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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b354d43 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50812 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50812) diff --git a/old/50812-8.txt b/old/50812-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index fd41b15..0000000 --- a/old/50812-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5428 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The story of my struggles: the memoirs of -Arminius Vambéry, Volume 1 (of 2), by Arminius Vambéry - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The story of my struggles: the memoirs of Arminius Vambéry, Volume 1 (of 2) - -Author: Arminius Vambéry - -Release Date: December 31, 2015 [EBook #50812] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS OF ARMINIUS VAMBERY, VOL 1 *** - - - - -Produced by Albert László, Martin Pettit and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -THE STORY OF MY STRUGGLES - - - - -_BY THE SAME AUTHOR._ - - -ARMINIUS VAMBÉRY: - -His Life and Adventures. - - Imperial 16mo, cloth, 6s. Boys' Edition, crown 8vo, cloth gilt, - gilt edges, 5s. - - -THE STORY OF HUNGARY. - - Fully Illustrated. Large crown 8vo, cloth, 5s. (THE STORY OF THE - NATIONS SERIES.) - - -LONDON: T. FISHER UNWIN. - - -[Illustration: PROFESSOR VAMBÉRY AT THE AGE OF 70 - -(_Photo by Strelisky._)] - - - - -THE STORY OF MY STRUGGLES - -THE MEMOIRS OF ARMINIUS VAMBÉRY - -PROFESSOR OF ORIENTAL LANGUAGES -IN THE UNIVERSITY OF BUDAPEST - -VOLUME I - -[Illustration: Logo] - -LONDON: T. FISHER UNWIN -PATERNOSTER SQUARE . 1904 - - -(_All rights reserved._) - - - - -Preface - - -Authors of Autobiographies are much exposed to fall into -self-glorification. If I nevertheless have undertaken to write the -following pages, I have done so because of the unexpectedly favourable -criticism which the first two chapters of my book--_Life and Adventures -of Arminius Vambéry, Written by Himself_--met with in England and in -America. In this book I tried to lay before the public an account of -such travels and wanderings of mine as were not comprised in my first -book on Central Asia, and in addition I thought it advisable to give a -few outlines of my juvenile adventures and struggles. Strange to say it -was the narrative of the latter which elicited the particular interest -of my readers, as I noticed from the many letters I received from the -most distant parts of Europe and America. - -Well, I said to myself, if such short sketches of my curious career have -evoked this interest on the part of my readers, what will be the -impression if I draw the picture of my whole life and of all the -vicissitudes I went through from my childhood to my present old age? -This is the main reason of the issue of the present volumes. Keeping in -mind the Oriental proverb, "To speak of his own self is the business of -the Shaitan," I have reluctantly touched upon many topics connected with -my personality, but events are mostly inseparable from actors, and -besides I have found encouragement in recalling the appreciation Britons -and Americans are habitually ready to accord to the career of self-made -men. - -There are besides other motives which have served as incentives to these -pages. The various stages of my life have been passed in various -countries and societies, and a personal record of men and events dating -from half a century back may not be without interest to the present -generation. Unchecked by conventional modesty and false shame, I have -related all I went through in plain and unadorned words, and if I have -not concealed facts relating to my very humble origin and to the -mistakes I committed, neither have I thought it necessary to leave -unmentioned the result of my labours and the honours entailed by them. -It is now forty years ago since I had first the honour of coming before -the British public, and my desire to be thoroughly known by it may be -pardoned. - -A. VAMBÉRY. - - - - -Contents - - -CHAPTER I. - PAGE -MY ANTECEDENTS AND INFANCY 1 - - -CHAPTER II. - -JUVENILE STRUGGLES 33 - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE PRIVATE TUTOR 69 - - -CHAPTER IV. - -MY FIRST JOURNEY TO THE EAST 105 - - -CHAPTER V. - -MY SECOND JOURNEY TO THE EAST 161 - - -CHAPTER VI. - -THE RETURN TO EUROPE 203 - - - - -Illustrations - - -PROFESSOR VAMBÉRY AT THE AGE OF SEVENTY _Frontispiece_ - -PROFESSOR VAMBÉRY IN HIS EIGHTEENTH YEAR _Facing page 35_ - - -My Antecedents and Infancy - - - - -CHAPTER I - -MY ANTECEDENTS AND INFANCY - - -"_Cogito ergo sum!_" Yes, I am here, but the date of my birth I cannot -positively state, as I have no means of ascertaining it. I had the -problematic good fortune to be born of Jewish parents, and as at that -time the Jews in Hungary were not compelled by law to be regularly -registered, and the authorities were satisfied with such scanty -information as the parish documents afforded, I have not been able to -get any official certificate as to the date of my birth. My mother told -me that I was born shortly before my father's death on St. Joseph's Day, -and as my father was one of the last victims of the cholera which began -to scourge the land in 1830, I cannot be far wrong in giving the year of -my birth as 1831 or 1832. - -Genealogy not being one of my favourite subjects, I will not trouble the -reader with a detailed account of my pedigree. As far as I know, my -great-great-grandfather came from the worthy little town of Bamberg, and -when the Emperor Joseph II. commanded his Jewish subjects to take a -surname, my grandfather, who was born in Hungary, took the name of the -town of his ancestors, and was entered as Bamberger. As time went on the -"B" was changed into "W," and my father wrote his name as Wamberger, -although he made but little use of this registered name, for in those -days the Orthodox Jews followed the Oriental custom, according to which -the father's name is the one generally used, and the family name is -merely of official importance. My father was not only a devout Jew, but -also a distinguished Talmudist who often spent whole days and nights in -study, without troubling himself much about mundane affairs. Religious -zeal and love of learning are the two powerful levers of this especially -Jewish erudition, and its disciples who regard intellectual and -religious attainments as one and the same thing necessarily live in a -visionary world into which none but theologians of Asiatic creeds can -penetrate, and which has long since been closed to Christian divines, -whose doctrines are so permeated with scepticism. According to my -mother's saying, my father must have caught this fever of fanatical -enthusiasm in his early youth. In ordinary life he was diffident and -awkward, and when he came to woo her in her father's house at -Lundenburg, in Moravia, his appearance had caused much secret amusement -to the girls of the Malavan family. But my mother, a beautiful girl of -eighteen, had soon taken a liking to the bashful young scholar, who had -bright eyes and pleasant features to recommend him. She had been brought -up by a stepmother, and from her earliest youth had tasted many a time -from the bitter cup of life. She hoped to find happiness at the side of -an earnest and religious-minded man, and so easily yielded to the -persuasions of her Orthodox father, and left her home and her birthplace -to follow the Talmudist, of whom as yet she knew but little, into -Hungary to the town of St. Georghen, in the Presburger county, where my -father, as a native of the place, hoped to get the appointment of -under-rabbi. - -But, as is only too well known, theologians of all times and religions -have always evinced an unconquerable hatred, jealousy, and bitterness -towards men of their own profession, and the darts thrown by the -religious zealot are known to be far more venomous than those of the -hunter after worldly treasures. The Talmudists of St. Georghen, whose -number must of necessity have been very limited, were not exempt from -this vice, and as my father's quiet, modest nature could not cope with -his antagonists, the hope of preferment vanished more and more into the -background, and the darkened horizon of the poor man's future was now -only illumined by the steady glimmer of his enthusiasm for his studies. -While musing and speculating upon the intricacies of the Mishna and -Gemara, the good man quite forgot that the modest dowry which my mother -had brought with her could not last for ever, and was not inexhaustible -like the bottomless discussions and arguments of his favourite study, -and that in order to live one had to look beyond the world of books into -the busy market-place of everyday life. Soon my mother had to rouse him -to the realisation of this cruel necessity. She was fully aware of the -gravity of the situation, and all the ways and means by which the clever -but young and inexperienced woman had tried to ward off the evil day -proved fruitless. At one time she advised her husband to commence a -fruit and corn business, then they tried to keep a public-house, but -when everything failed the pious Talmudist was forced to become a -hawker, and buying the agricultural products from the farmers in the -neighbouring villages to try to sell them again at a small profit. What -terrible martyrdom this must have been to the inspired Talmudist--to -leave his study and his books and to go hawking among the raw Slavonic -peasants of the neighbourhood! What self-sacrifice, to leave the -multi-coloured, visionary fields of "Halacha" and "Hagada," and to -descend to the vulgar occupation of bargaining and bartering for a sack -of beans or peas, a sheep- or a goat-skin. My mother often recalled it -with tears in her eyes, for she was deeply attached to my father. She -shared his enthusiasm for study, she sympathised in his mental -struggles, but the voice of hunger is peremptory; she encouraged and -helped him, and my poor father hardly ever lost his patience. One wet -day in autumn, having bought a cowhide, yet damp, from a butcher at -Ratzersdorf, he flung it over his shoulder on the top of a heavy load he -was carrying. Thus laden he reached home late in the evening, wet -through and tired out after wading through the deep mud. My mother -awaited him with the frugal evening meal, but he, throwing down his load -on the floor, went straight into his little study, where he buried -himself in his books; and when my mother, tired of waiting, came to look -for him, she found him as deep in his studies as if he had been sitting -there the whole day. A man of such habits and tendencies was not likely -to succeed in looking after the temporary needs of his family. It is -therefore not surprising that my mother, with her practical common -sense, at last came to the conclusion that it would be best to leave her -husband to his books, and herself to look after the support of the -family. And so my mother became a business woman. She went out into the -world while my father sat at home in his study and took care of the -house. A sad change of places, which pleased my mother only in so far -as, being a pious Jewess, she thought she was doing a work well pleasing -to God. But the interests of the family suffered greatly, for as she was -inexperienced in the struggle for existence, our poverty increased -rapidly, and when the destroying angel, the cholera, at that time -ravaging Europe, swept over North-West Hungary also, and snatched away -my father, my mother, at the age of twenty-two, was left a widow with -two children in the greatest distress. - -This terrible blow, the misery of it, and the feeling of loneliness in a -strange land filled the young, energetic woman with unwonted activity. -She took a young companion from Lundenburg into the house to look after -the children, in order that she might devote herself more entirely to -her business. She laboured without interruption, and in the second year -of her widowhood she had the satisfaction of seeing her cellar stocked -with good wine, her storehouse full of corn, and her inn one of the most -frequented in the little town of St. Georghen. She was getting on very -well indeed, but in order to extend her business she thought a man's -support was necessary, so she married again. Her husband was a young man -of her own age, who came from Duna Szerdahely, and was now to be the -father of the orphans (_i.e._, my sister and myself) and my mother's -protector and companion. Whether my mother was induced to take this step -under the pretext used by all young widows, or whether she really needed -assistance, I cannot and dare not investigate. One thing is certain, she -did not improve her condition, for Mr. Fleischmann, as her second -husband was called, was a kind-hearted, easy-going man, but by no means -industrious or enterprising. He helped to spend the money, but not to -make it. And when, after the first year, my mother upbraided him for his -idleness, he declared that here, among strangers, he should never get -on, but if my mother would go with him to his native town he was sure -that there, surrounded by his relatives and friends, he should be far -better able to attend to his duties as head of the family. - -And so it came about that my mother, and we with her, left St. Georghen -and settled at Duna Szerdahely, from which place I date my intellectual -awakening, for I look upon this town, and not the one where I first -beheld the light, as my real birthplace. I must at that time have been -about three years old, and my recollections of my first home are very -vague indeed. But I clearly remember one scene. I was playing about -under the big oblong table of the public room, while on the knobs round -about the table small miniature loaves were strung together, which I ate -one after the other, for even then I was known for my large appetite. -These gastric feats were interrupted by the entrance of several guests, -who playfully blew the froth of their beer glasses down upon me. It gave -me a fright which I remember to this day. Other incidents of my infancy -have also left a vague impression upon my mind. Thus, for instance, I -remember quite distinctly the morning when I got up with a pain in my -foot, and began to limp. Coxalgia had then taken hold of me, and I began -to go lame with my left leg, an affliction for which no cure could be -found, as will be further related in the course of this narrative. I can -slightly remember our move, which was effected on a large waggon, but I -have no distinct recollection of anything during the first two or three -years in Duna Szerdahely, my adopted native town. - -Where other children find roses on their path, and the blue sky of -golden youth is for ever smiling down upon them, I found nothing but -thorns, privation, and misery. It soon became evident that our -stepfather, as already mentioned, although a good-hearted man, possessed -none of those qualities which everybody needs in the struggle of life; -how much more, then, a man who has a whole family dependent upon him! -The small capital which my mother had brought with her from St. Georghen -soon dwindled away. Poverty entered the house and peace departed, and -the children had to suffer much through the mother's ever-increasing -despondency. The public-house had to be given up, and we tried a fresh -departure, viz., the sale of leeches. This was a sort of family trade of -the Fleischmanns in Duna Szerdahely, or rather a miserable sort of -hawker's business. The brothers Fleischmann bought from the peasants the -leeches found in abundance in the neighbouring swamps, and after sorting -them they sold them to the apothecaries of Northern Hungary. - -At a very early age I was initiated into the details of the trade. The -leeches had to be sorted according to size, and put in linen bags about -40 centimeters long; they were bathed twice in the twenty-four hours, an -operation at which the children assisted, but I had great difficulty in -overcoming a feeling of repugnance when I had to separate the wretched -creatures from the slimy substance. It happened sometimes that the -leeches escaped in the night from the bag, if it had not been securely -enough fastened, and crawled about in the room which served us all as -bedroom. As we children had to sleep on the floor, for lack of a -bedstead, sometimes the one, sometimes the other of us would wake with a -sudden fright, for the hungry animals used to get hold of our toes, or -some other member, and quietly begin to suck. Then, of course, there was -a general commotion; the creatures had to be searched for with a light, -and replaced in the bag. The tragi-comedy of these nocturnal scenes -highly amused us children. - -The weal and the woe of the family, which meanwhile had increased from -four to six and seven, depended entirely upon the demand for, and the -price of, leeches. In Hungary, bleeding was still in fashion, but as -medical science in its steady growth began to prohibit all methods for -reducing the blood, the demand for leeches necessarily became less; and -as their value decreased, the poverty in our home increased. The rosy -days of childhood were for me days of suffering and privation and want. -Sometimes the pinch of poverty was terrible to bear, especially when my -stepfather was on one of his hawking tours, which often took weeks. -Then, when the money he had left behind had come to an end, we had to -live on black bread, potatoes cooked in various ways, beans, peas, and -lentils. Coffee and milk were luxuries, and meat we only had in very -small portions on Saturdays and feast-days. Many a time we had not even -bread, and I have a lively recollection of the queer manner in which we -managed to get hold of some. Our house, a poor, dilapidated little place -on a level with the ground, stood at the extreme end of the little town, -on the borders of a willow-grove, and close to the large piece of waste -ground where wandering gipsies used to set up their black tents. Thus at -a very early age I became interested in gipsy life. I distinctly -remember the camp of these brown children of the East. Some of them were -almost naked, others dressed in rags, but never failed to display large -silver buttons on their tattered garments. My first impressions of -nomadic life I received through these people. They belonged to the tribe -known in Hungary as the "Wallachian Gipsies," a remarkable people, -wilder and more lawless than the half-civilised tribes. They lived by -stealing, fortune-telling, and tinkering, and were so hardened that in -the bitterest weather they would camp in the open. The next morning the -children would be packed into a kind of feather-bed, which was slung -over the horse's head, forming bags on either side; and so the journey -was resumed, the mother generally sitting on the horse, the bigger boys -and the men going on foot. - -The road leading to the villages situated on the island Schütt, between -Duna Szerdahely and Komorn, went past our house, and as on Fridays all -the beggars of the neighbourhood were allowed to beg for alms of any -description in the market-places, mendicants of all ages and both sexes -might be seen on such days making their way past our house towards those -places. The picture of the horrible, motley caravan of feigned and real -cripples, blind, dumb, and lame folks, of lepers and paralytics, in -their dirty, tattered garments, fills me with dismay even now. The -phantoms of the past are ever before my eyes. And it was with these -miserable, offensive creatures that I had to barter on Friday afternoons -for the bread and other victuals they had collected during the -day--money seldom came their way--in exchange for one or two bottles of -brandy. It was indeed a bitter piece of bread, grudgingly bestowed by -dirty, sickly hands. Nevertheless, it was welcome food to us in our -starving condition. In my earliest youth I made the acquaintance of that -terrible spectre, hunger, and even in subsequent stages of my life he -has often been my companion; my battles with this monster were certainly -not amongst the lightest I have had to fight. - -In spite of everything I grew up strong and healthy, and, with the -exception of one illness when I was three years old--and of which I -have some remembrance, because my mother, in obedience to a superstition -prevalent in Hungary, sold me for a few kreuzer to another woman, in the -hope that God would ward off the impending danger, and be moved to -clemency towards the possibly sinless new mother--I have not known a -day's illness in the whole of my life. From early spring till late -autumn I went about generally barefooted and scantily clothed. In the -summer I slept by preference in the yard, under the overhanging roof of -our house, instead of in the close bedroom, and I slept so soundly that -not even a thunderstorm roused me until my naked feet were soaking wet -with the pouring rain. My rosy, chubby cheeks, my bright, black eyes, -and my curly hair found favour with the women folk; and whenever I came -in the market-place the farmers' wives petted and fondled me, and always -made the same remark, "Pity the little Jew is crooked." Personally, I -did not trouble much about this bodily defect. With my crutch tucked -under the left arm, I went about quite happily, and even tried to run -races with my companions. But when I had to give up the race on account -of my lame leg, and came home crying, my mother used to comfort me with -the words: "My child, thou wilt do better than any of thy companions, -but thou must have patience and perseverance." - -My bodily affliction, however, was a grievous thorn in my mother's eye. -Her vanity was wounded, and her one aim and object was to rid me of the -evil. What has she not done to effect this? The ways and means by which -she endeavoured to cure me pass all description. The most out-of-the-way -remedies and magic cures were resorted to. I was not only bathed in -various kinds of herbs, rubbed with all possible and imaginable salves -and greases, but the strangest magic charms were tried at my expense. -And when everything failed I was placed at midnight at the crossing of -the road, to fall under the spell of passing old gipsy women. But worst -of all were the experiments of miracle-mongers or quacks. At one time -one such appeared in the shape of a Catholic priest, in the village of -Rudnó, in North Hungary, and no sooner had my mother heard of him than -she left the family in charge of her relatives, and undertook the long, -laborious journey to find him. As there were no railways, we travelled -on foot, a charitable farmer sometimes giving us a lift on his loaded -cart. And so we trudged on for many weary days, until the wretched -little village was reached. My poor destitute mother had to slip a fee -into the hand of the landlady of this clerical charlatan before we could -be admitted, but the gentleman of the black cowl did not waste many -words with his patients. He casually looked at my crooked leg, wrote a -prescription--the apothecary being partner in this holy business--and I -was dismissed with the promise of a speedy recovery. Even to this day I -marvel how my mother, a thoroughly clever, capable woman--although she -could neither read nor write--was so desperately entangled in the meshes -of superstition, and that no amount of disillusion could save her from -falling into the same error again. - -The uselessness of the Rudnó prescription was still fresh in our minds, -when the fame of a new Wonder-doctor in the village of Gròb, in the -Neutraer county, was spread abroad, and my mother at once set out again. -The miraculous cure-worker this time was not a priest, but an ordinary, -ignorant peasant who could neither read nor write. We went to see him at -his farm, and when he heard that there was good wine to be had in Duna -Szerdahely, he at once offered to go home with us to effect the cure. A -cure indeed! So barbarously cruel and drastic was the remedy, that no -man with any proper feeling would have subjected an animal to it. For -five days running my leg had to be held over hot vapours every morning -for a certain length of time to soften the sinews and fibres, as the -peasant-doctor explained. Then on the sixth day the great operation took -place. My mother was sent out of the house, and I was made to lie down -on the floor, two strong gipsies acting as assistants, holding me tight, -the one by the shoulders, the other by the feet. Then the peasant threw -himself with all his weight upon the crippled knee, which formed almost -a right angle. A terrible crash--and I knew no more. When I came to -myself again, my poor weeping mother was on her knees beside me. She -caressed me and gave me something to drink. The injured leg was now put -between rough wooden splints and tightly bandaged. Curative measures of -this kind were in vogue in Hungary in 1836, and they are so still, not -only in Hungary, but in other countries of civilised Europe! Of course -the operation was without success. When the splints were removed, and I -could go about again, the old mischief returned, the crutch had again to -be resorted to, and I have gone through life limping, not altogether to -my disadvantage, as the subsequent pages will show. - -Apart from this bodily defect I enjoyed good health as a child, -notwithstanding the chary and very primitive nourishment I received, and -in spite of the many miseries to which I was exposed on account of -insufficient clothing. Sometimes I was inclined to envy the better lot -of my schoolfellows and companions, and was unhappy in consequence, but -this early hardening process was the very best training I could have had -for my later career. The sufferings and privations I had later to bear -as Mohammedan mendicant friar seemed to me not much harder nor more -trying than what I had to go through in my youth. - -This much as regards my physical bringing up. As for my intellectual -accomplishments, the reader must first be made acquainted with the -literary demands which, to the Orthodox Jew of those days, were -inseparable from a righteous and God-fearing life. Just as the -Mohammedan understands by learning merely religious knowledge, by -erudition merely a thorough acquaintance with the Koran and ritualistic -observances, and sees the ideal of education only in theological -accomplishments, so also the Jew regards a knowledge of the Holy -Scriptures as the only essential thing, and the study of the Talmud is -his chief accomplishment. Young lads, therefore, are first of all taught -to read Hebrew, and when they have become familiar with the letters of -the foreign tongue, they proceed to translate the Hebrew text according -to a very primitive method. They are told a few words here and there, -and have to make out the sense as best they can. Then, as a third stage, -they come to the grammar, the actual study of the language. Schools in -general were conducted much on the same primitive principle. Any Jew -with a sufficient knowledge of the Holy Scriptures was authorised to set -up an educational establishment, and the success of the school depended -in most cases upon the greatest number of successful pupils and on the -smallness of the school fees. The pedagogic talent of the teacher also -carried some weight, _i.e._, whether he made much or little use of the -birch rod; for the schools where stripes and swollen cheeks were not so -frequent were naturally favoured by soft-hearted mothers. I received my -elementary education in a third-rate school; but an inborn brightness -of intellect and good memory enabled me soon to rise above my -schoolfellows, and I was qualified to enter the best-known school of the -place at a much reduced fee. I learned with pleasure and facility, and -had a special liking for learning by heart. I had but to read a Hebrew -text two or three times to be able to say it off by heart without much -prompting. The teacher had noticed this, and of course my mother knew -it, for she used to say, "His father was a great scholar, he is bound to -have plenty of brains." - -Nevertheless she kept me rigorously at my lessons, and when I went to -bed I had to put my books, often big folios, under my pillow, "for," -said my mother, "knowledge will get into thine head over night, right -through the bolster," which I believed literally. Yes, my mother was a -remarkable woman. Blind superstition and rare common sense alternated in -her. She had a most extraordinary energy, and was a type of the Jewess -of the Middle Ages, full of ancient principles and maxims, sometimes -showing themselves in a tenacious clinging to the old faith, sometimes -conforming to existing circumstances. If there was a thunderstorm in the -night she would quickly make a light, open the Bible at the Creation -story, and exclaim, "Behold, O God, Thou hast created the world, destroy -not Thine own handiwork." Her memory was marvellous. She could remember -the smallest details of her early childhood, and told me often what her -mother had said to her about the Frenchmen after the battle of -Austerlitz. How they overran the country in the neighbourhood of -Lundenburg, and how the grenadiers forced their way into the houses, -crying for "_Café! Café, sacré nom de Dieu!_" I think I must have -inherited my memory from my mother. - -My knowledge up to my eighth year consisted chiefly of the Pentateuch -with commentary, the Prophets, and other Biblical stories, besides -Hungarian and German, reading and writing. I felt quite at home in the -five books of Moses, and in the Prophets I was sufficiently versed to -recite and translate long passages from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Treassar, and -other Holy Scriptures. These accomplishments gave me a certain standing -among my schoolfellows, and the teacher used to bring me forward as a -kind of specimen of his teaching; for whenever a father came to the -school to introduce his promising offspring, I was called up and -examined to prove by my answers the zeal and skill of the teacher. - -To be thus gazed at in one's youth has its dangers, for it is apt to -make one somewhat vain, and it might easily have grown into self-conceit -if my mother's warning words had not from time to time acted like a -shower-bath on the fire of my youthful imagination. "Thou art nothing -yet, thou knowest nothing yet," said she; "the son of my first husband -must be the first of all the boys." And what my mother meant by _the -first_ was not confined to the Jewish schools at Duna Szerdahely. For -she intended me to excel not only in Jewish but also in Christian -learning. Devout and God-fearing though she was, she seems soon to have -come to the conclusion that the study of Thora and Talmud may be all -very well to open the gates of Paradise, but that they are of little use -to help one on in the world, and that under the altered conditions of -the time the disposition which reduced my father to beggary would be of -still less use to me. In short, my mother had made up her mind that I -was to relinquish the study of Jewish religion and direct my attention -to a worldly career, and that the son of the Rabbi and Talmudist was to -become a universal scholar. The boldness of this plan can only be fully -appreciated by those who have known some of the aspirations of the life, -the ways of thinking, and the horrible fanaticism of the Jews of those -days. - -In my youth the Jewish community of Duna Szerdahely had the reputation -of being the most devout, the most zealous congregation of Hungary, in -no wise tinged with doctrinal innovations; the most devout of all -Europe, in fact, with the exception of a few Russian and Polish -communities, celebrated for their Chasidendon, or zeal. It was a piece -of pure unalloyed mediæval conceit, with all its wildly fanatical -fancies and impossibilities; a pure counterfeit of that religious life -the dark shadow of which in my after life, during my sojourn with the -Moslems of Bokhara, has filled me with horror. In this superabundance of -religious enthusiasm, in this frightful labyrinth of ritualistic -cavilling and grievous superstition, I spent my childhood. Summer and -winter, early in the morning and late at night, I never neglected at the -first sound of the wooden hammer on the door--this replaced the bell -which calls the Jews to worship--to speed towards the synagogue, where -my strong young voice at a very early age was heard above all the -worshippers, and stamped me as a boy of marked Divine favour. - -I would rather have died of hunger than have taken a mouthful of food -which had not been prepared according to the established ritual, or than -partake of meat or milk food without observing the necessary interval of -six hours, or, worst of all, than incur pollution by contact with that -most monstrous of all creatures--the swine! For fear of baring my head I -wore my cap right down over my ears, and when some mischievous Christian -lads once forcibly took it from me, I trembled all over like an aspen -leaf, and imagined that I should straightway be committed to the awful -tortures of the Gehenna. In order not to have to say the word _Kreutz_ -(cross), I always said _Schmeitzer_ instead of _Kreutzer_. When I passed -a crucifix I always turned my head the other way, and murmured words of -disgust, or secretly spat on the ground. If by chance on Saturday, the -day of absolute rest, I found a copper or silver coin on the ground, I -pushed it along with my foot (as it was a sin to touch it with my hand), -and in holy dread covered it up with dust and dirt, so that I might find -it again next day. A religion which has to instruct its confessors in -these minutest details, which prescribes how he must eat, drink, walk, -stand, sleep, dress, cleanse his body outwardly and inwardly; how to -associate with women and how to comport himself during different natural -occurrences--such a religion necessarily exercises a profound influence -upon the youthful mind, it absorbs him entirely, it captivates his -senses and his thoughts. I found exactly the same thing in after years -among the Moslem youths of Turkey and Persia. There, as here, faith -really manifests itself merely in outward appearances, in a ritual which -is observed with the greatest exactitude, and it is therefore not -surprising that the young Jew, like the Moslem, when in after years he -begins to inquire into things for himself, breaks the fetters and -becomes a freethinker. This total revolution of ideas may be explained -as the natural result when two such widely different elements come into -contact with each other. - -The transformation necessarily depends to a great extent upon the -natural tendencies of the individual. As long as I attended the Jewish -school, and all contact with the Christian world was prohibited, there -could of course be no question of scepticism with me. It was really my -mother who gave the initiative; for, as already mentioned, she meant me -to have a secular education. Regardless of the harsh criticism of our -fellow-believers, she removed me from the Jewish school, and placed me -in the elementary school maintained by the Protestant community. Here I -was taught from Christian books, attended the catechising, and received -such elementary notions of geography and natural history as the -extremely primitive school-books then in use in Hungary were able to -furnish. The description of the earth was contained in a little book in -verse, called "Kis tükör," or "Small Mirror." Natural history was -limited to the description of a few animals, and instead of the -Hungarian mother-tongue we were initiated into the elements of Latin. It -was, to say the best of it, very meagre fare which Christian culture -vouchsafed to me, but it was so totally different from my former -studies, which dealt only with events that happened thousands of years -ago, that even these scanty morsels convinced me of the greater -sustaining power and interest of the intellectual food here offered. The -intercourse with Christian companions of my own age also made me freer -and less prejudiced, for I played with them and made friends, without, -however, entering their houses or touching the food and cakes they -offered. This, both my mother and I felt, would be rank apostasy, and -would be going a little too far for the only son of the former rabbi! -But the ice was broken. True, I had not yet dared to climb over the wall -of partition which, on account of my bringing up, separated me from the -outer world, but I began to cast furtive glances over to the other side, -and when my mother, little by little, made me familiar with the idea of -following a secular career and becoming a doctor, the thick clouds of -orthodox religious views soon dispersed, the horizon widened, and with -ecstasy my childish eye roamed over those distant regions of delight. - -I may have been about ten years old then. My plans for the future were -made, but the means to carry them out cost my dear mother unspeakable -anxiety. The poverty and misery of the family had now reached a climax. -My elder sister had already gone to service, and in order that I might -not take the bread out of the children's mouths my mother made up her -mind, though with a heavy heart, to send me also out of the house. I -went as apprentice to a lady tailoress, whose son I instructed in the -Hebrew language, in return for which she boarded me and initiated me in -the mysteries of sewing together light cotton and linen materials. - -The three hours which I spent in the fulfilment of my pedagogic duties -were pleasant enough. It flattered my vanity to teach a boy of my own -age, but all the more disagreeable was the time which I had to spend -sitting at the round table among my companions and the more advanced -pupils in the tailor's trade. Here I had always to bear mocking remarks -about my clumsiness; they were always finding fault with me, and often -gave me palpable instruction how to hold my needle and thimble, how not -to crush the stuff unnecessarily, and so on. In short, the initiation -into the noble art of tailoring was embittered for me to such an extent -that after the first month had elapsed I complained to my mother with -tears. She realised the mistake she had made, and encouraged me to hold -out at least until the winter was past and she should have secured a -good appointment for me. It cost me much to consent, but my mother's -admonitions and the consciousness that during the bitter winter weather -I should at least have a warm room and tolerable food, whereas I used to -have to go all the way to school scantily dressed and with a few warm -potatoes in my pocket for breakfast, conquered at last. I became -reconciled to my disagreeable lot, until with the awakening of the -spring the hope of improving my condition also awoke in me, and glimmers -of future possibilities rose before my mind's eye. - -I had now reached my eleventh year, and made up my mind to leave not -only my home, but also the town in which my mother, the only being who -cared for me, lived. - -To set out into the world at eleven years of age, in poverty and -misery, with a crutch as companion, away from a mother's loving -sympathy, henceforth to wander among strangers, and to be subject to -their cold gaze, surely this is a cruel trial and hard to bear for a -young, sensitive child. The thought of it frightened me; it weighed me -down and forced tears from my eyes--tears which flowed the more -abundantly when I saw by my mother's red eyes that she also struggled in -vain to keep them down. - -But what was to be done? In my dire distress and utter helplessness -there seemed no other way open to reach that goal to which my natural -propensities appeared to point. My mother encouraged me by saying, "Thou -canst not and darest not be an ordinary man. The spirit of thy learned -father is in thee. Thou must study and become a doctor; and in order to -commence thy studies at the college of St. Georghen, where thy name is -known and