Under the yoke, p.33
Under the Yoke, page 33
refused to allow his sons to have a hand in the matter. He
wished them to be preserved from the torrent which he had
been powerless to resist for himself. He wanted to do what
was impossible.
" One in the family is enough," he
thought. The revulsion in his feelings had not become
complete as yet, hence these hesitations and inconsistencies.
In a word, Marko represented the moderate element in the
THE CHERRY-TREE 191
national party, an element worthy of respect everywhere
save in revolutions, which seek to attain their ideal by
violence and extremes. Sometimes it may act as a brake
on the wheel, but too often its effect is unfelt.
Kalcho was busily engaged in smoothing the inner surface
of the cherry-tree, so as to make a real cannon of it. He
completed the touch-hole, and blew through it while a
stream of dust and shavings emerged from the mouth.
"
Well, that's Avhat you may call finished ! and a good
account it'll give of the Turks, I'll be bound," said Kalcho,
triumphantly.
*' Well done, Kalcho, you'll be at the head of our artillery.
Now all we want is Father Lilo, the smith, to put the iron
hoops and caps on it, and then, there you are," said Micho.
" My stars, what a noise it'll make," said Marko.
"
We'll put it on the hill above the Green Dell ; we can
command the whole valley from there. Wherever they
show themselves, we'll mow them down without mercy, it's
a wonderful position."
A sound of steps was heard outside.
"
It's one of us," said Micho, who had given the lad
outside orders to admit no one who was not in the secret.
Popoff, the secretary of the committee, appeared. He
saluted Micho and Marko.
" What is it, Gancho ?
" asked the " president.
I thought I'd look in on my way to the Green Dell to
see how the artillery was getting on."
"
All right ! We must all be at the meeting to-day, to
decide whom we're to send to Panaghiourishte. They
want us to send a representative. I'm for Sokoloff."
" What do they want a representative for ?
"
said Marko.
" For the general assembly there."
" General assembly ? What do you mean ?
"
" Why the assembly, man, that's going to decide when
the revolt's to break out."
"
They'll probably fix upon the first of May," said Gancho.
Marko started.
"
Oh, that's too soon. Better wait till the roses have
been got in," remarked Micho.
"
What, are we going to rise then, too ?
"
"
It'll break out everywhere on the same day." " Don't let's have any folly." "
Folly or no folly, it's got to be," said Micho shortly.
192 UNDER THE YOKE
" You don't suppose we've been preparing all this time
for nothing, do you ?
" added Gancho.
"
I've always understood that we were arming only to
defend ourselves against the bashi-bozouks, and to see what
happens elsewhere. I'm very much afraid that we shall be
left to pay the piper alone," said Marko.
"
It would be a shame and a disgrace for Bela Cherkva
to delay for a moment — the whole nation will rise on one
day — and Turkey will be done for !
"
cried Micho " excitedly. Do you know positively that that's so ?
" he asked.
" Know ? Of course I do ; I'm not a child. That's
why I've pressed you to join the committee — to read the
letters with your own eyes, and to listen to what Kableshkoff
says. Why, the very spies are with us. Look at this letter
we got last night from Samanoff, written on the back of one
of our owTL, which came into his hands. Lord knows how :
it's a miracle, I tell you."
The letter was the one we have already seen Samanoff
explaining to the Bey, and afterwards deciphering by himself.
He had sent it back to the committee, to their dismay
and subsequent relief, with the following lines on the back :
*' Mr. Vice-President, — If I were you I would not leave
my letters lying about in the street, where Stefchoff may
find them. To-day I received this letter from him before the
Bey, to whom we translated into Turkish the other side
about the belladonna : this side I deciphered myself, alone,
before the fire, so you need not be alarmed. Another storm
was hanging over your heads for this evening, but it's
passed over. You may thank me for that ; only you'd
better meet somewhere else, and more secretly, in future.
Good luck to you !
" The Bulgarian traitor and spy, " Petraki Samanoff."
