The Bridge on the Drina - PDFDrive.com Page 18

  armour, Fata was seated on a horse and led into the town. Meanwhile, in the

  courtyard, horses were loaded with the chests containing her trousseau. The

  marriagewasannouncedinthecourthousebeforethe kadi. Sowaskepttheword by which Avdaga gave his daughter to Mustajbeg's son. Then the little

  processionsetoutonthewaytoNezukewheretheformalweddingceremonies

  hadbeenprepared.

  Theypassedthroughthemarketplace,apartofthatroadwithoutescapewhich

  Fatahadcoveredsoofteninherthoughts.Itwasfirm,realandeveryday,almost

  easiertotraversethaninherimagination.

  Nostars,noexpanse,nofather'smuffledcough,nodesirefortime to go more

  quicklyormoreslowly.Whentheyreachedthebridge,thegirlfeltoncemore,as

  in the summer nights before her window, every part of her body strongly and

  separately, and especially her breasts in a light constriction as if in a corselet.

  Thepartyarrivedonthe kapia. Asshehaddonesomanytimesinherthoughts

  thoselastnights,thegirlleantoverandinawhisperbeggedtheyoungestbrother

  whowasridingbesidehertoshortenherstirrupsalittle,fortheywerecomingto

  thatsteeppassagefromthebridgedowntothestonytrackwhichledtoNezuke.

  They stopped, first those two and then, a little farther on, the other wedding

  guests.Therewasnothingunusualinthis.Itwasnotthefirstnorwoulditbethe

  last time that a wedding procession halted on the kapia. While the brother

  dismounted, went around the horse and threw the reins over his arm, the girl

  urged her horse to the very edge of the bridge, put her right foot on the stone parapet,sprangfromthesaddleasifshehadwings,leaptovertheparapetand

  threwherselfintotheroaringriverbelowthebridge.Thebrotherrushedafterher

  andthrewhimselfatfulllengthontheparapet,managingtotouchwithhishand

  the flying veil but was unable to hold it. The rest of the wedding guests leapt

  fromtheirhorseswiththemostextraordinarycriesandremainedalongthestone

  parapetinstrangeattitudesasiftheytoohadbeenturnedtostone.

  Thatsamedayrainfellbeforeevening,abundantandexceptionallycoldforthe

  time of year. The Drina rose and grew angry. Next day the yellowish flood

  waters threw Fata's corpse on to a shoal near Kalata. There it was seen by a

  fisherman who went at once to notify the police chief. A little later the police

  chief himself arrived with the muktar, the fisherman and Salko Corkan. For

  withoutSalkonothingofthissortcouldevertakeplace.

  Thecorpsewaslyinginsoftwetsand.Thewavesmovedittoandfroandfrom

  time to time their cloudy waters washed over it. The new black veil which the

  waters had not succeeded in pulling off had been turned back and thrown over

  herhead;mingledwithherlongthickhairitformedastrangeblackmassbeside

  thewhitelovelybodyoftheyounggirlfromwhichthecurrenthadtornawaythe

  thin wedding garments. Frowning and with set jaws Salko and the fisherman waded out to the shoal, caught hold of the naked girl and, embarrassed and

  carefully, as if she were still alive, took her to the bank from the wet sand in whichshehadalreadybeguntosink,andthereatoncecoveredherwiththewet

  andmudbespatteredveil.

  ThatsamedaythedrownedgirlwasburiedinthenearestMoslemgraveyard,on

  thesteepslopebelowthehillonwhichVeljeLugwasbuilt.Andbeforeevening

  the ne'er-do-wells of the town had collected in the inn around Salko and the

  fisherman with that unhealthy and prurient curiosity which is especially

  developed among those whose life is empty, deprived of every beauty and

  lackinginexcitementandevents.Theytoastedtheminplumbrandyandoffered

  them tobacco in order to hear some detail about the corpse and the burial. But

  nothinghelped.EvenSalkosaidnothing.Hesmokedcontinuouslyandwithhis

  onebrighteyelookedatthesmokewhichheblewasfarawayaspossiblefrom

  him with strong puffs. Only those two, Salko and the fisherman, looked at one

  another from time to time, lifted their little flasks in silence as if pledging

  somethinginvisibleanddrainedthematagulp.