they will take an interest in thee, thou must earn a few -florins first, for I can give thee at best only a change of linen and a -suit of clothes for the journey. Yes, my child, thou wilt have much to -bear, many hardships to suffer, but mark what I say--we must not mind -the trouble. _During the first part of the night we must prepare the bed -on which to stretch ourselves during the latter part._" - -Such and similar admonitions and encouraging words were oft repeated. -They steeled my courage, and when the appointment of teacher in the -house of the Jewish inn-keeper in the village of Nyék--about two hours' -distant from Duna Szerdahely--was offered to me, I accepted it -gratefully, and accompanied by my mother, with my crutch and a small -bundle on my back, I left the place where I had spent the days of my -childhood, to undertake the office which was to furnish me with the -means to commence my new career. - - -Leaving the dusty road for a short cut across the fields, we soon -reached Nyék; and when my mother introduced me to my future principal, -the man curiously eyed the insignificant, poorly dressed appearance of -the crippled teacher, and during the low, whispered conversation I -frequently caught the words, "Too young, too small." A Jew from -Szerdahely who knew me happened to be present; he was kind enough to -speak a good word for me by saying, "Never mind the outside; it's the -inside you want. The lad is crammed full of book-learning; he knows the -Prayer-book and the Pentateuch by heart, and if Moritz--that was the -name of my future pupil--has but a spark of intelligence in him, he will -get on well with him." - -Meanwhile the mother and the son had also come in, and while the former -gazed with a scarcely concealed smile, as if to say, "He will hardly be -a match for my Moritz," the latter glared at me with open dislike, and -tearing himself away from his mother he ran into the garden. Such a -reception was not calculated to inspire me with courage, or to paint my -future duties as mentor in too rose-coloured a light. I stood there for -some time perplexed and broken-hearted; and it was the more difficult to -collect myself, as the pain of having to part with my dear mother took -all my spirit away. My mother, of course, suffered still more keenly, -but not a trace of her inner struggle did she betray; she remained a -little while longer with me, and, after warmly embracing me, she took -her leave and went with me into the garden. Stepping lightly over the -threshold, and looking back only once or twice she swiftly walked home -the same way we had come. There I stood, broken-hearted, gazing after my -mother as she disappeared in the distance, and overcome with sorrow I -sank down, kissed the threshold which her foot had so lately touched, -and cried bitter tears of despair over the hardness of my lot. - -From this prostrate condition I was suddenly roused by a rough touch on -the shoulder, and when I looked round Moritz stood before me. He grinned -and said, "Teacher, come to dinner." Obeying this summary call, I -entered the room where the family was already seated at table, but I -could hardly touch anything, and although some good-natured souls tried -to cheer me up, several days passed before I could get used to the new -condition of things and properly fulfil such duties as were entrusted to -me. For I was not only teacher, but also house-servant and waiter. Four -hours a day I had to instruct "dear Moritz" in writing, reading, and -arithmetic, and in the Pentateuch, but early in the morning and late in -the evening I had to provide the peasants going to or coming back from -the field with wine and brandy, and on Friday afternoons--_i.e._, before -the beginning of the Sabbath--I had to clean the boots of all the family -and brush the clothes. How my master came upon the idea of combining -these various offices, and making me the "boy of all work," as I had -specially been engaged as teacher, is a mystery to me to this day. The -Oriental says, "Man loads the ass as much as he can, but not as he (the -ass) likes," and this proverb the inn-keeper of Nyék seems to have -followed. I performed my duties to the best of my ability; but I soon -noticed that whereas the peasants always found the measure of spirituous -liquor offered to them too small or too deficient, my pupil found the -time of intellectual "dressing" always far too long, and together with -his mother complained to his father that I overburdened his mind. If I -had not made the mistake of treating my pupil, out of school hours, as -my companion and playmate--which seemed so natural because we were of -the same age--I might perhaps have impressed him more, but the anomaly -of attempting to combine in one person playfellow and teacher revenged -itself bitterly upon me; for once when, carried away by my professional -zeal, I upbraided my pupil in rather strong language for his -carelessness and stupidity, the rascal, who was much bigger and stronger -than I, attacked me, threw me on the floor, gave me a terrible -thrashing, and when at last my cries brought his mother on the scene, -she had much difficulty in liberating me from the hands of my -obstreperous pupil. The "dear boy" received a reprimand for the -impropriety of his behaviour, and then things went on as usual. This -first failure of my pedagogic capability was followed by many others. In -my capacity of waiter and shoe-black I could, to a certain extent, -maintain the credit and dignity of my office, but as teacher I was less -fortunate, since occasional fits of playfulness and merriment did not -agree with the gravity of my position as mentor. I soon wearied of my -false position, and counted myself fortunate indeed when the six months -were over and I could return to Szerdahely with my earnings--_eight -florins_ (sixteen shillings)--in my pocket. - - -Juvenile Struggles - - -[Illustration: VAMBÉRY IN HIS EIGHTEENTH YEAR. - -_To face Page 35._] - - - - -CHAPTER II - -JUVENILE STRUGGLES - - -My visit to my home was very pleasant; instead of the cold surroundings -I had been used to among strangers, I now met on all sides loving -glances from my brothers and sisters, and more especially from my -mother, who was proud of the son who had already earned eight bright -silver florins. She entertained the greatest hopes as to the result of -my future studies and saw me in imagination a country doctor sent for by -all the villagers for miles around, handsome fees pouring into his -pockets; in fact, in time a rich man. In one word, the learning -displayed by her first husband was always present to her mind, and she -eagerly sought in me all the qualities and talents he had possessed. - -Had it depended upon my mother I should have started for St. Georghen at -once, so as to be able to begin my studies at the Latin school in -October as soon as the term commenced. But it was finally decided that I -was to stay at home till I had passed from childhood to youth, which -takes place in Jewish families at the age of thirteen and is celebrated -by the Feast of Bar Mitzva. So I stayed on, and by degrees got used to -the idea of having to leave home for good in a short time. - -On the occasion of this Feast of Bar Mitzva the youth who is to enter -the ranks of the Orthodox Jews must hold a public discourse on some -religious subject, and is admitted to the reading of the Thora in the -synagogue, and this symbolical feast, which marks the period at which he -leaves childhood behind him and enters youth, is very beautiful. An -entertainment is given, to which all his friends of the same age are -invited; in the centre of the table is a large basket made of a kind of -baked dough; this is filled with rods made of pastry, which are -distributed at dessert amongst the boys and eaten by them as a sign that -they will not be needed for the future. - -My mother shed tears of joy at this feast, and during my discourse she -imagined she heard my father speaking, and more than once sobbed out, -"He is sure to be happy, for his father is praying for him in Paradise." - -Strange to say, the whole ceremony made little impression on me. My one -desire was to give my mother pleasure and win the admiration of my -hearers; but the religious part of the ceremony did not interest me -much, for the influence which the orthodox Jewish faith had on me as a -child had diminished through my having read German books. I was not yet -a sceptic, but the fear of overstepping the ritual laws had disappeared. -Pork and Christian food no longer seemed poison to me, and with the -gradual breaking away of the barriers the sanctuary of my faith was more -exposed to the outward attacks made upon it. The first attack shook it -without destroying it entirely; my peace of mind was hardly disturbed; -not, for instance, like Renan's, who, in his twentieth year, rushed into -the cell of his friend at midnight, exclaiming, "Oh, I have become a -doubter!" - -There is only a short path from exaggerated fanaticism to scepticism. A -few days after the feast my knapsack was packed--a very small knapsack, -containing a few clothes and some books--and at dusk I left Duna -Szerdahely, my crutch under my arm and accompanied by my mother. We -hoped to be lucky enough to fall in with some carter taking corn to the -weekly market at Presburg who would give us a lift in return for a drink -or perhaps even from charity. And we were not mistaken, for we were soon -overtaken by some carts, but as they were heavily laden with sacks of -corn and the road was bad, we were given seats in two different carts. -Although my mother placed me as comfortably as possible among the sacks -and begged the man walking beside the cart to look after me, I heard her -call to me several times during the night to hold on tightly so as not -to fall out. Thus I arrived one fresh autumn morning at the toll-gate -of Presburg, and spent a few days in the town, during which time I did -not cease to admire the one-storied houses with their many windows. - -We continued our journey to St. Georghen in a cart drawn by four oxen, -which we happened to meet on the way. This unostentatious entry into the -pretty little town at the foot of one of the spurs of the Carpathians -was a fitting beginning for the poverty-stricken existence I was -destined to lead there. - -Our first visit was to a certain Hirsh-Tirnau, a man noted for his piety -and a school friend of my father, who, for the sake of his dead friend, -agreed to give me a lodging gratis, though not as willingly as he might -have done, for he would much rather have had me study the Talmud than -devote myself to Christian studies. As for my lodging, I had permission -to spread my mattress of straw in some part of the house at night, and a -pillow and blanket were given me by charitable people. But, after all, -it was something to have a place to sleep in and a roof over my head, -and as soon as my mother was satisfied on this score she went with me to -the Director of the Piarists' (Friars) College and entered my name in -the list of those who were to study in the first Latin class, or the -Parva, as they called it. - -Nearly half the money I had earned in Nyék had to be deposited here as -entrance fee; with the other half I had to buy the necessary -school-books, and thus I was left without a penny in my pocket, though -the question of my board had not yet been touched upon. - -It was the business of the Jewish commune to arrange for the daily -midday meal for students of the Talmud, and this they did. Charitable, -but mostly poor people offered me one meal a week at their table, and on -Saturdays I was the official guest of the Jewish commune. The cashier -gave me an assignment (or Bolette) on one of the richer members. This I -had to present on Fridays to the lady of the house, and it was often an -unpleasant surprise to her. By this means I got a better meal, which, -however, I ate with the bitter feeling that I was an unwelcome guest. - -It was a different thing in the case of the other meals; they were given -freely, were the result of human kindness, or bestowed in memory of my -dead father, and tasted better to me in consequence. This manner of -getting my meals had its comical side too, for it often happened that I -ate the same dish all the week according as it was the dish of the day -at the various houses I visited. But I had at least enough to eat, had -even a piece of bread given me sometimes for my supper, and as long as I -did not lose the favour of one or other of my patrons I was better off -even than at home as far as my board went. - -The custom of "boarding," which was willingly carried out by even the -poorest Jews, speaks well for the charity of that community on the one -hand, and on the other for their desire to assist and encourage poor -students in their pursuit of knowledge. The poor, deserted, and -much-oppressed Jew was always glad to share his hardly-earned crust of -bread with those who thirsted for knowledge, and it certainly is a -splendid trait of real humanity and of a noble endeavour to help in the -intellectual struggle. - -Being provided with board and lodging, I could now give my undivided -attention to my studies in the Parva. My mother, whom it had cost a -great effort to part from me, had given me much good advice as to my -behaviour when left alone among strangers. She gave me a few pence for -pocket-money and a bag of meal, from which I was to make my soup for -breakfast in the morning, and after embracing me warmly several times -she left me. - -This second separation was not as hard as the first one; habit makes -everything easy in time, and when, having made friends with my comrades, -I even took delight in going to school, I was able to overcome and -forget the adversities of my daily life, and real childlike mirth and -gaiety caused the first year of my school life to pass very pleasantly. - -There could be no question of over-exertion for me, who had already -learnt by heart and translated whole volumes of Hebrew. The elements of -Latin grammar, delivered, strange to say, in the Latin tongue, the -rudiments of history, geography, and a little arithmetic were the -branches of knowledge with which I was made familiar at the college -conducted by the Piarists at St. Georghen. The greatest stress was laid -upon the acquirement of the Latin tongue, in which we were obliged to -carry on our general conversation after two months' time, and any one -heard speaking his mother-tongue at school, whether Hungarian, German, -or Slav, was condemned to write out the auxiliary verb "_sum, es, est_," -or some theme ten to twenty times, and to hand it in as a pensum. In -order to control this, there was a regular system of spying at school; -one of the scholars carried the so-called "_Liber asini_" (donkey's -book) hidden on his person, and as _agent provocateur_ began to speak in -his mother-tongue, and if any one answered him in the same he whipped -out the book, exclaiming: "_Inscribas, amice!_" ("Inscribe your name, my -friend"); he left the delinquent no peace until he had entered his name, -and a suitable punishment was meted out to him the following Saturday. -This practice was a remnant of the Middle Ages, and formed a part of the -severe _régime_ of monastic life in vogue at that time in the Hungarian -monasteries. A lively contrast to the spirit of national education which -crept in later, it seems strange to us to-day, when the Hungarian -language is rightly cultivated as the acknowledged language of the -State. Just as severely was Catholic ecclesiastical discipline kept up -in many respects. Lutherans, Calvinists and Jews were obliged to repeat -the "Veni Sancte Spiritus reple tuorum corda fidelium!" ("Come, Holy -Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful"), and also the "Our Father" and -the "Hail Mary"; we were not allowed to quit the room whilst the lesson -in catechism was going on, nor were we permitted to bring meat to school -on Fridays; in fact, there was a sort of silent pressure exercised on -the scholars in the hope of their embracing the Catholic religion--a -pressure exercised without result, it is true, but it had a strange -effect on me, who had been an Orthodox Jew, and would not for the world -have pronounced the word "cross." - -My teacher, a Piarist of twenty, Father Siebenlist by name, a man of -prepossessing exterior and great kindness of heart, seemed to take a -fancy to me from the beginning. He often pinched my cheek in a friendly -way, sometimes gave me an apple, and when, in the depth of winter, I -appeared at school with insufficient clothing, he called me up to his -room, gave me a warm comforter, a waistcoat, and once even a pair of old -trousers; in fact, he did what he could for me in every respect, moved, -I am sure, by pure benevolence. - -I certainly always did my duty at school as far as was in my power. I -was considered the second best scholar, but could not attain to the -position of primus, for the simple reason that I studied one subject -less than the others, namely, catechism. - -At the examination at the end of the first term I succeeded in gaining -the approval of my teachers and of the visitors who were present; the -praise I earned was sweet to my youthful vanity, but while all my -companions were able to distinguish themselves in the presence of their -parents and relations, it was hard to have no one to share my pleasure. - -But this bitter feeling of desertion had all the more effect on my -ambition, and when, in the second term, I was the only scholar who -received for his pensum (a translation from Hungarian into Latin) the -classification "sine," that is _without_ fault, I began to see what my -mother meant when she spoke of "the inheritance of my father," and it -was no wonder I took pleasure in forming hazy pictures of my future. - -When I ask myself to-day why, in spite of my bodily misery, I felt the -spur of ambition, and studied with such diligence, I find that the real -reason is to be found, not so much in a disposition favoured by nature, -as in my poverty and forlornness. I had no hope of help or protection -from any side, the possibility of better times in the future depended -entirely on my industry and activity, and that is why I worked so hard. - -Though fortune had smiled on me at the beginning of my student's life, -it was less kind to me later in the matter of daily existence, and it -seemed as though I were to be strengthened in my youth by means of hard -struggle for the even harder struggle I was to go through in the future. - -On account of my worldly, or rather Christian, studies, I soon lost the -favour of my orthodox Jewish friend who had let me lodge in his house, -and I had to look for another lodging, without having a penny in my -pocket. It was the same with my meals, and for similar reasons I was -reduced to five meals a week, later even to four. Jewish charity was not -compatible with Christian education, and only amongst the more -enlightened of the Orthodox Jews--the mere idea of neologism was then -almost unknown--did real humanity and pity for the starving boy gain the -upper hand. It may, in some cases, have been the result of the altered -circumstances of my kind but mostly poor benefactors, since they needed -every mouthful of food they had for their own increasing families. In -any case, I soon began to suffer the pangs of hunger; the strict diet I -was obliged to keep to, only stimulated my already healthy appetite, and -my feelings as I sat in a corner of the courtyard, learning my lessons -while other boys of my age were dining at their parents' tables, are -indescribable. I feasted with my eyes, and felt as though I could have -disposed of the contents of a baker's shop. The hungry-looking eyes of a -healthy boy, full of life, speak the most eloquent language in the -world. Later on, in my adventurous life, I often came face to face with -the dreadful monster called "hunger." His horrible, grinning features -have impressed themselves indelibly in my memory, for hunger caused me -to suffer equal pangs in my miserable lodging in the large town, or -among the sand-hills of the steppes of Central Asia. - -I found another lodging with a childless couple; the man was a -cap-maker, and as his wife wished to have some one to talk to in her -free hours, her choice fell upon me; for even then, in spite of all my -privations and struggles, I was known for my lively manner and untiring -loquacity. - -As the lodging of this worthy couple consisted of one room only, I was -given a corner in the kitchen, where I was allowed to spread my straw -mattress every night; during the day I was either at school or in the -court, and in the middle of the day, when there was no school, I either -wandered about in the streets or sat in a corner of our court reading or -learning my lessons. - -For a time false pride had gained the day over hunger, and the pieces of -bread I received from my schoolfellows in return for helping them with -their lessons replaced the mid-day meal; but when they noticed that the -colour was gradually leaving my cheeks, and that my liveliness -decreased, their hearts were touched, and I was invited to dinner, -sometimes by one, sometimes by another; so that, at the end of the term, -my position as _protégé_ of the school was assured, and as second in -the class I had gained the love of my schoolmates. - -Two of them were specially kind to me in those days. One was a Herr von -Vaymár, later on a distinguished lawyer in Tirnau; the other a Herr -Hieronymi, later Hungarian Minister of Commerce, who recognised me -thirty-five years afterwards in the house of the Director of the -National Museum, Von Pulszky, and was agreeably surprised at the -metamorphosis that had taken place in his former _protégé_. - -Now came the delightful holidays, and with them the time for my return -home. The son of a well-to-do peasant from the neighbourhood of -Szerdahely gave me a lift in his cart, and it is impossible to describe -the delightful feeling with which I crossed the threshold of my parent's -door, bearing my certificate, on which my name was written in large -golden letters, and showed this first triumphal result of my work to my -mother. - -My heart understood the meaning of her warm maternal kisses and of the -hot tears she shed. Friendly neighbours had managed to explain to her -the meaning of the words "classification" and "eminent" in my -certificate; without being able to read them, she stared at my name, -written in large letters, and kept remarking, "Of course it is quite -natural, for my son Arminius has his dead father's brains, and I am -quite sure he will be a success." - -These were the happiest moments of my youth. The delightful "Home, -Sweet Home," the comfortable feeling of being with friends, and the -knowledge that, for a time at least, I was free from the horrible -spectre of hunger, did me a great deal of good. Unfortunately these two -months fled like a midsummer night's dream, and when, at the beginning -of autumn, I started for St. Georghen, my well-mended clothes in my -knapsack, and a few pence in my pocket, the earnest side of life, with -all its struggles, was again before me. I bravely tore myself away from -my mother's embrace, and so, getting a lift now and then, and walking -the rest of the way, I arrived the second time at St. Georghen. - -I was now to be in the second class, or Secunda, and rise a step in my -student's life. The worries and troubles as to board and lodging, and -the acquisition of the necessary books had recommenced, and caused me -more than once to blush with shame, and in spite of all my self-denial I -was unable to procure all I needed. - -Unfortunately my new professor in the second class was not so kindly -disposed towards me as the dark-haired young priest in the first class -had been, and when I went to enter my name in the list, I was received -with the not very flattering remark, "Well, Moshele" (the name given to -the Jews in general), "why dost thou study? Would it not be better for -thee to become a 'kosher' butcher?" In spite of these remarks, which -were more malicious than witty, I found it desirable to show my last -year's certificate, and to beg him to be kind to me and protect me. This -he promised, smiling, but all the same, during the whole school-year, he -not only mocked and scoffed at me, but in spite of my diligence, always -kept me back in the class, and very often earnestly advised me not to -continue my studies. He was certainly a splendid specimen of a professor -whose business it was to guide the youthful mind through the halls of -knowledge, humanity, and enlightenment. - -But unfortunately this was the prevailing tone among the priests who -were entrusted with the school teaching, and roughness and fanaticism -flourished undisturbed in the shadow of semi-education. Exceptions were -very rare, and from his earliest childhood the Jewish boy of that period -received the saddest impressions of the position he was to fill in the -future. - -The real Magyars, the ruling element in the country, more chivalrously -inclined and of marked indifference to religious affairs, have always -shown themselves kinder and more tolerant to Jews; but all the more -disgraceful was the behaviour of the Slavs, and in spite of my -reputation as a good scholar, I was often exposed to the wanton -behaviour of passing Christians in the streets of St. Georghen, had -stones thrown at me, and was greeted with the insulting "Shide Makhele! -Hep! Hep! Hep!" and other similar titles. - -The second year at St. Georghen was anything but agreeable, and was -full of privations of every kind. Only once or twice a week did I have -sufficient to eat, and oh, the bitterly cold nights in the kitchen of -the cap-maker, with only a miserable counterpane as covering! When my -misery was at its height I received, through the kindness of my last -year's teacher, the employment of "boots" in the monastery, where I had -to make my appearance early in the morning, in order to clean the boots -placed outside the doors of three professors, and sometimes to brush -their clothes. I performed this office in the corridor, by the light of -the fire blazing in the stove, which not only warmed me but gave me -sufficient light to learn my lessons by, and so I always managed to -appear at school with my lessons well prepared. And when I was able to -still my hunger with a piece of bread or some potatoes, I was the -liveliest amongst my comrades, and was even able at times to move my -surly professor to a smile. - -My sojourn in St. Georghen gave me the first proof of how much youth can -bear. Hunger, cold, mockery, and insult, I experienced them all in turn; -but the greatest misery was not capable of darkening the serene sky of -youthful mirth for more than a few minutes, and even my healthy colour -returned after a short interval of bodily collapse. - -Although I had only just completed my fourteenth year, I had made many -plans for the future, and built many castles in the air. While other -scholars spent their time in games and in sport, I had always indulged -in the delight of reading books about travel, heroic deeds, and -simply-written historical works, and a book was to me not only a friend -and comforter in trouble, but it even drove away hunger; for the fire of -my excited fancy nourished not only my mind but my body too, and -occupied my senses to such an extent that I often forgot both hunger and -sleep. - -Extraordinary was the change that took place in me as far as religion -was concerned. There was, of course, not a trace of the excessive ardour -of Jewish orthodoxy left. Fringes and phylacteries had long been done -away with; the law as to ritual food seemed to me childish and -ridiculous, and I had been prevented touching pork only by my aversion -to the unaccustomed taste. The glimpse I had already had into the -various religions, the acquaintance gradually gained with the causes of -certain natural phenomena, which superstition had formerly interpreted -quite differently, and, lastly, the vast difference I found between -principle and action in my Catholic teachers, had nearly upset all my -beliefs; they trembled on their bases. - -Of a complete want of religious feeling or of conversion to another -faith there could be no question, but in the ladder that was to lead me -to heaven many rungs were broken, some even missing entirely, and in -the midst of the hard struggle for life I had neither time nor -inclination to soar to the higher regions of metaphysical contemplation. - -It was chiefly my experiences during the time I spent in service in the -monastery of the Piarists in St. Georghen which stimulated my -indifference in religious matters. The contrast between the way of -speaking and of acting of these ecclesiastics was often very marked. -They did not seem so very particular as to religious observances, and -when one morning the student who had been ordered to serve at the early -Mass did not appear on the scene, I had to put on the cassock and serve -as though I had been one of the regular acolytes. I knew the catechism -by heart, they said, and was quite like a Catholic: there was no need to -make any difficulty about it. I enjoyed the comedy very much, and this -and similar experiences were a good preparation for my future _rôle_ of -Mohammedan priest. It was towards the end of the second year that the -idea of leaving St. Georghen for the larger provincial town of Presburg, -in the same neighbourhood, took firmer root in my mind; I hoped to find -more opportunities for study there and better means of livelihood. When -I thought of the sufferings and deprivations I had gone through in St. -Georghen at the beginning of my stay there, it was not hard for me to -take up my staff and seek my fortune elsewhere. Only the thought that -my father's grave was in the churchyard of St. Georghen made me waver, -for many a time had I gone out there in moments of bitterness and wept -away my trouble on the grave. And now I was to leave it. - -It was during one of these visits that I resolved to do away with the -crutch I had till then carried under my left arm, and which not only -gave rise to many satirical remarks among my schoolfellows, but also -wore out my coat-sleeve. In a fit of vanity I broke the crutch over my -father's gravestone, and with a heavy heart and slow, laborious steps I -returned to the town, hopping most of the way on one foot. At first it -was very hard to walk, but being now in my fifteenth year I was much -stronger, and, aided by my vanity, and with the help of a stick, I was -soon able to overcome all difficulties. - -I limped more than I had done, but at least I was rid of my crutch, and -I soon left St. Georghen with my knapsack (no heavy burden) and my -certificate containing the classification "Eminent." By my mother's -advice I was not to spend the next holidays at home but with her -relatives in Moravia, in the town of Lundenburg. The place of my -destination seemed further off than did later the most distant parts of -inner Asia. I had arrived in Presburg, the famous old coronation town, -without a penny in my pocket. After having wandered about helplessly in -the streets, and gazed my fill at the high houses all around me, and -having had a good meal at the expense of an acquaintance from -Szerdahely, whom I met by chance in the town, my attention was attracted -by a cart which was just being laden preparatory to starting for Vienna. -I was told that the cart belonged to a hackney-coachman of the name of -Alexander, a rough but good-natured man, who would perhaps take me with -him to Vienna for nothing, if I could manage to gain his heart. - -Trembling, I proffered my request, and having inspected me from head to -foot, he said there was no more room on the box, but if I could make -myself comfortable in the basket of hay strapped on to the back of the -conveyance, he had no objection to taking me with him. In a minute I had -climbed into the basket, and making myself comfortable in the soft hay, -I started for the imperial town of Vienna, undisturbed by the jerks of -the rumbling vehicle. - -Arrived in Vienna, I had first to look up a relative, from whom I hoped -to receive the necessary sum to take me to Lundenburg, for in 1845 there -was already a railway between Vienna and that town. - -Mr. G., a well-to-do calico manufacturer, received me very kindly, kept -me in his house for two days, and gave me money for a third-class -ticket, besides a few pence for travelling necessaries. Quite delighted, -I started for the Nordbahn. I was to travel by rail for the first time, -and intending to provide myself with plenty of food for the journey, I -bought a quantity of fruit and various dainties, especially my favourite -kind of confectionery, the so-called butter-cake. - -But on arriving at the ticket-office I found, to my horror, that I had -spent too much; had, in fact, bought ten or fifteen butter-cakes more -than I should have done. As the Arabic proverb says, "The stomach is the -origin of all troubles," and here was I in a sorry plight! What was to -be done? With a disturbed countenance I told the clerk at the -ticket-office of the plight I was in. He laughed, and advised me to ask -in Latin for the missing sum from some gentlemen who were standing in a -corner of the hall. As it was nearly time to start, I picked up courage -and approached the group of gentlemen, saying in everyday Latin: "Domini -spectabiles, rogo humillime, dignemini mihi dare aliquantos cruciferos -qui iter ferrarium solvendi mihi carent" ("Honoured gentlemen, would you -give me a few pence, as I have not enough to pay for my railway -ticket?"). This Latin speech from a small, lame boy, such as I was, had -its effect, and they soon collected about two shillings for me. So I -took my ticket, and hopping gaily through the waiting-room, got into a -compartment of the train for Lundenburg. - -Those who know anything of the bond which draws Jewish families -together, will not be astonished that my uncle, David Malavan, received -the son of his sister, who had emigrated to Hungary years before, with -open arms, and that my other relatives were kindness itself, and did all -they could to make my holidays pleasant for me. They gave me a new suit -of clothes and a few florins to take me home again, and I started just -before the term began, travelling by Vienna to Presburg. - -It was not long before I discovered that it was to be my fate in the old -Hungarian coronation town to lead a life of martyrdom. I was never very -much attracted by large towns; the narrow horizon, enclosed between two -rows of high houses, and the hard pavement seemed to me to be in keeping -with the narrow-mindedness and hardness of heart of the inhabitants, and -the more I missed the blue sky the sadder I became inwardly. After many -useless wanderings I came to the conclusion that there could be no -question here of a free lodging, and was very glad when a certain Mr. -Lövy, whose son had failed in his examination in the second class, -offered me shelter in return for helping his son with his lessons. True -it was only half of a folding-bed, which by day was pushed behind a -bench, but I accepted it with delight. - -As far as my board was concerned, I was destined by fate to go through -all the torments of Tantalus. Mr. Lövy had a cookshop, and soon after -midday the one room in our small lodging began to fill with poor -students and tailors' journeymen, to whom, for the modest sum of -threepence, a meal was served, consisting of soup, meat, and vegetables, -not in very large quantities, it is true, and showing very primitive -culinary skill, but all the same sufficient to satisfy the heroes of the -thimble and the doctors-to-be. Custom there was plenty, and there would -have been even more had not Mr. Lövy made a rule that any one failing to -pay three times was not to enter the house again. Strangers, the length -of whose purse was as yet unknown, could easily indulge in the luxury of -_one_ dinner, but my destitute state was well known to my landlord, and -so I had no credit even for a single meal. The state of my feelings as I -sat at dinner-time in a corner of the room, trying in vain to keep my -eyes fixed on my book, and feeling all the gnawing pains of hunger, may -well be imagined, and now and then I could not help stealing a glance at -the students and tailors as they sat at table enjoying their meal. - -This eager, hungry look of a starving lad seemed sometimes to appeal to -them, for now and then one or other of them would make a sign to me to -finish the vegetables he had left, or some one pressed a piece of bread -into my hand; so that I generally managed to get a trifle to still the -worst pangs of hunger, and partly to satisfy the inner man, which had -already caused me so much trouble in my short life. - -The reader will see from this that my position in Presburg was not of -the most brilliant. In school matters I was not much better off. I was -to study in the third class at the college of the Benedictine monks, and -when I went to Father Aloysius Pendl to enter my name in the list, his -fat reverence received me with the following words, "Well, Harshl, so -you want to be a doctor, do you?" The fact that I had formerly been -dubbed "Moshele," and now "Harshl," did not vex me in the least, but it -was unpleasant as proving what treatment I had to expect in the future; -and the three years I went to the college under the archway in Presburg -will never be forgotten by me, recalling as they do endless instances of -stupid priestly animosity and disgraceful intolerance. - -Later on in life I again met that amiable director, Father _Pendl_, who -ought to have been used as a _pendulum_ on a village church spire, -rather than have been placed at the head of a college. Our second -meeting was under quite different circumstances. I was then an honoured -traveller in the Monastery of Martinsberg, and although he did not -remember me, I have never forgotten him. Unfortunately the personality -of the teacher is not without influence on the subjects he teaches, and -in the third class, and even more in the fourth, I found that my desire -for study was rapidly decreasing, and that my visits to school partook -more and more of the nature of forced labour, so that I was happiest -when I was able, after having learnt my lessons, to read or study for my -own pleasure, that is, when I could occupy my youthful mind in my own -way, without control from others. - -The ease with which I made use of the Latin tongue for general -conversation, and also the fact that when I began my studies I knew four -languages--Hungarian, German, Slav, and Hebrew--was the reason I turned -my attention to the acquirement of other languages. I had heard that a -knowledge of French was necessary in order to be considered _bon ton_, -and that without it no one could pretend to any education worth speaking -of. So I decided to learn the language at once, and bought a small -grammar by a certain La Fosse, which possessed the advantage of giving -the pronunciation of the words in German transcription, thus making the -help of a teacher unnecessary. It was, of course, a miserable -pronunciation, but I worked my way through the book the best way I -could, and, as with the help of the Latin I knew, I was soon able to -understand books written in a simple style, I was, after a few weeks' -time, full of hope that I should soon be able to speak French. - -When alone I used to make up sentences or carry on a conversation with -myself, or read the most trivial things, declaiming them with great -pathos; and in the space of a few months I had learnt so much that I had -(especially in the lower class I was in) acquired a reputation for a -much greater knowledge of French than I really had. Whether it was my -own deceptive self-consciousness supported by the ignorance of those -whom I associated with, or my natural talent for languages