Servia, Youngest Member of the European Family: or, A Residence in Belgrade and Travels in the Highlands and Woodlands of the Interior, during the years 1843 and 1844.Paton, A. A. (Andrew Archibald)
History
Servia, Youngest Member of the European Family: or, A Residence in Belgrade and Travels in the Highlands and Woodlands of the Interior, during the years 1843 and 1844.
Paton, A. A. (Andrew Archibald)
Serbia -- Description and travel
The ramparts are in good condition; and the first object that strikes
a stranger on entering, are six iron spikes, on which, in the time of
the first revolution, the heads of Servians used to be stuck. Milosh
once saved his own head from this elevation by his characteristic
astuteness. During his alliance with the Turks in 1814, (or 1815,) he
had large pecuniary transactions with the Pasha, for he was the medium
through whom the people paid their tribute. Five heads grinned from
five spikes as he entered the castle, and he comprehended that the
sixth was reserved for him; the last head set up being that of
Glavash, a leader, who, like himself, was then supporting the
government: so he immediately took care to make the Pasha understand
that he was about to set out on a tour in the country, to raise some
money for the vizierial strong-box. "Peh eiu," said Soliman Pasha,
thinking to catch him next time, and get the money at the same time;
so Milosh was allowed to depart; but knowing that if he returned spike
the sixth would not wait long for its head, he at once raised the
district of Rudnick, and ended the terrible war which had been begun
under much less favourable auspices, by the more valiant but less
astute Kara Georg.
We passed a second draw-bridge, and found ourselves in the interior of
the fortress. A large square was formed by ruinous buildings.
Extensive barracks were windowless and tenantless, but the mosque and
the Pasha's Konak were in good order. We were ushered into an
audience-room of great extent, with a low carved roof and some
old-fashioned furniture, the divan being in the corner, and the
windows looking over the precipice to the Danube below. Hafiz Pasha,
the same who commanded at the battle of Nezib, was about fifty-five,
and a gentleman in air and manner, with a grey beard. In course of
conversation he told me that he was a Circassian. He asked me about my
travels: and with reference to Syria said, "Land operations through
Kurdistan against Mehemet Ali were absurd. I suggested an attack by
sea, while a land force should make a diversion by Antioch, but I was
opposed." After the usual pipes and coffee we took our leave.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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