It should be added that the unfortunate Samanoff had
never as a matter of fact been guilty of political treachery
so far, all rumours to the contrary notwithstanding ; he had
undertaken the spy's calling with the sole aim of getting
money from the Turks as well as the Bulgarians. In order
to levy blackmail upon the latter he had used countless
threats, but he never went further than that. Self-respect
he had none, but conscience was still alive within him.
THE CHERRY-TREE 193
Clearly he had not been intended by nature for a spy, but
circumstances had remorselessly driven him into that
tortuous path. Before returning the letter to the committee
he had skilfully persuaded the Bey to postpone
the police raid.
He eventually died in prison in Asia, just as the San
Stefano amnesty was signed.
Marko shook his head " distrustfully.
It's one thing to know something's going to happen, and
quite another for people to tell you so. Think well over it
before doing anything rash. Don't let us have a second
Stara Zagora."
Micho lost his temper. "
This is a different thing altogether, Marko. Don't be a
child. I tell you the whole country'11 be ablaze. Everything's
arranged and organised — ^they've only to tell us the
day"."
Well, if the whole country's ablaze, I'll take my gun too.
But suppose we're the only ones ? That's what I want to
get at."
" We shan't be the' only ones — ^the whole country'11
rise !
"
"Who knows?"
"
I tell you it will, Marko. Do you want me to take my
oath to it ?
"
" No."
" You're a regular unbelieving Thomas."
"
I want to feel it with my finger, like he did. We're
staking our heads, man !
"
" Make up your mind to it — ^we're bound to conquer !
"
" Why ?
"
" Because Turkey must fall — ^the time's come."
" Why must it fall ?
"
" Because it's written that Turkey must fall !
"
Marko thought that Micho was as usual alluding to the
prophecies of Martin Zadek, a Russian " Old Moore " who
was perpetually preaching the downfall of the Ottoman
Emp"ire.
I don't believe in these new prophecies. The almanack
prophesies rain and storm, and the weather's perfect — it's
all bosh."
"
No, no, Marko, Zadek's a different thing altogether —
even the learned beheve in him," said Micho earnestly.
194 UNDER THE YOKE
" Oh bother ! it's always Zadek — can't you leave Zadek
alone ?
"
Micho flared up.
*'
If you won't have Zadek, I'll show you another
prophecy still deeper and clearer than even Zadek's !
"
" Whose is it ?
"
"
It's from the Divine Providence. Only the Holy Ghost
can have inspired it. No human mind can have found it
out."
And Micho began to fumble in his coat-pocket.
Marko watched him with " surprise.
Dear, dear — I've left my pocket-book at home," said
Micho, much vexed — " but never mind, I think I can
remember it. If this won't convince you that Turkey's
doomed, I shall wash my hands of you. A deaf man can't
hear the sound of the big drum."
And Micho took out his writing-case, dipped his pen in
the ink, and again began to search his pockets. " Have you got a bit of blank paper about you ?
"
"
" No," said Marko, after searching in his own pocket. Never mind, I can write here."
And Micho bent over the cannon and began to write on
the smooth planed surface at the butt end.
Marko watched him with curiosity.
Soon certain signs appeared — they consisted of Church-
Slav characters with their equivalents in arable numerals *
in regular alternation — ^in the following order :
T( = 30o)y( = 4oo)P( = ioo)H( = 9oo)I(==io)A(^i)
K(-20)E( = 5)
n( = 8o)A(=i)A( = 4)H( = 5o)E(=;.5)
These letters, read in words, formed the following sentence :
Typi^'ia Ke naAne — Turkey will fall : the figures added up
denoted the fateful year 1876 !
Who was it who first discovered this marvellous combination
? Who first rescued from obHvion this ray of fight,
this inexpficable freak of chance ? No one ever knew.
The younger people laughed at it as a mere capricious
coincidence — the older spoke of it as a revelation. Thus
prejudice or superstition explains what reason is unable to
understand.
* In the Slavonic alphabet, as instituted by SS. Kiril and Metod, each
letter has a numerical equivalent, as in the Greek and other alphabets.
THE CHERRY-TREE 195
Micho Beyzade supplied the key to the double sense of
the enigma — ^Marko's waverings were at an end.
He was speechless with surprise.