which was -then beginning to show itself, I do not know; certain it is that I -conversed in French without restraint, and by my volubility surprised -not only myself but all who heard me. It developed to such a mania with -me, that I addressed every one in French--peasants, tradespeople, -merchants, Slavs, Germans, and Hungarians, it was all the same to me, -and great was my delight if they stared at me and admired me for my -learning(?). Such juvenile tricks were the only amusement I had in my -otherwise very hard life. In every other respect I was excessively badly -off, and there is not a stone in the little town on the Danube that -could not tell pitiable tales of my extreme misery and suffering. - -As long as I had half of the folding-bed at Mr. Lövy's I was at least -sure of a shelter, and had only to fight against hunger. But one evening -I had for a bedfellow a young man, just arrived from a foreign country, -and from him I caught an illness which showed itself after some days in -constant irritation of the skin, and in consequence of which I was -immediately sent away by Mr. Lövy. As I owed that good man a few pence -he retained all my personal effects as payment of the debt; so one dull -autumn evening I left the house with my school-books under my arm, and -wandered about in the streets, not daring to apply for shelter for fear -of being turned out again on account of my disease. - -It was nine o'clock, when, quite exhausted by hunger and fatigue, I sank -down on a bench in the Promenade. My glance fell upon the windows of the -one-storied houses opposite; I saw children at table having supper, -while farther on there were others playing games and running and jumping -about. I heard a piano being played, thought of home and my mother, and, -seized with a feeling of unutterable loneliness, I began to cry -bitterly. - -Having put my boots under my head for a pillow, I had just lain down on -the bench to try to sleep, when I heard the tramp of regular footsteps -approaching from a distance. - -"That is the watchman," I thought, "going his nightly round." - -Trembling with the fear of being discovered and taken up as a vagabond, -to spend the night in a cell, I crept under the bench and hid there -until the watchman, wrapped in his long cloak, had passed on. He did not -notice me, and thus I was saved from the shame of spending a night in -prison. - -Of course there was no further possibility of sleep that night, and with -an anxious heart I peered out from under the bench. The lights in the -windows were extinguished one by one, the watchman passed several times, -but not very near to me, and I lay there, cowering under the bench the -whole of that cold autumn night, till the break of day. I went to -school that day, but gave notice that I was ill, and it was only after a -fortnight's sojourn in the hospital of the Friars of Mercy that, once -more in good health and much stronger, I was able to start again on my -thorny way. - -After this sad interval my natural liveliness soon returned. I finished -the third and fourth classes in Presburg at the Benedictine College the -best way I could, but I took far more interest in the progress I was -making in my private studies than in satisfying my professors. This -certainly had no good result, for I had begun to study alone, without -first acquiring the solid foundation of a college education; but on the -other hand it spurred me on to greater industry and perseverance, as, -being free from all control, I was master and pupil in one person. - -Like all autodidacts, I had greatly overrated the results of my work, -paying no attention whatever to the difference between reading a thing -superficially and learning it thoroughly. The consequence was I fell -into faults that I have never been able to eradicate. But I learned with -delight and diligence, and being hardened by constant struggles against -Fate, questions of material comfort ceased to trouble me much. - -As my circle of acquaintances widened, it was easier for me to gain my -living by teaching. I found shelter with an old bachelor, a usurer, -whose lodging consisted of a single room and a tiny ante-room where I -slept, with the usurer's coat for my covering. This shameful old -Harpagon begrudged me even the crumbs he left, although I filled the -office of man-servant and watch-dog for him; but he was mistaken in -thinking me of much use in the latter capacity, for were I once asleep, -a thief, in fact a whole regiment of thieves, could have rushed over my -prostrate body without awakening me. Oh! golden hours of youth! With -what pleasure I dwell on them to-day, when in my soft, comfortable bed I -have difficulty in stealing a few hours of sleep from friend Morpheus! -In spite of every comfort and convenience I cannot to-day attain to what -I could when I went to bed hungry and slept on the hard, bare boards. - -As far as boarding went I was better off just then, for my fame as a -teacher had spread in the lower classes of Jewish society, and it was -chiefly to cooks and housemaids I gave lessons in reading and writing. -In some cases where I had inspired great confidence I was employed to -write billets-doux, and in return for this service of love I received a -good meal, sometimes even dainties. - -I always found that cooks were the persons who most indulged in -love-letters; each one seemed to have been crossed in love, and whether -its flame was fanned by proximity to the fire or by other unknown -reasons, certain it is that the ladies who practised the culinary art -were my best customers, and if I was able to commit to paper a sigh, a -longing look, a greeting sweet as sugar, or even a kiss, I was sure of a -rich reward, and could reckon on a good dinner or supper for days to -come. - -From cooks and housemaids my reputation spread to the young ladies, or -rather to the lady of the house. One evening at the request of a cook -who was head over ears in love with her boot-maker, I sang the -well-known German song-- - - - "Schöne Minka, ich muss scheiden, - Ach, du fühlest nicht die Leiden!" - - ("Lovely Minka, I must leave you, - Ah! you cannot guess my sorrow!") - - -to the accompaniment of a guitar. My sonorous voice (I had, of course, -no idea of singing) seems to have penetrated to the sitting-room, and -made a favourable impression, for the attention of the lady of the house -and her daughters was attracted; I was called into the room, made to -sing some songs, and when the lady smoothed my curls and praised my -voice and my hair, I became aware that I had stumbled upon a _gradus ad -Parnassum_, and that I was in for a good time. - -I was not engaged in the house itself, for the aristocratic feelings of -plutocracy revolted against the idea of employing the cook's teacher. -But I was recommended to others, and was soon introduced into the Jewish -society of Presburg (the lines between which and Christian circles were -very distinctly defined in those days) as private teacher of Hungarian, -French, and Latin. - -The sum received for these lessons was, of course, in proportion to the -age and position of the teacher, very modest, sometimes not exceeding -two florins a month, which worked out at about one penny an hour. But -when my teaching was attended with great success my salary was raised, -and thus I was enabled, by dint of devoting three hours a day to -teaching, to live pretty comfortably, for things were cheap in Presburg -in those days. I was at all events freed from my greatest care, the -question of daily bread, and was even able now and then to buy some -article of second-hand clothing; and oh! how proud I was when I bought -with my own hard-earned money a tolerably threadbare coat or pair of -trousers! - -Unfortunately my success had its bad effects, for after spending eight -hours a day at school and three or four in teaching, there was little -time left for my private studies. Besides, even this small success awoke -in me a desire for the pleasures of life, such as a visit to the theatre -now and then, or a piece of cake; and I was in danger of losing my zeal -in the pursuit of higher aims. - -In spite of all I had gone through I was childish and frivolous enough -to allow my head to be turned by the watery ray of sunshine that Fate -had sent me. The knowledge that I was now well fed and tolerably well -clothed would have made me presumptuous had not Divine Providence sent -me a timely warning and roused me from my lethargy. - -This warning was conveyed by the War of Independence of 1848, which had -just broken out. At the first approach of the storm the schools were -closed and lectures discontinued. Commerce was stopped, and every one -was anxious as to the result of the storm that was breaking over their -heads. To make matters worse, the mob in Presburg began a regular -persecution of the Jews, plundering the ghetto, breaking into houses and -shops, and destroying hundreds of barrels of wine and spirits in the -cellars. - -The maddened and drunken mob then stormed through the Judengasse, on to -the Wödritz, and round the Zuckermandl, and the cries and wailings of -the persecuted Jews rang in every one's ears for some time after. Thus -the busy little colony was cast into poverty and despair. - -I was rudely waked from the enjoyment of my imaginary good fortune; but -my chief feeling was one of disgust at the horrible executions of -Hungarian patriots, stigmatised as rebels, which I, in my youthful -curiosity, attended on the so-called Eselsberg, behind the fortress. Two -of these bloody scenes especially took deep root in my memory. One was -the execution of Baron Mednyanszky, the commander of the little fortress -of Leopoldstadt, taken by the Austrians, and of his adjutant, by name -Gruber. Both were young, and, laughing and talking, they walked -arm-in-arm to the scaffold. When I saw how those constables of the -Camarilla treated the corpses of these martyrs for freedom, swinging -them by the feet as they hung on the gallows, I was overcome by a -strange feeling of revenge. I called the Slav soldiers several -opprobrious names, and it would have gone hard with me had I not hurried -away. - -The second awful picture I have in my mind's eye is another execution I -witnessed on the same spot, namely, that of a Lutheran clergyman called -Razga, who was condemned to be hanged for preaching a sermon of -Hungarian national tendency. This noble man was accompanied from his -prison to the place of execution by his wife and children. Embracing and -comforting his dear ones, he walked to the gallows with a firm step, and -when the Profos had read the sentence and broken the staves, the heroic -churchman kissed each member of his family, and gave himself into the -hands of his executioners. Mother and children (I do not know how many -there were) knelt on the ground near to the scaffold, their sorrowful -gaze fixed on the condemned husband and father, and several of them -fainted, overcome by sorrow. - -This scene brought tears to the eyes even of the soldiers, and the -reader may imagine what an impression it left on a sentimental youth -like me. - -The present generation of Hungarians has, for political reasons, drawn -a veil over this and other dreadful scenes; but it can only partially -cover them, for those who were present will always remember them with a -shudder. - -My further residence in Presburg had become impossible, and I began to -look about for an engagement in the country. I accepted the offer of a -poor Jew in the village of Marienthal, near Presburg, to spend some -months in his house in the capacity of family preceptor. There, in a -quiet valley of the Carpathians, I could once more devote myself to my -private studies, and when I returned to town with my modest earnings in -my pocket, I decided not to enter the sixth class at the Benedictine -college, but at the Protestant Lyceum, as the professors there were -known to be unprejudiced, humane, and intelligent men, and I was -heartily tired of the everlasting drudgery for the fanatic monks. - -At the Lyceum the language spoken was mostly German, and the lectures -were better in every way, so that I might have got on very well there -had not my difficulties in procuring the necessaries of life -recommenced, and partly withdrawn my attention from my studies. At that -time I was eighteen years old, and weary of my eight years' struggle -with all the moods of Fate. My spirit was so broken that I decided to -pause in my studies for a year, and take an engagement as tutor in a -country family, and then, having earned the necessary means, return to -town and take up the thread of my studies again. - - -The Private Tutor - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE PRIVATE TUTOR - - -"Docendo discimus" ("by teaching we learn") says the Latin proverb, and -according to this I must have had the very best opportunities for -acquiring those scientific accomplishments necessary to the attainment -of the object I had in view. Nevertheless it was with a heavy heart that -I left the school, where I ought to have remained to finish the regular -course of my studies, and went out into the world as--_a wild student_, -without discipline, without system, without even the supervision which -my age and inexperience demanded. Being on a visit to my uncle at -Zsámbokrét, in the county of Neutra, I first made the acquaintance of -Mr. von Petrikovich, a small landowner and postmaster. He was a clever, -unprejudiced, and worthy man, who had had his eye on me for some time -because of my readiness in foreign languages, and he now engaged me as -tutor, or rather as teacher of languages, to his two sons. I was to -receive full board and a salary of 150 florins, a very modest -honorarium, but quite in keeping with the very modest services which I -was able to render. For, apart from my knowledge of Hungarian and Latin, -my learning was very deficient, and as regards my office of -prefect--such was my title--I was rather pupil than master. Mrs. von -Petrikovich, a highly-accomplished woman, who had been brought up in -very aristocratic surroundings, and thought a great deal of good -behaviour, manners and dress, soon found to her grief that the prefect, -in spite of his linguistic accomplishments, was a very unpolished -individual, who could scarcely be expected to teach her sons -drawing-room manners. She therefore undertook the difficult task of -first educating the tutor, and the trouble the good lady took to -instruct me on all possible points of etiquette, showing me how to -handle my serviette, fork and knife at table, how to salute, walk, -stand, and sit, was indeed a brilliant proof of her kind-heartedness. I -became a totally different being during this, my first sojourn, in a -gentleman's family, and I was so much in earnest that I spent whole -hours over my toilet, and in practising bows, and the elegant movements -of head and hands. I attended fairly well to my duties as tutor, but my -own studies suffered considerably under the influence of this training. -I became seriously inclined to vanity, and wasted not only my time -before the looking-glass and in the drawing-room, but also my substance; -and the few florins which I ought to have saved to recommence my -studies dwindled away so fast, that at the end of the year I had not -even the sixteen florins left, which I owed to the Lutheran Lyceum at -Presburg, and without which I could not get my certificate, or rather -testimonial of merit. It was indeed unpardonable thoughtlessness which -had thus led me into debt, an offence for which I had to suffer many -sharp pricks of conscience, and which cost me dear. Was it because for -the first time in my life I enjoyed the comfort of living free from -care? Was it this that so enthralled my senses and captivated my whole -being? Or was it the outcome of some hidden, frivolous trait in my -character? I cannot account for it. All I know is that I felt very -miserable when, in the autumn of 1851, I went to Pest with Mr. -Petrikovich, this worthy man having taken his sons there to attend the -public school. Thus I left the quiet haven of the Petrikovich's home, -and found myself once more launched on the stormy sea of wretchedness -and disappointment. - - -Pest, now Budapest, the beautiful, flourishing capital of the kingdom of -Hungary, boasted at that time nothing of the pomp and grandeur which it -now possesses, for the Austrian reign of terror which followed the -struggle for independence had left its sorrowful mark upon the city and -the people. After taking leave of Mr. Petrikovich, I turned into one of -the less frequented back streets in search of inexpensive lodgings, -_i.e._, a bed, eventually half a bed; and the same terrible despondency -which had taken hold of me on my first arrival at Presburg came over me -again in all its intensity. For half a day I wandered round without -success; nobody would take me in without references and part payment in -advance. At last I was reluctantly obliged to go to the house of a -wealthy relative, who allowed me to remain with him for a few days, and -then slipping two florins into my hand, he gave me the paternal advice -to try and find something to do, as his wife objected to my presence -there. I went straight to some of the coffee-houses to inquire from the -tradespeople hanging about if they could help me to a position as -teacher of languages. My timid and dejected appearance attracted the -attention and called forth the sympathy, of a certain Mr. G. He began to -talk to me, and the end of it was that he proposed I should enter his -service as tutor to his children in return for board and lodging, to -which, of course, I agreed at once. Alas for my studies! Mr. G. lived on -the Herminenplatz, a good way from the college of the Piarists, which I -wanted to attend. The grand-sounding word _quarter_ (lodging) consisted -of a bed in the servants' room, which I shared with the cook, the -chambermaid, and one of the children, while the board was so extremely -poor and scanty that the memory of the various meals of the day was -rather in my thoughts than in my stomach. And yet for this meagre fare I -had much to do and to suffer. The untrained children were always -worrying me, and when they had gone to bed and I tried to get on with -some of my school preparations, or private studies, the cook and the -chambermaid began to sing, or to quarrel, or to play tricks upon me, and -made it absolutely impossible for me to do any work. In the long run -this became unbearable, and hard though it was, I gave notice to leave. -As I had not the public certificate, for which I could not pay the -necessary sixteen florins to the Lyceum at Presburg, I had only been -admitted to the Piarist school for three months as provisional student -of the seventh class. For want of the said official certificate from the -previously finished classes, I was compelled to leave the school, and I -took the bold resolve to turn my back once and for all upon the town and -public study, and to find a place in the country as private tutor. - -I call this a bold resolve, but it was also a very painful one, for -henceforth I had quitted for ever the road which was to lead me to a -definite profession in life, and as I had devoted myself to the aimless -study of foreign languages, I drifted into a road the end of which I did -not know myself, and which I was certainly not led to follow by the -faintest glimmer of future events. The danger of my position gradually -became clear to me, for in the hard struggle of life, now lasting -already for ten years, only the momentary deliverance from suffering and -privation had been before my eyes, and now again this one thought, this -one care filled my mind: Will my plan succeed, shall I find a good place -as private tutor? My fitness for the office consisted in the knowledge -of a few languages, and a slight acquaintance with one or two more. I -could read German, French, and Italian fairly well without the help of a -dictionary; Hebrew and Latin I knew slightly, and of course I could -speak and write my two native tongues, viz., Hungarian and Slav. On the -strength of these accomplishments I had the audacity to advertise myself -as professor of seven languages, and in my arrogance I even pretended to -teach them all. - -This was certainly a sufficiently striking signboard and quite in -keeping with the market where I hoped to dispose of my intellectual -wares; for at best I could only expect to take a position in a homely -Jewish family, who, with slight knowledge of philology and pædagogy, -would be perfectly satisfied with my pretentious assertions. Far from -wishing to act under false pretences, I tried to fulfil my office to the -very best of my ability; I taught languages after the method by which I -myself had learned them, viz., the so-called Jacotot method, and in most -cases I had the satisfaction of seeing my pupils so well advanced in any -one language within six months that they could read easy passages and -also speak a little. I was equally successful in other branches of -learning, such as history, geography, and arithmetic, so that without -claiming any pædagogic merit, but simply by honest effort and -perseverance, I managed to fulfil my office as tutor fairly -satisfactorily. - -Not without some interest are the different ways and means by which I -secured my appointments as private tutor, and for curiosity's sake, I -will relate them here. Advertising in newspapers was at that time either -not the custom in Hungary or of very little use; besides, for lack of -the necessary means this method was quite closed to me. But there were -professional agents or brokers, as they were commonly called, who -undertook to provide teachers with situations, and also to find tutors -for such country families as could afford the luxury of a private tutor. -These were chiefly merchants or farmers living in the provinces, who -came to Pest every year at the time of the two great general fairs, and -after disposing of their goods--_i.e._, after they had sold their wool, -gall-nuts, corn, skins, &c., proceeded to make the necessary purchases -for their house and farm. The domestic wants were supplied by the -various stores, but to procure a tutor, a "kosher" butcher, or brandy -distiller, there were certain coffee-houses--_i.e._, places where the -brokers in that particular line could be consulted, and the pædagogic -strength at disposal inspected. As educational exchange, the Café Orczy, -on the high-road of Pest, enjoyed in those days a special popularity. -This dirty place, reeking with the smell of various kinds of -tobacco--which even now after forty years has for the most part -preserved its old physiognomy--was then crowded with town and country -Jews of all sorts and descriptions; some sipping their coffee, others -talking and wildly gesticulating, others again bargaining and shouting, -all making a deafening noise. In the afternoon, between two and four, -the crush and the clatter were at their worst in this pædagogic -exchange. At that time everybody of any importance was there, and on a -bench at the side the eligible teachers were seated, anxiously watching -the agent as he extricated himself from the crowd and with the -purchaser, _i.e._, the future principal, stood before the bench, -reviewed the candidates and called up one or the other of them. It was -always a most painful scene, of which I have since often been reminded -when visiting the slave markets in the bazaars of Central Asia, and the -remembrance of it even now makes me shudder whenever I pass the Café -Orczy. With a heavy heart and deeply ashamed I used to sit there for -hours many afternoons together, until at last Mr. Mayer (that was the -name of my agent) came up to me accompanied by a son of Mercury engaged -in agricultural pursuits, told me to rise, and, all the time expatiating -upon my tremendous cleverness, introduced me to the farmer. Of course I -had to support the zealous broker in the glorification of my own -littleness--just as the slave has to prove his muscular strength in the -bazaars of Central Asia by the execution of his _tours de force_--and -after the amount of the annual honorarium had been fixed and I had -presented my references, the farmer paid me the earnest money, the -greater portion of which was claimed by the broker for the trouble he -had taken, while I with the shabby remainder had to cover the cost of my -equipment, and eventually my travelling expenses. - -This was the regular routine of business on such occasions, and both -buyer and seller benefited by it. I have always been struck by the great -desire for culture evinced even by the most illiterate Jewish merchant. -He spares no pains and no trouble to give his children a better -education than he himself enjoyed; for in spite of his strong -materialistic tendencies he has higher ideals in his mind for the future -of his children. - -The first engagement I obtained in this manner was with Mr. Rosenberg, -in Kutyevo, a village in Slavonia. He was the eldest son of the family, -only a few years my senior, who had to do some business for his father -at the St. Joseph fair, and amongst other things had also to find a -teacher for his younger brothers and sisters. The young man had looked -at me, somewhat abashed, but I began to talk to him in fluent French, of -which he had some faint notion, and this had its effect; he took a -liking to me, engaged me, and a few days later I went with him by -steamer to Eszegg, and from there by carriage to the village of Kutyevo -in a charming valley of the Slavonic mountains. My reception at Mr. -Rosenberg's house was just as unfortunate as when I first came to -Nyék--that is to say, they thought I looked too young, that my cheeks -were too red, and that with such attributes I should probably lack the -dignity and gravity so indispensable to a teacher. The principal cause -of this fear seems to have been Miss Emily, the eldest daughter of the -house, a charming girl of sixteen, who also was to refresh herself at -the fountain of my wisdom, and according to the mother's judgment the -small difference in age between teacher and pupil might lead to grave -consequences. As things turned out the good lady was not far wrong in -this. Otherwise they were all very kind to me. I had a good room, -excellent food, and as I had to teach only six hours a day, I had time -enough to devote myself with all my might to philological studies. It -was here that I first began to give my studies a definite direction, for -after acquiring a so-called knowledge of several European languages I -passed on to Turkish, and therewith turned my attention to Oriental -studies. The consciousness of having missed the help of regular -schooling, and the formal discharge in the ordinary course, caused me -many pangs of conscience, for I knew it was all through my own -unpardonable recklessness, namely, in neglecting twice over to save the -sixteen florins wherewith to redeem the school certificate. I reproached -myself most unmercifully, called myself a good-for-nothing, and -determined henceforth to work with unremitting zeal, to make use of -every moment, and by increased diligence to redeem the past. In my -excessive remorse I even went so far as to write in Turkish -characters--so as not to be read by any one else--on my books, on my -writing-table, on the walls of my room, such words as "Persevere!" "Be -ashamed of yourself!" "Work!" These were to act as a stimulant and -constant warning not to fall again into the same error. - -I could the more easily keep this firm resolve to myself, as my -linguistic studies had now carried me beyond the mere mechanical -committing of passages to memory, and enabled me to enjoy the more -intellectual pleasure of reading the classical works of foreign lands. -This filled my leisure hours with exquisite delight. Was it the -loneliness of village life which made work such a recreation to me, or -was it the glorious feeling of being able to read these master-works of -other nations in the original tongue? Enough, my pleasure in reading was -unbounded; every thought seemed divine, every metaphor a veritable gem -of poesy; and my reading, or more often reciting, was constantly -interrupted by exclamations of surprise and admiration, and the margins -of the various texts were covered with notes and comments expressive of -my rapturous appreciation. The works which at that time especially took -my fancy were: The _Seasons_, by Thomson; the _Henriade_, by Voltaire; -the _Sonnets_ of Petrarch; and above all the _Gerusalemme Liberata_ of -Tasso. For hours together I could sit spellbound by the simple and -beautiful account of the heroic deeds of love, or drink in with delight -the exquisite description of the changing seasons. The noble battle -before the walls of Jerusalem or the charming disquisitions of Thomson, -all had the same magic charm for me. The precursors of awakening spring -or the glories of an English summer landscape filled my cup of delight -to the very brim, and the winter picture of the homely company gathered -round the crackling cottage fire brought me into an equally enthusiastic -frame of mind. When reading the _Henriade_ I was particularly fascinated -by the heroic figure of Henry IV.; while the Sonnets of Petrarch were -the silent interpreters of my awakening passion for the daughter of the -house, and I would gladly have substituted the name of Emily for that of -Laura, if the rhythm and the Argus eye of "Mamma" had not prevented me. -Tasso's immortal epic exercised a truly magic charm upon my youthful -imagination. I liked best to read out of doors, far from all human -sounds; it seemed to suit my imaginative fancy; and as long as the -weather was fit my favourite spot used to be on a hill just outside the -village, overshadowed by a large cherry-tree, and close to a gently -murmuring stream. There in the early morning hours, and in the evenings -between five and eight I used to while away my time in the company of -my favourite poets. There I repeated the sonnets of Petrarch, with my -eyes fixed upon the house where Emily dwelt. There I recited my Tasso -with wild enthusiasm, and it was there that one afternoon I was so -absorbed in that wonderful passage where the poet compares the battle of -the Saracens before Jerusalem to claps of thunder and flashes of -lightning, that I had never noticed the gathering thunderstorm over my -own head; I did not hear the peals of thunder and heeded not the -lightning, until I was rudely awakened from my trance by the rain coming -down in torrents, and wetting me to the skin. Often I was so oblivious -of everything, that I held long discourses with birds or flowers or -grass-blades, and never stopped until some passer-by interrupted the -current of my thoughts. Thus it came about that at a very early age -Mother Nature had become so dear to me; and a fine morning not only put -me in good trim for the whole day, but for many days after. I always -chose the most secluded spots for my favourite studies--places where I -could be safe from sudden interruptions; and so, living in a world of -flowery imagery, and burning with the fire of enthusiasm and fantasy, I -began to build my airy castles for the future. To the seven languages I -knew I had gradually added Spanish, Danish, and Swedish, all of which I -learnt in a comparatively short time, sufficiently at any rate to -appreciate the literary productions of these various countries. I -revelled in the poetry of Calderon, Garcilazo de la Vega, Andersen, -Tégnér, and Atterbon, but at the same time I made steady progress in -Turkish, for in my passion for learning, strengthened by an ever-growing -power of retention, I had indeed accomplished wonders. Whenever in my -readings I came upon words that I did not know the meaning of, I wrote -them down and committed them to memory, at first from ten to twenty per -day, but gradually I managed to learn as many as eighty or even a -hundred, and to remember them also. With a determined will, a young man -in the vigour of youth can do almost anything. True, I made many -mistakes, and often had to unlearn again what I had learnt; many a time -I found myself on the wrong track, but there was always satisfaction in -the consciousness that I had not wasted my time, that I had not -squandered the precious years of my youth. In this consciousness I -boldly faced the future with all the disappointments which possibly -might await me in the thorny path of life, whether owing to accident or -to my own fault. - -The happiness of my idyllic rest and careless existence in the beautiful -valley of the Slavonic mountains came abruptly to an end; and after a -sojourn of eighteen months in Kutyevo, my fair, smiling sky was once -more darkened by gathering clouds. As teacher I had fulfilled my duty; -as pedagogue Mr. Rosenfeld was satisfied with me, but as man, _i.e._, -young man, my conduct was considered objectionable and detrimental to -the reputation of the young lady, who was expected to make a good match. -As already noted, my eyes were rather too frequently fixed upon the -shining orbs of the charming Miss Emily; and although the latter, more -from plutocratic pride than innate prudishness, took good care not to -give the poor, lame tutor the slightest encouragement, the parents -nevertheless thought it necessary to guard against such an eventuality, -and decided to dismiss me. The actual cause which hastened this decision -was, as far as I can remember, a lesson in writing. For when I noticed -that Miss Emily did not form some of her letters quite correctly, I took -hold of her hand to guide it. The contact with the white, plump little -hand--although at first I managed to guide it mechanically--soon sent -the fire of passion tingling into my finger-tips, and when a gentle -pressure revealed the fact that not mere caligraphic zeal but another -motive stirred within me, the young lady jumped up, gave me an angry -look, and left the room. This decided my fate, and I was dismissed. - -The announcement was grievous, even painful to me, not so much because I -had to leave my quiet haven of rest, and the beacon of my first and only -love, but because here, as in Zsámbokrét, I had proved to be a very bad -financier. Of the considerable salary of 600 florins per annum, I had -spent most on books and clothes, and only saved enough to take me to -Pest, and on to Duna Szerdahely, where at my mother's special request I -had decided to go, as she had a great desire to see me after an absence -of several years. The parting from this quiet spot, where I had spent -the happiest eighteen months of my life, was very hard indeed, and when -I took leave of the old cherry-tree, under whose shade I had spent so -many blissful hours with the intellectual heroes of Italy, England, -France and Spain, I cried for hours, and with good reason, for never -again in all my life have I had moments of such pure enjoyment. - -It goes without saying that during my stay in Slavonia I made myself -thoroughly acquainted with the Illyric, _i.e._, South-Slavonic language, -both written and conversational. Well stocked with knowledge, but poor -in purse, I now had to face my mother, in whose eyes the material side -of life had most value. A few new clothes in my knapsack and a silver -watch in my pocket could not satisfy her; she upbraided me with lack of -practical common sense, and always wanted to know whither the knowledge -of so many languages would lead me, and whether, considering all the -time spent in study, I could not get a regular position or appointment -of some kind. Higher aims were beyond the ken of the good, practical -woman, and although always full of affection for me, she could not help -now and then expressing her anxiety as to my future, and hinted that I -should have done better to follow the regular course of study, take my -degree at the University, and become a doctor of medicine. I tried once -or twice to explain to her that the knowledge of so many, and especially -of Oriental, languages might one day make me famous; that I might become -interpreter at one of the embassies; but she was quite unable to take -this in. The uncertainty of my future troubled her much, and it grieved -me deeply not to be able to make her see it in a different and better -light. After a short visit I again took leave of her, once more to throw -myself into the world's turmoil. - - -As my self-conceit had grown with the acquisition of so many languages, -and the stimulus of praise, which up to now had only been vouchsafed to -me by the lower classes of society, had puffed me up with egotism, I -fancied myself worthy of something better than the humble position of -tutor in a Jewish family. I even imagined that my capacities and -learning ought to secure me a position under Government, and for this -purpose I travelled to Vienna, where I hoped to obtain from the Minister -of Foreign Affairs an appointment as interpreter. Of course I failed; -for in the first place I was a perfect stranger and had no -introductions, and in the second place I was absolutely ignorant of the -preliminary steps that had to be taken; of the pedantic and tortuous -passages of Austrian bureaucracy. Realising the fruitlessness of my -efforts, I endeavoured to get private lessons. I advertised in the -Vienna newspapers; but the high-flown announcements of my mezzofantic -perfections remained without the slightest result, and the worthy -ladies' tailor, in whose house on the high-road I had hired a bed on the -fourth story, was much wiser than I, for he advised me to leave Vienna -and go back to Pest, as long as I still had a few books and some clothes -to dispose of to defray the travelling expenses; otherwise, he said, I -should fare badly. - -I was bound to acknowledge that the tailor had more common sense than I, -and the only reason that I did not immediately act upon his suggestion -was that I had still a lingering hope that the acquaintances I had made -in Vienna might yet shed a little brightness over the horizon of my -future career. I had had the good fortune of making the personal -acquaintance of some linguistic celebrities. In the hotel "The Wild Man" -in Kärthner Street I had met the great Orientalist Baron Hammer -Purgstall, who had introduced me to the young Baron Schlechta, and -encouraged me to persevere in the study of Turkology. The old gentleman -spoke to me of my very learned countrymen in Turkology, Gévay and -Huszár, and was of opinion that we Hungarians had most exceptional -advantages for the study of Oriental languages. I also came into contact -with the great Servian poet and writer, Vuk Karacic. Under his -humble roof on the Haymarket I was urged to take up the study of the -South-Slavonic tongue; and his daughter, a highly cultured lady, took a -special interest in my destiny, and was much surprised when I recited -with pathos long passages from Davoria, viz., _Heroic Songs_. Mr. -Rayewski, the priest of the Russian Embassy, also received me kindly. -The good man wanted to win me for Russian literature, perhaps also for -its orthodoxy, for he gave me Russian books, and advised me to make a -journey to St. Petersburg, whereas I afterwards took my way in quite a -different direction. There certainly was no want of good advice, -friendly hints and encouragements, but a beautiful lack of practical -help. - -It was well for me that I turned my back on the beautiful Imperial city -of the Danube to try my fortune once again in Pest, where, as Hungarian, -I felt more at home. I alighted at a house in the street of the Three -Drums, No. 7. It was a house on the level, with a long court, and -inhabited for the greater part by poor people who could only pay their -rent by letting one or two beds to third parties and sharing their one -living room with several others. I lived at door No. 5 with Madame -Schönfeld, a certificated nurse, who had but little practice, and an -invalid husband into the bargain. Therefore she had four beds