The march to Ardahan—Molla Hassan—A Turkish major—The garrison of Ardahan—The position of the town—The fortifications—Procrastination in military matters—The military governor—A colonel of artillery—The Russians might take Van—The Ala Dagh mountains—Freemasonry—The ancient Assyrians—To Livana by road—By the river to Batoum—Selling the horses—What they fetch—A bad bargain.
I started early the following morning en route for Ardahan, a Turkish fortress about forty-two miles from Kars. The road was good for the first three hours, but then became very bad. We rode over some mountains covered with deep snow, and halted for the night in a small village called Molla Hassan, inhabited by Kurds. A Turkish major had recently inhabited the room assigned to us. He had intended remaining there for some time; but the insects proving too much for him, he had taken up his abode in a Turkish village near Kars.
"These Turks have thin skins," said an old Kurd, my host, as he told me the story; "only think of their being frightened by a few fleas. You Ingliz are much braver people."
"My Effendi is very particular about these matters," remarked Mohammed; "if he is bitten, there will be no baksheesh."
The Kurd's face lengthened.
"I have a cart," he presently observed; "it is clean, it has been standing in the cold. The fleas are frozen. I will drag the cart into the road and the Frank can sleep in it."
This was done, and I managed to secure a few hours' rest, a very rare occurrence in a Kurdish village. The track was very bad between Mollah Hassan and Ardahan; after marching for six hours and a half, we reached the latter place, which was at that time garrisoned by 12,000 soldiers.
Ardahan is surrounded on the north, south, and east by mountains—towards the west there are some heights about five miles distant from the town. The site is a bad one for defensive purposes. The roads which lead from the Russian frontier stations, Akellaki and Akiska, present a series of commanding positions which dominate the Turkish lines. A little river winds through a valley on the west front of Ardahan, and finally traverses the town. The stream is crossed by two wooden bridges without parapets.
An attempt was being made to fortify Ardahan on its western side by throwing up some earthworks only eight hundred yards distant from the houses. No guns had been placed in these batteries.
There were thirteen pieces in a fort on a hill called Manusa, about 3000 yards to the north of Ardahan, and in another position south of the town on the Kars road. Here there were four small earthworks, called Ahali, Sangher, Gaze, and Kaptamele, mounting in all twenty-four guns. Three hundred yards to the east there was one more earthwork, called Kaiabashe, containing eighteen guns. Fort Manusa, the strongest point in the defences of the town, is commanded by a height called Ramazan. The Turks had not thought of occupying this last position; although should an enemy once succeed in placing some guns on the Ramazan height, Ardahan must eventually be taken.