In Greek Waters Part 39

After a time the two bands joined, Martyn considering it imprudent to venture out among the enraged populace in smaller force. The aspect of the crowd became more and more threatening, but it still confined itself to execrations and curses, being overawed by the determined att.i.tude of the men with their muskets, cutla.s.ses, and pistols, and with the apparent fact that the sailors were only prevented from using their arms by the exertions of the two officers, for the doctor kept close by Martyn's side. At two o'clock the boom of a cannon was heard from the port; again and again it sounded at regular intervals.

"That is a s.h.i.+p of war saluting," Martyn said.

The crowd fell away rapidly, many of them hurrying down to the port, and Martyn, taking advantage of it, was able to bring in a good many more fugitives to the consulates, the sailors from within rus.h.i.+ng out when they approached, and clearing the way through the crowd with the vigorous use of their elbows and sometimes of their fists.

"We shall have help up soon," Mr. Beveridge said, the first time Martyn brought in a party of fugitives after the guns fired.

An hour later a strong party of French sailors and marines with loaded muskets and fixed bayonets marched up to the French consulate from two French vessels, a corvette and a schooner, which had come from Syra in response to the consul's earnest appeals for a.s.sistance. They placed in their midst three hundred and twenty-five Turkish fugitives who had found refuge there, escorted them down to the port, and placed them on board their s.h.i.+ps. On the way they were surrounded by a menacing crowd of Greek soldiers and by a great mob, yelling, shouting, and brandis.h.i.+ng their arms; but their valour went no further, and the fugitives were taken off in safety. The sailors of the _Misericordia_ were now divided between the Austrian and Dutch consulates, and their appearance at the windows with loaded muskets intimidated the mob from making an attack. During the night the bishop and some of the better cla.s.s exerted themselves to the utmost in calming the pa.s.sions of the mob; and they themselves in the morning accompanied the crew of the _Misericordia_, who, guarding the fugitives, were allowed to proceed down to the port and embark on board the schooner without molestation from the people. Some seven hundred and fifty persons were saved by the French and the crew of the schooner. Four hundred were ma.s.sacred in cold blood by the Greeks.

The French vessels had sailed away during the night, and the question arose what was to be done with the rescued Turks. Of these there were some forty soldiers, ten or twelve Turks of superior rank, military and civil officials; the rest were women and children. Two or three of the Turks spoke Italian, and four or five of them Greek. Mr. Beveridge held a consultation with these, and it was finally agreed that they should be landed at the Isle of Tenedos close to the mouth of the Dardanelles, as from thence they would have no difficulty in making their way to Constantinople.

"If there are no s.h.i.+ps of war in the port we will hoist the white flag and sail straight in; but if there are, we must land you in the boats somewhere on the island. We have been in action with your s.h.i.+ps of war and would at once be recognized, and the white flag would not be respected."

"We owe you our lives, sir, and the lives of all these women and children," a bimbas.h.i.+ or major of the Turkish garrison, a fine soldierly-looking man, said earnestly; "for had it not been for you and your brave crew even the flags of the consulates would not have sufficed to protect us. a.s.suredly my countrymen would never fire at you when engaged in such a work of mercy."

"They might not in cold blood," Mr. Beveridge said; "but we have just been saving Chiot prisoners as cruelly treated, and for every Turk who has been ma.s.sacred in Athens, well-nigh a hundred Chiots have been murdered. I do not defend them for breaking their pledged faith to you, but one cannot be surprised at their savage thirst for vengeance."

Martyn had got up the anchor and set sail on the schooner directly the fugitives were on board, and as soon as he learned that Tenedos was their destination her course was laid north. Then came the work, to which they were now becoming accustomed, of stowing away the unfortunate pa.s.sengers. The screened part.i.tion was allotted to the women and children of the officers and officials, most of whose husbands had fallen during the siege, and the rest of the women and children were stowed down on the main-deck, while the male pa.s.sengers stayed on deck, where the women remained for the most part during the day. Those who had been rescued from the hands of the Greeks had been plundered of everything; but those who had at the first alarm fled to the consulates had carried with them jewels and money. The women of the upper cla.s.s were all closely veiled, but the rest made but little attempt to conceal their faces, and all evinced the deepest grat.i.tude to the crew of the schooner; murmuring their thanks whenever an officer or sailor pa.s.sed near them, and trying to seize their hands and press them to their foreheads.