for hire -put up in her room, in which eight persons, _i.e._, two in each bed, -were accommodated. Poor artisans who spent their days in the workshop -had here their night-quarters, and I, a special favourite of the -childless Madame Schönfeld, had the privilege of receiving for my -bedfellow a thin tailor-lad, who, because of his lanky proportions, did -not take up quite so much room in the bed, and so allowed me a certain -amount of comfort; for although we lay in bed sardine fashion it -happened sometimes that the more corpulent and stronger bedfellow kicked -his mate out of bed in the night. In these surroundings, which cannot -exactly be called regal, I awaited the favourable moment at which that -friend of my fortunes (Mr. Mayer, already mentioned) should provide me -with another appointment as tutor. Weeks and months passed by, during -which time I had to subsist on the scanty remuneration given for private -lessons. The more I advanced in my studies the more painful it was to -teach French or English for two or three florins per month; but my -poverty-stricken appearance denied me entrance into the better circles -of the capital, and as I had no friends I hesitated to approach any one -who might possibly have lent me a helping hand. The remembrance of house -No. 7 in the street of the Three Drums recalls a series of privations -and sufferings in which hunger, that bitter enemy of my younger days, -plays a principal part. As long as this terrible tyrant plagued me I was -rather spiritless and depressed, and it was only in my books that I -could find comfort against the gnawing pain; for although the Latin -proverb rightly says, "_Plenus venter non studet libenter_," I -nevertheless have experienced that with an empty or half-satisfied -stomach my intellectual elasticity has been greater and my memory -intensified so that I was able to accomplish extraordinary things. - -I am not exaggerating when I say that during this interval of my -professional duties I devoted daily ten or twelve hours assiduously to -linguistic studies. To the Romanic and Germanic languages I had added -the study of the Slavonic dialects. The Slovak dialect I had learned -conversationally at St. Georghen and Zsámbokrét; Illyric at Kutyevo; I -had also studied the literatures of these languages. I now applied -myself to learn Russian, which of course was a comparatively easy -matter, and I revelled in the works of Pushkin, Lermontoff, Batyushka, -Dershavin, and other northern writers. I particularly enjoyed changing -about from one poet to another, wandering from north to south, from east -to west. Now I read a few pages from the _Orlando Furioso_, then again a -few verses from the _Fountain in Bagtcheseraj_ of Pushkin, and from the -_Prisoner of the Caucasus_. Here an Andalusian picture unrolled itself -before my eyes--a charming scene on the glorious Ebro, with its pastoral -groups, from Galatea or Estrée. Next I admired a northern sea-fight from -the _Frithiof Sága_, or amused myself with Andersen's Fairy Tales, or -the simple popular songs of _Gusle_ by Vuk Karacic. My joy and my -delight were boundless; my eyes shone, my cheeks were flushed. Every -fibre in my body tingled with the excitement of the lyric or epic -contents of these various works. One can only read with such thorough -appreciation, such deep feeling, in one's early twenties, when the -knowledge of the language has been acquired with much trouble and alone -and when abhorring and despising the mundane character of one's -surroundings, and carried away on the wings of one's heated imagination, -one roams about in higher spheres. The contrast of my own enthusiastic -imagination and the life of the people with whom I associated was about -as great as one can well conceive. Bartering Jews of the most prosaic -type, artisans, day-labourers, and shop-assistants, their only thought -how to earn a few coppers, and to spend them again straight away; -menders and cleaners of old clothes, poor women and pedlars--such were -the people I associated with, and who, looking upon me as half demented, -sometimes pitied and sometimes mocked me. In the winter-time it was very -hard, for then I had to suffer from cold as well as hunger, especially -when the public reading-room of the University was closed, and I was -reduced to sit in Madame Schönfeld's parlour in the Three Drums Street, -where no fire was provided in the daytime. In broad daylight it was not -so bad, for I could jump up and run up and down to get warm. But when it -grew dark I was obliged to go to the Café Szégedin round the corner of -the Three Drums Street; and there, huddled up in a corner of the room, -I read my books by the light of a flickering lamp, regardless of the -frantic noise of the gambling, laughing, bartering crowd. As I could not -pay an entrance fee I had to go home before the gate was locked. -Generally I found all in bed, and continued my studies by the light of a -tallow candle stuck in a broken candlestick, while the sleeping inmates -of the room accompanied my recital--for I always read aloud--with a -snoring duet or terzet, without my interfering with their sleep or they -with my reading. I allowed myself but very little sleep at that time, -for in the early morning I had to give a lesson next door to the son of -Mr. Rosner, the owner of a coffee-house, for which I received every day -a mug of coffee and two little rolls. Two rolls, and my ferocious -hunger! What a contrast! I could easily have demolished half a dozen, -and I had earned them too; but man, whether the owner of a coffee-shop -or of a rich gold-mine, always seeks to make all he can out of the -wretchedness of his fellow-creatures, and this sad truth I had to -realise very early. - -At last the weary time of waiting came to an end and I was released from -my uncomfortable position. After several afternoons spent on the rack at -the Café Orczy, my deliverer, the agent Mayer, succeeded in getting me -an appointment with the wealthy Schweiger family in Kecskemét, where I -was well paid, well cared for, but was also hard worked. Here I spent a -year profitably. I had to teach for eight or nine hours daily; two or -three hours were spent over toilet and meals, and when I add that my -private studies occupied at least six hours a day, one sees how little -time I could afford to give to rest, and how very few were the pleasures -in which, at that period of the never-returning spring of life, I was -able to indulge. And yet I am told that in those days I was always -bright and merry, sometimes even quite reckless and extravagant in my -mirth--a characteristic which did not agree well with my position of -tutor. My pupils, who were only three or four years younger than myself, -made good progress in their studies, but their education left much to be -desired. In Kecskemét, where I had more money at my disposal than ever -before, and where I was able to procure the expensive books necessary -for the study of Oriental languages, I made Turkish and Arabic my chief -objects of study. At that time Professor Ballagi lived in that -neighbourhood, and he lent me Arabic books. Thus I was able, assisted by -my knowledge of Hebrew, to make rapid progress in the second Semitic -language, and by the help of Arabic also to perfect myself in Turkish. -The strange characters, the difficulty of learning to read, and the want -of dictionaries, which were too expensive for me to buy, were terrible -obstacles in my way; often I was almost driven to distraction, and the -hours spent in the shady little Protestant churchyard of Kecskemét, -where I loved to linger near the grave of two lovers, will ever remain -in my memory. - -The reason of my being only one year with the family Schweiger I cannot -quite remember. Enough to say that I returned again to Pest, that I once -more occupied the seat of disgrace in the Café Orczy, and went from -there to the Puszta Csev, not far from Monor, to a Mr. Schauengel, -where I stayed only six months, fortunately in the spring and summer; -for life in a lonely house on the Puszta (Heath), notwithstanding my -love of solitude, soon became too much for me, and the terrible monotony -of the scenery made me almost melancholy. Here I had the first foretaste -of the Steppe regions of Central Asia, afterwards to be the scenes of my -adventurous travels. On the Puszta itself no tree was to be seen for -miles round, and when in the afternoons I wanted to read out of doors, -the only shade I could find against the scorching sun of the hot summer -months was under a haycock or straw-rick. Exhausted with the hard study -of the Orientalia, I used to indulge here in my favourite reading of the -Odyssey, for I had meanwhile also learned Greek. Stretched out on the -grass I recited aloud the glorious scenes and wonderful stories, and -never noticed the shepherd who was grazing his flock in the -neighbourhood, standing before me, both hands leaning on his staff, and -listening in breathless attention to the strange sounds, half admiring, -half pitying me; for on the Puszta they all thought I was possessed of -the devil--a man who had learned far too much, lost his reason, and now -talked nonsense. When in my lonely walks I stood still and gazed into -the far distance, these simple children of nature used to look at me -with a kind of reverence and awe; sometimes they avoided me, and only -the most daring of them ventured to approach and question me as to a -lost head of cattle or about the weather. My fame as an eccentric spread -over the whole neighbourhood, and to this I owed my invitation to the -house of Mr. Karl Balla, the owner of the neighbouring Puszta -Pot-Haraszt, and late director of the prison of the Pest county. Herr -Balla, an elderly, humane, and amiable man, a passionate meteorologist, -who had on his Puszta erected high poles with weathercocks, had also the -reputation of being an eccentric. Like seeks like; a mutual friendship -grew up between us, and when he proposed to me to come and spend the -winter at his house and instruct his son Zádor in French and English, I -gladly accepted, the more so as Mr. Schauengel intended to send his -children to town for the winter, and I should therefore again have been -out of a place. - -As far as the personality of my principal was concerned, my residence at -Pot-Haraszti promised to be very pleasant indeed. I had a quiet, large -room looking into the garden, the food was excellent, my teaching duties -only occupied a few hours of the day, and I had plenty of time and -leisure to devote to the study of the Oriental languages, more -especially Turkish, Arabic, and Persian. The latter had a particularly -magic influence upon me at that time, and the literary treasures which I -found in a Chrestomathy of Vullers filled me with an ecstasy of delight. -Sadi, Jámí, and Khakani were ideals to which I gladly sacrificed many a -night's sleep and many a drive. Unfortunately the family of Herr Balla -had not attained to the same degree of culture as the paterfamilias. The -lady of the house could never bear the idea that a Jew was occupying the -position of prefect in her house, and her constant sneering at my origin -and my want of gentlemanly manners necessarily undermined my authority -over my pupils; there were unpleasant scenes every day, and when these -gave rise to family quarrels--for the old gentleman always firmly took -my side--I made up my mind, though with a heavy heart, to leave this -spot so favourable to my studies, and went to Pest, where, after waiting -six months, I obtained an equally good position at Csetény, in the -county of Veszprém, with Mr. Grünfeld, who rented the place. - -This was my last position as private tutor in Hungary, and the kind -treatment which I received from the generous and noble-minded Grünfeld -family has also left the most vivid and pleasant recollections of my -varied and sometimes very difficult pedagogic career. Only one sad -circumstance is connected with my sojourn in this quiet village in the -Bakony, and it has left its ineffaceable traces on my memory. It was on -the 11th of November, 1856, on a rainy evening that, after remaining in -the family circle in pleasant conversation till ten o'clock, I was just -about to retire to my room, which was outside in the court. As I opened -the front door I saw to my horror a number of masked people before me, -one of whom took me by the chest and threw me with force back into the -room, while the others stormed in after him, each of them taking hold of -a member of the panic-stricken family, threatening to kill any one who -dared to utter a sound. It was a band of robbers who had come over from -the neighbouring Bakony Forest. They had watched their opportunity to -attack Mr. Grünfeld, who had returned the day before with a considerable -sum of money from the Pest Market. Lying on the floor with one of those -ruffians kneeling on my chest and the barrel of the pistol wet with the -rain pressed to my forehead, I gradually recovered my senses. The sight -of that dim, lamplighted scene, with the ghastly faces of the -terror-stricken family, has stamped itself for ever on my memory like -some dreadful dream. - -Still more terrible scenes followed. We were dragged from one room to -the other, and while the servants of the house stood bound outside, -sighing and groaning, Mr. Grünfeld was requested to give up all his -effects and money. He was robbed of about 20,000 florins; but as this -did not satisfy the rapacity of those wild fellows, and one of them -pointed the barrel of his gun to the breast of the father of the family, -I lost all patience, jumped up, and placing the weapon on my own breast -I cried, "If you must kill, kill me; I have neither wife nor child, it -is better that I should die." These words seemed to make an impression -on the leader of the band, probably a political fugitive who had retired -into the forest to escape the vengeance of the Austrian Government, for -at a sign from him his accomplices refrained from shedding blood. They -collected all the money and valuables, and after searching my room also, -but only depriving me of some volumes of Hungarian classics, they went -away, leaving us all locked up in the dark room. - -This ghastly nocturnal scene might have had serious consequences for me, -for the police of the district of Zircz, to which Csetény belonged, came -upon the bright idea of suspecting me--who even at that time as a -Hungarian scholar was in touch with the Hungarian Academy of -Sciences--to be a secret accomplice of this robber band of fugitive -rebels; and they were strengthened in their suspicion by the fact that I -had opened the door, and, with the exception of the books, had escaped -without loss. A zealous anti-Magyar even went so far as to suggest that -it would be wise to take me into custody, and await my trial. I should -certainly have been locked up and treated for months like any common -criminal, if my good friend Mr. Grünfeld had not answered for me and -affirmed my innocence. Instead of going to the sunny Levant, I might -have been shut up in prison without any fault of mine. - -This sojourn with the Grünfeld family concluded my career as private -tutor. All my thoughts were now fixed upon the idea of accomplishing -something definite, something more in keeping with all my previous -studies, and no longer running wildly after chimeras. I therefore made -up my mind to go to the East at once, and though it cost me much to -leave the peaceful haven of rest and comfort, I took the necessary steps -to set out on my travels. The last link with the land of my birth was -broken, for my mother, whom I dearly loved, died shortly before my -departure. My name was the last word that passed her lips, and her death -left me absolutely alone, with no one to care for me in all the world. - -Before concluding this chapter of my career as private tutor, I must not -forget to mention that these six years were the most productive of all -my life and formed the nucleus of all my future actions. Looking back -upon the many vicissitudes of my early life, the long chain of -incredible privations, and the insatiable desire for knowledge, I must -confess with sorrow that my labour would have been far more profitable -and beneficial if I had not been led astray by my rare power of memory -and an innate talent for languages and conversation; if, instead of -blindly rushing forward regardless of obstacles, I had worked more -quietly, more leisurely, and more thoroughly. I had an immense number of -foreign languages in my head. I could say by heart long passages from -the Parnasso Italiano, Byron, Pushkin, Tegner, and Saadi. I could speak -fluently and write moderately well in several of these languages; yet my -learning was absolutely without system or method, and it was not until I -had had actual intercourse with the various nations and had paid the -penalty of my many shortcomings and erroneous notions, that I could -rejoice in having attained a certain degree of perfection. It is chiefly -due to this haste and eagerness to get on that in the course of my later -studies I always preferred a wide field of action to great depth, and -always set my mind rather on expansion than on penetration. - -Nor will I hide the fact that, in spite of want and distress, in spite -of poverty and loneliness, a great longing for the pleasures and -dissipations of youth often possessed me, and that in order to avoid -useless waste of time I had to keep a very strict watch, and often had -to reprimand and punish myself. For many years I used to spend New -Year's Eve in solitude to give an account to myself of all I had done -in the past twelve months, and to write out and seal the programme for -the new year; and when I opened this on the following 31st of December -and saw that some one or other point had remained unaccomplished, I -wrote bitter reproaches on the margin as reminders, and was out of sorts -for days. Besides this, I had my daily calendar, marked with the rubrics -for different subjects of study, which had to be attended to before -going to sleep. If by chance one or other of these rubrics had not been -filled in, I tried to make up for it the next day, and when I could not -manage that I punished myself by absenting myself from the table under -the pretext of a headache or indigestion. With my healthy appetite this -was the severest punishment I could think of, and the irritating clatter -of plates and knives and forks from the adjoining dining-room was indeed -a sore temptation. - -Now I can smile over this self-chastisement; but he who has to fight by -himself the battle of youthful folly may easily fall a victim to -thoughtlessness. The eye becomes dazzled by the rosy, smiling picture of -the present, and gets weary of looking into the future. - -My young readers, who enter the school of life guided by the admonitions -of parents or teachers, do not realise perhaps how beneficial and useful -these disagreeable-sounding corrections may be some day. They are the -stars that twinkle in the perilous darkness of youthful eagerness. I -missed these helps, and I must call myself fortunate that a kind -Providence spared me the sad consequences of this want. - - -My First Journey to the East - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -MY FIRST JOURNEY TO THE EAST - - -From the little foretaste which my theoretical studies had given me of -the immense depths of delight contained in Oriental literature, it had -become quite clear to me that in order fully to understand and -appreciate this strange and wonderful world it would be absolutely -necessary to have a more intimate knowledge of the land and its bizarre -inhabitants. When I was still in Kecskemét I had been planning a journey -to the East, and since that time the enchanting pictures which the -Oriental poets conjured up had ever been before my eyes. But how could -I, devoid of all means, and scarcely able to procure the bare -necessaries of life--how could I possibly dream of undertaking a journey -which at that time was very expensive? I pondered in vain. But now I had -saved 120 florins from my last salary as tutor. I was thoroughly weary -of teaching, and possessed by a wild desire for adventure. The time -seemed come at last to carry out my ambitious plans. I determined to -start for Constantinople _viâ_ Galatz as soon as ever I could get ready. -The means at my disposal would cover only half of my travelling -expenses, and arrived in Constantinople I should be penniless, without -recommendation, without friends, an utter stranger, with nothing but -starvation before me. But none of these things troubled me, nor did I -worry myself about the possible issue of my hazardous scheme. The -glorious Bosporus, the Golden Horn, the slender minarets, the stately -cupolas of the mosques, the turbaned Turks, and closely veiled Turkish -women, and many other marvels which I was about to behold, had entirely -captivated my imagination, and I had no thought left for the prosaic -details of travelling preparations and expenses, and the care for daily -food. "I shall manage somehow," I said to myself, and the only thing -that caused me some uneasiness was how to get a passport from the -Austrian authorities. Just then they were always very suspicious of any -one going to Turkey, for it was the favourite resort of Hungarian -emigrants, and it was thought in Vienna that rebellious schemes were -being hatched there. Without protection I could do nothing, and by good -fortune the Baron Joseph Eötvös came to my rescue. I had made the -acquaintance of this noble-minded, highly-cultured countryman of mine -some little time before. He, the distinguished and kind-hearted author -and scientist, having accidentally heard of me, had expressed a wish to -make my personal acquaintance. I was then in great want and distress. -My foot covering was in a very dilapidated condition, the soles of my -shoes were in holes, and as I did not like to come into the room from -the dirty street in the rags which covered my feet I tied pasteboard -soles under my shoes. In spite of this precaution my feet left -unmistakable traces on the carpet, much to the annoyance of the -servants, no doubt, but the noble baron only smiled at my discomfiture; -he set me at my ease and questioned me as to what had induced me to take -up the study of philology. He promised me his protection and also gave -me an introduction to the Academy library, so that I could borrow books, -which was of great service to me in my studies. When I spoke to him -about the passport he managed, not without a good deal of trouble, to -influence in my favour the then Governor, a man highly esteemed in -Government circles. The noble baron even went so far as to start a -collection for my benefit, but this failed, and when I took leave of -him, although not rich himself, he gave me some money and clothes, -requesting me to let him have news of me from time to time. - -Provided with the necessary legal documents, I soon after packed up my -dictionaries, a few favourite authors, and some underclothes, and was -ready to start. Again at the recommendation of Baron Eötvös I was -provided with a ticket to Galatz at half price, and I went on board one -fine morning in the month of May, 1857, to enter the "land of romance," -as Wieland calls it in his _Oberon_, with no one to see me off, no one -to weep, no one to grieve over me. The reader will easily imagine the -joyful exultation and rapturous delight which filled my whole being. As -my little stock of ready money had considerably diminished during the -prolonged delay, I had only taken a second-class ticket. All day I -remained on deck, entering into conversation with my fellow-travellers, -old and young, great and small, and of many different nationalities; and -as I could address them all in their mother-tongue my versatility called -forth much admiration, which sometimes expressed itself in the offer of -a drink, sometimes in an invitation to share a modest repast, which I -always gladly accepted. After a good meal my hilarity generally rose a -few degrees, and in this agreeable state of mind I was always pleased to -recite some beautiful passage or other from one of my favourite authors, -and especially from Petrarch's _Sonnets_. It was with the "Hermit of -Vaucluse" that I first gained the favour of the Italian ship's cook, who -invited me to sit down by his kitchen door, and while I was gaily -declaiming outside, the poetically inclined cook inside stirred his pans -with all the more vigour, and an occasional bravo! or _ben fatto!_ for -my benefit. Of course the practical tokens of his favour were not -wanting, for Mr. Cook handed me from time to time a plateful of the best -food his kitchen could produce. Thus I lived in plenty and comfort, and -often had to confess to myself that my adventurous sail to the East had -with this passage of the Danube commenced under the very best auspices. -I was particularly fascinated by the variety of nationalities around me. -For the first time in my life the narrow limits of a ship afforded me -the opportunity of conversing with representatives of so many different -nations, that I could now at pleasure put into practice my theoretical -and letter knowledge; and although my queer pronunciation and faulty -accentuation often made it difficult for the foreigners to understand -me, I very soon learned to understand them, and after a while I was -surprised to find how smoothly and fluently the conversation went along. -When at Widdin I first saw real live Turks, and my surprise and -astonishment knew no bounds. My first acquaintance with a Mussulman was -of special interest. It was evening, the sun was going down, and its -last rays shone on the deck swarming with natives from Servia, -Wallachia, Bulgaria, and Turkey. A venerable follower of the Prophet -stepped forth, spread his carpet in a corner of the deck, and began to -perform his "Akhsham Namazi," _i.e._, evening devotions. The sight of -this old man prostrating himself in all humility and contrition of -heart, with his head bent low, and arms limply stretched out in front of -him, made a deep impression upon me. I never took my eyes off him, and -when he rose from his prayers and rolled up his carpet, I came forward -and addressed him. I was pleased to find that he was willing to talk to -me; he told me that his name was Mehemed Aga and that he came from -Lofcha. He was now on his way to Stambul to visit his son Djewdet -Effendi, who was studying there, and who afterwards became known as -Historiographer and Minister of Justice. From Stambul he intended to go -on to Mecca. The name "Madjar" (Hungarian) stood at that time in good -repute with the Turks, who had interested themselves for the emigrating -Hungarians; and when I had shown the dear old man my Turkish reading -book, a religious work entitled _Kyrk Sual_ (the Forty Questions), and -had read something aloud out of it, his confidence increased, he invited -me to supper, and throughout the voyage proved himself a good, kind -friend to me. - -Other acquaintances of a similar nature helped to clear away the black -clouds which darkened the horizon of my future in the strange land. The -sail up the Danube as far as Galatz soon came to an end, and I was -fortunate enough to secure a half deck-ticket on one of the Lloyd -steamers. I was supremely happy, as now for the first time in my life I -should see the briny ocean, so familiar to me from the descriptions of -Byron and Tegner and other master poets; and when I beheld its mighty -grandeur I was almost giddy with delight and admiration. In order to -watch the motion of the waves more closely I stationed myself, with -permission of the sailors, on a projection near to the bowsprit, and I -imagined I was riding a dolphin, with the salt waves splashing round me. -Thus I accomplished the first few miles on the dark waters of the Pontus -Euxinus. I literally bathed in a sea of delight. I sang, I shouted in my -exultation, and until far into the night my voice vied with the seagulls -and the clamour of the ship's crew behind me. At last, nearly soaked -through with the spray, I left my perch and retired to a corner of the -deck which the Turks had taken possession of, and soon fell fast asleep. -About midnight I was roused by the jerky motion of the ship, and got up. -The howling of the wind, the creaking of the planks, the jolting and -bumping of the vessel, the sighs and groans of the passengers, and -especially of the Turkish women, soon made me realise that I was to have -the good fortune of witnessing the terrible majesty of the Euxine in a -real storm. Regardless of the consternation round me, the fright, the -lamentations, the cries, and the general confusion, I steered my way -along the pitch-dark deck, and was beside myself with joy when an -occasional flash of lightning gave me a sight of the awful spectacle -around, and the black waves towering high above us. Oh! the horror and -the delight of it! My dearest wishes were realised, and as I stood -leaning against the railing which separated our quarter from the deck of -the first-class passengers, and in my rapturous excitement began to -declaim a few stanzas from the _Henriade_, I noticed that a traveller, -pacing up and down on the other side, occasionally stopped to listen; -and after a while he shouted to me in French, "Who are you; what makes -you think of the _Henriade_ just now?" After a little conversation I -found that I was talking to the Secretary of the Belgian Legation at -Constantinople. The next morning he talked for a long time with me, and -finally asked me to come and see him at Pera. - -Needless to say I was deeply impressed by the entrance of the Bosporus, -and it was not until the ship had cast anchor at the Golden Horn -opposite Galata, and the passengers crowding into the boats had gone -ashore, that I awoke from my dreams and began to realise my critical -position. I had only just enough money in my pocket to pay for the -ferryboat, without the slightest idea where to go or what to do. There I -stood, penniless, in an utterly strange town. As far as I can remember I -was about two hours climbing up the steep incline between Galata and -Pera. I was so fascinated by the absolute grotesqueness of the life -around me, the chaos of languages, gaudy costumes and strange -physiognomies, that I was obliged to stop every few minutes, rooted, as -it were, to the spot. Pushed on all sides, I felt myself suddenly seized -by the shoulder, and some one addressed me first in Italian and then in -Hungarian. I stood face to face with Mr. Püspöki, my countryman and an -emigrant. My Hungarian hat with the flying ribbons had attracted his -attention, and he began to question me as to the aim and object of my -journey. "Ah, perhaps you are the philologer of whose journey to the -East we have read in the Hungarian papers?" "Yes," I answered; "and -since you are the first countryman I have met, you must help me to find -a lodging and work to do." The good man looked at me with surprise; he -seemed to have guessed the emptiness of my pocket, and in order not to -raise my hopes too high he told me that he was not doing very well -himself, and that just at present he was looking for a cook's place, and -would gladly share his modest quarters with me. Talking about the -beloved fatherland, the absolutism of the Austrians, and the miserable -condition of Turkey, he led me through a labyrinth of dirty, narrow -passages to his abode behind the wall of the English Embassy. This -dwelling consisted of one bare room, with broken windows, and as its -only furniture a long, torn, Turkish divan, which he pulled forward, -inviting me to sit down. "Half of it is mine, and the other yours," said -kind-hearted Mr. Püspöki; "and as for food, I will show you a locanda -(eating-house), where, if you happen to have cash, you can get a good -meal very reasonably." He took me to a basement place in what is now the -Grande Rue de Pera, and which bore the pompous title of "Café Flamm de -Vienne." They sold café-au-lait and Vienna rolls, quite a novelty for -the East in those days. Here I found other compatriots lounging about, -some in Turkish military uniform, some in threadbare clothes. The -majority gave me a hearty welcome, but a few eyed me suspiciously, for -just then the emigrants dreaded to find in every fresh arrival from -Hungary an Austrian spy, sent over to report about them to the -authorities. However, the harmlessness of my personality soon reassured -them, and all suspicions were allayed when they found that I could read -Turkish and speak it a little as well. Some of them invited me to -breakfast straight away, to which meal I did full justice. - -After the conclusion of the Crimean War this Café Flamm had become the -favourite haunt of disillusioned adventurers, officers out of employ, -bankrupt merchants, despairing emigrants, political enthusiasts, and -heroes of all trades and nationalities. To judge from the conversation -of these almost always hungry gentlemen, the fate of Europe and of -Turkey was to be decided in this dingy, smoky parlour; they played ball -with Sovereigns and Ministers of State to their hearts' content; they -all had their own plans and views for the amelioration of the world, and -each of them secretly believed that it was merely a question of time for -him to get to the head of affairs in Turkey. The modern Argonaut -expedition of united Europe to the northern banks of the Euxine had -created during and since the Crimean War quite a marvellous host of -knights of the Golden Fleece, and had opened the romantic East to the -romantic children of the West. The tailor's apprentice is in this -"Foreign Legion" suddenly promoted to be a first lieutenant or captain; -hotel waiters become secretaries and interpreters; journalists blossom -forth as great strategists, financiers, and diplomatists; ensigns are -for the nonce colonels and generals; and when, after the violent attack -on the Malakoff, the angel of peace appeared on the banks of the Seine, -vanished was the glitter of the golden existence in the Golden Horn; the -heroes, one and all, subsided into their former insignificance, and met -at the Café Flamm to sweeten the bitter bread of sad reality by the -concoction of still more high-flown plans for the future. The various -types I saw in this coffee-house and the hours spent there will ever -remain fresh in my memory. - -In this manner the first days of my sojourn in Pera passed away. I -traversed in all directions both the European and the Turkish quarters -of the town, and always liked to enter into conversation with the Turks -lounging in the coffee-houses; I read aloud from the Turkish books I -always carried about with me, and noticed that the Mohammedans, easily -influenced and affable folks, were impressed by my knowledge of Turkish -and Persian, and regarded me as a kind of prodigy who, having arrived in -Stambul only a day or two ago, already spoke Turkish like an Effendi. -On account of the great difference between the language of the educated -classes and of the people, those who speak the former are always treated -with a certain amount of respect, especially if they are unbelievers; -and as at that time the sympathies of the Turks for the Hungarians had -reached their height, the kindness of these good Osmanli seemed quite -natural to me; and when in any of the coffee-houses I read aloud -passages from "Ashik Garib" ("The Amorous Foreigner"), or from another -popular poem, with the right accentuation and modulation, I generally -reaped a rich harvest of bread, cheese, and coffee, sometimes even Kebab -(roast beef) or Pilaf and Pastirma (dry, smoked meat). At night I -availed myself of Mr. Püspöki's hospitality, and slept excellently on my -miserable couch, in spite of the fiendish noise of the rats racing about -in the room. Their presence was at first rather objectionable to me, as -they gnawed my boots and my clothes, but afterwards, when the necessary -precautions had been taken, I did not trouble any more about them. -Favoured by fine weather, in the charm of novelty the first six weeks of -my stay in Constantinople passed away pleasantly. I never knew in the -morning where I should eat in the evening: the future did not trouble me -in the least; and as I had now changed my hat for a fez, and looked -shabby enough to pass for a wandering lecturer, I spent my days enjoying -to the full my vagabond life. - -The mixed nationalities that I came into contact with on the banks of -the Bosporus, were exactly what I needed to complete my theoretical -knowledge of their languages, and ear and memory stood each other in -good stead. I soon acquired the correct accent and construction; and -imitating the different languages as closely as I could in tone and -sound, many took me for a native, and the jokes and jests caused by this -muddle of languages gave me many a delicious moment. Unfortunately my -happiness was somewhat marred by the sudden departure of Mr. Püspöki, -who had found employment as cook on one of the steamers of the -Messageries Impériales, for this made me lose my night quarters, and I -had to hunt about for a long time, until at last the secretary of the -Hungarian Association--Magyar Egylet--proposed that I should take up my -quarters in the council-room of the Society, which was likely soon to be -dissolved. In this large, empty hall I found an old sofa, on which I -stretched myself, but the evenings were cool and I could not sleep. So I -begged Mr. Frecskay, which was the secretary's name, to give me a wrap -of some kind. The good-hearted man appeared presently with a torn -tricolor in his hand, handed it to me with grave pathos, and said, "I -have nothing but this precious memento of our glorious struggle. This -flag has sent the fire of enthusiasm into the lines of our fighters for -justice and freedom; cover yourself with it, it will warm you also." Of -course I could not continue to sleep there, so I set off once more in -search of a bed, and soon found help in the person of another -compatriot, Major E. This man had unfortunately lost his watchdog, and -as his wife would not be left alone in the lonely house near Hassköi, he -invited me to take up my abode there while he was away on business in -the provinces, and until he had procured another watchdog. So I was to -occupy the vacant position of watchdog! It was not particularly -inviting; but turned out rather better than I expected. Instead of a -dog-kennel I had a comfortable room, and plenty of coffee and bread for -breakfast. So I contented myself with the exchange, and continued my old -Bohemian life. - -The mornings were chiefly devoted to reading Turkish books, then I -cleaned out the yard and fetched water from the well some little -distance off, and towards evening I repaired to different coffee-houses -to gain a piaster or two by reciting familiar love-poems. No sooner was -I seated there on a high stool surrounded by Turks and Armenians, and -had begun to recite in a nasal sing-song tone, when the conversation -gradually dropped, and the rattling of the nargiles began to subside. -They listened to the love-sick lamentations of Wamik and Esra, of -Khossru and Shirin, where the sad fate of the lovers is recounted. My -readings and recitations were generally attended by the manifestations -of violent emotion or admiration on the part of my audience. In my -subsequent travels in Persia I have often experienced the same thing; -and even now, when I think of those times, the spell of the scene comes -over me again, and I revel in the memory of those early days, when I -could gain the ear of those regular Orientals and keep the crowds -spellbound. Truly speech, the spoken word, is a mighty instrument! By it -mountains are levelled and hearts hard as rock are softened. Differences -of faith and nationality vanish before it; and as I had the good fortune -to experience all this at the very outset of my adventurous career