"You English are a wonderful nation," continued my host. "You reward the Pachas who are brave and skilful. In our country if a captain has a relation in the harem of the grand vizier, the officer is sure to rise to high command; but with you a man must have merit to succeed."
CHAPTER XXII.
Tokat—The Caimacan of the town—The battalion is to march to Samsoun—A naturalized Englishman—The road from Tokat to Sivas—The population of Tokat—The rich inhabitants bribe the gendarmes—The want of funds—The officials' salaries in arrears—Armenian schools in Tokat—The Greeks; not much reliance to be placed upon them—Khiva—Tashkent—Samarcand—Mussulmans in India—The Black Sea and the Russian fleet—Old soldiers in Tokat—The Armenians and Greeks to be supplied with fire-arms—Good governors—Osman Bey—A Circassian on Russian atrocities—A statement by the Russian authorities—Seven hundred families near Labinsky—Men, women, and children at the breast butchered—English sympathizers with Russia—The Russians sow the seeds of dissension amongst the Circassians—Yonn Bek—Many gold imperials offered to him.
It is only a few hours' march from Bazar to Tokat, the track running parallel to the river of the same name. There are many villages by the side of the stream. The valley widens, and then narrows again as we proceed towards the town. Tokat at last lies before us. It is a long, straggling city, and on the left bank of the river.
We were met by a Zaptieh. He conducted me to a house set apart for travellers. Shortly afterwards I received a visit from the Caimacan (governor). This official was an active, bustling little man, and much more energetic than any of the governors I had previously met.
An order had arrived for him to send 1000 men immediately to Samsoun. The battalion would march the following morning at daybreak. He proposed that I should go and see the start.
An engineer now called, a Pole by birth, but a naturalized Englishman. He was engaged in making a road from Tokat to Sivas; he had been in Tokat five years, and the work was not half completed. Indeed, judging by the system adopted for the construction of public works in Anatolia, it will be a wonder if the road is ever finished.
According to the engineer, Tokat has a population of 25,000 inhabitants. Of these there are 8000 men who should each work four days a year at the construction of the road.
"It is a pitiable sight," continued the Pole. "The Zaptiehs are ordered to bring the people. A rich inhabitant bribes the gendarmes; they leave him and seize some impecunious individual. The latter is brought to me, and I tell the fellow to commence digging. The man digs so long as I am in sight, but the moment my back is turned, down goes the shovel, and he lights a cigarette. The result is that I have been here five years, and only five miles of road are finished."
The engineer complained of the want of funds in the public chest. His pay was only 10l. per month, and it was never paid punctually. Meantime, the authorities had discharged several engineers in their employ, on the ground that every piastre in the treasury was required for the maintenance of the troops.