The fugitives of the upper cla.s.s, both men and women, were more restrained, but there was no mistaking the expression with which their eyes followed their protectors. Many of the women and children were worn out with the sufferings they had sustained during the last days of the siege, and some of the soldiers were so weak as to be scarce able to stand. The doctor attended to many of the children, while the Greeks and the s.h.i.+p's cook were kept busy all day in preparing nouris.h.i.+ng soups. The next day they were off Tenedos. No Turkish s.h.i.+p of war was lying near the town. A boat was lowered, and Miller, accompanied by Horace as interpreter, took his place in her with one of the Turkish officers. A white flag was hoisted in her stern, and six men rowed her ash.o.r.e.

Their movements had been watched, and a body of Turkish soldiers were drawn up at the landing-place with several officials. The Turkish officer mounted the steps and explained to the governor of the island, who was among those at the landing-stage, the purpose for which the _Misericordia_ had arrived at the port. There was a rapid conversation as the officer, frequently interrupted by exclamations of indignation, and questions from the Turks, narrated what had taken place. Then the governor and his officers ran forward, seized Miller and Horace by the hand, patted them on the shoulder with the liveliest demonstrations of grat.i.tude and friends.h.i.+p. The Turk who had come ash.o.r.e with them translated to Horace, in Greek, the governor's earnest request that the owner of the s.h.i.+p and his officers would come ash.o.r.e to visit him.

"The governor says that he himself would at once come off to visit the s.h.i.+p and return his thanks, but that, as she is flying the Greek flag, he cannot do so, much as he desires it; but that if the flag were lowered, and a white flag subst.i.tuted, he would come off instantly. He has heard of the fight between the Greek s.h.i.+p with an English crew and the boats of the Turkish fleet, and of the many craft she has taken and destroyed, always sparing the crews and sending them ash.o.r.e, and he has great esteem for so brave an enemy; now he cannot view them but as friends after their n.o.ble rescue of so many of his countrymen and women and children."

Horace in reply said that he would give the governor's message to his father, and that the fugitives should at once be landed.

"Do you think that he really meant that he would come on board if we hoisted the white flag, Horace?"

"I think so, father. He and the officers with him certainly seemed thoroughly in earnest. What do you think, Martyn? There can be no objection to our lowering the Greek flag, I should think, while acting as a neutral."

"I should think not," Martyn said, "and I should not care a snap of the fingers if there was. The Greek flag is all well enough, Mr.

Beveridge, when we see an armed Turk of superior size in sight, but at other times I don't feel proud of it."

"We will lower it down then, Martyn."

The Greek flag was lowered from the peak and a white one run up. Then the work of debarkation commenced, the Turks insisting upon shaking hands with Mr. Beveridge and the officers, thanking them in the most fervent way, and calling down the blessing of Allah upon them; while the women, many of them weeping, threw themselves on their knees and poured out their thanks, some of them holding up their infants to gaze on the faces of those to whom they owed their lives. The sailors came in for their share of thanks, and were quite embarra.s.sed by the warmth with which they were greeted. Just as the first batch left the s.h.i.+p, a large boat flying the Turkish flag was seen putting out from the sh.o.r.e, and in a few minutes the governor with seven or eight civil and military officials came on board.

They brought with them a merchant who spoke English to act as interpreter. Martyn drew up the whole of the crew who were not engaged in boat service as a guard of honour to receive them, while he, with Mr. Beveridge, met the governor as he mounted the gangway. The governor, who was a tall and dignified Turk, expressed to them his warmest thanks in the name of the Sultan for the rescue of so many of his subjects from the fury of the populace of Athens. Mr. Beveridge, through the interpreter, explained to the pasha that, although an Englishman he had Greek blood in his veins, and had therefore joined them in their attempt to achieve independence, and was prepared to fight on their side but that, as an Englishman, he revolted against the barbarity with which the war was carried on by both combatants; that his vessel was named the _Misericordia_, and that while he had saved a great number of Christian fugitives on the one side, he was equally ready and pleased at being able to render the same service to Mussulman fugitives on the other side.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE GOVERNOR COMES ON BOARD]

"Your errand is a n.o.ble and merciful one," the Turk said, "and must have the approval of Allah as well as of the G.o.d of the Christians. We have heard of your terrible vessel, how she destroyed a frigate off Cyprus, beat off the boats of our fleet at Chios, and played havoc among the s.h.i.+pping from Smyrna. We knew her when we saw her, for we had heard of her white sails and tall masts; but we had heard too that no prisoner was injured by you. I never thought to set foot on the deck of the s.h.i.+p that had become the dread of the traders of Smyrna and other ports, but I am glad to do so since those who sail her, although our enemies in battle, have proved themselves indeed our friends in the time of distress."