  Thusitwasthatthatunusualandunheardofeventtookplaceonthe kapia. Velje

  LugdidnotgodowntoNezukeandAvdaga'sFataneverbecamethewifeofa

  Hamzić.

  Avdaga Osmanagić never again went down into the town. He died that same

  winter, suffocated by his cough, without speaking a word to anyone of the

  sorrowthathadkilledhim.

  The next spring Mustajbeg Hamzić married his son to another girl, from

  Brankovići.

  For some time the townspeople talked about the incident and then began to

  forget it. All that remained was a song about a girl whose beauty and wisdom

  shoneabovetheworldasifitwereimmortal.

  IX

  Some seventy years after the Karageorge insurrection war broke out again in

  Serbia and the frontier reacted by rebellion. Once more Turkish and Serbian

  housesflamedontheheights,atZlijeba,Gostilje,CrniceandVeletovo.Forthe

  firsttimeaftersomanyyearstheheadsofdecapitatedSerbsagainappearedon

  the kapia. Thesewerethin-facedshort-hairedpeasantheadswithbonyfacesand

  longmoustaches,asthoughtheywerethesameasthoseexposedseventyyears

  before. But all this did not last long. As soon as the war between Serbia and

  Turkey ended, the people were again left in peace. It was, in truth, an uneasy

  peace which concealed many fearful and exciting rumours and anxious

  whisperings.Moreandmoredefinitelyandopenlywastheretalkoftheentryof

  theAustrianarmyintoBosnia.Atthebeginningofthesummerof1878unitsof

  theregularTurkisharmypassedthroughthetownontheirwayfromSarajevoto

  Priboj. The idea spread that the Sultan would cede Bosnia without a struggle.

  SomefamiliesmadereadytomoveintotheSanjak,amongstthemsomeofthose

  who thirty years before, not wishing to live under Serbian rule, had fled from

  Uzice and who were now once again preparing to flee from another and new

  Christian rule. But the majority stayed, awaiting what was to come in painful

  uncertaintyandoutwardindifference.

  AtthebeginningofJulythe mufti ofPlevljearrivedwithasmallbodyofmen,

  filledwithagreatresolvetoorganizeresistanceinBosniaagainsttheAustrians.

  A fair-haired serious man of calm appearance but fiery temperament, he sat on

  the kapia where,onelovelysummer'sday,hesummonedtheTurkishleadersof

  the town and began to incite them to fight against the Austrians. He assured

  themthatthegreaterpartoftheregulararmywouldremaininBosniadespiteits

  ordersandwouldjoinwiththepeopletoopposethenewconqueror,andcalled

  on the young men to join
him and the townspeople to send provisions to

  Sarajevo. The muîti knew that the people of Višegrad had never had the

  reputationofbeingenthusiasticfightersandthattheypreferredtolivefoolishly

  ratherthantodiefoolishly,buthewasnonethelesssurprisedatthelukewarm

  responsethatheencountered.Unabletocontrolhimselfanylongerhethreatened

  them with the justice of the people and the anger of God, and then left his

  assistantOsmanEffendiKaramanlitogoonconvincingthepeopleofVišegrad

  oftheneedfortheirparticipationinageneralinsurrection.

