Part 30 (2/2)

Then, turning to young Feriz Beg, he said:

”Step forward, thou hardened old traitor! Wherefore didst thou leave the armies of the Sublime Sultan in the lurch?”

Feriz Beg, as if a weapon against his persecutors had suddenly been put into his hand, stepped boldly right up to Ha.s.san Pasha, and exclaimed in a bold voice, which rang though the tent:

”Thou art the traitor, not I; for thou darest to hold the office of general when thou art blind and canst not distinguish two paces off father from son, or an enemy from a friend.”

Ha.s.san sprang in terror from his carpet when he heard Kucsuk's son speak instead of Kucsuk.

”That is not true,” he stammered, changing colour.

”Not true!” replied Feriz stiffly; ”then, if thine eyes be good, wilt thou tell me what regiment is now pa.s.sing thy tent with martial music?”

The tent be it understood was open towards the plain overlooking the whole camp and the river beyond.

A military band was just then crossing the ground not far from the tent, quite alone; no regiment was coming after it.

”Methinks, thou mutinous dog, 'tis no answer to my question to inquire what regiment is now pa.s.sing by, for it maybe that I know better than thou why it has arrived; nor is it part of my duty to mention the rabble by name; suffice it that I hear the trumpets and see the banners.”

The Pashas looked at each other; there was neither regiment nor banners.

”So that's it, eh?” said Kiuprile, spitting in front of him; and with that he rose from his place, and, without looking at Ha.s.san, took Kucsuk and Feriz by the arm. ”Come!” said he to the other generals--”you can go now!” he cried to the guards, and the whole a.s.sembly withdrew from the tent.

Ha.s.san fell back on his carpet. He himself had betrayed his great defect.

Azrael rushed from her hiding-place.

”Oh, my master!” she cried; ”thou didst wrongly interpret my words, and so made everything go wrong.”

”I am lost,” he stammered, and quite beside himself he plunged into the interior of the tent to pray with the dervishes.

Yffim Beg stood there as if his soul had been filched from him; while Azrael approached him with a smile of devilish scorn and stroked his face down with her hand.

”Dost thou fancy thou wilt require another good word for thee?”

”I can betray thee.”

”Thou couldst if thou didst but know which of the two is to live longest--Ha.s.san or I.”

Two hours after this scene there was a private conversation between Ha.s.san Pasha and Yffim Beg, from which even Azrael was excluded. The interview over, Yffim Beg departed quickly from the camp. The general had sent him to Transylvania to go in his name from village to village to make a general inspection, and ask the magistrates why the common folks did not pay the taxes at the proper time. He was thence to go to the Prince and ask the cause of this delay in the transmission of taxes; thus either the people or the Prince would be held responsible.

Ha.s.san for a long time had had a scheme in his head of seizing Transylvania by force of arms, whereby, on the one hand, he would win the favour of the Porte, by adding a new subject state to Turkish territory, and, on the other hand, would secure for himself a good easy princely chair instead of a dangerously-jolting general's saddle.

At the same time Olaj Beg was worrying Apafi to seize the escaped Princess of Moldavia and send her to Ha.s.san Pasha, who was well aware that the silken cord would be constantly dangling before his eyes till he had found someone else whose neck he could jeopardise instead of his own.

Kucsuk and his son had escaped from his talons, but he had just heard from Olaj Beg that the Moldavian Princess was with Apafi, and in an interesting condition, so that there was every prospect of a young Prince being born. Here, then, in case of necessity, was a person who could be handed over, and in case she escaped, the silken cord would remain round Apafi's neck.

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