The Bridge on the Drina - PDFDrive.com Read online

  end'. The insurgents knew that well enough themselves but did not want to

  acknowledge it, for these well-fed and well-clothed men who had saved their

  houses and properties by keeping wisely and cravenly far from the revolt

  irritated and provoked them. With them came that same Osman Effendi

  Karamanli,asifoutofhismind,palerandthinnerthanever,evenmorefrenzied

  and warlike. He was one of those men for whom failure has no meaning. He

  spokeofresistanceinanyplaceandatanypriceandcontinuallyoftheneedto

  die. Before his furious ardour everyone retreated or withdrew, save only

  Alihodja. He proved to the aggressive Osman Effendi, without the slightest

  malice, coldly and brutally, that what had happened to the revolt was exactly

  whathehadforeseenamonthagoonthisvery kapia. Herecommendedhimto

  leavewithhismenasquicklyaspossibleforPlevljeandnottomakebadworse.

  The hodja was now less aggressive, even to a certain extent compassionate

  towards this Karamanli as towards a sick man. For within himself, beneath all

  his outward obstinacy the hodja was greatly shaken by the approaching

  misfortune. He was unhappy and embittered as only a true-believing Moslem

  couldbewhoseesthataforeignforceisapproachinginexorably,beforewhose

  onslaughttheancientorderofIslamcouldnotlongsurvive.Thathiddenrancour

  couldbefeltinhisownwordsevenagainsthiswill.ToallKaramanli'sinsultshe

  repliedalmostsadly:'Doyouthink,Effendi,thatitiseasyformetobealiveto

  awaitthecomingoftheSchwabestoourland?Asifwedidnotknowwhatisin

  storeforusinthetimestocome?Weknowwhereithurtsusandwhatweare

  losing;weknowitonlytoowell.Ifyoucameheretotellusthis,youshouldnot

  havereturnedhere.IndeedtherewasnoneedforyoutocomefromPlevljeatall.

  For, as I see, you do not understand matters. Had you done so, you would not

  have done what you have done or said what you have said. This is a worse

  torment,Effendi,thanyoucanthink;nordoIknowaremedyforit,butIknow

  that what you suggest is not a remedy.' But Osman Effendi was deaf to

  everything that did not accord with his deep and sincere passion for resistance

  andhehatedthis hodja asmuchastheSchwabesagainstwhomhehadrevolted.

  Soisitalwayswhenanoverwhelmingenemyisnearandagreatdefeatcertain.

  In every society appear fratricidal hatreds and mutual quarrels. Not finding

  anything fresh to say, he went on calling Alihodja a traitor, ironically

  recommendinghimtogetbaptizedbeforetheSchwabescame.

  'Myancestorswerenotbaptized,norwillIbe.I,Effendi,havenowisheitherto

  be baptized with a Schwabe or to go to war with an idiot,' the hodja replied calmly.

  AlltheleadingVišegradTurkswereofthesameopinionasAlihodja,butalldid

  notthinkitdiscreettosayso,especiallysoharshlyanduncompromisingly.They

  were afraid of the Austrians who were coming but they were also afraid of

  Karamanliwhowithhismenhadtakenovercontrolofthetown.Thereforethey

  shut themselves up in their houses or withdrew to their properties outside the

  town, and when they could not avoid meeting Karamanli and his men they

  lookedawayorrepliedwithequivocalphraseslookingforthemostconvenient

  pretextandthesafestwayofextricatingthemselves.

  OnthelevelspaceinfrontoftheruinsofthecaravanseraiKaramanliheldopen

  courtfrommorningtoevening.Amotleycrowdwasalwaysabouthim,hisown

  men,chancepassers-by,thosewhocametobegsomethingfromthenewmaster

  ofthetownandtravellerswhomtheinsurgentsbroughtmoreorlessbyforcein

  front of their leader. And Karamanli talked incessantly. Even when he was

  talkingtoonemanheshoutedasifhewereaddressinghundreds.Stillpaler,he

  rolled his eyes, in which the whites had noticeably yellowed, and white foam

  gathered at the corners of his lips. One of the townsmen had told him of the

  MoslemtraditionaboutSheikTurhaniawhohaddiedtherelongagodefending

  thepassageoftheDrinaagainstaninfidelarmyandnowrestedinhisgraveon

  thefartherbankjustabovethebridge,butwhowithoutdoubtwouldriseagain

  the moment the first infidel soldier stepped on to the bridge. He seized on this

  legend, feverishly and passionately, expounding it to the people as a real and

  unexpectedaid.