When this had been translated, Mr. Beveridge invited the governor and his companions into the cabin, where coffee and chibouks were served; then they were conducted round the s.h.i.+p. The governor conversed for some little time with two or three of the princ.i.p.al Turks from Athens, and learned the full details of the surrender and the subsequent events as he watched the debarkation of the fugitives; and then, after obtaining a promise from Mr. Beveridge that he and his officers would come on sh.o.r.e at sunset to dine with him, he entered his boat and was rowed back.

At sunset Mr. Beveridge and all the officers, with the exception of Tarleton, who remained in charge of the s.h.i.+p, went ash.o.r.e. They were received at the landing-place by a guard of honour of Turkish soldiers in charge of one of the princ.i.p.al officers of the governor, and were conducted to his house through a crowd of people cheering and shouting.

The governor received them at his door. The dinner was served in Turkish fas.h.i.+on, all sitting on cus.h.i.+ons round a table raised about a foot from the floor. A band of music played without, and a great number of dishes, of most of which Horace could only guess at the ingredients, were served; and after the meal, which was of great length, was concluded, slaves brought round ewers of water, in which all dipped their fingers, wiping them on embroidered towels. A variety of sweetmeats were then handed round, followed by coffee. Three or four interpreters had stood behind the guests, who were all placed between Turks, and thus conversation was rendered possible. At ten o'clock they took their leave with many cordial expressions on both sides, and were again escorted by a party of soldiers to their boats.

"There is no gainsaying," Macfarlane said as they rowed off, "that there seems to be a good deal livelier feeling of grat.i.tude among the Turks than there is among the Greeks. We have come all the way out from England to fight for the Greeks; we have sunk a Turkish s.h.i.+p, beaten off their boats with very heavy loss, and rescued nearly three thousand women and children from their hands, and yet there isn't a Greek official who has said as much as thank you. They seem to consider that it is quite sufficient reward for us to have been of service to so great a people as they are. Upon the other hand, here are these Turks, though we have done them a great deal of damage, putting aside all enmity and treating us like gentlemen because we have saved a s.h.i.+p-load of their people. He was a very fine old heathen that governor."

"The Turks, too, were a deal more grateful than any of the Greeks have been, except that batch from Cyprus," Horace said.

"They were in better heart for being thankful, Horace," Mr. Beveridge replied. "We have taken them back to their native land, and they will soon rejoin their friends and families; whereas the Chiots were going into exile and had lost everything that was dear to them, and the lot before them was, as the doctor pointed out, little if anything better than that we had saved them from. Still, I will do them the justice to say that the Turks were really grateful to us; and though we are not working for the purpose of obtaining grat.i.tude, it is pleasant to see that people do feel that one has done something for them."

"I suppose you won't get up sail until morning, Martyn?" Mr. Beveridge said as they went down into the cabin.

"Yes, sir, if you have no objections I shall get up the anchor as soon as we are on board. You see we are not many miles from the mouth of the Dardanelles, and with a good gla.s.s they could make out our colours from the mainland; and if word were sent to their admiral that a Greek craft is at anchor here, he might send two or three s.h.i.+ps out to capture us. I don't give the Turks credit for such enterprise, but it is just as well not to run any risk. What is to be our course next, Mr. Beveridge?"

"There is likely to be a regular battle in a short time between the Greek army and the Turks. Indeed the Greeks will have to fight if they really mean to gain their independence. Dramali Pasha has some twenty thousand men collected on the banks of the Spercheus. Of these they say eight thousand are cavalry drawn from the Mussulman clans of Macedonia and Thrace, and he may move forward any day to reconquer the Morea and relieve Nauplia. If he is suffered to do this there is virtually an end of the war. I have not a shadow of faith in any of the Greek leaders, or in the Areopagus, but I still do believe in the vast bulk of the people. The Morea consists almost wholly of hilly and broken country, just the ground where an armed peasantry, knowing every pa.s.s and place of advantage, ought to be able to render the pa.s.sage of a regular army with their wagons and baggage well-nigh impossible.

