I was anxious to ascertain for myself how far this story was true; and as it is perfectly impossible to trust to any evidence in the east, save to that of your own eyes, I had determined to visit the seat of the conflagration.
Another Pacha called upon me, Fezzee Pacha (General Kohlmann), the chief of the staff in Erzeroum. He was a Hungarian gentleman, and had formerly been engaged as one of the leaders in a revolution in his own country. At that time he had been ordered to blow up the bridge over the river at Buda-Pesth, but had not done so. Shortly afterwards he entered the army of the Sultan. He showed me one of Kiepert's maps of Asia Minor, dated 1856, but with numerous corrections, which had been made subsequently by European officers in the Turkish service. The Pacha had enlarged this map by photography, he had then distributed facsimiles of it to the officers under his command. He was a fine-looking old man, nearer seventy than sixty, but upright as a lad of sixteen, and with a pleasant, frank smile which did one's heart good to witness.
The Turks, as a rule, are not in the habit of smiling; indeed, Radford often used to expatiate on the extreme melancholy which prevailed throughout all the Mohammedan classes; his favourite remark being "that they looked as if they had found a sixpence and lost half-a-crown." General Kohlmann was an exception to this rule. He had adopted the Mohammedan religion, but this had not taken away from him a keen sense of the ridiculous. I have seldom found myself in pleasanter company than that of the chief of the staff in Erzeroum. He had been in Kars during the last siege, and was personally acquainted with Sir Fenwick Williams, Colonel Teesdale, and several other Englishmen; besides having a great deal to say about the gallantry and skill which had been shown by the British officers during the investment of the fortress.
"Shall you remain much longer in the Turkish army?" I inquired.
"I am waiting here in hopes that there will be a war with our enemies the Russians," said the old general, "and, if we can only beat them, shall then return to Constantinople, and take my pension."
In the Pacha's opinion, Erzeroum was very weak and could not stand a siege. He did not apprehend any danger from an attack along the Van road, as there is a very strong position near Meleskert, and one which the Russians would not be able to take without enormous loss. He did not believe that the Tzar's troops were so strong[15] in the Caucasus as was generally supposed. If the general could have had his way, he would at once have commenced the war by an attack in that direction.
Later in the day, I heard from an Armenian that there were some curious caves in the neighbourhood of Erzeroum, and which no one had ever explored. They were said to extend for miles, and to pass under the different detached forts. My informant declared that a priest who had been in them for a short distance had said that they contained gigantic halls, and seemingly never-ending passages.
I now asked the Pacha if I might undertake the exploration of the cavern. It would be interesting from a military point of view to know where the passage ended. Should there be a war, an attempt might be made by Russian agents to blow up the batteries with gunpowder.
Ismail Pacha readily gave his consent, and at the same time ordered an officer of engineers to take some men with lanterns and pick-axes to aid me in the task. The English Consul, Mr. Zohrab, and his two sons, expressed a wish to join the party. It was arranged that we should meet the following morning at the consulate, and go from there to the caves.