in -Asia, many dark outlines of the far-off future were smoothed away. - -Thus the days passed swiftly until the approach of autumn, when I began -to realise the seriousness of my condition, and once more I made up my -mind to try to get lessons or a permanent appointment as private tutor, -in order to make a decent living. In the East bombastic speeches and -high-flown announcements are not at all a rarity; nevertheless the -advertisement which I had fixed up in all the booksellers' shops in -Pera, and in which I offered myself as teacher of a whole string of -Western and Eastern languages, attracted much attention. Bizarre, -absurd, and fantastic as my advertisement was, it did not fail in its -object, for before long I was summoned by a Turk in Scutari, and a Mr. -von Hübsch, General-Consul of Denmark. The former had just come in for a -large sum of money, and in order to do justice to his position of -modern dandy wanted to be able to talk a little French. He wished to -take French lessons from me, while the latter, an Easterling by birth, -wanted to learn Danish, not so much for conversation, he thought, but -rather to be able to read the Danish Court circular and newspapers. Here -was a singular and rather perplexing demand upon my Scandinavian -studies; in my wildest dreams it had never entered my brain that I might -be called upon to teach a representative of Denmark the language of that -country! And yet such was the case. For eighteen months Mr. v. Hübsch -continued my pupil, and when, at the end of that time, we had finished -Andersen's novel _Kun a Spilleman_ ("Only a Fiddler"), and he could -read the _Berlinske Tidninger_, I came to the conclusion that there is -nothing impossible in this world, and that an adventurous career -certainly brings the oddest experiences. I did not get on so well with -my Turkish scholar. As a man of fashion his object was merely to have a -French _maître_ coming to the house, but he was lazy and frivolous, and -all the learning that was done was on my side; for in his house at -Chamlidjia, on the hill above Scutari, he always entertained a company -of Effendis and Porte officials in the evenings, with whom I conversed -for hours, and made rapid progress both in Turkish society manners and -customs, and in the elegancies of the Osmanli speech. The distance -between the landing-stage at Scutari and Chamlidjia was a weary journey -to accomplish every day on foot, but it was a _gradus ad Parnassum_, and -after being in office for three months I could act the Effendi not only -in outward appearance, manners, and gesticulations, but I could hold a -conversation in Turkish with all the necessary elegance, and was well on -the way to becoming a perfect Effendi. - -The Turks of the upper classes are very pleasant people, especially when -one humours their peculiarities, and takes the trouble to learn their -language, one of the most difficult in the world. No wonder, therefore, -that my circle of acquaintances perceptibly increased, and that I had -constantly fresh applications and fresh invitations as teacher of -languages. Thus far I had made Pera my headquarters, but when, through -the intervention of my countryman, Ismail Pasha (General Kmetty), I was -offered the position of private tutor in the Konak of the Hussain Daim -Pasha, in the town-quarter of Kabatash, I accepted at once, adjourned to -the Turkish quarter, and henceforth became a regular Turk. Only the name -was wanting now, and this was given me by my principal, a worthy -Cherkess, who had been educated at the court of Sultan Mahmud; he -ordered his household henceforth to address me as _Reshid_, _i.e._, the -valiant, the honest one; and on the strength of my linguistic skill to -give me the title of Effendi. So Reshid Effendi was my official name, -but neither the Pasha nor myself had ever thought of a regular -Islamising. The former, a Mohammedan of the purest water, who -afterwards became involved in an anti-reform conspiracy, thought no -doubt that my conversion would follow as a matter of course, and that, -when fully convinced of the material advantages to be derived from -joining the ruling class altogether, I should give up all idea of -returning to the West. As for myself, the very idea of conversion was -far from me. I had long been a confirmed freethinker, and Islam seemed -to open a religious world which, because of its sound foundation and -rational dogmas, was all the more dangerous to the free soaring upward -of the spirit; but with my declared animosity against positive religions -in general, it was altogether beyond me to embrace it. At the same time -I must admit that the forbearance of the upper classes in the Turkish -metropolis was most praiseworthy; for most of them saw perfectly well -through the hypocritical nature not only of my Moslemism but of that of -other European renegades, and did not pin the slightest faith to the -conversion of Europeans; they never in any way, however, disapproved of -this incognito, or resented the mere external acknowledgment of the -newly adopted faith. In this the better classes of Turkey have always -advantageously distinguished themselves from the _soi-disant_ cultured -classes of European society; for while these latter high-born gentlemen, -brought up in the trammels of prejudice, short-sightedness, and -hypocrisy, presuppose in their converts the same lack of inner -persuasion, and consider conversion to their views quite a possible -thing, the cultured Turk, be he ever so religious, recognises in Islam a -world of thought, born and bred in the blood, dependent upon education -and mental development, and absolutely impossible of adoption by a man -of Western training. They called me Reshid Effendi, they permitted me to -be present at and to join in their religious ceremonies, they discussed -in my presence frankly and unreservedly the most abstruse religious -questions, they even brought me in contact with the friars, and laughed -when I joined in the recitation of hymns, or took part in their -disputes; but the question whether I really intended to become a -Mohammedan, to marry, and to live the life of a regular Moslem, nobody -ever thought of asking; that question has been put to me only by the -uneducated. - -In this manner I was enabled to move in Turkish society as Reshid -Effendi without in any way binding myself. The more I became familiar -with their social customs, and steeped in the Oriental ways of living -and thinking, the larger grew my circle of acquaintances, and the more -unreservedly all doors were opened to me, not merely of lower officials -but of the higher and even the very highest dignitaries. Turkey knows no -aristocracy of birth; the man of obscure origin can suddenly become -Marshal and Grand-Vizier; and since most of them, as self-made men, -have no genealogical scruples, so also in the foreigner they do not so -much consider his antecedents as his personal capabilities; and as my -fame as professor of the Turkish language spread, I found the doors of -the highest society open to me, and in a year's time, I was, with the -exception of Murad Effendi (Werner), who lived in the house of Kibrisli -Pasha, the only European who, without formally going over to Islam, had -become an Effendi and a _protégé_ of the Porte circle. Easy as this -transformation had been, because of the tolerance of the better classes -of Stambul, so much the greater had been the sacrifices which the lower -classes demanded from me. Servants play an important part in Turkish -households; they are looked upon as members of the family, and in the -patriarchal organisation of the house they have a considerable influence -upon the Effendi and Pasha, and especially upon the children. These -servants, transported from the interior of European and Asiatic Turkey -to the banks of the Bosporus, are generally in the very lowest stage of -education; they are extremely fanatical and suspicious as regards -Europeans, and the higher I rose in the favour of the master of the -house the higher rose their jealousy and animosity. They could not -understand that, notwithstanding my literary and religious knowledge, I -did not become a pious Moslem, and why the Pasha, Bey, or Effendi should -show me, the disguised Giaour, so much attention. In spite of all that -both religion and national custom prescribe as to the kind treatment of -guests, for the Koran says, "Ekremu ed dhaifun ve lau kana kafirun," -_i.e._, "Honour the guest, even if he be an unbeliever," I had much -unkindness to bear, and had to put up with many a humiliation. What -amused me most was the conduct of the older house-servants; they even -played the Mentor towards the governor, his wife, and his children, and -often instructed me in rules of etiquette and general views of life. In -the eyes of these people infidel Europe was a barbarian wilderness, -rejecting the civilising influences of Islam, and it was an act of -condescension on the part of the old-stock Turk, brought up within the -small Stambul circle, to put me right, and to instruct me in the correct -way of sitting, walking, eating, talking, and general comportment. -Others, again, were malevolent and fanatical, made me the butt of their -ill-chosen jokes, worried me, and once it even happened that a -scoundrel, who had risen to be the tyrant of the house, threw his boot -at my head because I had not polished it enough to his liking. I had to -take all this into the bargain; it was a new school--the school of -Oriental life--which I had to pass through, and the fee had to be paid. - -After the servants it was the harem, _i.e._, the Turkish female world, -which caused me a good deal of trouble. Turkish women, the fair sex in -general, are distinctly conservative, and they could not understand how -the Pasha or Effendi could tolerate the presence of a Giaour in the -Selamlik, _i.e._, in close proximity to the harem, and above all, how he -could have come upon the idea of entrusting the education of his -children to an infidel. Even now Turkish ladies are much more fanatical -than the men; but at that time, the beginning of the reform period, they -evinced an ungovernable hatred and aversion against everything -Christian. They showed me their dislike in all sorts of teasing ways. -Communication between the harem and the outer world is carried on by -means of the Dolab, a round, revolving sort of cupboard. Everything -intended for the Selamlik is placed in this Dolab, and when the women -want to speak with any one outside they do so through the Dolab. When I -heard the sound of a woman's voice, and shouted the customary "Buyurun" -("At your service") into the Dolab, I either received no answer at all -or else some rude rejoinder; and it was not till later, when I had -trained myself to make exquisitely polite speeches and poetic -compliments, that they vouchsafed to give me a short answer. After -months of effort I succeeded at last in breaking the ice. My youthful -fire could not fail to take effect, and the ladies, most of them very -beautiful Circassians, who were much neglected by the old invalid master -of the house, gradually began to praise my willingness to oblige them -and my linguistic proficiency, and proofs of their favour were also -forthcoming. In six months' time the Böyük Hanim (chief wife) entrusted -me with the charge of one of the Odalisks, long past the spring of life, -who suffered from severe toothache, and had to be taken to a dentist at -Pera. The long and difficult road up the steep incline to Pera -necessitated a rest midway, and with the afflicted lady I stopped at the -house of a Hungarian countryman of mine. The kind hospitality she met -with seemed to have pleased the Turkish woman extremely, for soon -afterwards more ladies of the harem, some of them quite young, were -suddenly seized with toothache, and I had to take them in turns to Pera -for dental operations. My intercourse with the inmates of the harem was -very strained; it was so difficult to keep to the strict rules of -etiquette. I could not accustom myself to cast down my eyes when in the -presence of a lady, as Turkish custom demands. It is no small matter at -twenty-four to tear one's gaze away from the fiery orbs of a beautiful -Circassian. There were other difficulties which it cost me much trouble -to overcome. - -But, true to my principle to persevere and to bear all things, and -hardened by early sufferings, I found strength to pursue the end I had -in view. Rising, step by step, I first came into the house of the Chief -Chancellor of the Imperial Divan, Afif Bey, whose son-in-law, Kiamil -Bey, I taught for about twelve months, and where I had daily intercourse -with the _élite_ of Porte society. Our house, opposite the mausoleum of -Sultan Mahmud II., not far from the High Porte, was the rendezvous of -men of wit and genius, celebrated authors, and high society generally. -Here I made the acquaintance of Midhat Pasha, afterwards celebrated in -Europe as the father of the Turkish constitution. He was then Midhat -Effendi, and occupied the position of secretary to my Pasha. Midhat was -a lively young man of a restless and fanciful turn of mind; he was -studying French at that time, and as he had not the patience, while -reading, to look up words in the dictionary, he began to read with me -for a few hours every day, in return for which he helped me to decipher -difficult Turkish texts, as, for instance, in the historical works of -Saaddesdin of Kemalpashazade, or he corrected my compositions and -introduced me into the Medrissa (college) for Osmanlis, where I was -allowed to attend the lectures of celebrated exegetists, grammarians, -and lawyers of the time, in company with the Softas (students of -divinity). Here, crouching before the Rahle (Koran-desk) at the feet of -the thickly turbaned Khodjas (teachers), I was introduced into the -practical knowledge of Islam, and the instruction which my -fellow-students accepted with religious enthusiasm was to me all the -more interesting as, rising higher and higher in the estimation of the -Turks in general, I gained possession of the talisman which has been my -guide in all my subsequent journeys and wanderings. Amongst the many -Europeans who have formally gone over to Islam, I was the first to be -educated at a Medresse (university), and the study seemed the easier to -me as the ruling spirit here strongly reminded me of the Orthodox Jewish -schools. Here, as there, discussions and disputations are carried on -with great religious zeal; they go carefully into the minutest details -of ritualistic ordinances, they criticise and speak for and against; and -whoever can hold out longest with his arguments is reckoned to be the -best scholar. As Muhtedi, _i.e._, One brought to the truth, or properly, -converted, they were particularly obliging to me, and all my remarks -were applauded. - -In the year 1859 I could take part in single disputes, and as my name -was often mentioned in society, I soon received an appointment at the -house of Rifaat Pasha, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, as -teacher of history, geography, and French. This house not only ranked as -the richest in the Turkish capital at that time, but it was also the -rendezvous of Turkish _literati_, who, as fanatical adherents to old -Asiatic culture, always gave the preference to Turkish compositions and -literature; and when the young master of the house, Reouf Bey, gathered -round him in the evening the celebrated Kiatibs (writers) and led the -conversation to selections of Turkish authors, I literally revelled in -the enjoyment of the marvellous metaphors and gems of oratory in the -Osmanli language. History, philosophy, and similar themes were not -introduced into this circle, and as for politics the conversation was -limited to the discussion of some elevation to a higher rank, or some -official grant, on which occasions the high dignitaries then in office -were always sharply criticised, for every one endeavoured to show up -their faults by witty epigrams, or to prove their unfitness, corruption, -and injustice in elaborate flowery language. So far the decorous evening -assemblies. As for the merry gatherings, the so-called pot-evenings, of -which I have spoken at large in my _Sketches of the East_, under the -title of "Drinking Bouts," they were always objectionable and abominable -to me, for I have never had a liking for spirituous drinks, and I have -often had to sit for hours with an empty stomach, waiting until the -grand gentlemen had finished intoxicating themselves with their Mastika -(a kind of brandy) before the evening meal was served. The conversation -on these occasions was coarse and vile in the extreme, and things were -discussed freely and openly before young people which would have brought -a flush of shame to the cheek in the most degraded of European society. -In this it becomes apparent to the stranger of Western lands how -beneficial is the influence of women on society in general, and that -social amenity is incompatible with the rigorous separation of the -sexes, as it is in the East, and must ultimately lead to moral -corruption. To be nailed to one's chair for hours together, without -daring to move--for to show any restlessness is a breach of good -manners--and to be obliged to listen to all sorts of disgusting stories, -generally bearing upon sexual intercourse, and to trivial, childish, and -absurd conversations, is of all things about the most terrible penance -which can be inflicted upon a young, enthusiastic European striving -after higher ideals. As long as the language still offered fresh charms, -this torture was bearable, but afterwards these gatherings became a -veritable infernal pain to me, and I was glad indeed when the winter was -over and we adjourned to the summer residence on the banks of the -Bosphorus, in the villa of Kanlidjia, where, at any rate, I was able to -escape from the smoke-filled room and enjoy to my heart's content the -fresh summer evening air on the Bosphorus, the loveliest spot on all the -earth. - -A prominent feature of the Oriental character is an extraordinary -serenity and an easy-going, contemplative turn of mind. This same -feature also evinces itself in family life. Being a stranger, I had -access only to the Selamlik, _i.e._, the men's part of the house, and I -often felt very lonely in the daytime, and had plenty of time and -leisure for my studies. The four years I spent in Turkish households -were in many respects like life in a monastery, and it was not till -later, when I had become acquainted with many prominent members of high -society, that I could break the monotony by making frequent calls, and -bring some variety into my studies. Always welcome in one house as -teacher, in another as friend and guest, I often used to spend two or -three days a week outside the family where I really belonged. I had in -these various houses my own Gedjelik, or night requisites; also a bed at -my disposal, consisting of a cover and bolster and the use of a divan; -and when I arrived anywhere at night it was taken for granted that I -stayed the night and shared the evening meal. The hospitality of the -Orientals, and especially of the Turks, is unbounded, and it is to them -not only a pleasure but also a means of fulfilling one of the most -sacred duties of their religion. Whether one or two more people sit down -at his table makes very little difference to him, for there is always -plenty to satisfy a few unexpected guests, and whether he be rich or -poor, the Turk is always supremely happy when he has plenty of company -at his table. But what struck me especially was the total absence of -aristocratic pride and class distinction in social life. Vizier, -marshal, minister, or son-in-law of the Sultan, all gave me an equally -hearty reception, nobody asked after my antecedents, nobody inquired as -to my circumstances, and I, who at home in the mother country had been -an obscure Jewish teacher, living in absolute retirement, became now in -the very short time of two years the confidential friend of the most -distinguished and wealthiest dignitaries. As friend and guest initiated -into all the mysteries of private and official concerns, I soon became -as learned and knowing as any Effendi born in Stambul and brought up -under the Porte. Of necessity this privileged position in Turkish -society brought me often in contact with European intelligence and the -diplomatic circle at Pera. Besides the Austrian internunciature, where -Baron Schlechta, whom I knew at Vienna, introduced me, I came into -contact with the Prussian, Italian, and English Embassies. At the -Prussian legation I taught Turkish to Count Kayserling, and at the hotel -of the English Embassy I was introduced by Count Pisani, the first -interpreter, to the then powerful Lord Stratford Canning, and I often -acted as interpreter to him when he paid private calls at the house of -Mahmud Nedim Pasha at Bebek. This man of the iron mien was not a little -astonished when he heard me, the supposed Effendi, talk English -fluently. My Turkish appearance, and the fame I enjoyed among the Turks -of a thorough knowledge of their language, soon became the talk of the -diplomatic circles at Pera. I was invited to _soirées_ and public -dinners, and thus received the first impressions of the social life of -the West, the rigorous etiquette and stiffness of which was, honestly -speaking, very objectionable to me at first. - -The free access I had to all circles of Turkish society, where even -native Armenians and Greeks comported themselves with a certain amount -of restraint, gave me a deeper insight into the political and social -condition of Turkey in the fifties than perhaps any other European. And -this was the more interesting as it revealed the first stage of the -transformation from Eastern to Western civilisation. In the house, in -the school, in the harem, in religion, and in government, everywhere a -partly spontaneous, partly forced change became apparent, and, alas! it -was this very first phase of the transformation which gave the -thoughtful spectator but little hope as to the ultimate result of the -metamorphosis, the assimilation of the East of Western ways. There was -no sound basis to work upon, and the introduction of modern civilisation -was forced on far too hastily, for the evident purpose of satisfying the -craving impatience of the West. Wherever one looked, the eye met the -deceptive, forced, and unreal evidences of the reform movement; it was -merely obedience to the word spoken from high places; and even there, -where the necessity of assimilation was acknowledged, a transition from -East to West would eventually have failed. In my constant intercourse -with the leading men of this movement I have often touched upon this -theme, and, pointing out the tremendous difference between Asiatic and -European civilisation, I have always advocated the necessity of a -gradual progress, based on historical, religious and social -developments. - -But I was always met with the answer, "We are forcibly pushed on; they -despise our centuries of old Oriental culture, they want to change us, -like a _Deus ex machinâ_, into Europeans; if they would only give us -time, our transformation would be slower, but more effectual in the -end." - -And now, in view of recent events in Japan, these words are explained as -a mere pretext for the laziness and the spirit of procrastination of the -Moslem East. The fact is lost sight of that the Shinto faith of the -Japanese, never at any time prudish like Islam, has never resisted the -influences of European civilisation in the same degree as the triumphant -doctrine of Mohammed has done. And what is more, one cannot or will not -see that the intensely autocratic government of Moslem sovereigns -hinders the work of modernisation as much as the liberal institutions of -Japan further it. - -When I think of those nightly assemblies at the house of my Pasha, where -the most varied arguments were brought forward, for and against the new -movement, I am particularly struck with the struggle which was going on -between self-abnegation and the forcible ignoring of all the glorious -past, which was inevitably connected with an acknowledgment of the -advantages of Western civilisation. No nation likes to acknowledge of -itself, "All that we have is bad, and all that others have is good." The -number of Turks familiar with our languages and sciences was far too -small to turn the scale in favour of a more correct view of the matter, -and among the few who, on account of their modern culture, were capable -of a better opinion, personal ambition and rivalry frustrated many a -good proposal. Reshid Pasha, who stood at the head, was a thoroughly -well-bred, fair, and patriotic man; a statesman full of energy and -perseverance, not hindered or hampered by any prejudices or -prepossessions, honoured with the full confidence of his sovereign, and -one who could have accomplished great things if his own pupils and -assistants had not secretly opposed him, and thus frustrated many of his -plans. The very able Ali Pasha, of whom Mr. Thouvenel, the ambassador of -Napoleon III., said that he wrote better French than many a French -diplomatist, was the paragon of Oriental intriguers and dissimulators. -He was a small, weakly-looking man, with a disproportionately large -head: hence his stooping posture; and in slow, hardly audible words he -used to fling out the hardest criticisms against the politics of his -master and patron, without being able to improve matters. When I was of -the company, either at table or in the drawing-room, he used to steal -furtive glances at me, and only after he had made quite sure of my -discretion and considered me harmless, used he to speak somewhat louder -to those immediately around him; but not until I had borrowed some -Tchagataic books from his well-stocked library did he express himself -without any restraint in my presence, in the full conviction that I, the -philologist, took no interest whatever in politics. Yes, the hours -spent in the villa of Kanlidjia, with the more than once Grand-Vizier -and Minister of the Exterior, were most instructive to me; they gave me -the first insight into the reform movement and the life and aspirations -of the officials of the higher Porte in those days. - -After Ali Pasha the personality of Fuad Pasha interested me especially. -This tall, stately man, with refined, thoroughly European manners, who, -with his sparkling wit and humorous _aperçus_, was more like a Frenchman -than a Turk, and, as was generally known, had risen from being a simple -military doctor to the highest State dignity, was now one of the three -first reformers. Although fair and patriotic, he does not appear to have -taken his position very much in earnest. He was complacency itself, but -his sarcasm did not even spare the sacred person of his sovereign; and -once, on the occasion of an illumination, when I happened to be in his -suite, I heard him say, "Yes, it is light everywhere; darkness only -reigns in our State cassa." - -Many of his _bon-mots_ are still in circulation; as, for instance, his -remark to an inquisitive diplomatist, who, in going through the house, -wanted to open the door of the harem: "Monsieur, vous n'êtes accredité -qu'à a Porte--au delà vous n'avez pas de droit." It is told of him that -when he was Ambassador Extraordinary at Madrid, and sat at table next to -the Queen, who drew his attention to the emblem of friendship displayed -on the Spanish-Turkish flag on the ham, he said, "Madame! je reconnais -volontièrement l'emblème de l'amitié--mais comme Musulman, je ne peux -pas reconnaître la neutralité du terrain." In those days I managed to -make quite a collection of his Turkish and French _aperçus_ and poems, -for he had inherited the poetic vein from his father, the celebrated -Tzzet-Molla, who had had the audacity to write a satire against Sultan -Mahmud, and for punishment had been banished to Köchük Tchekmedje. There -he wrote his beautiful poem, "Mihnetkeshan" ("The Sorrowful"), in which -the affectionate father recommends his two sons with rhyming names, Fuad -and Reshad, to God's special protection. Fuad also gave his sons names -that rhyme, for they were called Nazim and Kiazim. Fuad remained the -lifelong, faithful friend of Ali, whose intellectual superiority he -gladly acknowledged, without, however, altogether sparing him the darts -of his sarcasm. Towards me Fuad Pasha was always most gracious, only he -thought that my thirst for knowledge, without showing any practical -results, rather resembled the craving of a hungry man for a glass of -water, and he often quoted to me the Persian lines: - - - "Kushishi bi faide, vesme ber abrui kur," - (_I.e._, "It is vain labour to adorn the eye of the blind.") - - -Besides this trio of reformers--Reshid, Ali, Fuad--only very few have -distinguished themselves since that time in the field of home and -foreign politics. The only exceptions are Mehemmed Kibrizli Pasha and -Mehemmed Rushdi Pasha. The former, a Cypriote by birth, who had long -been ambassador in London, was as enthusiastic about England as the -latter was about France. Kibrizli's wife was an Englishwoman, and it -would seem that he concluded this marriage anticipating the future -annexation of his native island by the British Empire. In his politics -he has given many proofs of independence, and was not nearly so amenable -at court as his successor in the Grand-Vizierate. Rushdi Pasha, -generally called Müterdjim (the interpreter), showed himself a Liberal -even in my days, and afterwards, in concert with Midhat Pasha, took a -prominent part in the dethronement of Sultan Aziz. I had access to the -Konak of both, but because of my frequent attendance at the houses of -Fuad and Ali they observed a certain degree of reserve with regard to -me, without, however, being able to hide the tendency of the ruling -spirit there. Of some importance were, even at that time, Aarifi -Effendi, Safvet Effendi, and Server Effendi, who properly belonged to -Ali's clique, and afterwards attained to the highest dignities. They -were all zealous adherents of the reform party, fairly well advanced in -Western civilisation, but none of them made of the stuff of which -political leaders are formed. To the political amphibia belonged the -then Minister of Finance, Hassib Pasha--a blind tool of the court -faction who allowed Sultan Abdul Medjid large sums of money far beyond -the fixed Civil List; and when Fuad Pasha called him to book about this -he replied, "The bank-note press was just in operation, and I thought a -few millions more or less would make no difference." Then there was the -War Minister, Riza Pasha, I might say, next to Fethi Pasha, the Grand -Master of Artillery, the most powerful and influential man of his time, -as he was related to the court, and moreover extremely rich, for he is -said to have purloined enormous sums of money. Last, but not least, -there was Mahmud Nedim Pasha, afterwards called Nedimoff because of his -Russian sympathies. In his house I occupied for two years the position -of French master to his son-in-law, slept there three nights a week, and -even in those days took a dislike to this man who afterwards caused such -harm to Turkey. He was a genuine specimen of the true Oriental, minus -the goodly qualities which characterise the Turks. During his -drinking-bouts, which lasted till long after midnight, he practised -composing Sharkis (love-songs), and while he wrote down his verses under -the inspiration of the Castalian Raki, his Mewlewi-Dervish had to play a -suitable accompaniment on the flute. These songs were afterwards much -liked by the ladies of the Imperial harem, and have probably contributed -to his later influential position. As a politician he was nowhere, for -his ignorance of Western affairs was boundless; and when once I had to -be interpreter on the occasion of a visit from Lord Stratford Canning to -the villa at Bebek, where he was acting as substitute for the Minister -of Foreign Affairs, I positively blushed when I had to translate his -ignorant geographical remarks about the Suez Canal--the point under -discussion. No wonder that Ignatieff could afterwards so easily gain -this monster over to assist Russia in the overthrow of Modern Turkey. - -Besides the above, I enjoyed the confidence and hospitality of Damad -Kiamil Pasha, a worthy Turk of the old stamp, immensely rich, who, -notwithstanding his hesitation between West and East, applied himself in -his advanced age to the study of French, and was fond of me because in -his attempts to translate Fénelon's _Télémaque_ I had served him instead -of a dictionary. He led a contemplative life in his villa on the bay of -Bebek, and took great delight in my recitations of Turkish poems. - -It would lead me too far to mention all the Turkish statesmen with whom -I had personal intercourse and whose friendship I enjoyed. I had also -made the acquaintance of the _literati_ of the day--the historians -Shinassi Effendi, Djevdet Effendi, and Khairullah Effendi, who very -kindly assisted me, perhaps not so much on my own account as because of -the high repute which the house of Rifat Pasha, and, later, of his son -Reouf Bey, of which I was then a member, enjoyed with the Porte. I love -to think of those days. In spite of the threatening clouds of State -bankruptcy and the general impoverishment, chiefly caused by the last -Turko-Russian war, the Turkey of the fifties enjoyed a certain -reputation in Europe; and as in our financial world the youngest member -in the European Concert had received loan upon loan, Turkish society was -rich, and on the strength of foreign money luxury grew apace. It was a -period of childish carelessness and abandonment, in which both nation -and ruler were plunged. Sultan Abdul Medjid, the true prototype of those -days, was a kindly monarch, who gladly relinquished the cares of the -State to his dignitaries, while he himself enjoyed all the pleasures of -court life, and was a willing tool in the hands of the reform trio -already mentioned, honestly trying, in outward form at any rate, to copy -the European sovereigns. When at diplomatic dinners he handed his -Havannah cigars to the European ambassadors, or offered his arm to a -European princess who happened to be his guest, or when at solemn -audiences he shook hands with the foreign representatives, he did so -with all the grace of a perfect gentleman, and one could scarcely credit -that only two generations ago the European ambassadors entered the -audience chamber clad in a long kaftan, with a servant walking at each -side of them holding their hands. His father, Sultan Mahmud, still wore -on State occasions a richly braided coat of Hungarian make, such as may -still be seen among the costumes in the treasure-house. But Sultan Abdul -Medjid dressed in a simple black suit made by Dusetoy in Paris, and when -he appeared on horseback in the streets of the city, graciously -acknowledging the greetings of the multitude with his white-gloved hand, -no one would have recognised in him the earthly representative of -Mohammed, the Khalif of all true believers, and the mighty autocrat of -an empire still extending over three continents. In spite of all his -refined manners, however, he remained the Oriental despot and autocrat. -Whenever he showed himself in this light before Fuad or Ali Pasha the -two statesmen made private comments about it in their own intimate -circle. The Sultan's angry outbursts were faithfully reported, and once -Fuad Pasha told how, when he had gently remonstrated with him in regard -to advances from the public exchequer, the Sultan had accosted him with, -"Am I not the true Osmanli ruler of this land, and owner of all its -possessions?" Of course foreigners had not to fear such -outbursts--towards strangers Abdul Medjid was always most courteous, and -I like to remember the audience I once attended when, by order of the -Grand-Vizier, Kibrizli Pasha, I acted as interpreter to an Englishman -and an Italian, who came to offer for sale a supposed autograph letter -of the Prophet, which had been found in Upper Egypt, and for which -questionable relic they received a large sum of money. The Sultan was -seated at about five feet distance; he spoke in a low voice, and asked -me whether all Hungarians could speak Turkish so easily. Most touching -was his intercourse with Lord Stratford. He called him Baba (father), -and was always willing to follow his advice. - -A detailed narrative of all my experiences in Constantinople would fill -several volumes. Suffice it to say that I had the satisfaction of -knowing that in the diplomatic circles of Pera I was recognised as the -only foreigner familiarly acquainted with the Porte and with Turkish -family life. So I might well be satisfied with my lot. My income had -considerably increased, and after the everlasting struggle with poverty, -misery, and loneliness I had a proportionate degree of wealth, comfort, -and fame; but, strange to say, I could not make up my mind as to my -future career, and did not know in which direction I really wanted to -go. For some time it had been my great desire to be an interpreter at -one of the European embassies: to be an interpreter like those whom I -saw honoured and feared at the Porte, riding on a high horse attended by -servitors, and enjoying a certain amount of distinction in the Pera -circles. But I never tried very hard to realise this ambition, for I -knew that such a position could only be obtained through official -connections with the Governments concerned. It would have been far -easier for me to get an appointment with the Porte itself, especially as -I had been employed for some considerable time in the translation bureau -of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and through my connection with the -highest dignitaries might have accomplished something, like, for -instance, my former colleague, Murad Effendi (Werner), who, as is well -known, ended his career as Ottoman ambassador at the Hague. I cannot -tell why, but an official career in Turkey, an appointment in a State -which was merely tolerated in Europe, had no attractions whatever for -me. State officials are irregularly paid there, and absolutely dependent -upon the whims of their superiors; advancement is not in any way -dependent upon personal merit, and altogether such State service had no -charm for me. - -Possibly similar motives would have made me object to service in Europe -also, for we too suffer from the same disease which has thrown Turkey on -its deathbed; but because of my origin and lack of means I had never -dared to think of any diplomatic appointment at home; and besides, I -should probably soon have tired of even the greatest success in this -department, for in the first place my unbounded sense of freedom could -not in the long run have brooked any interference or subordination, and -in the second place I was, and ever shall be, an incorrigible enthusiast -and visionary, only delighting in the extraordinary; a man who, running -helter-skelter after empty phantoms, does not come to his senses and -never knows what he really wants or can do. Perhaps some will say that -these are the very people called upon to accomplish extraordinary -things, and that with more reflection I might have shrunk back from many -a mad enterprise. True; but one must not overlook the faults and -mistakes of such ill-weighed, badly arranged steps; and the effects of -these faults and mistakes I have often experienced during my travels and -during my after-life! - -The only consolation and refuge in all my complicated ambitions and -aimless endeavours was, and remained always, a steady progress in my -studies and the conviction that, true to my principle, accepted in early -life, "Nulla dies sine linea," I had not one lost day to record. While I -was perfecting myself in the acquisition of certain peculiar linguistic -niceties, which