"In such a country the Turkish cavalry would be of little use, and there are only the infantry to cope with. The artillery would probably have to be left behind altogether. If ever an effort is to be made by the Greeks it must be made now. I propose therefore, Martyn, to sail down to Nauplia and to land there. The Turks, of course, still command the harbour with their guns, but the Greek vessels land supplies and ammunition for the besiegers, so there can be no difficulty about that. We have still a good many thousand muskets in the hold, and ammunition for them. I shall see what spirit prevails among the peasantry, shall issue arms to all who need them, and help with money if required. The peasantry will not want it, but the patriotism of their primates and captains may be a good deal strengthened by a little judicious expenditure of money. The Morea is the key of the whole position, and the present will be the critical moment of the revolution. If the Turks succeed, Greece is at their feet; if the Turkish army is defeated, Greece may conquer. Now, therefore, is the time for me to do my utmost to aid them."

"Very well, sir; then I will lay her course to-morrow morning for the south-eastern point of Euba."

On the voyage down Mr. Beveridge discussed with the others the course that he intended to take. He had quite determined himself to leave the coast and go into the interior, where, if the Turkish army was to be checked, the decisive battle must be fought. It was decided that Horace and the two Greeks should accompany him. The question most at issue was whether he should take with him any portion of the crew of the schooner; he himself was somewhat averse to this.

"I need hardly say, Martyn, that I have no intention whatever of mixing myself up in any fighting that may take place. I go simply to rouse the enthusiasm as much as possible of the peasantry, and to get the small local leaders to stir. If I can do nothing I shall simply come back to the schooner again. If the Greeks dispute the pa.s.sage of the Turks I shall, if I can, take up my position where I can see what takes place, and if the Greeks are beaten, retire across the hills.

What good then would it be for me to take any of the sailors with me?

You may want them all on board, for it is possible, indeed it is probable, that the Turkish fleet will come round to Nauplia with supplies for the Turkish army when it arrives there."

"Well, sir, I shouldn't require the whole crew to get up sail and make off if I see them coming, and I do think that it would be very much better for you to have some men with you. In the first place, your having a guard of that sort would add to your importance in the eyes of the Greeks, and give more weight to your counsels. In the second place, if you are going to take arms and money on sh.o.r.e you will certainly require a guard for them, or run the risk of getting your throat cut. And lastly, if there should be a fight, and the Greeks get beaten, if you have fifteen or twenty men with you your chance of getting off safely would be very largely increased, for they could beat off any small party of hors.e.m.e.n that happened to overtake you.

What do you think, Horace?"

"I certainly think so too. After what we have seen of the Greeks, father, I do think it would be better in every way to have a party of sailors with us. If it were known that you were going about the hills with a considerable sum of money you might be safe enough among the peasants, but I should say there were any number of these miserable primates and captains who would think nothing of cutting our throats to get it."

Mr. Beveridge gave way at once, and it was arranged that a party of fifteen men, under the command of Miller, should land from the schooner and accompany him.

"Don't you think, Mr. Beveridge," Macfarlane said, "that it would be as well for you to take your medical attendant with you?"

Mr. Beveridge smiled. "I have scarcely regarded you hitherto, doctor, in the light of my medical attendant, but as the attendant of the s.h.i.+p's company, and I don't think that Horace or I, or any of the landing party, are likely to take any fever among the hills of the Morea."

"I hope not, sir, but you see there may be some preliminary skirmishes before the regular battle you expect will take place, and I don't suppose the Greeks will have any surgeons accustomed to gunshot wounds or capable of amputations among them, and therefore, you see, I might be of some service."

"In addition to which, doctor," Martyn laughed, "you think you would like a ramble on sh.o.r.e a bit."

"Well, what do you think, Martyn?" Mr. Beveridge said; "it is for you to decide. The doctor may be, as he says, useful on sh.o.r.e; but then again his services may be required on board."

"We are not likely to do any fighting, sir, and if he will mix up a gallon or two of jalap, and such other medicines as he thinks might be useful for ordinary ailments on board, I daresay Tarleton will see to their being administered as required."

"Oh, yes, I will see to that," Tarleton said. "Make them as nasty as you can, doctor, so that I sha'n't have any unnecessary applications for them."

And so it was settled that Dr. Macfarlane should form one of the landing party.

CHAPTER XVIII