  'Brothers,thisbridgewasaVezir'sbequest.Itiswrittenthataninfidelforceshall

  never cross it. It is not we alone who are to defend it but also this "holy one"

  whomriflescannothitnorswordscut.Shouldthefoecome,hewillrisefromhis

  graveandwillstandinthecentreofthebridgewithoutstretchedarms;andwhen

  theSchwabesseehimtheirkneeswilltremble,andtheirheartsfailsothatthey

  will not even be able to run away. Turkish brothers, do not disperse but all

  followmetothebridge.'

  SoKaramanlishoutedtothecrowd.Standingstifflyinhisblackshabbycloak,

  stretchingouthisarmsandshowinghowthe'holyone'wouldstand,helooked

  exactlylikeatallthinblackcrosswithaturbanontop.

  ThistheVišegradTurksknewevenbetterthanKaramanli,foreveryoneofthem

  had heard and told this legend countless times in his childhood, but they none

  thelessshowednottheleastdesiretominglefactwithlegendorreckononthe help of the dead since nothing could be expected of the living. Alihodja, who

  hadnotmovedfarfromhisshop,buttowhomthepeopletoldallthatwassaid

  or done before the Stone Han, only waved his arms sorrowfully and

  compassionately.

  'I knew that that idiot would not leave either the living or the dead in

  peace. Allahselametolsun! MayGodhelpus!'

  But Karamanli, helpless before the real enemy, turned all his fury against

  Alihodja.Hethreatened,heshoutedandsworethatbeforehewasforcedtoleave

  thetownhewouldnailtheobstinate hodja tothe kapia likeabadgertoawaitthe Schwabesinthatway,sincehedidnotwanttofightortoallowotherstodoso.

  All this bickering was cut short by the appearance of the Austrians on the

  Lijeska slopes. Then it was seen that the town really could not be defended.

  Karamanliwasthelasttoleavethetown,abandoningontheraisedlevelspace

  before the caravanserai both the iron cannons that he had dragged there. But

  before he left he carried out his threat. He ordered his servant, a smith by

  profession,amanofgiantsizebutwiththebrainofabird,tobindAlihodjaand

  tonailhimbytherighteartothatoakbeamwedgedbetweentwostonestepson

  the kapia, whichwasallthatremainedoftheformerblockhouse.

  Inthegeneralcrushandconfusionwhichreignedinthemarketplaceandaround

  the bridge, all heard that order given in a loud voice but no one even
dreamed

  that it would be carried out in the form in which it was given. In such

  circumstancesallsortsofthings,bravewordsandloudcurses,canbeheard.So

  tooitwasinthiscase.Atfirstsightthethingseemedinconceivable.Itwastobe

  considered a threat or an insult or something of the sort. Nor did Alihodja

  himself take the matter very seriously. Even the smith himself who had been

  orderedtocarryitoutandwhowasbusyspikingthegunshesitatedandseemed

  tothinkitover.Butthethoughtthatthe hodja mustbenailedtothe kapia wasin the air and the suspicious and embittered townsmen turned over in their minds

  theprospectsand probabilities of such a crime being carried out or not carried

  out. Would it be, or would it not be? At first the majority of them thought the affairtobe,asindeeditwas,senseless,uglyandimpossible.Butinmomentsof

  general excitement, something has to be done, something big and unusual, and

  that was the only thing to be done. Would it be—or would it not be? The

  possibility seemed stronger and became every moment and with every

  movement more probable and more natural. Why not? Two men already held

  the hodja whodidnotdefendhimselfovermuch.Theyboundhishandsbehind hisback.Butallthiswasstillfarfromsomadandterribleareality.Butitwas

