"You, alone, are in my secret. The Englishwomen are persuaded that I
have delivered them from Hadgi-Stavros. I charge myself with keeping up
the delusion until the King's return. It will be for only two days,
three at the most. We are forty kilometres from the Scironian Rocks;
our friend will reach there in the night. They will make the attack
to-morrow evening, and conquerors or conquered, they will be here Monday
morning. We can prove to the prisoners that the brigands surprised us.
While my godfather is absent, I will protect you against yourself by
keeping you away from these ladies. I will borrow your tent. You ought
to see, Monsieur, that I have a more delicate skin than this worthy
Hadgi-Stavros, and that I ought not to expose my complexion to the
changes of temperature! What would be said, on the 15th, at the Court
Ball if I presented myself brown as a peasant? I must, moreover, give
those poor captives the benefit of my society; it is my duty as their
liberator. As for you, you will sleep here in the midst of my soldiers.
Permit me to give an order, which concerns you. Ianni! Brigadier Ianni!
I confide Monsieur to thy care! Place around him four guards, who will
watch him night and day, accompany him everywhere, fully armed. Thou
wilt relieve them every two hours. Forward!"
He saluted me with ironical politeness, and humming a tune, descended
Mrs. Simons' staircase. The sentinel shouldered arms.
From that instant there began for me a purgatory of which the human mind
can have little conception. Everyone knows or guesses what a prison
would be; but try to imagine a living and moving prison, the four walls
of which come and go, recede and approach, turn and return, rubbing
hands, scratching, blowing noses, shaking, floundering about, and
obstinately fixing eight great black eyes upon the prisoner. I tried to
walk; my prison of eight feet regulated the step to mine. I went toward
the front of the camp; the two men who preceded me stopped short, I
bumped into them. This incident explained to me an inscription which I
had often seen, without understanding it, in the neighborhood of camps:
"Limit of Garrison" I turned around; my four walls turned like the
scenes in a theater where a change of view is required. At last, tired
of this way of promenading, I sat down. My prison seated itself around
me; I resembled an intoxicated man who sees his house turn. I closed my
eyes; the measured step of the sentinels wearied my brain. At least, I
thought if these four soldiers would but speak to me! I spoke to them in
Greek; it was a seductive agent which had never failed me with
sentinels. It was clear loss of time. The walls had, possibly, ears, but
the use of the voice was denied them; no one spoke under arms; I
attempted bribery. I drew from my pocket the money which Hadgi-Stavros
had returned and which the Captain had forgotten to take from me. I
distributed it to the four cardinal points of my lodge. The somber and
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account