Micho's triumph was complete. A proud self-satisfaction
beamed from his black eyes, and the faint sarcastic smile
with which he gloated over Marko's amazement seemed to
express pity for his unbelief — and triumph — and joy — and
enthusiasm all at once . He seemed to say to Marko, ' ' Now,
then, let's hear what you've got to say ! Martin Zadek's no
good — but how about this, eh ? What do you think of
Beyzade now ?
"
While the two notables were discussing the point, several
of the members of the committee had come in unobserved.
They had also looked in on their way, to superintend the
completion of the Bela Cherkva Krupp. The others soon
followed in the same casual manner, so that all the members
of the committee were there, except Dimo " Bezporteff.
I can't find Bezporteff anywhere to-day," said Ilia
Stranjoff ;
" he must have fallen asleep in some dram shop." " Ah ! it's a bad thing to get drunk aimlessly like that,"
remarked Pope Dimcho, as he took a pull at his pocket
flask of raki.
The members could not sufficiently admire or praise the
new gun. It lay before them like some great monster without
head or feet, with one eye in its back and a frightful
gaping mouth, ready to vomit forth fire and lead. On its
bright new surface could be read the cabalistic words written
by Micho — the
"
mene, tekel, upharsin
"
of the Ottoman
Empire :
"
Turkey will fall — 1876."
"
Boys," said the president,
"
didn't we agree to meet at
the Green Dell to-day ?
"
"
Yes, yes ; let's be off !
"
" But here we are all together ? Why not hold the meeting
here ? If you ask me, I prefer this, especially with that
before us," pointing to the gun.
The president's proposal met with universal approval. "
Well, then, let's begin." " But where are you going to sit ?
"
"
Here's my armchair," said Micho, mounting on the gun.
And the sitting commenced.
196 UNDER THE YOKE
CHAPTER VI : MARKO'S PRAYER
Marko left Kalcho's workshop deep in thought : what he
had seen and heard there had made a great impression on
him.
" Who knows ? Avho knows ?
"
he thought, as he passed
through the market-gardens which abounded at that side of
the town.
He went along by the river, to the east of Bela Cherkva,
where it pours down, with many a foaming cascade, from
the Balkan. There he cast a glance at his own kitchen
garden arid the hole, not yet filled up, where the cherry-tree
had stood ; he smiled grimly at the sight. From there he
turned back through the gardens towards the principal
street in the town, which joined the road to K. As he
passed by the cabins of the carpet-weavers, in the dusty
plain at the outskirts of the town, he saw a great Khoro* in
full swing. There was evidently a wedding in the neighbourhood,
and all the poor and hard-working population seemed
to have joined in the festivities, for the Khoro was unusually
lon"g.
That's the way of the world !
" he thought to himself ; "
over there they're getting cannon ready, and here they're
marrying without a thought of the morrow."
But he at once observed that the revolutionary element
was not unrepresented even here : the dance was being conducted
by Bezporteff, an ardent patriot, though too fond of
the bottle, who, although slightly lame, was a renowned
dancer. He was waving a white handkerchief as he danced — in a somewhat wild and eccentric fashion, it must be confessed
— ^and imparted to the endless human chain, which
followed him, the strangest figures and windings — at one
moment the Khoro formed an irreproachably regular semicircle,
at another it wound round him hke a sleeping serpent,
and again it untwisted and extended in a straight line or
took some other fantastic shape. The broad soles of his
shoes came down with a vigorous stamp at every new figure.
Marko slowly approached the Khoro, which was at its
height, and then observed that Bezporteff was very drunk
and was tugging the whole column after him with such
ardour that one would have thought he was leading the
assault on some fortress. His enthusiasm had spread to
* Kioro, the national dance of Bulgaria.
MARKO'S PRAYER 197
the farthest extremity of the column, where the five-year-old
children were. At his bidding the musicians had ceased
playing, and the dancers themselves sang as they danced,
keeping time with the song. Marko heard the following
verse of the song :
Kalina, can you tell me, dear,
Will brother Kolio come to-day ?
Will brother Kolio come to-day
And bring a birthday-gift for you ?