  Duringthediscussionswiththe mufti, thegreatestresistancehadbeenshownby

  AlihodjaMutevelić.Hisfamilywasoneoftheoldestandmostrespectedinthe town. They had never been noted for their fortune, but rather for their honesty

  and openness. They had always been reckoned obstinate men, but not

  susceptible to bribes, intimidation, flattery or any other consideration of lower

  type. For more than 200 years the oldest member of their family had been

  the mutevelia, theguardianandadministratorofMehmedPasha'sfoundationin

  thetown.HelookedafterthefamousStoneHannearthebridge.Wehaveseen

  how, after the loss of Hungary, the Stone Han lost the revenues on which it

  depended for its upkeep and by force of circumstances became a ruin. Of the

  Vezir'sfoundationthereremainedonlythebridge,apublicbenefitwhichdidnot

  require special maintenance and brought in no revenue. So there remained for

  theMutevelićsonlytheirfamilynameasaproudmemorialofthecallingwhich

  they had honourably carried out for so many years. That calling had in fact

  ceased at the time when Dauthodja had succumbed in his struggle to maintain

  theStoneHan,butthepridehadremainedandwithitthetraditionalcustomthat

  the Mutevelić family was called upon above all others to look after the bridge

  and that it was in some way responsible for its fate, since the bridge was an

  integralpartofthegreatreligiousfoundationwhichthefamilyhadadministered

  andwhichhadsopitiablydriedup.Alsobylongestablishedcustomoneofthe

  Mutevelićfamilywenttoschoolandbelongedtothe ulema, thelearnedbodyof

  the Moslem clergy. Now it was Alihodja. Otherwise the family had greatly

  diminishedbothinnumbersandproperty.Theynowhadonlyafewserfsanda

  shop, which they had kept for a long time past, in the best position in the

  marketplace,quiteclosetothebridge.TwoelderbrothersofAlihodjahaddied

  inthewars,oneinRussiaandtheotherinMontenegro.

  Alihodjahimselfwasstillayoungman,lively,healthyandsmiling.Likeareal

  Mutevelić he held contrary opinions in everything, defending them tenaciously

  and sticking to them obstinately. Because of his outspoken nature and

  independenceofhisthoughthewasfrequentlyatoddswiththelocal ulema and

  theMoslemnotables.Hehadthetitleandrankof hodja but neither carried out

  any of the duties of that office nor received any income from that calling. In

  order to be as independent as possible, he himself looked after the shop which

  hadbeenleftbyhisfather.

  Like the majority of the Višegrad Moslems, Alihodja too was opposed to any

  armed resistance. But in his case there could be no question of cowardice or

  religious lukewarmness. He loathed the foreign Christian power and all that it

  wouldbringwithitasmuchasthe mufti oranyoftheinsurgents.Butseeingthat

  the Sultan had in fact left Bosnia at the mercy of the Schwabes (for so they called the Austrians) and knowing his fellow-citizens, he was opposed to any

  disorganizedpopularresistancewhichcouldonlyendindisasterandmaketheir

  misfortunethegreater.Whenoncethisideawasfirmlyimplantedinhismind,he

  preacheditopenlyanddefendeditwithspirit.Onthisoccasiontoohekepton

  asking awkward questions and made sarcastic comments which greatly

  disconcerted the mufti. Thus unintentionally he sustained among the people of Višegrad, who in any case would not have been so swift to battle or much

  inclinedtomakesacrifices,aspiritofopenresistanceagainstthe mufti's warlike

  intentions.

  When Osman Effendi Karamanli remained in the town to continue his

  discussions with the people, he found himself faced with Alihodja. Those few

  begsandagaswhoswallowedtheirwordsandmeasuredtheirphrasesandwho

  in fact were in complete agreement with Alihodja left it to the sincere and

  ebullient hodja tocomeintotheopenandenterintoconflictwithKaramanli.