only practice on the spot and constant intercourse can -teach, and thus gradually becoming an accomplished Effendi, I had from -the very commencement of my sojourn in Turkish houses set myself to the -reading of Turkish manuscripts, and I had thus overcome the great -difficulty of deciphering such manuscripts and also made rapid progress -in the knowledge of Ottoman history. I had access to the libraries, and -in the historical works which formerly I knew only by name I found so -much that had reference to the history of Hungary that I intended to -begin my literary career by translating these. Besides this I made a -study of the conversational language, and a Germano-Turkish pocket -dictionary containing about 14,000 words, which was published in Pera, -1858, by Georg Köhler, was the first work with which I appeared before -the public. It was also the first German book printed in Constantinople. -To this purely scientific occupation I soon added public writing, as my -constant and intimate intercourse with the political circles of the high -Porte enabled me to obtain accurate information about the political -questions of the day. Stambul, although only separated from Pera by the -Golden Horn, is quite cut off from this centre of European life on -account of the strong line of demarcation between the Turkish circles -and Pera; and when on my daily visits to the European quarter I came -into contact with politicians and journalists, I was looked upon and -sought after as a source of information for the latest news and -disclosures. I was surprised to see how little the Pera world knew of -what was going on in Stambul; I hastened to enlighten the world by -correct information, and became in this manner, without seeking or -desiring it, reporter and journalist. I gained my first journalistic -spurs with the _Augsburger Algemeine Zeitung_, through its -correspondent, a Prussian officer named Reiner. I sent in a few notes, -which he inserted in his Correspondence. Later on I wrote letters under -my Turkish name, "Reshid," for the _Pesti Naplo_ in Budapest, and -instead of an honorarium I received only patriotic acknowledgments. When -Vienna's attention had been drawn towards the originality of my -Hungarian correspondence the _Wanderer_ appointed me as regular -correspondent. Amongst these many-sided occupations of teacher, -historian, Softa, and linguist my studies regarding the origin of the -Magyars were always uppermost. The mysterious origin of the Magyar -nation and language, which to this day has not yet been explained, was a -subject which ever since I began my linguistic studies had particularly -interested me. It had taken hold of my youthful fancy also, because at -school many tales and legends had been told us in explanation of it. The -campaign of the warlike ancestors of the present Hungarians had at all -times awakened in the hearts of the Magyars a peculiar interest in and -sense of the poetic charm of lands of the interior of Asia, and behind -the curtain which as yet hid the Steppe region of Central Asia (the -supposed cradle of the Ural-Altaians at the time of the great migration -to Europe) from the gaze of Europeans, the most wonderful pictures of -national romance and inspiration were faintly discerned. When I beheld -the grotesque Orientals of the interior of Asia this curiosity became -naturally still more lively. The beautiful colouring of their ample -robes, the stores of ammunition in their girdles, and their proud, -dignified bearing must necessarily increase the desire to claim -relationship with these old-world types; and when I realised that the -similarity between the Magyar and Turkish languages increases as we -advance farther into the interior of Asia I could not help being -convinced in my innermost mind that the _terra incognita_ of Central -Asia held quite unexpected surprises for me. - -The real impulse for inquiring into the ancient history of the Magyar -nation dates back to my boyhood. It was in the year 1849. I was sitting -with my playfellows in a maize-field. It was harvest-time and shortly -after the surrender of Fort Komárom. Some straggling Honvéds, mournful -and of broken-down appearance, were on their way home after the -conclusion of the War of Independence, and stopped their march in the -field where we were, to tell us of their struggles, and their stories -made us all feel very sad. An old peasant, the owner of the field, -comforted us and said, "It will all come right. Whenever our nation is -in trouble the old Magyars from Asia come to our rescue, for we descend -from them; they will not fail us this time, you may be sure." "So there -are old Magyars," I thought to myself, and ever since that time the idea -has stuck to me. Whether it was an old tradition or a later historical -legend is impossible to say, but it is a very remarkable fact that this -old-world story after many centuries still lives in the national mind; -the peasant who told it to us could neither read nor write and could -only speak from hearsay. - -It followed as a matter of course that as an outcome of my studies in -comparative philology I hoped to find in Central Asia a few rays of -light to guide me through the dark regions of primitive Hungarian -history. The language of Central Asia, _i.e._, Chagataic or East -Turkish, was in those days known to us in the West only by the works of -the French Orientalist, Quatremère. Judging from the relationship -between the written and the spoken language of the Osmanlis, I hoped and -expected to find among the idioms of the Steppes and of the -town-dwellers on the other side of the Oxus linguistic elements which -would show a pregnant resemblance and relationship with the Magyar -language, and that in consequence I could not fail to make important -discoveries and considerably help the solution of the origin question. -The idea of a journey to Central Asia had been in my mind for many -years; I thought of it incessantly and always tried to get into contact -with the Mecca pilgrims who came to Stambul from the various khanates of -Central Asia. On the other hand, I greedily devoured every scrap of -Chagataic writing; and when I was admitted to the private library of the -celebrated Ali Pasha, which was rich in this subject, my joy knew no -bounds. The Turks themselves looked upon this curiosity of mine as a -kind of literary madness. They could not understand how I, without -position and without means, living from hand to mouth, could be so -enthusiastic about such an abstract, useless, ridiculous thing, and as -the witty Fuad Pasha tried to cool my ardour by the remark already -mentioned, other Turks kept reiterating, "Allah akillar versin," _i.e._, -"God grant wisdom," in order that I who have none may also obtain a -little. The Turks, whose national feeling has only begun quite lately to -show itself, content themselves with a queer mixture of Arabic and -Persian. Real Turkish does not suit them at all; it is even considered -plebeian, and of the relationship between their Turkish mother-tongue -and the sister dialects of inner Asia they have but a very faint notion, -if any at all. Curious as my study of the Turkish language seemed to -them, my desire to travel in these remote and unsafe parts in order to -gain more knowledge was absolutely incomprehensible to them. They simply -thought me a maniac who, instead of soliciting the favour of influential -and great men, so as to lead a pleasant and comfortable life, preferred -to throw myself into the greatest dangers and privations, and who would -certainly not escape them. Many shook their heads and looked -compassionately at me; they even began to fight shy of me, and when my -friends saw me in company with the ragged, half-naked pilgrims from -Central Asia who often came to Stambul they turned away from me and -declared that I was irretrievably lost. - -I need hardly say that these deplorable signs of ignorance and absolute -lack of higher ideals did not in the least disturb me. My adopted -Turkdom, my pseudo-Oriental character and nature were, after all -confined to external things; in my inmost being I was filled through and -through with the spirit of the West, and the deeper I penetrated into -the life and thoughts of Asiatic society the more passionately and -warmly did I cling to Western ideas, for there alone did I find the -aspirations worthy of mankind, there alone could I see what was really -noble and exalted. My resolve to tear myself away from the life at -Stambul, which threatened to emasculate me, remained immovably fixed, -and my plans were only somewhat delayed until the necessary travelling -means should have been procured. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences had -at that time, in acknowledgment of my literary work, made me a -corresponding member of the institution; and when, after an absence of -four years, I returned to Pest in 1861 to deliver my entrance address to -the Academy, I told Count E. Dessewffy, the president, of my plans, and -asked him whether the Academy would be able to give me some assistance -for the journey. The Hungarian Academy was at that time not particularly -well off, but fortunately one thousand florins had been put aside for -scientific travels, and Count Dessewffy, an energetic, unprejudiced man, -decided at once that I should have them on condition that I went into -the interior of Asia to investigate the relationships of the Magyar -language. His decision was at first objected to by some of the members -on account of my bodily defects and delicate looks, also perhaps because -of the small sum at my disposal. They opposed in public session, but the -Count remained firm; and when an enthusiastic craniologist wanted to -commission me to bring some Tartar skulls for comparison with Magyar -skulls, the Count replied, "Before all things we would ask our -fellow-member to bring his own skull home again; thereby he will best -fulfil the charge entrusted to him." - -Little as was known in Europe of Central Asia in those days, my learned -compatriots had not the remotest conception of these distant parts; -finally, however, the national side of the undertaking carried the -victory, and although most of the members considered it a great risk, -they consented to it. They took leave of me with the warmest -protestations of friendship, and in order to protect me against any -danger they gave me the following letter of safe-conduct written in -Latin:-- - - -"_Magyar Academia._ - - - Academia Scientiarum Hungarica sub Auspiciis Potentissimi et - Inclitissimi Principis Francisci Josephi II. Austriae Imperatoris - et Hungariae Regis vigens. - -_Lecturis Salutem._ - - Socius noster Vir ingenuus honestissimusque Arminius Vambéry - Hungarus eo fine per nos ad oras Asiae Tartaricas mittitur; ut - ibidem studio et disquisitioni linguae et dialectorum - Turcico-Tartaricarum incumbat et sic nova perscrutandae linguae - nostrae popularis Hungaricae, familiae altaicae cognatae adminicula - scientifica procuret. - - Omnes igitur Viros Illustres, qui literas has nostras viderint, - quive, vel Rei Publicae administrandae in Imperiis Summorum - Principum Turciae et Persarum praesunt, vel Legationibus Principum - Europaeorum funguntur, aut secus amore literarum tenentur, rogamus - obtestamurque, ut eidem Socio nostro Arminio Vambéry in rebus - quibuscunque, quae ad promovendum eius scopum literarum pertinent, - gratiose opitulari eumque benevola protectione sua fulcire velint. - - Datae Pestini in Hungarica, die 1 Augusti anno mdccclxi. - -BARO JOSEPHUS EÖTVÖS -(_Acad. Sci. Hung. V. Praeses_). -DR. FRANCISCUS TOLDY, -(_Acad. Sci. Hung. Secretarius perpetuus_)." - -_Seal._ - - -The good gentlemen at home hoped that I should find this letter of -commendation useful with the Khans in Turkestan and the Turkoman chiefs. -It would have meant at least the gallows or the executioner's sword if I -had shown this infidel writing either in the Steppe or on the Oxus! - - -Full of glorious expectations, I left Pest in 1861 to go to -Constantinople for the second time. There I wanted to make the necessary -preparations to enable me to start in the early spring on my wanderings -through Asia Minor and Persia. The rate of exchange being so -preposterously high, the thousand florins in Austrian bank-notes had -dwindled down to seven hundred, and a stay of several more months in -Constantinople further reduced my little stock of ready money. When in -March, 1862, I went on board the Lloyd steamer _Progresso_ to Trebizond, -the girdle which I wore next to my skin contained only enough to take me -as far as Teheran. Truly a risky undertaking, perhaps a mad trick, the -danger of which I hardly realised just then. It was somewhat hard to -part with all my kind Turkish friends in Stambul. These noble people did -all they could to help me, and to postpone my certain destruction, as -they thought, as long as possible. They advised me to go for the present -only to Persia; and as the plenipotentiary and Turkish ambassador at the -court of Teheran was at that time Haidar Effendi, an intimate friend of -my patron, Reouf Bey, I received, besides the official commendation of -Ali Pasha, also a collective letter from several distinguished officials -of the Porte, in which they commended me, the poor demented one, to his -kind care. Of my European descent, of the aim and object of my journey, -not one word. I had to be Reshid Effendi only, and comport myself so as -to tally exactly with my letter of introduction. I durst not do -anything else, for it was imperative that I should pass for a real Turk, -an Effendi from Constantinople. - -As for my state of mind when the critical moment of departure arrived, I -was so excited that I hardly knew what I was doing. The dreams of my -childhood, the visions of my youth, the Fata Morgana which had played -before my eyes through all my rambles in the literatures of Eastern and -Western lands--all were now nearing realisation, and my eyes were to -behold all these wonders in bodily form. Anticipation drowned the voice -of reason and common sense within me. What indeed could have made me -afraid? After all, the dangers before me were but of a material -nature--privation, fighting the elements, risk of health, sickness. -Failure and death never entered into my speculations. And what were all -these sufferings to me, who had had my measure full of them in my early -years? Hunger I suffered in Europe till my eighteenth year. Insufficient -clothing had been my portion from earliest youth. And as for sneering -and scoffing, the poor little Jew boy had had to bear plenty of that -with many other insults from his Christian playmates. Where was the -difference between their derisive "Hep! Heps!" and throwing of stones, -and the insults of the fanatical Shiites, or the suspicion of the -Central Asiatics? - -Human whims and weaknesses were indeed well known to me, and experience -taught me that, whether in the rough garb of the Asiatic or in the -refined dress of the Westerner, men are much the same everywhere; nay, -more, I have found more compassion and kindness of heart with the former -than with the latter, and the terrible pictures which literature gives -us of barbarian customs and dealings need not have discouraged me too -much. There is only one thing which strikes me as rather remarkable in -my firm decision to carry out my intention, and this is, that having -once emerged from the school of misery and wretchedness, and having -tasted the pleasures of good cheer and comfort, I should voluntarily -return to the former. For in Constantinople, as already mentioned, I was -getting on well the last few years--very well, in fact. I had a -comfortable home, plenty to eat, even a horse at my disposal; and now I -was going to exchange all that, of my own free will, for a beggar's -staff. This perhaps is the only thing that can be counted to my credit. - -But to what can not the sting of ambition spur us! And what is our life -worth where this impetus, this source of all energy, does not exist or -has become weakened? Material comforts, distinctions and dignities are -but particoloured toys which fascinate us only for a time. True -satisfaction lies in the consciousness of having rendered if only the -smallest service to mankind in general; and what in all the world is -more glorious than the hope of being able to enrich the book of -intellectual life which lies open before us, if only with one single -letter! Such were my thoughts and feelings, and I found strength therein -to face a thousand times greater dangers, difficulties, and privations -than had hitherto fallen to my lot. I have often asked myself the -question whether, apart from these higher, ideal aims, the thought of -material advantages, _i.e._, my future welfare, never crossed my mind. -There would certainly have been no harm in this, but if material welfare -had been my object its realisation would have been far less difficult -and more certain of success if I had followed an official career at -Constantinople, where I had influential patrons, and where I could have -settled down in quiet pastures. No; my scheme was the outcome of my -heated fancy, a mighty longing for the unknown and an insatiable thirst -for adventure. - - -My Second Journey to the East - - - - -CHAPTER V - -MY SECOND JOURNEY TO THE EAST - - -As I have published several books about this my second journey to the -East, and as these, being translated into various languages, have become -public property over the civilised world, I intend in these memoirs to -touch only upon such points as are of a purely personal character, and -could therefore find no place in the general accounts of my travels -written for the world at large. And I want to lay particular stress upon -such details as led to the gradual transformation of the Stambul Effendi -into the confirmed Asiatic and the mendicant Dervish. In their light my -many strange adventures will appear but the natural outcome of my -career. This I consider the more necessary as it will enable my readers -to note both the psychical transitions and the ethical and social -influences to which the constant and intimate intercourse with the -natives necessarily subjected me. It will help to show how, in a -comparatively short time, changes were effected which even I myself -cannot quite account for. - - -After leaving the hospitable roof of Emin Mukhlis Pasha, the Governor of -Trebizond, I continued my journey to Persia in the company of a small -trading caravan. As I laboriously climbed up the Pontus mountain slope, -and watched the sea gradually receding in the distance, a feeling of -anxiety came over me, and for the first time I experienced that internal -struggle between the craving for adventure and a sickening dread of the -uncertainty and perilousness of my undertaking. It was springtime. The -glorious scenery and the charms of nature all along the road as I -ascended the Propontic mountain had well-nigh dispersed these dark -forebodings, and my enthusiasm had almost gained the day. But when at -night I had to put up at a dirty, loathsome caravansary, and after -spreading my carpet on the bare floor, tired out as I was with my first -ride, had to prepare my own frugal evening meal, the cold gravity of my -position overwhelmed me, and I realised for the first time the awful -difference between dark reality and rose-coloured imagination. My rice -was burnt, the fat rancid, and the bread one of the worst kinds I had -ever tasted in Turkey. My bed on the cold floor was anything but -comfortable, and when, in spite of all, I fell into a heavy sleep, I had -only the exhaustion after my first ride to thank for it. That first -long ride left its painful effects for two or three days. The stretch -between Trebizond and Erzerum, a foretaste of the long ride to -Samarkand, was altogether the most painful I have ever experienced; for -in the first place I had to ingratiate myself with my fellow-travellers, -mainly consisting of raw, dirty, fanatical mule-drivers, and, worst of -all, I had to get used to the vermin with which every night's lodging -swarmed. Arrived at Erzerum, where I enjoyed the hospitality of my -former principal, Hussein Daim Pasha, who here occupied the position of -military governor, I enjoyed a good rest. The kind-hearted man, an -enthusiastic religious mystic, was firmly convinced of the pious motives -of my journey to Bokhara, and both he and his adjutant, Hidayet Effendi, -instructed me for hours in the mysteries of the various orders, and -especially of the Nakish Bendi, to the grave of whose founder I was to -make a pilgrimage. It was during my stay at this house that I witnessed -quite an original use of superstition in the service of the law. One day -the Pasha lost a valuable diamond ring, and as he had not been out of -the house one might justly suppose that the ring would be found, unless -one of the numerous servants of the establishment had made away with it. -As all investigations were fruitless, Hidayet Effendi sent for a -celebrated wonder-working Sheikh, who squatted down in the middle of the -great entrance-hall, where all the servants were assembled. I -impatiently waited the issue of events. At last the Sheikh, sitting -cross-legged, produced from under his mantle a black cock, and holding -it in his lap he invited all the servants, each in turn, to come up to -him, stroke the cock softly and straightway put his hand into his -pocket; then, said the Sheikh, the cock, without any more ado, will -declare who is the thief by crowing. When all the servants had passed in -turn before the Sheikh and touched the cock, he told them all to hold -out their hands. All hands were black, with the exception of one, which -had remained white, and whose owner was at once designated as the thief. -The cock had been blackened all over with coal dust, and as the thief, -fearing detection, had avoided touching him, his hand had remained -white, and consequently his guilt was declared. The servant received his -punishment and the Sheikh his reward. - -My sojourn in the house of the Pasha and in Erzerum generally, was very -pleasant and comfortable, but hardly a good preparation for my further -journey over the Armenian heights to the frontier of Persia, one of the -most troublesome étapes of Asiatic travel. The poor Armenian houses, -mostly underground holes, looking from the outside more like molehills -than anything else, consist of one apartment in which the inmates live, -crowded together with from ten to twenty buffaloes, and the first night -I spent in company with these evil-smelling animals, tormented by smoke -and heat and vermin, will ever remain vivid in my mind. The crisp -morning air of the high Armenian plateau acted like a tonic upon my -weakened nerves. I felt supremely happy and drank in the pure, keen air -with delight. One would like to shout for very joy if it were not for -the constant dread of an attack by the Kurds who make their home in -these Körogly passes, and are ever more keenly on the watch for small -caravans than even for single travellers. - -It was here on the Dagar mountains that I had my first encounter with -the Kurdish robber hordes. It was my baptism of fire, but instead of -filling me with enthusiasm, a deathly cold shiver came over me when at -the request of my Armenian fellow-travellers I took up my pistol to act -the protector. The precious bales of goods of the Armenian merchants had -already been unloaded by the Kurds, and we stormed up the steep incline -to call the robbers to account. Bravery, quick decision, and contempt of -death are noble virtues, but one is not always born with them; they have -to be learned and practised. The bold front, the keen eye, and the blood -coursing wildly through one's veins are all symptoms of valour, but they -may also be those of a more or less reckless temper. Since that first -episode on the Dagar I have in my subsequent travels often been exposed -to attacks and surprises of various kinds, until at last I learned to -face all dangers boldly, and had no more fear of death. But I still hold -to my opinion, that heroes are not born but made, and that the most -timid home-lover can by a gradual process of compulsory self-defence -become a very lion of strength and valour. Thus and thus only is -produced that much-exalted virtue of personal courage and heroism. The -pressing need of self-preservation is the real source of all heroism, -and in the physically strong this psychological quality can hardly fail -to show itself. - -As I crossed the Persian frontiers at Diadin, and actually found myself -in the land of Iran--the land which hitherto I had only viewed in the -light of poetic fancy--the bare and barren wilderness which met my eyes -added to my physical and mental sufferings, rudely tore away the last -vestige of the glamour which my imagination had woven round this -blissful spot. I was thoroughly disillusioned. Here I was, an Effendi, -the greatest monster in the eyes of the Shiite Persian, in virtue of my -antecedents, subject to scornful remarks, derisive laughter, and -continually exposed to gross insults; for the Persians on their native -soil are bold and audacious fanatics. As if I had not suffered enough of -this in my early youth! The Hydra of religious fury now attacked and -tormented me in a new form, and the "Segi Sunni!" ("Sunnitic dog!"), a -variant of the "Hep! Hep!" of former days, resounded day and night in my -ears. The villainy and knavery of the Persian merchants and Mollas were -not less offensive than the stones thrown by the Christian street-boys -and the invectives of the Catholic college instructors. But this trial -also I learned to overcome. Patience and endurance disarm the bitterest -opponent, and when in a melodious voice and with strict Shiite -modulation I recited a Sura from the Koran, or a passage from the -Mesnevi, the sacred books common to both sects, their anger subsided and -my fanatical fellow-travellers comforted themselves by saying, "He is -not quite lost yet, he may yet grow to be a good Mussulman," _i.e._, a -Shiite. As will appear from the following pages of this work, it was for -the most part religion, the product of Divine inspiration and the -supposed means for ennobling and raising mankind, which made me feel the -baseness of humanity most acutely; and from my cradle to my old age, in -Europe as well as in Asia, among those of highest culture, as well as -amid the crudest barbarism, I have found fanaticism and -narrow-mindedness, malice, and injustice emanating mostly from the -religious people, and always on behalf of religion! - -Arrived on Persian soil, my material troubles and struggles were further -enhanced by physical sufferings. I shall never forget the impression -made upon me by the furtive looks of anger and disdain cast upon me by -the Persians I met in the streets or in the bazaar of Khoi. The national -language is Turkish there, but as soon as I opened my mouth my pure -Stambul accent at once betrayed my Sunnitic character. This ill-will is -a retribution for the insults and the chicanery to which the Shiite -strangers in Turkey are exposed, but I could not help asking myself, -"What have I done to these people? Have I in any way aided in preventing -Ali from succeeding to the Prophet?" But all speculations and arguments -were useless. I came in the character of an Effendi, and the profound -disgust which this word awakens in the Shiite mind accounted quite -sufficiently for all the insults I had to bear. Even for money these -fanatics would scarcely sell me anything. The question arose whether -Sunnites, like Christians, were to be accounted _nedjis_, _i.e._, -unclean, whom to touch is a sin; and it was only after prolonged and -violent discussions that I could pacify their scruples on this point. If -there had been a livelier intercourse between Turks and Persians I -should probably have had less to suffer, but I was the first private -Osmanli who, for many years, had travelled in Persia, and therefore I -must take weal and woe into the bargain. I was surprised to find that -the women were far more vehement in their expressions than the men; many -spat at me as they passed me on the road, giving expression to their -hatred by pithy oaths. Truly woman everywhere is more passionate than -man! Thanks to my excellent health and vigour, still further improved by -abnormal physical exertions, I was able to cope with these mental -distractions. I even enjoyed the excitement of them; and when at Tebris, -in the Emir caravanseray, I had for several days been an attentive -spectator from within my little cell, of the mad carryings-on of the -Persian traders, craftsmen, beggars, Dervishes, buffoons, singers, and -jugglers, I felt that I was gradually being transformed into an -Oriental, and that my existence as a poor traveller was quite bearable. -Exchanging my semi-European dress, piece by piece, for the long, wide -Persian garments, I gradually accomplished the metamorphosis of my -outward appearance; I was no longer conspicuous in a crowd. Once, as I -was loitering about in the courtyard of the caravanseray, I noticed -among the bargaining groups collected round the loaded and unloaded -beasts of burden a European, who while unpacking his bales was evidently -at a loss for a Turkish word. Impatiently he turned over the leaves of a -small octavo volume, and I was not a little amused to recognise in it my -own Turkish pocket dictionary printed in Pera many years ago. When the -merchant (he was a Swiss, a Mr. W., commission agent at Tebris), after a -fruitless search, put the little book impatiently aside with no very -complimentary remarks, I suddenly addressed him in German, remarking -that the writer of his little dictionary was not exactly a fool, only -that he had been looking in the wrong place. To be addressed in German -by a ragged semi-Turkish, semi-Persian individual in the bazaar at -Tebris was a little too much even for the equanimity of this son of -Mercury. We exchanged a few words, reproaches and irritation were -followed by apologies, and the end of the comical intermezzo was an -invitation to his house and lavish hospitality for a few days. Amusing -adventures of a similar nature befell me on other occasions, and it was -always and everywhere my linguistic skill, and the ease with which I -could reproduce foreign accents, intonations, and constructions, and in -many instances quote suitable maxims and passages of the Koran, -accompanied with the usual gesticulations, that took with my audience, -and made me pass for a native in spite of my foreign physiognomy. - -I had noticed this with pleasure on the banks of the Bosphorus, and more -still on the first part of my journey in the interior of Asia. I could -not say that I was proof against all suspicion, for the typical -expression of the face always excited doubt, and was detrimental to me, -but in the variegated national mosaic of the West Asiatic world, where -types and races of all zones meet and mix in ever-varying amalgamation, -there language is everything and looks nothing; and when this language, -moreover, expresses respect for Allah and the Prophet, one becomes -incorporated _de jure et de facto_ in the all-encompassing bond of -religious community, and one ceases to be a foreigner. - -And so my stay at the caravanseray of Tebris was full of curious -impressions and incidents. Sitting in my poor, bare little cell, I -watched for hours together the confused bustle of the bartering, -wrangling, shouting, singing, begging crowd in the court. Sometimes I -went out among them, spoke to one or another, talked about trade in its -various branches, and in the evening hours when it was comparatively -quiet in the caravanseray, sometimes, when I could not get out of it, I -joined in the conversation about sectarianism, politics, and other -matters. The merchant of the East is always a man of the opposition, for -he has much to suffer from anarchy and the _régime_ of absolutism, and -his open criticism has often surprised me. - -After a prolonged stay in Tebris, I found myself at last in the saddle -again on the way to Teheran. The future appeared more hopeful, and the -success of my undertaking somewhat more certain. Instead of travelling -in the usual caravan I had joined a company of travellers who, although -natives of Sunnitic lands, Kurds and Arabs, wandered all over Iran in -Shiite disguise. Religion was their business--that is to say, they -travelled from village to village singing elegies (Rouzekhan), and daily -shed bucketfuls of tears in the commemoration of the tragic fate of the -martyrs Hasan and Husein, and then, after pocketing the shining gold -pieces, the disguised Sunnites laughed in their sleeve. Another kind of -these religion-traders occupied themselves with the expediting of -Persians, both living and dead, to the holy shrine at Kerbela. To the -former they served as guides on their pilgrimage, getting as much as -they could out of them, and secretly conniving with the marauding -Beduins, who attacked and stripped them of all they possessed. The -latter, _i.e._, the departed faithful worshippers of Ali, are -transported by them between four planks to Kerbela and Nedshef. In my -_Wanderings and Experiences in Persia_ I have attempted to describe such -a funeral caravan. It is the most awful and gruesome spectacle -imaginable, but it is a profitable trade; and when I travelled in -company with these gentlemen expeditioners, elegy-singers, and -Kerbela-pilgrims, I came to the conclusion that the juggling of the -pious in East and West, amongst Christians and Mohammedans, is all the -same. Here as there the maxim holds good: "_Mundus vult decipi--ergo -decipiatur_," only that the felicity of being deceived is in Asia far -more intense than with us in Europe. - -In Asia the light of civilisation and revelation has as yet illumined -but a few. Scepticism has always been timid in the world of Islam, even -in the time of its glory, and now that poverty and misery reign supreme, -and the struggle for existence is almost the only thing thought of or -cared for, there is but little desire for metaphysical speculations; -people have no time for meditation, and conform with cold apathy to the -old prescribed forms of faith. - -In spite of the oppressive July heat, in spite of occasional nightly -attacks, or rather intimidations by robber bands, I arrived full of good -courage in the Persian capital; and after I had somewhat recovered from -the fatigues of the journey at the Turkish Embassy in the cool valley -of the Shimran mountains, no one was happier than I when the cooler -weather set in, and, leaving luxury and comfort behind, I was able to -resume my adventurous route to South Persia, _i.e._, to Ispahan, Shiraz, -and Persepolis. This journey formed, so to speak, the second course of -my preparation for the expedition into Central Asia, and if I had not -gone through this course I don't know but that my perilous expedition -into Turkestan would on the whole have been a failure. When I arrived in -Teheran I was greeted with the discouraging news that a journey to -Bokhara was fraught with gigantic and unconquerable dangers, and not by -any means so easy as I had imagined, and, moreover, that in the -North-East of Persia, because of the war between Dost Mohammed and Ahmed -Shah, the journey _viâ_ Meshed and Merv or _viâ_ Herat had become -perfectly impossible. So I was obliged, in order to avoid further -inactivity, to find another opening and a new field of labour. As the -study of the Aryan languages was not at all in my programme, there -seemed no object in my going to South Persia. But I durst not break off -the hardening system I had commenced, and I had already grown so fond of -the excitement of venturesome expeditions that the dry saddle, dry -bread, and dry soil were more to my taste than all the luxury, riches, -and wealth of the hospitable Turkish Embassy. The kind reception I had -met with there secured for me, in the Persian capital, the -half-official character of an attaché to the Embassy. I gained -admittance to the houses of the aristocracy, and was also presented to -the King, and when ready to start for South Persia the Persian -Government gave me the following letter of commendation:-- - - - "The State officials of the glorious residence as far as Shiraz are - hereby notified that the high-born and noble Reshid Effendi, a - subject of the Ottoman Government, who has come to travel in this - land, is now on his way to the Province of Fars. On account of the - friendly relations between the two States, and also because of the - harmony prescribed by the common Moslem religion, all officials of - those regions are hereby instructed to see that the traveller above - mentioned receive all due honour and respect; to protect him on the - journey and at the different stations against all injuries and - molestations. - - "MIRZA SAID KHAN - - "(_Minister of Foreign Affairs_). - - "TEHERAN, 24th Safar, 1279." - - -Considering the very small consideration which even the very highest -official commands receive in the provinces, I did not attach overmuch -importance to this letter. It has, however, protected me occasionally -against suspicion. - -In Ispahan and Shiraz I could, in my character of Stambul Effendi under -State protection, obtain a much more intimate knowledge of the land and -the people of Persia than falls to the lot of any other European. I -particularly enjoyed my stay at the house of Imam Djumaa of Ispahan, the -Shiite high priest at that time, to whom I was a regular problem, and -who tried in vain to penetrate my incognito. This cunning and most -skilful man, who exercised great influence, gave himself much trouble to -convert me to the Shiite sect. Evenings for disputations were organised, -in which learned Shiite Akhondes (priests) and Mollas unpacked all the -paraphernalia of their sectarian learning for my benefit; they entered -into the minutest details to prove the correctness of Shiite dogmas and -rites, they marshalled a whole army of arguments to prove the -usurpations of the first Kalifs, Abubeker, Osman, and Omar, and Ali's -irrefutable right of succession. As I had often been present at similar -discussions in the opposite--that is, in the Sunnitic--camp, I was not -afraid to put in a word to the point here and there; but when, very -closely pressed, I was at a loss for an answer, my opponents rejoiced, -and in overcoming me, the disguised European, they fancied they had -conquered all the Sunnites. Poor fools! what would have been their -feelings if they had known that through contact with a Frenghi they had -become Nedjis, _i.e._, unclean, and that they had taken all this trouble -over a declared enemy of all positive faith. In my intercourse with the -lower classes these discussions were not carried on in quite so pleasant -a manner. During the long caravan journey I was never free from their -impertinent questions; whether on the march, resting, eating or -drinking, they challenged me, and left me no peace. Even in the coolness -of the night, when I had fallen asleep seated on my slowly-trotting -donkey, I was often roughly roused and accosted with such remarks as, -"Now, then, do you mean to say that this mangy dog, called Omar, this -hideous, infernal beast, this stinking vermin, was not a usurper? -Answer, Effendi, for I tell you I have a great mind to send you down to -the infernal regions after your dirty patron-saint." - -Thirteen hundred years have passed away since first the spirit of -mastery and boastfulness began to wage this barbarous, destructive war -in the name of religion--a war which has led to the shedding of oceans -of blood, and cost mountains of wreck and ruin. And here was I, a -harmless wayfarer, a follower of Voltaire and David Strauss, rudely -roused from my peaceful slumbers and forcibly dragged into stupid -arguments! It was too bad! - -Indeed, my visit to South Persia, with all its glorious monuments