  coming nearer and nearer. The smith, as if suddenly ashamed of his weakness

  and indecision, produced from somewhere or other the hammer with which a

  shorttimebeforehehadbeenspikingtheguns.ThethoughtthattheSchwabes

  weresotospeakalreadyhere,halfanhour'smarchfromthetown,gavehimthe

  resolution to bring the matter to a head. And with this same painful thought

  the hodja obstinately maintained his indifference to everything, even towards that mad, undeserved and shameful punishment to which they had condemned

  him.

  Soinafewmomentstheretookplacewhatinanyoneofthosemomentswould

  have seemed impossible and incredible. There was no one who would have

  considered that this deed was good or possible, yet everyone to some extent

  playedhispartinthefactthatthe hodja found himself on the bridge nailed by hisrighteartoawoodenbeamwhichwasonthe kapia; andwheneveryonefled

  inalldirectionsbeforetheSchwabeswhowerecomingdowntheslopesintothe

  town, the hodja remained in this strange but comic position, forced to kneel motionless since every movement, even the slightest, was exceedingly painful

  andthreatenedtotearoffhisear,whichseemedtohimasheavyandaslargeasa

  mountain.Hecriedout,buttherewasnoonetohearhimorreleasehimfromhis

  painfulsituationforeverythinglivinghadhiddeninthehousesorscatteredinto

  thevillagesforfear,partlyoftheSchwabeswhowerecomingandpartlyofthe

  insurgentswhowereleaving.Thetownseemeddeadandthebridgeasemptyas

  ifdeathhadsweptitclean.Therewasneitherlivingnordeadtodefendit,only

  onthe kapia themotionlessAlihodjacroucheddownwithhisheadstucktothe

  beam, groaning with pain but even in this position thinking up fresh proofs

  againstKaramanli.

  The Austrians approached slowly; from the farther bank their patrols had seen

  thetwocannonsinfrontofthecaravanseraiandtheyatoncehaltedtoawaitthe

  arrival of their mountain guns. About midday they fired a few shells from the

  shelterofalittlewood at the deserted caravanserai. They damaged the already

  ruined han anddestroyedthoseexceptionallyfinewindowgrilles,eachcutfrom

  asinglepieceofsoftstone.Onlyaftertheyhadgottherangeandoverturnedthe

  twoTurkishcannonsandseenthattheywereabandonedandthatnoonereplied

  didtheSchwabesceasetheirfireandbegintoapproachthebridgeandthetown

  witheveryprecaution.SomeMagyar honveds approachedthe kapia slowlywith

  theirriflesattheready.Theyhaltedinuncertaintybeforethehuddled hodja who

  infearoftheshells,whichhadwhistledandgrumbledabovehishead,hadfora momentforgottenthepainfromhisnailedear.Whenhesawthehatedsoldiers

  with their rifles trained on him, he began to utter piteous and prolonged sobs,

  since that was a language that everyone understood. This prevented him from

  beingshot.Someofthemcontinuedtheirslowadvancestepbystepacrossthe

  bridgewhileothersremainedbyhimlookingathimmorecloselyandunableto

  understandhisposition.Onlywhenahospitalorderlyarriveddidtheyfindapair

  ofpliers,carefullyextractedthenail,oneofthoseusedforshoeinghorses,and

  releasedAlihodja.Sostiffandexhaustedwashethathecollapsedonthestone

  step,groaningandsobbing.Theorderlydressedhisearwithsomesortofliquid

  whichstung.Throughhistearsthe hodja asifinastrangedreamlookedatthe

  broadwhitebandonthesoldier'sleftarmandonitalargeregularcrossinred

  material. Only in fever could such repulsive and terrible sights be seen. This

  cross swam and danced before his eyes and filled his whole horizon like a

  nightmare. Then the soldier bound up his wound and fixed his turban over the

  bandage. His head thus bandaged, and as if broken in his loins,

  the hodja draggedhimselftohisfeetandremainedsoforsomemomentsleaning

  on the stone parapet of the bridge. With difficulty he collected himself and

  regainedhiscalm.

