The Eye of Zeitoon Part 16

"They shall."

"Come, then!"

"They shall rally at Zeitoon!"

"Oh, Kagig-how shall they reich Zeitoon? The cursed Turks have ordered out the soldiers and are sending regiments-"

"I warned they would!"

"The cavalry are hunting down fugitives along the roads!"

"As I foretold a hundred times!"

"They were sent to protect Armenians-"

"That is always the excuse!"

"And they kill-kill-kill! A dozen of them hunted me for two miles, until I hid in a watercourse! Look at us! Look at our clothes! We are wet to the skin-tired-starving! Kagig, be a man!"

He went back to his mess of blankets and sat down on it, too bitter at heart for words. They reproached him in chorus, coming nearer to the fire to let the fierce heat draw the stink out of their clothes.

"Aye, Kagig, you must not forget your race. You must not forget the past, Kagig. Once Armenia was great, remember that! You must not only talk to us, you must act at last! We summon you to be our leader, Kagig, son of Kagig of Zeitoon!"

He stared back at them with burning eyes-raised both bands to beat his temples-and then suddenly turned the palms of his hands toward the roof in a gesture of utter misery.

"Oh, my people!"

That glimpse he betrayed of his agony was but a moment long. The fingers closed suddenly, and the palms that had risen in helplessness descended to his knees clenched fists, heavy with the weight of purpose.

"What have you done with the ammunition?" he demanded.

"We had it in the manure under John Zimisces' cattle."

"I know that. Where is it now?"

"The Turks discovered it at dawn to-day. Some one had told. They burned Zimisces and his wife and sons alive in the straw!"

"You fools! They knew where the stuff was a week ago! A month ago I warned you to send it to Zeitoon, but somebody told you I was treacherous, and you fools listened! How much ammunition have you left now?"

"Just what we have with us. I have a dozen rounds."

"I ten."

"I nine."

"I thirty-three."

Each man had a handful, or two handfuls at the most. Kagig observed their contributions to the common fund with scorn too deep for expression. It was as if the very springs of speech were frozen.

"We summon you to lead us, Kagig!"

Words came to him again.

"You summon me to lead? I will! From now I lead! By the G.o.d who gave my fathers bread among the mountains, I will, moreover, be obeyed! Either my word is law-"

"Kagig, it is law!"

"Or back you shall go to where the Turks are wearing white, and the gutters bubble red, and the beams are black against the sky! You shall obey me in future on the instant that I speak, or run back to the Turks for mercy from my hand! I have listened to enough talk!"

"Spoken like a man!" said Monty, and stood up.

We all stood up; even Rustum Khan, who did not pretend to like him, saluted the old warrior who could announce his purpose so magnificently. Maga Jhaere stood up, and sought Will's eyes from across the room. Fred, almost too sleepy to know what he was doing (for the tail end of the fever is a yearning for early bed) undid the catch of his beloved instrument, and made the rafters ring. In a minute we four were singing "For he's a jolly good fellow," and Kagig stood up, looking like Robinson Crusoe in his goat-skins, to acknowledge the compliment.

The noise awoke Peter Measel, and when we had finished making fools of ourselves I walked over to discover what he was saying. He was praying aloud-nasally-through the mouse-hole-for us, not himself. I looked at my watch. It was two hours past midnight.

"You fellows," I said, "it's Sunday. The martyred biped has just waked up and remembered it. He is praying that we may be forgiven for polluting the Sabbath stillness with immoral tunes!"

My words had a strange effect. Monty, and Fred, and Will laughed. Rustum Khan laughed savagely. But all the Armenians, including Kagig, knelt promptly on the floor and prayed, the gipsies looking on in mild amus.e.m.e.nt tempered by discretion. And out of the mouse-hole in the horse-feed bin came Peter Measel's sonorous, overriding periods:

"And, O Lord, let them not be smitten by Thine anger. Let them not be cut down in Thy wrath! Let them not be cast into h.e.l.l! Give them another chance, O Lord! Let the Ten Commandments be written on their hearts in letters of fire, but let not their souls be d.a.m.ned for ever more! If they did not know it was the Sabbath Day, O Lord, forgive them! Amen!"

It was a most amazing night.

Chapter Seven "We hold you to your word!"

LIBERA NOS, DOMINE!

A priest, a statesman, and a soldier stood Hand in each other's hand, by ruin faced, Consulting to find succor if they could, Till soon the lesser ones themselves abased, Their sword and parchment on an altar laid In deep humility the while the priest he prayed.

He prayed first for his church, that it might be Upholden and acknowledged and revered, And in its opal twilight men might see Salvation if in truth enough they feared, And if enough acknowledgment they gave To ritual, and rosary, and creed that save.

Then prayed he for the state, that it should wean Well-tutored counselors to do their part Full profit and prosperity to glean With dignity, although with contrite heart And wisdom that Tradition wisdom ranks, That church and state might stand and men give thanks.

Last prayed he for the soldier-longest, too, That all the honor and the aims of war Subserving him might carry wrath and rue Unto repentance, and in trembling awe The enemy at length should fault confess And yield, to crave a peace of righteousness.

Behind them stood a patriot unbowed, Not arrogant in gilt or goodly cloth, Nor mincing meek, and yet not poorly proud; With eyes afire that glittered not with wrath; Aware of evil hours, and undismayed Because he loved too well. He also prayed.

"Oh, Thou, who gavest, may I also give, Withholding not-accepting no reward; For I die gladly if the least ones live.

Twice righteous and two-edged be the sword, 'Neath freedom's banner drawn to prove Thy word And smite me if I'm false!" His prayer was heard.

The remainder of that night was nightmare pure and simple-mules and horses squealing in instinctive fear of action they felt impending-gipsies and Armenians dragging packs out on the floor, to repack everything a dozen times for some utterly G.o.dless reason-Rustum Khan seizing each fugitive Armenian in turn to question him, alternating fierce threats with persuasion-Kagig striding up and down with hands behind him and his scraggly black beard pressed down on his chest-and the great fire blazing with reports like cannon shots as one of the Turk's sons piled on fuel and the resinous wet wood caught.

The Turk and his other six sons ran away and hid themselves as a precaution against our taking vengeance on them. With situations reversed a Turk would have taken unbelievable toll in blood and agony from any Armenian he could find, and they reasoned we were probably no better than themselves. The marvel was that they left one son to wait on us, and take the money for room and horse-feed.

"Remember!" warned Monty, as we four sidled close together with our backs against the wall. "Until we're in actual personal danger this trouble is the affair of Kagig and his men!"

"I get you. If we horn in before we have to we'll do more harm than good. Give the Turks an excuse to call us outlaws and shoot instead of rescue us. Sure. But what about Miss Vanderman?" said Will.

"I foresee she's doomed!" Fred stared straight in front of him. "It looks as if we'll lose our little w.i.l.l.y too! One woman at a time, especially when the lady totes a mother-o'-pearl revolver and about a dozen knives! If you come out of this alive, Bill, you'll be wiser!"

"Fond of bull, aren't you! You'd jest on an ant-heap."

"There's nothing to discuss," said I. "If there's a lady in danger somewhere ahead, we all know what we're going to do about it."