A Start in Life [29]
of France. So I was forced to
carry off my windfalls in a felucca, which was captured by the Turkish
High-Admiral himself. Such as you see me here to-day, I came very near
being impaled at Smyrna. Indeed, if it hadn't been for Monsieur de
Riviere, our ambassador, who was there, they'd have taken me for an
accomplice of Ali pacha. I saved my head, but, to tell the honest
truth, all the rest, the ten thousand talari, the thousand gold
pieces, and the fine weapons, were all, yes all, drunk up by the
thirsty treasury of the Turkish admiral. My position was the more
perilous because that very admiral happened to be Chosrew pacha. After
I routed him, the fellow had managed to obtain a position which is
equal to that of our Admiral of the Fleet--"
"But I thought he was in the cavalry?" said Pere Leger, who had
followed the narrative with the deepest attention.
"Dear me! how little the East is understood in the French provinces!"
cried Georges. "Monsieur, I'll explain the Turks to you. You are a
farmer; the Padishah (that's the Sultan) makes you a marshal; if you
don't fulfil your functions to his satisfaction, so much the worse for
you, he cuts your head off; that's his way of dismissing his
functionaries. A gardener is made a prefect; and the prime minister
comes down to be a foot-boy. The Ottomans have no system of promotion
and no hierarchy. From a cavalry officer Chosrew simply became a naval
officer. Sultan Mahmoud ordered him to capture Ali by sea; and he did
get hold of him, assisted by those beggarly English--who put their paw
on most of the treasure. This Chosrew, who had not forgotten the
riding-lesson I gave him, recognized me. You understand, my goose was
cooked, oh, brown! when it suddenly came into my head to claim
protection as a Frenchman and a troubadour from Monsieur de Riviere.
The ambassador, enchanted to find something to show him off, demanded
that I should be set at liberty. The Turks have one good trait in
their nature; they are as willing to let you go as they are to cut
your head off; they are indifferent to everything. The French consul,
charming fellow, friend of Chosrew, made him give back two thousand of
the talari, and, consequently, his name is, as I may say, graven on my
heart--"
"What was his name?" asked Monsieur de Serizy; and a look of some
surprise passed over his face as Georges named, correctly, one of our
most distinguished consul-generals who happened at that time to be
stationed at Smyrna.
"I assisted," added Georges, "at the execution of the Governor of
Smyrna, whom the Sultan had ordered Chosrew to put to death. It was
one of the most curious things I ever saw, though I've seen many,--
I'll tell you about it when we stop for breakfast. From Smyrna I
crossed to Spain, hearing there was a revolution there. I went
straight to Mina, who appointed me as his aide-de-camp with the rank
of colonel. I fought for the constitutional cause, which will
certainly be defeated when we enter Spain--as we undoubtedly shall,
some of these days--"
"You, a French soldier!" said the count, sternly. "You show
extraordinary confidence in the discretion of those who are listening
to you."
"But there are no spies here," said Georges.
"Are you aware, Colonel Georges," continued the count, "that the Court
of Peers is at this very time inquiring into a conspiracy which has
made the government extremely severe in its treatment of French
soldiers who bear arms against France, and who deal in foreign
intrigues for the purpose of overthrowing our legitimate sovereigns."
On hearing this stern admonition the painter turned red to his ears
and looked at Mistigris, who seemed dumfounded.
"Well," said Pere Leger, "what next?"
"If," continued the count, "I were a magistrate, it would be my duty
to order the gendarmes at Pierrefitte to arrest the aide-de-camp of
Mina, and to summon all present in this
carry off my windfalls in a felucca, which was captured by the Turkish
High-Admiral himself. Such as you see me here to-day, I came very near
being impaled at Smyrna. Indeed, if it hadn't been for Monsieur de
Riviere, our ambassador, who was there, they'd have taken me for an
accomplice of Ali pacha. I saved my head, but, to tell the honest
truth, all the rest, the ten thousand talari, the thousand gold
pieces, and the fine weapons, were all, yes all, drunk up by the
thirsty treasury of the Turkish admiral. My position was the more
perilous because that very admiral happened to be Chosrew pacha. After
I routed him, the fellow had managed to obtain a position which is
equal to that of our Admiral of the Fleet--"
"But I thought he was in the cavalry?" said Pere Leger, who had
followed the narrative with the deepest attention.
"Dear me! how little the East is understood in the French provinces!"
cried Georges. "Monsieur, I'll explain the Turks to you. You are a
farmer; the Padishah (that's the Sultan) makes you a marshal; if you
don't fulfil your functions to his satisfaction, so much the worse for
you, he cuts your head off; that's his way of dismissing his
functionaries. A gardener is made a prefect; and the prime minister
comes down to be a foot-boy. The Ottomans have no system of promotion
and no hierarchy. From a cavalry officer Chosrew simply became a naval
officer. Sultan Mahmoud ordered him to capture Ali by sea; and he did
get hold of him, assisted by those beggarly English--who put their paw
on most of the treasure. This Chosrew, who had not forgotten the
riding-lesson I gave him, recognized me. You understand, my goose was
cooked, oh, brown! when it suddenly came into my head to claim
protection as a Frenchman and a troubadour from Monsieur de Riviere.
The ambassador, enchanted to find something to show him off, demanded
that I should be set at liberty. The Turks have one good trait in
their nature; they are as willing to let you go as they are to cut
your head off; they are indifferent to everything. The French consul,
charming fellow, friend of Chosrew, made him give back two thousand of
the talari, and, consequently, his name is, as I may say, graven on my
heart--"
"What was his name?" asked Monsieur de Serizy; and a look of some
surprise passed over his face as Georges named, correctly, one of our
most distinguished consul-generals who happened at that time to be
stationed at Smyrna.
"I assisted," added Georges, "at the execution of the Governor of
Smyrna, whom the Sultan had ordered Chosrew to put to death. It was
one of the most curious things I ever saw, though I've seen many,--
I'll tell you about it when we stop for breakfast. From Smyrna I
crossed to Spain, hearing there was a revolution there. I went
straight to Mina, who appointed me as his aide-de-camp with the rank
of colonel. I fought for the constitutional cause, which will
certainly be defeated when we enter Spain--as we undoubtedly shall,
some of these days--"
"You, a French soldier!" said the count, sternly. "You show
extraordinary confidence in the discretion of those who are listening
to you."
"But there are no spies here," said Georges.
"Are you aware, Colonel Georges," continued the count, "that the Court
of Peers is at this very time inquiring into a conspiracy which has
made the government extremely severe in its treatment of French
soldiers who bear arms against France, and who deal in foreign
intrigues for the purpose of overthrowing our legitimate sovereigns."
On hearing this stern admonition the painter turned red to his ears
and looked at Mistigris, who seemed dumfounded.
"Well," said Pere Leger, "what next?"
"If," continued the count, "I were a magistrate, it would be my duty
to order the gendarmes at Pierrefitte to arrest the aide-de-camp of
Mina, and to summon all present in this