"If it pleases Allah, you will receive some higher post," I piously observed. "Our destinies are in his hand."
"Yes," said the man, "so they are. But for all that, I wish that you would speak to the Pacha for me."
From the two examples I have here cited, it will readily be seen that a system of promotion through favouritism is very deeply rooted amidst the Turks. I had been seen riding with the Caimacan. It was thought that I might see the Pacha at Sivas—this was quite sufficient to induce some of the inhabitants of Tokat to believe that any request I might make to the Pacha or Caimacan would necessarily be granted.
"It was fortunate," here remarked the engineer, "that you told Osman to give the baksheesh to a Corporal, and that a Turkish servant heard you give the order. If the fellow had been a Christian, the servant would never have taken the trouble to mention it to him. But the fact of the Corporal being a co-religionist was too much for the servant. It has enabled you to detect the fraud."
"This is one of the worst features of the country," he continued. "The Turks will not do anything to aid a Christian at the expense of a Mohammedan, even if the Mohammedan is most clearly in the wrong. And it is much the same with the Christians in respect to their co-religionists. The result is that the Armenians and Turks do not pull well together. The law, too, is faulty, and requires amendment."
"Let me give you an example," continued Mr. Gasparini, "and one which has come immediately under my notice, for it affected my own servant. It sounds like a romance, but, alas! is too true! My servant's name is Karatel Mermenk Ovooloo. He is an Armenian; his mother died when he was a child; his father remarried, but behaved very badly to his second wife, continually ill-treating her, and making his son bring another woman to the house. The lad was very fond of his stepmother, who was at that time seriously ill; at last he refused to bring his father's paramour to their home. The father beat him severely and apprenticed the lad to his own trade, that of a coppersmith. The mother soon afterwards died, with an anathema on her lips at her husband's paramour. The latter, strange to say, died herself three weeks afterwards. In the meantime, the father gave the boy three piastres a week for his clothes. The lad could not clothe himself for that sum, he left his home and went into service. The parent succeeded in having the boy turned away from several situations, but at last I took him. Now, only the other day, the father went to the Cadi, and swore that his son was in a coppersmith's business with himself, and in consequence must pay half the tax on his trade. There is no truth whatever in the statement, but the father's word has been taken, and my servant arrested, and kept in prison for three days. The sum is only twenty-six piastres, I would gladly pay it myself, but I have no money; the government will not give me my salary; so here we are at a dead-lock."
CHAPTER XXV.
Mohammed's horse—The Effendi's barley—The road from Tokat to Sivas—A very pretty girl—Tchiflik—Complaints made against the Circassians—Highly cultivated soil—The Tchamlay Bel mountain—A Turk killed—A wonderful gun—Yenihan—The Yeldez Ermak—The Kizil Ermak—Sivas—A ruined citadel—The importance of Sivas from a military point of view—My entry into Sivas—The guard—An Italian engineer—Three American missionaries—A house pillaged.
The following morning, Mohammed arrived at an early hour, bringing with him his horse, a wretched brute to look at; he had not a particle of flesh on his bones, and was half blind with one eye.
"This is my horse, Effendi," said Mohammed proudly; "is he not a magnificent animal? My having this horse will save the Effendi the expense of hiring or buying another one."