The lieutenant would accompany me in that direction. He was a very cheery little fellow, and not at all disposed to hide his own lights beneath a bushel. He had been a lieutenant about six years, and took an opportunity to mention to me this fact. He knew that I had stayed with Ismail Pacha in Erzeroum, and was in hopes that I would write to the governor, and casually mention his, the lieutenant's, name as a gallant and exceedingly efficient officer.
There was no improvement in the weather. The following morning I left Herteff for Bayazid—the postman remaining behind with the letters.
We crossed the Araxes on the ice. The river was said to be only two feet deep. Kupri Kui was about one mile from our track. Here there is a bridge over the stream, which is about thirty yards wide, besides being deep. Our track was firm and level. There were no mountains to cross. Every now and then we passed by villages; they all contained soldiers, and, so far as I could learn, there were about 8000 troops echeloned between Erzeroum and Bayazid.
After a seven hours' march, we halted at Yusueri, an Armenian village. From here it was a three hours' ride to Deli Baba, a celebrated gorge or mountain pass, and the most important place, from a military point of view, on the road to the Russian frontier.
The women in the house where I was lodged were busily engaged in making some large earthenware jars. Taking some clay from the soil, they knead it for several hours with their fingers, and then form it into the shape they require. In every house there is a hole left in the floor, which is used as an oven. The women place the jars in this receptacle, and, filling the space between them with tezek, set fire to it. They afterwards colour the pottery by some process of which I am ignorant. The result is an extremely well made and serviceable article, in which they keep their corn, flour, and household goods.
Now we came to the famous pass of Deli Baba. It is about a quarter of a mile long. High and precipitous rocks are on either hand, and the gorge is not more than forty yards wide at the exit from the defile towards Bayazid. It is a spot where a thousand resolute men, well supplied with ammunition, might keep at defiance a force of a hundred times their number. However, in spite of the extreme importance of the position, nothing had been done to strengthen any part of it.
"We are going to throw up earthworks, and place some batteries here when the winter is over," was the reply of the lieutenant, when I interrogated him on this subject.
"When the winter is over:" "Not to-day, to-morrow:" this is the stereotyped answer which a Turk has always at the tip of his tongue. Until the Sultan's subjects can shake off the apathy which prevails throughout the empire, it will be difficult for them to hold their own against other nations.
CHAPTER XVI.
Low hills—Deep snow—The effect of the sun's rays—Nearly blind—Daha—The road to Bayazid blocked—The daughter of my host—Her costume—Soap and water—A surprise—She is very dirty—If she were well washed—Turkish merchants—Buying the daughters—A course of Turkish baths—An addition to the Seraglio—Rich men always get pretty wives—The Kurd's sons—The Imaum of the village—My host's tooth—It aches—I have heard of your great skill—Cure my tooth—A mustard plaster a remedy for toothache—A hakim for the stomach—Have it out—Champagne nippers—My tooth is better already.