many -thousand years old, with the graves of Hafiz and Saadi, cost me very -dearly. In my book about Persia I did not mention a tenth part of all -the sufferings, all the privations I had to bear, and yet, in spite of -all, I experienced intense joy during this expedition. Every modulation -of the beautiful South Persian dialect, the sight of the glorious -monuments of Iranian antiquity, made my bosom swell and wrapt me in a -world of delicious dreams. Never shall I forget the night of my arrival -at the ruins of Persepolis. It was bright moonlight, and I stood for -hours, transfixed in silent wonder, gazing at the gigantic monuments of -ancient culture. Then the evenings spent in company with Persian -literati, at Hafiz's grave, with music and song and the pearly goblet in -our hands, or the solemn moments of pious meditation in Saadi's -mausoleum, shall I ever forget them? - -Apart from these intellectual enjoyments of a peculiar nature, the -journey to and from Shiraz, which lasted for several months, had -considerably hardened me, and given me a quite extraordinary elasticity. -I could brave wind and rain, heat and cold, without the slightest risk; -I slept in the saddle as on the softest bed, I rode on any kind of -saddle-beast over hill and dale; nay, I took special pleasure in -horsemanship--a thing which, considering my lame leg, is now -incomprehensible to me. I swung myself into the saddle of a horse in -full gallop, I mounted high-loaded mules and camels as if I had been -brought up with rope-dancers, and I felt safe in company with the -roughest specimens of humanity as if I had lived all my life with -vagabonds and robbers. Under these conditions it is not surprising that, -on returning from South Persia, I stuck to my resolution to undertake -the journey to Bokhara, if necessary _viâ_ Herat and right through the -Turkoman Steppes, and that all the words of advice, warning, and -intimidation of European and Turkish friends at Teheran were fruitless, -and left me perfectly unmoved. I thought to myself, "What can befall me -worse than what I have gone through already?" I had long since discarded -the character of the poor Effendi in which I had commenced my travels, -and, without being conscious of it, I had adopted the part of a roving -Dervish, for Dervish is the name applied to all Orientals who have not -run after earthly goods, but lead a roaming life in search of adventure, -with religion as their signboard. Now, whether I begged my bread in -Persia, in the character of a Dervish, in the daytime wandering about in -tatters, and at night in the Tekke (convent) singing hymns, to while -away the time, or whether I did the same in Middle Asia, came to much -the same thing. On the contrary, I thought in the latter portion of the -Islamic world, where I can move more freely and probably get on better -as Osmanli amongst Sunnites and Turks, better days may (possibly) be in -store for me; instead of torments and insults and scorn, I may find -honour and liberal hospitality; and so strong was my confidence in the -success of my undertaking that I began to have a perfect longing for -Central Asia. It was rather amusing to see the way in which the -Europeans at Teheran viewed my resolution, and how the opinion gained -ground that I had fallen into a fatal delusion, and that, unconscious of -danger, I was hurrying on to certain destruction. The tragic end of the -English officers, Conolly and Stoddart, who died a martyr's death at -Bokhara, was then fresh in everybody's mind. Monsieur de Blocqueville -had not long since returned from his Turkoman captivity, and the -frightful details of his experiences as prisoner under the Tekke still -resounded in our ears. Stories were told of the mysterious death of an -English officer, Captain Wyburn, who had suddenly disappeared on the -Turkoman Steppes, and not a trace of whom could be found. Other -imaginary atrocities were conjured up, and it seemed only natural that -everybody did his best to dissuade me from my purpose, and to paint a -journey into the very centre of Moslem fanaticism in the most glaring -colours. Curiously enough, my friends at the English Embassy discouraged -me less than any; and, pointing to the travels of Burnes and Dr. Wolff, -Mr. R. Th. thought that I might have a chance of success. Count -Gobineau, the French Ambassador, himself a literary man and Orientalist, -gave me but little hope; my success would not please him, for he was -filled with envy and jealousy. They were most put out at the Turkish -Embassy, where I had been so warmly recommended by the Porte, and where -they were really anxious about my fate. - -I was not at all loath to leave Persia; what charm could a longer -sojourn in Iran have for me? A description of the political and social -conditions of this land, already sufficiently well known even in those -days, offered no special attraction to my literary vanity. True, the -instructive and classical works of Dr. Polak and Lord Curzon of -Kedleston had not appeared yet, but I could not have written anything -absolutely new about Persia. In my intimate intercourse with the people -of the land I was principally struck with the more intensely Oriental -character of the Government and society, and all that I saw strengthened -me in my conviction that Persia was at least a hundred years behind -Turkey, notwithstanding the greater intellectuality of the people, and -would certainly take longer to extricate itself from the pool of Asiatic -thought. Of the West and Western culture they had but very vague notions -in Persia. The young king, Nasreddin Shah, was instructed by his court -physicians, Cloquet, Polak, and Tholozan, in many points of our Western -culture, and he took a good deal of trouble to mould his surroundings -upon their suggestions. The prudish conservatism of the Orientals, -supported by the national pride and boundless vanity of the -Persians--who, recollecting the age of the Sasanides and the glorious -period of Shah Abbas II. always try to minimise the triumphs of our -civilisation, or even hold it in derision--hindered all healthy and -vigorous progress. Even the heads of the administration very seldom -knew French. In my frequent intercourse with Mirza Said Khan, then -Minister of Foreign Affairs, a native Persian of the old school, I often -received amusing proofs of this ignorance and obstinacy. He lacked even -the elementary knowledge of the geography and history of Europe, and all -that I told him of the power and might of some of the European States -was nonsense in his eyes, and he used to say reproachfully "If Europe is -really so great, why does it want to enrich itself by commerce with -Persia, and why does it force itself upon us?" Mirza Yahya Khan, the -first adjutant of the king, who knew French and was somewhat enlightened -by his travels in Europe, used to laugh aloud at the ignorance of the -minister; but even he allowed the West but few prerogatives, and always -boasted of the greater intellectual endowments and sagacity of the -Persian people in general. With the scholars and literati I could not -get on at all. Referring to their truly beautiful literature of -antiquity, they used to speak with poetic ecstasy about the superiority -and unequalled beauty of Eastern thought, and were especially proud of -their philosophers. "If your thinkers are really so great and sublime," -I was often told, "why then do you translate our Sadi, Hafiz, and -Khayyám? We have no desire for _your_ classics." These people are happy -in their Persian microcosm, and I well recollect the disputations I used -to have with the Akhondes (learned). These thickly turbaned priests -struck me as being remarkably liberal-minded in religious matters. They -spoke about Mohammed and his doctrine without any fanaticism, from a -purely historical point of view, and did not appear shocked at the most -daring hypothesis or suggestion, which surprised me very much, for -amongst the Sunnites of Turkey and Central Asia such discussions would -have been called blasphemous. - -Looked at from this point of view Persia was highly interesting to me, -and if I had not had my mind full of plans for travel I could perhaps -have turned the advantage of my incognito to better account by a -comparative study of individual Oriental nations. But it was no good, I -was compelled to go forward; and while in this excited frame of mind I -accidentally made the acquaintance, at the Turkish Embassy, of some -Tartar pilgrims on their way back from Mecca to Central Asia. When I -acquainted the members of the Turkish Embassy with my intention to -travel in company with these frightful-looking people, half-starved, -tattered zealots, covered with dirt and sores, one can imagine the -surprise of those kind-hearted folks. The ambassador, Haidar Effendi, a -particularly high-minded man and extremely tolerant in matters of -religion, was quite upset about it. He threatened to use force; but when -he saw that all his expostulations had not the slightest effect upon me, -he did his utmost to minimise the danger of my undertaking. He called -the leaders of the beggar-band before him, gave them rich presents and -recommended me to their special care and protection; he also gave me an -authorised passport, bearing the name of Hadji Mehemmed Reshid Effendi, -with the official signature and seal. Seeing that I had never been in -Mecca, and had therefore no legal right to the title of Hadji (pilgrim), -this official lie may be viewed in various lights. But it saved my life, -and I owe my success to it; for this pass, in the critical moments of my -journey incognito, supplied the necessary documentary evidence. The -official document bearing the Tugra (Sultan's signature) is at all times -an object of pious veneration to the Turkomans. They recognise in the -Osmanlis their brethren in the faith, and the simple children of the -Steppes came from far and near to behold the holy Tugra, and after -performing the prescribed ablutions, to press the sacred sign against -their brow. In Khiva and in Bokhara, where the official sign was better -known, it elicited still more respect. In fact, I may honestly say that -I owe my success to this passport; and when one considers the -magnanimous tolerance which must have prompted these Mohammedan -dignitaries and representatives of the Sultan to describe a European and -a freethinker as a Mussulman pilgrim, I think the deception may be -condoned. An official of humane Christian Europe would scarcely have -shown as much generosity to a Mohammedan! After Haidar Effendi, I found -another kind friend in Dr. Bimsenstein, an Austrian by birth, who acted -as physician to the Legation at Teheran. He seemed much concerned about -me, but when he saw that even his fatherly advice was of no avail, and -that the prospect of a martyr's death did not frighten me, he called me -into his dispensary and gave me three pills, saying, "These are -strychnine pills. I give them to you to spare you the agonies of a slow -martyr's death. When you see that preparations are being made to torture -you to death, and when you cannot see a ray of hope anywhere, then -swallow these pills; they will shorten your agony." With tears the -kind-hearted man gave me the fateful globules, which I carefully hid in -the wadding of my upper garment. They have been my sheet-anchor, and -many a time when in moments of danger I felt the little hard -protuberances in the wadding, I have derived comfort from them. My -valuables consisted of a silver watch, the face of which had been -transformed into a Kiblenuma, _i.e._, a compass, or more correctly, an -indicator or hand to show the position of Mecca and Medina, and a few -ducats, hidden between the soles of my shoes, which I only had occasion -to extricate twice during the whole of my journey. "Cantabit vacuus -coram latrone viator." So I was safe against the greed of my -fellow-travellers and any other robbers. I wore my very oldest Persian -clothes, and in every respect made myself as much as possible in outward -appearance like my beggarly companions. So I started on my adventurous -expedition with a cheerful mind, and turning my back upon Teheran, the -last connection with European memories, I set my face towards the -Caspian Sea. - -And now in the evening of my life,--the glow of enthusiasm vanished, and -heart and head cooled down almost to freezing-point,--looking back upon -this wild folly of my younger days, I cannot but condemn the whole -affair as absolutely unjustifiable and opposed to all common sense. The -first part of my plan and its execution were not matters of calculation -and premeditation, but a leap in the dark, a rushing forward at random. -I quite forgot to consider whether my physical strength would hold out -in the unusual struggle, and whether with my lame foot I should be able -to get over large distances _per pedes apostolorum_. Also I had not -sufficiently taken into account the suspicion of Central Asiatic -tyrants, and forgot that Bokhara was not only a hotbed of hyperzealous -fanaticism, but also of the most consummate villains in the world. I had -not the faintest idea that I should be watched day and night by numerous -spies, reporters, and officious hirelings, who followed me in the lonely -Steppes, in the bazaars, the streets, the mosques, and the convents, and -took note of every word, every movement of mine. I never thought that my -European features would at once attract attention among the masses of -pure Ural-Altaic and genuine Iranian type, and form a permanent -suspicion against me; and least of all did I think that, notwithstanding -my versatility, my well-tempered nervous system, and my experience in -the morals and customs of Islam, prying eyes were always busy trying to -look through my incognito. I had had no idea of the fiendish cunning and -subtilty of the Bokhariots, and the frightful crudeness of the Osbeg -court at Khiva. How could I have known all this, seeing that these -countries and people, cut off for centuries from the other Islamic -States, and perfectly unknown to Western nations, still continued in the -stage of ancient almost primitive culture and ignorance, and had nothing -in common with the civilisation of the Turks, Persians, Kurds, and -Arabs, with whom I was familiar? With every step I took into this -strange world my astonishment and surprise and also my fear grew. I -realised that I had entered into a perfectly strange and unknown world -of ideas, that I had undertaken a most risky thing, that my former -experiences would avail me nothing here, and that I had to gather up all -my strength to escape the dangers on all sides. The preservation of my -incognito was a tremendous mental and physical exertion. As for the -former, I could not and dare not relax for one moment during the whole -of my journey; by day or by night, asleep or awake, alone or in company, -I had always to remember my _rôle_, be ever on my guard, and never by -the slightest mistake or neglect betray my identity. I used mostly at -night, when all were asleep round me, to practise certain grimaces and -contortions of eyes and face, I tried to imitate the gesticulations -which in the daytime I had observed from my travelling companions; and -so great is human adaptability to foreign customs and habits that within -two months I was in fashion, manners, and speech a faithful copy of my -Hadji companions, and in the eyes of ordinary Turkomans passed for a -regular Khokandian or Kashgarian. Of course my poverty-stricken and -dirty appearance greatly assisted the delusion. In the seams and cracks -of the face sand and dirt had collected, and formed quite a crust, which -could not be removed by the prescribed ablutions, for the simple reason -that as we were often short of water in the Steppe, I had to take refuge -in Teyemmun, _i.e._ (a substitute), washing with sand. My beard grew -rugged and coarse, my eyes rolled wilder, and my gait in the awkward -full garments, perhaps also because of my frequent and long rides, had -become as unwieldy, waddling and uncomfortable as if I had lived from -early youth with Mongol and Turkish tribes. I cannot and need not hide -the fact that at first these physical discomforts were very irksome to -me, and cost me many a pang. To dip one's fingers into a pot of rice, -which for want of fat is cooked with tallow-candle, and in which the -Tartars plunged their filthy, wounded fists, cannot exactly be -described as one of the most pleasurable methods of feeding, nor is it a -treat to spend the night squeezed in among a row of sleeping, snoring -beggars. Both are equally undesirable, but when in these predicaments I -recalled the sufferings and privations of my early life, the comparison -made me realise that the European mendicant has much the advantage over -his Central Asiatic comrade, for the sufferings of hunger, thirst, and -vermin are far worse in Turkestan than they ever could be in Europe. - -What I had to suffer from this last evil, the lice, which multiply in -the most appalling manner in Central Asia, passes all description, and, -objectionable as the subject may be, I must try to give some idea of the -manner in which I endeavoured to rid myself of this pest, if only for a -short space of time. With the Dervish the catching of these insects -forms part of the toilet, and is also looked upon as a kind of -after-dinner enjoyment. One begins by using the thumb-nails as a weapon -of defence against these intruding guests; and the picture of various -groups engaged in search and slaughter was sometimes intensely -ludicrous. In the second stage of the cleansing process the garment -under treatment is held over the red-hot cinders, and the animals, -stunned by the fierce heat, die a fiery death with a peculiar crackling -noise. If this _auto-da-fé_ is not procurable, the garment is strewn all -over with sand, and exposed to the scorching rays of the sun. The vermin -are thus invited to exchange their lower cooler quarters for the upper -warmer ones, and once there they can easily be shaken off. When neither -fire nor sand is available the garment is placed near an anthill, and -the troublesome insects are left to the mercy of the ants, who soon make -their way into the smallest crevices and apertures and carry off their -prey. Curiously enough, this pest is far worse in winter than in summer, -for when, on my journey between Herat and Meshed, I lay huddled up in -one corner of my bed, these creatures, always in search of heat, -collected wherever the heat of my body was greatest, and no sooner had I -turned from the right on to the left side, than these detestable animals -at once instituted a formal migration and took possession of the heated -portion of my body. Now I understood for the first time why in the -Jewish Holy Scriptures the plague of lice is mentioned second after that -of the water turned into blood. Next to this plague I suffered much from -the fatigues of the journey. First of all there was the scorching heat -on the plain of the Balkan mountains up to the Khiva oasis, where the -thermometer, as I learned afterwards from the reports of Colonel -Markusoff, rises fifty and fifty-two degrees Réaumur, and where the lack -of drinkable water causes the traveller unheard-of sufferings. One -inhales fire, so to speak, the skin shrivels visibly, and one is almost -blinded by the vibrations of the air. From eight o'clock in the morning -till three or four in the afternoon it is like being in a baker's oven, -and the torture is aggravated when one has to sit huddled together and -cross-legged in the Kedjeve (or basket) on the back of a camel, stinking -of sweat and sores. Sometimes, when the poor beast could go no farther -through the thick sand, I had to climb down from my perch and go for -long distances on foot. On account of my lame leg I had to lean on a -stick with my right hand, and on one of these tramps my right arm became -so terribly swollen that I suffered great pain for several days. Apart -from these inconveniences, I enjoyed excellent health, which rather -surprised me, as the half-baked bread freely mixed with sand, the best -we could make in the Steppes, was apt to be somewhat indigestible. So -much for the magic effect of an outdoor life and the excitement of an -adventurous expedition! - -And yet all these physical sufferings were light as compared with the -mental and nervous strain I underwent. Every look, every gesture, every -sign, no matter how innocent, and even in the circle of my most intimate -friends, I viewed with apprehension, lest it might contain some hidden -allusion to my incognito. I tried to hide my anxiety behind the mask of -exuberant hilarity, and generally managed to lead the conversation on to -some irrelevant subject. But I found out afterwards that these harmless -folks never dreamed of unmasking me. In their absolute ignorance of -Europeanism they had never for a moment doubted the genuineness of my -Effendi character. Fortunately, precautionary measures were only -necessary when I was in a town, in Bokhara or Samarkand, for amongst the -country folks and the nomads, the latter of whom had never seen a -European face to face, they were quite superfluous. The successful -preservation of my incognito among these simple children of Nature made -me indulge in the wildest flights of fancy. I remember one mad idea, the -impracticability of which did not at all strike me at the time, but -which must now seem ridiculous to everybody, even to myself. I had -reached the height of my reputation with the Turkomans of the Gorghen -and the Atrek. They looked upon me as a saint from distant Rum (the -west); young and old flocked round me to receive a blessing, or even a -sacred breath, as a preservative against diseases. One day an old -greybeard, who had spent his whole life in plunder and murder, -discreetly advanced towards me, and in all earnest made me the following -proposition: "Sheik-him (my Sheikh)," he said, "why do you not place -yourself at the head of a great plundering expedition? Under your -blessed guidance we might organise an attack on a large scale into -heretic Shiite (Persia). I am good for 5,000 lances; steeled heroes and -fiery horses could do much with Allah's help, and assisted by a Fatiha -(prayer) from you." Now the reader will naturally suppose that I treated -this proposal as a huge joke. Nothing of the kind. The words of the old -Turkoman wolf did not sound at all absurd to me; they only required a -little consideration. I thought of the unexampled cowardice and state of -confusion of the Persian army, and knowing the wild impetuosity, the -rapaciousness, and the audacity of the Turkomans, one of whom was a -match for ten Persians, the thought flashed through my brain, "Stop, why -not undertake this romantic exploit? All the way from Sharud the Persian -frontiers are exposed; 5,000 Turkomans can easily take the field against -10,000 Persians and more. And where will the Shah find so many soldiers -all in a hurry? In Teheran I shall find some adventurous Italian and -French officers who will probably like to join me. In any case an attack -upon the capital can be successfully accomplished, and who knows, I -might possess myself of the Persian throne if only for a few days!" The -fact that it would be no easy matter to keep 5,000 Turkomans within the -bounds of discipline, and that in the face of European politics my -success would at best be but a midsummer night's dream--all this -troubled me not one whit; so deeply had I plunged into the atmosphere of -mediæval life around me, and so far did my heated fancy carry me back -into the regions of past ages! - -In places where my incognito had to stand the test with people who, on -their journeys through India and Turkey, had come into contact with -Europeans, I had the hardest battle to fight, and was often in great -danger. There I was not treated with the humble reverence and admiration -which is due to a foreign Hadji and divine. On the contrary, they -questioned me about my nationality, the aim and object of my journey, -and even the fittest and readiest answers could not banish their -suspicion and doubt. In this respect my adventure with the Afghan on the -journey to Khiva will ever remain vivid in my mind. He was a Kandahari -who, during the British occupation of 1840, had escaped the English -criminal law; he had spent some time in the Afghan colony on the Caspian -Sea, and afterwards had wandered about for many years in Khiva. He would -insist that, in spite of my knowledge of the languages of Islam, I was a -disguised European, and therefore a dangerous spy. At first I treated -him with every possible mark of respect and politeness; I flattered his -vanity, but all in vain. The scoundrel would not be taken off his guard, -and one evening I overheard him say to the Kervanbashi (head of the -caravan): "I bet you he is a Frenghi or a Russian spy, and with his -pencil he makes a note of all the mountains and valleys, all the streams -and springs, so that the Russians can later on come into the land -without a guide to rob you of your flocks and children. In Khiva, thanks -to the precautions of the Khan, the rack will do its part, and the -red-hot iron will soon show what sort of metal he is made of." Never to -move a muscle under such amiable discourses, or to betray one's feelings -by any uneasy expression in one's eye, that mighty mirror of the soul, -is, in truth, no easy task. I managed, however, to preserve my cold -indifference on this and similar occasions; but one evening, during our -passage through the Steppe, the Afghan was quietly smoking his opium -pipe in the night camp. By the glimmer of the coals on his water-pipe I -met his dull, intoxicated gaze, and a diabolical idea took possession of -me. "This man is planning my destruction, and he can effect it; shall I -throw one of my strychnine pills into his dish of tea, which he is even -now holding in his shaky hand? I could thus save myself, and accomplish -my purpose." A horrible thought which reminds one of Eugene Aram in -Bulwer's novel. I took the pill from the wadding of my cloak, and held -it for some time between my fingers close to the edge of the dish. The -deadly silence of the night and the opium fumes which held this man -under their spell seemed to favour my devilish scheme, but when in my -distraction I gazed upwards and saw the brilliantly shining canopy of -heaven, the magic beauty of the stars overmastered me; the first rays of -the rising moon fell upon me--I stayed my hand, ashamed of meditating a -deed unworthy of a civilised man, and quickly hid the fateful pill again -in the lining of my Dervish cloak. - -The continuance of my dangerous position eased my task in some -respects, and custom makes many things bearable. Practice had taught me -to sit still for hours, immovable like a statue, perhaps just moving my -lips as if in silent prayer, while the spies sent to Bokhara to find me -out, freely discussed my identity, and speculated upon the enigma of my -nationality and my faith. The danger of growing red or pale, or of -betraying my internal struggle by a look, had long since ceased for me. -I had so thoroughly accustomed myself to my character of pseudo-Dervish, -that the emotions connected with the pious demeanour of those -individuals came quite spontaneously to me. When my companions of the -Steppe consulted the oracle of stones or sticks about the issue of our -dangerous campaign through the Khalata desert, I stooped down as curious -as the rest, and watched the configuration of the stones or sticks as -anxiously as the superstitious natives. They had even assigned to me a -greater power of divination than to any of the others, and hearkened -diligently to my explanation. When, arrived at the grave of the native -saint, Bahaeddin, near Bokhara, we performed the customary prayers, I -could hold out with my fellow-travellers from eight in the morning till -late at night. I prayed, sang, shouted aloud, groaned, and raved in -pious contrition with the best of them. I wonder even now whence I -procured the uninterrupted flow of tears which I shed on those -occasions, and how I could play my part in this comedy for hours -together without betraying the slightest emotion or perturbation. I -must confess that Nature has endowed me with a fair dose of mimicry, a -quality which Napoleon III. once in a conversation commended me for. -From my earliest youth I had learned to imitate the outward expression -of various kinds of people; thus I had accustomed myself to wear -alternately the mask of Jew, Christian, Sunnite, and Shiite, although -any form of positive religion was objectionable to me. I believe, -however, it was not so much my mimetic faculty as the instinct of -self-preservation and the consciousness of ever-present danger which -enabled me to bring my venturesome experiment to a satisfactory end. The -fear of death is at all times a hideous beast, which glares at us and -shows its teeth, and although one may get used to its presence in course -of time, and even become blunted and hardened, yet this monster, fear of -death, never quite loses its influence over us, and if we are blest with -a strong nervous system, we can in the face of it do almost impossible -things. - -It would lead me too far were I to dwell here upon some of the exciting -and critical incidents of my incognito, examples of which have been -given in my earlier works. It has often been laid to my charge by -conscientious critics that I have been too reserved, too brief, in the -accounts of my travels. So, for instance, the learned Jules Mohl -writes[1]: "M. Vambéry est un voyageur singulièrement modeste, qui ne -raconte de ses aventures que ce qui est indispensable à son histoire, et -l'impression que donne son ouvrage est, qu'il ne raconte pas tout ce qui -lui arrive." In my _Sketches of Central Asia_ I have entered a little -more into details, but even they are far from exhaustive. The compass of -an autobiography is likewise too small for this. Self-glorification does -not please me, and where I have occasionally been a little more -circumstantial in my narrative, it has been for the purpose of lessening -the surprise which my incognito travels called forth in Europe, by -showing the reasons for and the natural effects of certain things. Many -well-disposed critics even have doubted the verity of some of my -experiences, which to the European _pur sang_ are simply incredible. But -those who have read the story of my childhood and early youth, who -realise that up to my eighteenth year I hardly ever knew what it was to -have enough to eat, that I went about insufficiently clothed and exposed -to miseries of all sorts, will not see in my adventures anything so very -marvellous. From a very early age I have had to act contrary to my inner -convictions; in religion, in society, in politics, I have often had to -pretend in order to attain my object. Nothing is more natural than that -when in Central Asia I had to fight with want and distress, with -perplexities of every form and shape, I should come out victorious. No -European before me has ever attempted to assume the incognito of a -mendicant friar, for Burckhardt, Burton, and Snouck Hurgronje in Mecca, -Wolff and Burnes in Bokhara, and Conolly in the Turkoman Steppes, -travelled as Asiatics with plenty of means, or in an official character. -Few, no doubt, have had such bodily fatigues to bear, but few, perhaps -none, of my colleagues have gone through such a hard school in their -tender childhood. The conventional modesty of scholars and writers has -always been irksome to me, for virtue in the garb of a lie is -disgusting. I speak quite openly and honestly when I say that my -adventures in Central Asia will appear little remarkable if regarded as -the continuation of my experiences in Turkey and Persia on an -intensified scale; and these latter, again, were in form and character -closely allied to my struggles and trials as a little Jew boy, a -mendicant student, and a private tutor. I have often been asked how I -could bear the constant fear of death, and if I were not sometimes -overcome by the thought of certain destruction. But one can accustom -one's self to a life in constant fear of death as well as to anything -else. It has disturbed me only when the crisis came all too suddenly, -and I had no time to collect my thoughts and plan means of escape. Such -was the case when, in the Khalata Steppe, I was near dying of thirst, -and being in a high fever I swooned. Then, again, at the time of my -audience with the Emir at Samarkand, one of the court officials touched -the nape of my neck, and remarked to his companion, "Unfortunately I -have left my knife at home to-day," which may have been quite a casual -remark. On the whole I have preserved my equanimity, nay, even my -cheerfulness, in the most critical moments, for high-spirited youth does -not easily give way to despair; it has a store of confidence which only -disease or age can diminish. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[1] _Journal Asiatique_, March-April, 1865, p. 371. - - -The Return to Europe - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE RETURN TO EUROPE - - -I had now become thoroughly accustomed to my _rôle_ of mendicant friar, -and the severe physical and mental exertions I had undergone should have -prepared and fitted me for a yet more serious journey of discovery. And -yet, strange to say, when I heard at Samarkand from my Kashgar -travelling companions that it would be no easy matter, nay, practically -impossible, for me to proceed to Khiva--because of the political -disturbances there--I was not altogether sorry. The frustration of my -plans was unpleasant, but I was not inconsolable. The fatigues I had -undergone had affected me to such an extent that the prospect of an -overland journey to Peking and back across the Kun-lun to India did not -strike me as quite so delightful as it had done before. To tread in the -footsteps of Marco Polo, and to return home illumined by the aureole -which surrounded the great Venetian; for me, a lame beggar, to have -accomplished the greatest overland journey of modern times--all this -had stimulated my ambition for a while, but a tired, weary body affects -the spirit also, ambition becomes languid and in default of this most -energising medium the desire for action also fails. After I had escaped -from my dangerous adventure with the Emir of Bokhara, and my -fellow-travellers had committed me to the care of a company of pilgrims -on their way to Mecca, I realised for the first time what a fortunate -escape I had had, and my thankfulness rose in proportion as I left -Samarkand behind and approached the south-west of Asia. I speak of -deliverance, but as a matter of fact on this return journey I laboured -under the same constant sense of suspicion, perhaps even in an increased -measure; and was exposed to all the miseries of the approaching rough -season and the perceptible coldness of my new travelling companions. -Now, indeed, I had to drink the last dregs of my cup of suffering; now I -experienced the bitterest and most painful moments of the whole of my -journey; for what I suffered from hunger, cold, and exhaustion between -Samarkand and Meshed surpasses all description, and would scarcely be -credited by European readers. - -The population of the stretch of land between the Oxus and Herat forms, -as far as their culture is concerned, a kind of medium between the -Moslemic-fanatical Bokhariots and the partly or wholly nomadic, in some -things still primitive, tribes of Central Asia. These people are -harassed on the one side by the tyrannical arbitrariness of their -Government, and on the other by the lawlessness and rapacity of the -dwellers of the Steppes. Great and pressing poverty and distress of -every description have crushed all human feeling and faith out of them; -and when the pilgrims passing through now and then receive an obolus -from them this is not due to any pious motives, but entirely in -obedience to the ancient laws of hospitality. My beads, talismans, -benedictions, and similar baubles were of no use to me here. These -people had a look as if they wanted to be good, but could not, and I, -with not a penny in my pocket, was often nearly driven to distraction. -What were the times of starvation at Presburg, or the miseries of an -empty stomach in the wretched house of the Three Drums Street in -Budapest, compared to the sufferings and the forlornness on the way -south of the Oxus? The only pleasant memory left to me of those days is -the kindness I received from Rahmet Bi, a trusty chamberlain, and -afterwards Minister to the Emir of Bokhara, in Kerki on the Oxus, which -has since become Russian. This man, of whom more later on, seemed to -have guessed my incognito, and for some time could not make up his mind -whether to betray me or to follow the promptings of his kindly heart. -The latter triumphed; but to this day I do not know how or why. At any -rate he quieted the suspicions of the Governor of Kerki on my account, -and helped me safely over the frontiers. If I am not mistaken, the -poetic Muse had a hand in Rahmet Bi's friendliness towards me. He -sometimes wrote Persian verses, and was delighted when he could read -them to me and gain my approbation. - -Among the warlike, rapacious, and wildly fanatic Afghans I have never -found a trace of any one like Rahmet Bi. He not only treated me with -marked friendliness during our sojourn in Kerki, where he had a mission -to the Ersari Turkomans, but he also gave me a letter of safe-conduct in -Persian for eventual use in Central Asia. As a curiosity I here insert -this document in the original with translation.