  Oppositehim,onthefarsideofthe kapia, beneaththeTurkishinscriptioninthe

  stone,asoldierhadaffixedalargewhitepaper.Thoughhisheadwasthrobbing

  with pain the hodja could not restrain his curiosity and looked at that white placard. It was a proclamation by General Filipović, in Serbian and Turkish,

  addressed to the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the occasion of the

  entryoftheAustrianarmyintoBosnia.Screwinguphisrighteye,Alihodjaspelt

  outtheTurkishtext,butonlythosesentencesprintedinlargeletters:

  'PeopleofBosniaandHerzegovina!

  'The Army of the Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary has crossed the

  frontierofyourcountry.Itdoesnotcomeasanenemytotakethelandbyforce.

  It comes as a friend to put an end to the disorders which for years past have

  disturbed not only Bosnia and Herzegovina but also the frontier districts of

  Austria-Hungary.

  'TheKing-Emperorcouldnolongerseehowviolenceanddisorderruledinthe

  neighbourhoodofhisdominionsandhowmiseryandmisfortuneknockedatthe

  frontiersofhislands.

  'He has drawn the attention of the European States to your position and at a

  Council of the Nations it has been unanimously decided that Austria-Hungary shallrestoretoyouthepeaceandprosperitythatyouhavesolonglost.

  'His Majesty the Sultan who has your good at heart has felt it necessary to

  confideyoutotheprotectionofhispowerfulfriendtheKing-Emperor.

  'TheKing-Emperordecreesthatallsonsofthislandshallenjoythesame
rights

  beforethelawandthatthelives,faithandpropertyofallshallbeprotected.

  'People of Bosnia and Herzegovina! Put yourselves with confidence under the

  protectionofthegloriousstandardsofAustria-Hungary.Welcomeoursoldiersas

  friends,submityourselvestotheauthoritiesandreturntoyouroccupations.The

  fruitsofyourtoilwillbeprotected.'

  The hodja read haltingly, sentence by sentence. He did not understand every word,yeteverywordcausedhimpain,aspecialsortofpaincompletelydistinct

  fromthosepainswhichhefeltinhiswoundedear,inhisheadandinhisloins.

  Onlynow,fromthesewords,these'imperialwords',wasitatoncecleartohim

  that everything was ended for them, all that was his and theirs, ended in some

  strangefashiononceandforall;eyesgoonseeing,lipsspeaking,mangoeson

  livingbutlife,reallife,existsnomore.Aforeigntsarhadputhishandonthem

  andaforeignfaithruled.Thatemergedclearlyfromthosebigwordsandobscure

  commands,andstillmoreclearlyfromthatleadenpaininhisbreastwhichwas

  fiercer and harder to bear than any human pain that could be imagined. It was

  not thousands of fools like that Osman Karamanli who could do anything or

  changeanything(thusthe hodja continuedtoarguewithinhimself).'Weshallall

  die','Wemustdie'.Whatwastheuseofallthathullabaloowhen,hereandnow,

  therehadcomeforamanatimeofdisasterinwhichhecouldneitherlivenor

  die, but rotted like a stake in the earth and belonged to whomever you wished

  butnothimself.ThatwasthegreatmiserywhichtheKaramanlisofallsortsdid

  notseeandcouldnotunderstandandwhichbytheirlackofunderstandingthey

  madeevenheavierandmoreshameful.

  DeepinhisthoughtsAlihodjaslowlyleftthebridge.Hedidnotevennoticethat

  theAustrianred-crossmanwasaccompanyinghim.Hiseardidnotpainhimas

  much as that leaden and bitter pain which had risen in his breast after reading

  'the imperial words'. He walked slowly and it seemed to him that never again

  would he cross to the farther bank, that this bridge which was the pride of the

  townandeversinceitscreationhadbeensocloselylinkedwithit,onwhichhe