child.[Pg 242] A few days before G眉l-Bej谩ze bore him a son, on the anniversary of the very day when he made her his wife. This child was the purest part of Halil's joy, the loftiest star of his hopes. Whithersoever I may one day rise, he would reflect, this child shall rise with me. Whatever I shall not be able to achieve, he will accomplish. Those happier, more glorious times which I shall never be able to see, he will rejoice in. Through him I shall leave behind me in Ottoman history an eternal fame鈥攁 fame like to that of the K眉prili family, which for a whole century and a half gave heroes and saints and sages to the empire.
G眉l-Bej谩ze wanted the child to be called Ferh谩d, or Sender, as so many of the children of the poor were wont to be called; but Halil gave him the name of Behram. "He is a man-child," said Halil, "who will one day be called to great things."
Human calculations, human hopes, what are they? To-day the tree stands full of blossoms, to-morrow it lies prone on the ground, cut down to the very roots.
Who shall strive with the Almighty, and from what son of man does the Lord God take counsel?
Halil stole on tip-toe to the bed of his wife who was playing with the child; she did not perceive him till he was quite close to her. How they rejoiced together! The baby wandered from hand to hand;[Pg 243] how they embraced and kissed it! Both of them seemed to live their lives over again in the little child.
And now old Janaki also drew nigh. His face was smiling, but whenever he opened his mouth his words were sad and gloomy. All joy vanished from his life the moment he was made a voivode, just as if he felt that only Death could relieve him of that dignity. He had a peculiar joy in perpetually prophesying evil things.
"If only you could bring the child up!" he cried; "but you will not live long enough to do that. Men like you, Halil, never live long, and I don't want to survive you. You will see me die, if see you can; and when you die, your child will be doubly
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