  Thus early one evening the leading Višegrad Turks were sitting on

  the kapia, cross-leggedinacircle.InthecentrewasOsmanEffendi,atallthin

  paleman.Everymuscleofhisfacewasunnaturallyset,hiseyeswerefeverish

  andhisforeheadandcheeksmarkedalloverwithscarslikeanepileptic.Before

  him stood the hodja, reddish in face and small in stature, yet somehow

  impressive,askingmoreandmorequestionsinhisthinreedyvoice.Whatforces

  hadthey?Whereweretheytogo?Withwhatmeans?How?Whatfor?Whatwill

  happenincaseoffailure?Thecoldandalmostmischievouspedantrywithwhich

  the hodja treated the matter only served to conceal his own anxiety and

  bitternessattheChristiansuperiorityandtheevidentweaknessanddisorderof

  the Turks. But the hot-headed and sombre Osman Effendi was not the man to

  notice or understand such things. Of violent and uncontrolled temper, a fanatic

  with overstrung nerves, he quickly lost patience and control and attacked

  the hodja at every sign of doubt or wavering as if he were a Schwabe.

  This hodja irritated him and he replied to him only with generalities and big words. The main thing was not to allow the foe to enter the country without

  resistance,andwhoeveraskedtoomanyquestionsonlyhinderedthegoodwork

  and aided the enemy. In the end, completely beside himself, he replied with

  scarcelyconcealeddisdaintoeveryquestionofthe hodja:'Thetimehascometo

  die','Wewilllaydownourlives','Weshallalldietothelastman'.

  'But,' broke in the hodja, 'I understood that you wanted to drive the Schwabes outofBosniaandthatwasthereasonwhyyouwerecollectingus.Ifitisonlya

  question of dying, then we too know how to die, Effendi, even without your assistance.Thereisnothingeasierthantodie.'

  'Ama, Icanseethatyouwillnotbeoneofthosewhodie,'brokeinKaramanli,

  harshly.

  'Icanseethatyouwillbeone,'answeredthe hodja sarcastically,'onlyIdonot

  seewhyyouaskforourcompanyinthissenselessattempt.'

  TheconversationthendegeneratedintoanopenquarrelinwhichOsmanEffendi

  referred to Alihodja as a renegade, one of those traitors whose heads, like the

  Serbs',shouldbeexposedonthe kapia, whilethe hodja imperturbably we
nt on splitting hairs and demanding proofs and reasons, as if he had not even heard

  thosethreatsandinsults.

  Indeeditwouldhavebeenhardtofindtwoworsenegotiatorsormoreunsuited

  contestants. Nothing more could have been expected of them than increasing

  general anxiety and the creation of one quarrel the more. That was to be

  regretted,buttherewasnothingtobedoneaboutit,forsuchmomentsofsocial

  upset and great inevitable change usually throw up just such men, unbalanced

  andincomplete,toturnthingsinsideoutorleadthemastray.Thatisoneofthe

  signsoftimesofdisorder.

  None the less this barren quarrel was a boon to the begs and agas for the

  questionoftheirparticipationintheinsurrectionremainedunansweredandthey

  themselves were not compelled to take sides at once. Quivering with rage and

  shoutinginsultsatthetopofhisvoice,OsmanEffendileftthenextdaywitha

  fewofhismentofollowthe mufti toSarajevo.

  The news which arrived in the course of the month only served to confirm the

  agasandbegsintheiropportunistviewthatitwouldbebettertopreservetheir

  town and their homes. By mid-August the Austrians entered Sarajevo. A little

  later there was a disastrous clash on Glasinac, which was also the end of all

  resistance. Remnants of the routed Turkish bands began to descend the steep

  roadfromLijeskathroughOkolište.Amongstthemweresomeregularsoldiers

  who despite the Sultan's order had joined the resistance movement of the local

  insurgentsontheirownaccount.Thesoldiersonlyaskedforbreadandwaterand

  thewayontoUvac,buttheinsurgentswerebitterandangrymenwhomtherout

  hadnotbroken.Blackened,dustyandinrags,theyrepliedcurtlytothequestions

  ofthepeaceableVišegradTurksandmadereadytodigtrenchesanddefendthe

  bridge.

  Alihodja was again to the fore; he pointed out indefatigably and regardless of consequences that the town could not be defended and that resistance was

  senseless since the 'Schwabes had already swept through Bosnia from end to