On my pointing this out to an engineer officer who accompanied me, he acknowledged the truth of the remark, at the same time observing that, Inshallah, when the winter was over, he would fortify the height in question.
Procrastination in military matters is the great defect on the part of the Turkish authorities. But it ill becomes an Englishman to blame them. Perhaps no country is more negligent about these subjects than our own.
"The Russians will not come, Inshallah," remarks the Mohammedan, and he sits down and lights his pipe.
"It is extremely unlikely that Germany will invade Great Britain, or that India will ever be attacked," says one Englishman. "It is highly improbable that Russia will take Constantinople or the highlands in Armenia," remarks another, "when that moment arrives it will be time enough to go to war. We can then talk about a conscription for our army. We have more money than any other nation, and should be stronger at the end of a campaign than at the beginning." People who make use of these arguments, forget that France was a very rich country; but that with all her money and her hastily levied troops she was unable to withstand the disciplined armies of Moltke.
The military governor was despondent as to his power of defending Ardahan. If he could have had his own way, he would have selected another position nearer the Russian frontier. It was now too late to do this, and the more particularly as the Pacha believed that hostilities would break out immediately. He had no cavalry at his disposal to bring him information about what was going on near the border. However, 2000 Circassian horsemen were shortly expected, and wooden sheds were being built for them close to the Kaiabashe earthworks. A colonel of artillery called upon me: he had been educated at Woolwich. He had not been in England for more than twenty years, but he spoke English remarkably well. On my observing that I had heard that the Russians had lately withdrawn their troops from Erivan, he remarked that the Muscovite general had probably done so through fear lest the Turks should advance upon Tiflis from Batoum.
"What would be the result if the Russians were to take Batoum?" I inquired.
"They might remain there. It would be very difficult for them to advance inland," was the reply. "There are no roads. The Russians might take Van," he continued; "but even if they were to do so, they would find it very difficult to advance upon Erzeroum viâ Mousch. It would be almost impossible for them to transport their artillery over the Ala Dagh mountains."
"Would the Kurds help the Russians?"
"The Kurds would probably join the strongest side. I have been a great deal in the mountains, and know the Kurds well. There are freemasons amongst them," added the Colonel. "Their freemasonry dates back from the time of the ancient Assyrians."
I now learnt that it would be better for me to sell my horses in Ardahan, than to take them to Batoum. The shortest route to the last-named town was to go to Livana by road, and then down the Tschoroch river, to the seaport in question. We could hire five horses so far as Livana; if we were to take our own animals there, we should not be able to dispose of them. Calling Mohammed, I desired him to go to the market and inform any people who might wish to buy horses, that there were four for sale.