-- - - -_Text._ - - "Maalum bude bashed ki darendei khatt duagui djenabi aali Hadji - Molla Abdurreshid rumi ez berai Ziareti buzurgani Bokharai Sherif - we Samarkand firdus manend amede, buzurganra ziaret numude, djenabi - aalira dua kerde baz bewatani khod mirefte est. Ez djenab Emir ul - Muminin we Imam ul Muslimin nishan mubarek der dest dashte est. - Baed ki der rah we reste bahadji mezkur kesi mudakhele nenumude her - kudam muwafiki hal izaz we ikram hadji mezkuna bedja arend. - Nuwishte be shehr Safar 1280 (1863)." - -_Translation._ - - "Be it known, that the holder of this letter, the high-born Hadji - Abdurreshid, from Turkey, has come hither with the intention of - making a pilgrimage to the graves of the saints in noble Bokhara - and in paradisiacal Samarkand. After accomplishing his pilgrimage - to the graves of the saints, and having paid homage to his Highness - the Emir, he returns to his home. He is in possession of a writing - (passport) from his Highness the Sovereign of all true believers - and the Imam of all Moslems (the Sultan); it is therefore seemly - that the said Hadji should not be inconvenienced by any one, - neither on the journey nor at any station, but that every one as he - is able should honour and respect him. - - "Written in the month of Safar, in the year 1280." - - -Thus I was safe on Bokharan soil, and also on the journey through -Maimene up to the Persian frontiers. From there, however, and for the -rest of the way, I was constantly watched with Argus eyes, and had to -endure the most trying fatigues. During my stay at Herat, which lasted -for several weeks, I had to sleep in the shivering cold autumn nights on -the bare ground, and in the literal sense of the word begged my bread -from the fanatical Shiites or the niggardly Afghans, who frequently -instead of bread gave me invectives, and often struck me, the supposed -Frenghi, or threatened me with death. Even now I shudder when I think of -the vile food on which I had to feed and the angry looks these people -cast upon me, whom by command of the young Emir they dare not insult, -but whom they hated from the bottom of their hearts. - -When I think upon the Ghazi attacks in North India, so frequent even in -our days, in which some fanatical Afghan calmly murders the harmless -Englishman he happens to come across, simply to gain paradise by killing -a Kafir, it seems a veritable marvel that I escaped with my life. Every -Afghan who came past my cell glared at me with angry eyes. To shoot me -would have passed as a virtue, but fortunately their anger did not vent -itself in deeds. - -This secret wrathfulness manifested itself most strongly on the journey -from Herat to Meshhed, when the hard-hearted Afghans, wrapped in their -thick fur-coats, took a special delight in seeing me spend the night in -my light clothing without any covering, hungry, and with chattering -teeth. In spite of all my sufferings and privations I did not give way -however, but, regardless of hunger and cold, I always remained cheerful, -and I attribute this chiefly to my excitement at the successful -accomplishment of my adventure, for once on Persian soil I expected to -be safe from all danger. - -The charm of this consciousness was so strong and effective that for -days together, both after my arrival at Meshhed and on the tedious -marches through Khorasan, I lived in a constant fever of excitement; -and the farther the horrible spectres of past dangers dwindled away in -the distance, _i.e._, the nearer I came to Teheran, where I should find -the first European colony, the louder throbbed my heart, and the more -vivid became the enchanting pictures of future renown on the rosy -horizon of my fancy. Whether this joyous excitement was proportionate to -the actual results of my adventurous enterprise, and whether the reward -was worth all the trouble, I never stopped to consider then. It was -enough for me that I was the first European to have advanced from the -south coast of the Caspian Sea through the Hyrcanian desert to Khiva, -from there through the sandy plains of the Khalata to Bokhara, and from -thence to Herat. I knew that the specimens of the East Turkish languages -and the manuscripts I had collected were unknown to the scientific world -of Europe, and would give me the character of an explorer and specialist -in Turkology, and finally I was not a little proud of the manner in -which I had travelled, always under the impression that my intimate -intercourse with the various tribes of inner Asia, so far but little or -imperfectly known, must yield an abundant harvest of ethnographical -knowledge. Indeed, had I been a professional philologist and linguist, -trade, industry, and politics, geography as well as ethnography, could -not have captivated my attention to the same extent, and I could not -have obtained all this practical knowledge of inner Asia, keenly -interested as I was in the destiny of these far-away nations. If it had -struck me that, owing to my very deficient education, much had been -neglected and passed by unnoticed, that, for instance, I had not a -notion of geology, and was absolutely useless on geographical grounds; -that I could not have rendered any assistance in these, even had I had -the knowledge, because I only carried a little bit of pencil hidden in -the lining of my coat, and consequently that my services to geography -and natural science in general were of the vaguest and most problematic -character--had I realised all this the temperature of my exultation -would have fallen considerably. But all such thoughts remained down at -the bottom of the ocean of my bliss; and so now, after an existence of -thirty-one years in this world, for the first time in my life the golden -fruit of realised success and the sweet reward after hard labour -beckoned to me from the distance, and filled me with ecstasy and -blissful anticipation. The long, weary stretch from Meshhed to Teheran I -accomplished in mid-winter; two horses were at my disposal, for the -Governor of Meshhed, Prince Hussam es Saltana, had furnished me with the -necessary means, and throughout all this journey my mind was full of joy -and anticipation. My Osbeg attendant, who from Khiva had accompanied me, -and through weal and woe had been faithful to me, was not a little -surprised at this metamorphosis in my behaviour. For hours together I -used to sing songs or airs from favourite operas, which the good lad -took for holy hymns of the Western Islam. He was highly pleased to see -the Dervish of the West in such a pious frame of mind, and often as I -warbled my operas he accompanied me in his nasal tone, fully under the -impression that they were Moslem songs of praise or pious hymns. Such a -duet has not often been heard, I believe. Thus it came about that during -the four weeks occupied by this ride from Meshhed to Teheran--a ride -which exhausts even the most hardened traveller--I was always full of -good-humour. Physically I was worn out, even to the extent of being -unrecognisable, but mentally uplifted and full of elasticity when I made -my entry into the Persian capital. - -The kindly reception accorded me in Meshhed by Colonel Dolmage had shown -me that in Asia Europeans are not separated by any national wall of -partition, but, united in a common bond of Western fraternity, share -each other's weal and woe; and on my arrival in the Persian capital I -was still firmer convinced of this bond of unity. The news of my -fortunate escape from the hands of the Central Asiatic tyrants had been -received by all the European colony with equal pleasure. Young and old, -rich and poor, high diplomatists and modest craftsmen--all the Europeans -in Teheran, in fact--wanted to see and to welcome me; and few could -repress their sympathy when they saw the gay and lively young Hungarian -of former days so sadly changed and fallen off. From my letter to the -Turkish Embassy, written in the Turkoman Steppe, they had heard of my -safe arrival in this dangerous robbers' den. But after that no further -intelligence had been received. No wonder that in the Persian capital -the wildest rumours about my imprisonment, execution, and miserable end -were circulated and believed. Pilgrims from Middle Asia, who confused my -identity with that of some Italian silk merchants captured in Bokhara -before my arrival there, related the most horrible details of the -martyr's death I had undergone. Some had seen me hanging by my feet; -others declared that I had been thrown down from the tower of the -citadel; others again had been eye-witnesses when the executioner -quartered me and threw my limbs to the dogs to eat. As Bokhara was known -to be the hotbed of the most consummate barbarities and cruelties, these -tales were easily believed by the Europeans in Teheran, and now, on my -return, hale and hearty, but with the indisputable marks of excessive -sufferings upon me, every one's sympathy went out to me. All strove to -show me attention and to please me in some way or other. The various -Legations invited me to festive dinners. The English Envoy, Sir Charles -Alison, asked me to write an account of my travels, and gave me -official recommendations to Lord Palmerston, Lord Strangford, Sir Justin -Sheil, Sir H. Rawlinson, and other political and scientific notabilities -in London, which were of great service to me, and largely influenced my -further career. M. von Giers, then Russian Ambassador at Teheran, and -afterwards Imperial Chancellor, urged me to go to Petersburg, because he -thought that my Turkestan experiences would be most appreciated on the -Neva. At the Russian Legation they drew a picture of my future career in -the most brilliant colours, and when I pointed out that life in those -severely autocratic spheres would be incompatible with my nationality -and political opinions, these diplomatists came to the conclusion that I -was too naïve, and, in spite of the hard school I had gone through, -still remained an enthusiast. - -Teheran, indeed, was the centre of important decisions for me. Had I -listened to the persuasions of the Russians, who knows what position I -might not be occupying at present in the administration of Turkestan? Of -course it was out of the question for me to turn my footsteps northward. -All the treasures and all the glory of the Czar's dominions would never -help me to conquer the feeling of dislike which from a child I had had -against the oppressor of my fatherland and all its national policy, the -personification of despotism and unbridled absolutism. With all the more -readiness I accepted the introductions given me by the English; for -this nation, with its glorious literature and liberal ideas, had long -since become dear to me; and as, moreover, in the East I had found them -the only worthy representatives of the West, it will seem quite natural -that in Teheran I had already made up my mind what course to pursue in -Europe, and made London the final aim of my journey to the West. - -At Teheran I rested for about three months from the fatigues of my -Central Asiatic expedition. During that time, and while it was all yet -fresh in my mind, I completed and supplemented the pencil-notes secretly -taken on the journey and written on odd bits of paper in the Hungarian -tongue, but with Arabic characters to avoid detection. I even mapped out -an account of my travels, which I intended to publish in England. I -built the most delightful castles in the air, and revelled in the -glorious colouring of the pictures of my imagination, without, however, -having the slightest conception of how to create for myself a decided -career built upon solid foundations. It was enough for me that I had -become acquainted with districts and places in the Asiatic world which -no European before me had ever set eyes on, but how and where I was to -turn this knowledge to the best account never once entered my mind in -the excessive joy of my successful campaign. And I could not in any case -have come to any satisfactory conclusion on this head, for, in the first -place, I was not quite sure yet as to the best ways and means of -disposing of my knowledge; in the second, I was somewhat doubtful as to -my literary accomplishments; and in the third, I had not yet made up my -mind in which language to write. - -In the tumult of my exultation the one certain, joyful prospect that -rose up before me was that my successful expedition would gain me -European fame and honour, and secure for me a position in life, but of -what nature this position was to be I knew not, and cared not. All I -wanted was to get to Europe now as soon as possible; first go home to -Hungary and report myself to the Academy at Pest, and then place the -account of my wanderings before the European public. - - -As soon as the fine weather set in I left the Persian capital to return -to Trebizond by the same way by which I had come, viz., Tebriz and -Erzerum. Full of anxiety, apprehension, and uncertainty as my journey -here had been, equally full of joy and delightful anticipation was my -journey back to the Black Sea. In quick day marches I passed the -different stations. The formerly toilsome journey was now mere child's -play to my body inured against fatigues. It was an exciting -pleasure-ride which the warm reception of my European friends in Tebriz -made into a veritable triumphal march. Warm welcomes, banquets, -laudations, and undisguised appreciation of my adventure were my -greeting. Swiss, French, Germans, English, and Italians--all were proud -that a lame European had actually been amongst the kidnapping Turkomans -and the wildly fanatical Central Asiatics; and glad that through his -discoveries this hitherto obscure portion of the Old World was brought -within the reach of Western lands. Besides the account of my journey -which I had sent from Teheran to the President of the Hungarian Academy, -the diplomatic representatives at Teheran officially acquainted their -various Governments with my doings, and sent off innumerable letters to -European newspapers. The fame of my successful expedition thus preceded -me, and when I came to Constantinople I was presented to the Austrian -Internuncio (Count Prokesh-Orten) and the Grand-Vizier (Ali Pasha), who -both seemed to know all about me. Their warm reception and the lively -interest they manifested in the concerns of the hitherto closed -districts of inner Asia showed me their appreciation of the work I had -done. After my late experiences, Constantinople, where I delayed only -for a few hours, seemed to me the flower of Western civilisation. I went -by one of Lloyd's steamers, _viâ_ Kustendji-Czernawoda on the Danube, to -Pest, where I arrived in the first half of May, 1864. - -I shall not attempt to describe my feelings at sight of my beloved -fatherland. My pen would be unequal to interpret the emotions which I -experienced as I trod once again the soil of the land for which I had -undergone so much. It was to find out its early history that I had first -been induced to start on this dangerous expedition; for, as already -mentioned, the national beginnings of my native land had from my -earliest youth stirred within me a feeling of curiosity, to satisfy -which I had faced the dangers and privations now safely over. Arrived in -Pest, I left the boat at the Suspension Bridge and, accompanied by the -Tartar whom I had brought from Khiva as a living proof of my sojourn in -foreign parts, I sped towards the Hôtel de l'Europe. My joy knew no -bounds, and it never struck me that my home-coming was just as lonely -and unobserved as my departure had been some years ago. When in after -years I witnessed the receptions granted in London to Livingstone, Speke -and Grant, Palgrave, Burton, and, above all, to Stanley--receptions in -which the whole nation took part, of which the newspapers were full -weeks and months beforehand, a special train meeting the traveller, who -was feasted as if he were a national hero--and when I saw how even in -Vienna, where travellers as a rule are not the heroes of the day, -officers like Payer and Weyprecht were celebrated on their return from -the North Pole--it pained me to think upon my own gloomy, lonely -home-coming, and the lamentable indifference of my compatriots. Even in -the circle of the Academy, whose delegate I had been, my successfully -accomplished undertaking seemed to rouse no interest; for, when at the -next Monday's meeting, I entered the hall of the Academy only the noble, -highly-cultured secretary, Mr. Ladislaus Szalay, and my high-minded -patron, Baron Eötvös, warmly embraced me and expressed their pleasure at -my fortunate escape. They indeed did all they could to make up for the -neglect of the others. Hungary was just then passing through the sad -period of Austrian absolutism. The nation languished in the bonds of -this autocracy. There was no sign of public life or social vitality. -Every one's hopes and expectations were fixed on the restoration of the -national Government and the reconciliation with Austria; and although -Asia, from the historical point of view of the old Magyars, might be of -some interest, geographical and ethnographical researches and the -opening out of the hitherto almost unknown portion of the old world -could have no special attractions for Hungary just then. He who longs -for bread requires no dainties to tempt the palate, and a nation sorely -troubled about its political existence and its future can scarcely be -blamed if all efforts are in the first place directed towards the -regaining of its constitutional rights and national independence, and if -it pays more attention to culture and the improvement of science in -general than to geographical and ethnographical discoveries in distant -lands. - -At the time of my home-coming Hungary had reached but the first stage of -internal administration. The Academy, the only national institution -which had escaped the Argus eye of absolutism, had rather a political -and national than a purely scientific character, and the society -desirous for the restitution of its constitutional rights naturally felt -more drawn towards the enlightened, more advanced nations of Western -lands than towards the obscure districts of the Oxus and their -inhabitants. Even in Germany, the home of strictly scientific pursuits, -my travels had attracted less attention than in England and Russia, -where both political and commercial interests directed the attention of -the Government towards these regions, and where a more intimate -knowledge of those hitherto inaccessible regions seemed urgently needed. - -Therefore, to be perfectly fair and honest, and allowing for the -all-pervading interest in the political questions of the day, I had -perhaps very little or no cause at all to feel hurt at the coldness and -indifference shown to my travels, or to see in it an intentional -non-appreciation of my services. But in my despondency, and with the -still vivid memory of my reception by the European colonies in Persia -and Turkey, a more sober, dispassionate view seemed impossible, and I -broke down altogether. The first days of my stay in Pest were bitterly -disappointing. I said to myself: "Is this the reward for all I have gone -through, all I have suffered? is this the gratitude of a nation in quest -of whose origin I have risked my life? this the appreciation of the -Academy which I trust has been benefited by my researches?" Thus rudely -awakened out of the happy dreams which had been my companions on the -homeward journey, I felt bruised and hurt, and my vanity was wounded. To -see those beautiful pictures--which my fancy had conjured up, and which -had cheered and encouraged me under the greatest privations and in hours -of peril--thus mercilessly shivered and dispelled, was indeed one of the -most painful experiences of my life. For hours together I brooded over -this in my lonely room in the Hôtel de l'Europe. I would not and could -not believe that it was actually true, and the wound was all the more -sore and irritating as I found myself, after all these years of struggle -and exertion, in exactly the same position as before--that is, I was no -nearer the solution of the question how to secure a position for myself. - -Some advised me to resume the official career I had abandoned in -Constantinople; others suggested that I should apply for a professorship -in Oriental languages at the Pest University, which would be the easier -to obtain since the position of lector had become vacant through the -death of Dr. Repiczky. The former of these suggestions was not at all to -my taste, for after my adventures, the East had but little attraction -for me. Even when on the spot and at the very source of Oriental -thought, and beholding the steady decay of the Asiatic world, I clung -the more passionately to the energetic life of the West. The -professorship seemed a little more attractive, as, before all things, I -longed for rest, and I hoped in that capacity to find leisure to work -out the linguistic and ethnographical results of my travels. -Unfortunately the procuring of a professorial chair in those days was -beset with grave difficulties for me. Hungary was ruled from Vienna, and -in that centre of administration I, being on intimate terms with the -Hungarian emigrants of the East, and never having felt much sympathy for -Austria, could hardly expect to find friends and promoters of my -interests. - -So neither of these two suggestions seemed practicable; and as my -English friends in Teheran had advised me to publish the account of my -travels in London, and to this effect had liberally supplied me with -introductions to different ranks and classes of society in the British -metropolis, I soon made up my mind to go to England, and to appear -before the London Geographical Society, the best known forum of Asiatic -travel. Possibly another reason also induced me to decide upon this -plan. After a four weeks' rest the desire for travel was again upon me, -and the hopelessness and weariness of my existence made me long for -change and adventure. I decided to go, the sooner the better, and, -turning away from the field of Eastern vicissitudes, to plunge into the -full stream of Western life and action. Very well; but this also was -more easily said than done. Travel in the East requires but a knowledge -of the languages and the customs, while money is more often dangerous -than helpful; but in the West it is just the reverse; and as I had come -to Pest devoid of all means, I had a great deal of trouble in collecting -the necessary funds to defray my travelling expenses to London. The -bitterness of my feelings was not improved thereby. In vain I asked my -supposed friends for a small loan, in vain I promised fourfold -repayment, in vain I pointed out the advantages which my appearance in -the cultured West would confer upon the nation; deaf ears everywhere. -The coolness with which my various travelling experiences were received -raised doubts in many minds. Ignorance is the mother of suspicion, and -as many people thought my adventures fantastic and exaggerated no one -cared to advance me any money; and there I stood in my native land more -forlorn and helpless than in the wildest regions of Central Asia. - -Thanks to the intervention of my noble patron, Baron Eötvös, Count Emil -Desewffy, President of the Academy, was at last persuaded to advance me -a few hundred florins from the Library Fund of the Society--a helping -hand indeed in my sore necessity, if only that hand in taking me by the -arm had not left behind black stains which for ever have disfigured this -deed of charity. The money was given me on condition that I should -deposit my Oriental manuscripts, the treasured results of my travels, -with the president, and praiseworthy as this precaution and zeal for -the property of the Academy on the part of the noble president may seem, -it had a most injurious and mortifying effect upon me. When I took my -bagful of manuscripts to the Count's house I could not help remarking, -"So you do not believe me; you take me for a vagabond without any -feeling of honour; you think that I take the money of the Academy and do -not mean to pay it back--I who have been slaving and suffering for the -good of the Academy as few have done before me, and who now as the fruit -of my researches want to see the Hungarian nation--hitherto almost -unknown on the world's literary stage--recognised as a fellow-labourer -in the great harvest field of European culture! I, the fanatical -enthusiast, have to give a guarantee for a paltry few florins!" No, it -was too much; I felt grievously hurt and my patriotism had been deeply -wounded. One may imagine that I was not in the most amiable frame of -mind as I left the city for which I had yearned so many years, and if -the hope of recognition in England had not buoyed me up, the black -spectre of disappointment would have been still blacker. And, I ask the -kind reader, was it strange that I began to think that all this -humiliation and mistrust, all this cruel misapprehension, and this -wilful ignoring of all my trouble and labour was due to my obscure -origin and the ill-fated star of my Jewish descent? This hypothesis may -possibly be a mistaken one, for I believe that true Magyar explorers of -Christian faith would have fared no better in the intellectual morass of -the Hungary of those days. But the painful suspicion was there, and -could not easily be banished. - -With my modest viaticum, lent to me on security, I was soon on the way, -and on the journey from Pest to London I fortunately received many -tokens of a favourable turn in my affairs. In Vienna I gathered from the -notices about me in the daily papers that my journey had created a good -deal of interest. At home jealous, narrow-minded people, even from the -Academy circle, had published scornful remarks about me on the day after -my arrival, and amongst other things blamed me for appearing in the -Academy hall with my fez on, not considering that, being used to the -heavy turban, my head had to get gradually used to the lighter covering -of Europe. But the foreign papers were enthusiastic in their praise and -appreciation of my endeavours. In my progress Westward these good signs -gradually increased. At Cologne I was interviewed by the _Kölnische -Zeitung_; and in the railway carriage from Dover to London my travelling -companions were interested to hear of the purpose of my journey, and one -of these was a man whose identity has remained a mystery to me to this -day. He was a Mr. _Smith_ according to his card, and seemed so pleased -to make my acquaintance that on our arrival in the capital he took me to -the Hotel Victoria, engaged a splendid room for me, and that evening -and the next day entertained me with regal hospitality. Then he found a -private house for me, and, as I afterwards learned, paid the first -month's rent for me. After he had seen me comfortably settled this -kind-hearted man took leave of me. Who was this Mr. Smith? From that day -till now I have not been able to find out. I have never seen him again. -And indeed his was a deed of charity. But for him how should I have -managed in this English Babel, with my small means and absolute -ignorance of Western ways and customs. - -When I had become somewhat familiar with the British metropolis I -presented my letters of introduction to Sir Roderick Murchison, -President of the Royal Geographical Society; Sir Henry Rawlinson, the -greatest authority on Central Asiatic affairs; Sir Henry A. Layard, -Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Sir Justin Sheil, -former Ambassador at Teheran, and last, but not least, Lord Strangford, -the great authority on the Moslemic East. All gave me a hearty welcome, -and interrogated me upon the details of my travels and the condition of -things in Central Asia. Pleased as I was with the interest shown by -these experts, I was not a little surprised to find everywhere, instead -of the anticipated ice-crust of English etiquette a hearty and sincere -appreciation of my labours. I realised at once that here I was in my -element, and that I had hit upon the best market for the publication of -my travelling experiences. And how could it be otherwise? England, with -its widespread colonies, with its gigantic universal trade, and its -lively interest in anything that happens in the remotest corners of the -earth, England is, and remains, the only land of great, universal ideas. -Here the fostering of geographical and ethnographical knowledge is -closely connected with the commercial, political, and national concerns -of the people, and as with the wide view they take of things the -question of practical usefulness triumphs over petty national -jealousies, it is quite natural that the Britishers do not trouble -themselves about the origin and antecedents of their heroes; and in the -case of the Frenchman, German, or Hungarian who happens to have enriched -their knowledge of lands and peoples, gladly forget the title of -"foreigner," otherwise not particularly liked in England. I noticed all -this during the first few days of my stay in England, and necessarily -this prominent feature of the English national character came later on -even more strikingly and, in my case, advantageously to the foreground. -With the exception of one small, rather amusing episode, there was not -the slightest hitch in my reception. My strongly sunburnt face, but more -still my thorough knowledge of Persian and Turkish, which I spoke -without the slightest accent, made some people suspicious as to my -European, _i.e._, Hungarian descent. Some Orientalists would take me -for a disguised Asiatic, and for some time they withheld their -confidence, but when General Kmetty, a countryman of mine, then living -in London, who had known me in Constantinople, allayed their doubts -their appreciation was all the greater, and two weeks after my arrival -on the banks of the Thames I had quite a crowd of friends and -acquaintances, who spread my fame by word of mouth and pen, and -transformed the former Dervish suddenly into a celebrity and a lion of -London society. - -This episode is not without its comical side, and shows how an inborn -talent for languages, or rather for talking, may deceive even the -cleverest expert in finding out people's nationalities. In Asia they -took me for a Turk, a Persian, or Central Asiatic, and very seldom for a -European. Here in Europe they thought I was a disguised Persian or -Osmanli, such is the curious sport of ethnical location! - -I made my _début_ by a lecture at Burlington House, under the auspices -of the Royal Geographical Society, before a large and select audience. -Here I delivered my first speech in English, with a strong foreign -accent, as the _Times_ remarked next day, but still I spoke for an hour -and made myself understood. From that evening dates my title of -"Explorer," and with it came a considerable change in my material -condition. Instead of having to seek a publisher, I was literally -overrun by men of the craft and inundated with offers. Absolutely -inexperienced as I was in such matters, I took advice with my friends, -and Lord Strangford decided this momentous question for me, and very -kindly introduced me to John Murray, rightly called the "prince of -publishers." A short conversation with him settled the whole matter. The -contract was simply that after deducting the printing costs I was to -receive half of the nett proceeds, and when the first edition was sold I -should have the right to make other arrangements. These conditions -seemed bad enough, but as Lord Strangford said, it was not so much the -question now to make money by it as to get my book introduced into -society; and as Murray only published the intellectual products of the -fashionable world, my connection with him would be to my advantage in -other ways, that is, it would serve as an introduction to society. For -England, the land of strict formalities and outward appearances, this -view was perfectly correct. The publishing offices in Albemarle Street, -where Murray had his business place then, were known as the literary -forum of the _élite_. The Queen was at that time in negotiation with Mr. -Murray about the publication of the late Prince Consort's Memoirs, and -Lord Derby was publishing his translation of Homer with him. Any -dealings with this house raised the author at once to the position of a -gentleman, even if they did not provide him with the means to act as -such. When my arrangements with Murray were completed and he said, "You -can draw upon me," I seemed all at once changed from a beggar into a -Croesus. I accepted his offer and at once drew a cheque for £50, -followed later on by larger amounts, and this sudden transformation of -my financial position very nearly turned my brain. Fortunately my -friends explained to me just in time that this offer of the publisher's -was a mere act of courtesy, that I must not build any false hopes upon -it, that it would have its limits, and that I should not really know how -I stood until the first accounts were squared. - -In my excess of joy I had given but little thought to this important -question. One must have been in the rushing stream of London high-life, -one must have gone through the everlasting feastings, the dinners, -luncheons, parties, balls, &c., which fall to the lot of a society lion -during the so-called "season," to understand how little time one has for -thinking, and how a constant intercourse with millionaires makes one -fancy one's self in possession of inexhaustible wealth. Day after day -the post brought piles of invitations to lunch, or dinner, races, -hunting-parties, visits to beautiful country-houses, and all imaginable -pleasures and recreations. Hardly a tenth part of the people who thus -offered me hospitality I knew personally. I was received everywhere as a -friend and old acquaintance, and overwhelmed with attentions of all -sorts. One recommended me to another, and the draconic law of fashion -made it everybody's imperative duty to entertain the stranger who was -about to publish in England the result of his perilous travels, and give -England the first benefit of them, and in this manner to show him the -gratitude of the nation. - -I do not doubt that underlying all this there was a strong dose of -snobbishness, in which England excels, an aping of the great and the -wealthy and the highly cultured, for I am certain that many of my -entertainers had but very vague notions about Central Asia. Nevertheless -expressions of appreciation of my toils and labours, even if they were -speculations upon ulterior benefits on the part of my hosts, could not -leave me quite indifferent; in fact they took a most astonishing hold of -me. When I saw with what fervour Livingstone was received on his second -return from Africa, how anonymous patrons placed large sums at his -disposal, and how patiently his curious whims and tempers were put up -with; when I witnessed the part played in society by Burton, Speke, -Grant, Du Chaillu, and Kirk, and realised that these highly celebrated -"travellers" were not thus admired, distinguished, and rewarded for -their great learning, but rather for their manly character, their -personal courage and spirit of enterprise, I began to understand the -eminently practical bent of the British nation, and the problem was -explained how this little Albion had attained to so great power, so -great riches, and boasts possessions which encircle the entire globe. -Indeed the traveller in England enjoys much more notoriety than ever the -greatest scholar and artist does on the Continent. He has seen distant -lands and continents and knows where the best and the cheapest raw -materials are to be had, and where the industrial products of the Mother -Country can be sold most advantageously. He clears the way for the -missionary and the trader and, in their wake, for the red-coat; and just -as in past ages the thirst for discovery as manifested by a Drake, a -Raleigh, and a Cook materially contributed to the greatness of England, -so now it is expected that the explorer's zeal and love of adventure -will help to expand the country's political and commercial spheres of -interest. - -A cursory glance at England's latest acquisitions in the most diverse -portions of the globe justifies this national point of view. At the time -of my visit to London I met Mr. Stewart, the bold explorer of the -Steppes of Australia, physically a perfect wreck on account of the great -fatigues he had sustained; but he was lionised tremendously. Australia -at that time counted scarcely a million inhabitants, and now the number -of Englishmen settled there has risen to four or five millions. The -number of explorers, missionaries, and colonists has steadily increased, -and this Colony, which is almost independent of the Mother Country, now -plays a very important part in the British Empire. The same may be -expected of Africa. From the beginning of the sixties the African -travels of Livingstone, and later on those of Du Chaillu, Burton, Speke, -Grant, Baker, &c., were looked upon as great national events, the -consequences of which would affect not only politics and commerce, but -also ordinary workmen and artisans. And now, after scarce half a -century, the British flag waves over the most diverse and by far the -best parts of the Dark Continent. Railways run across the borderlands; -in the Soudan, Uganda, Bulawayo and other lands, Western culture in -British garb is making its way; and during the late South African War -the whole nation, including its Colonies, manifested as much zeal and -patriotism for the establishment of British power in Africa as if it -concerned the defence of London or Birmingham. When we estimate at its -right value this profound national interest in the exploration of -foreign lands, we cannot be so very much surprised at England's -political greatness, nor at the degree of attention paid to travellers. -The English saying, "Trade follows the flag," can hardly be called -correct, for first of all comes the explorer, then the missionary, then -the merchant, and lastly comes the flag. - -Of course my travels did not warrant any such expectations. The chief -point of interest of these lay in the information which I brought from -Khiva, Bokhara, and Herat, and more especially with regard to the secret -movements of Russia towards South Asia, so far unknown in England -because of the total isolation of Central Asia. In political circles -curiosity in this respect had reached a high pitch, for wild and -undefined rumours were afloat about the Northern Colossus advancing -towards the Yaxartes. My appearance was therefore of political -importance, and when I add to this the interest created by the manner in -which I had travelled--I mean my Dervish incognito, which amused the -sensation-loving English people just as my proficiency in different -European languages and Asiatic idioms provoked their curiosity--my -brilliant reception is to a certain extent explained. The rapid change -of scene during the early part of my sojourn in London quite stunned me; -I lived in a world altogether new and hitherto undreamed of. For many -days I had quite a struggle to adopt not merely European but English -manners and customs. The contrast between the free-and-easy life of -Asiatic lands--where in the way of food, clothes, and general behaviour, -only such restraint is required as one chooses to lay upon oneself--and -the rigid rules of society life to which in England one is expected to -conform, was often painful and disagreeable to me. One gets sometimes -into the most uncomfortable and ridiculous predicaments, and Livingstone -was right when he once said to me, "Oh, how happy was my life in Africa; -how beautiful is the freedom amidst naked barbarism as compared with -the tyrannical etiquette of our refined society!" - -Thoughts of this kind came to me also sometimes; I even longed often for -the unfettered life and the ever-varying vicissitudes of my wanderings, -but these were merely the result of momentary depression. The contrast -between the highest and the lowest stage of civilisation had quite a -different effect upon me, for in my inmost mind I clung to the medium -stage of culture of my native land; the home where, in spite of the -mortifications inflicted upon me, I hoped one day to find a quieter -haven of refuge than in the noisy, restless centre of Western activity. - - -UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The story of my struggles: the memoirs -of Arminius Vambéry, Volume 1 (of 2), by Arminius Vambéry - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS OF ARMINIUS VAMBERY, VOL 1 *** - -***** This file should be named 50812-8.txt or 50812-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/8/1/50812/ - -Produced by Albert László, Martin Pettit and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The story of my struggles: the memoirs of Arminius Vambéry, Volume 1 (of 2) - -Author: Arminius Vambéry - -Release Date: December 31, 2015 [EBook #50812] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS OF ARMINIUS VAMBERY, VOL 1 *** - - - - -Produced by Albert László, Martin Pettit and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="center"><a name="cover.jpg" id="cover.jpg"></a><img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="cover" /></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[Pg i]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold2">THE STORY OF MY STRUGGLES</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">[Pg ii]</a></span></p> - -<div class="box"> -<h2 class="left uline"><i>BY THE SAME AUTHOR.</i></h2> - -<p class="bold">ARMINIUS VAMBÉRY:</p> - -<p class="right"><b>His Life and Adventures.</b></p> - -<blockquote><p>Imperial 16mo, cloth, 6s. Boys' Edition, crown 8vo, cloth gilt, -gilt edges, 5s.</p></blockquote> - -<p class="bold">THE STORY OF HUNGARY.</p> - -<blockquote><p>Fully Illustrated. Large crown 8vo, cloth, 5s. (<span class="smcap">The Story of the -Nations Series.</span>)</p></blockquote> - -<p class="right"><b>————————————— -<br />LONDON: T. FISHER UNWIN.</b></p></div> - -<hr /> - -<div class="center"><a name="ifrontis.jpg" id="ifrontis.jpg"></a><img src="images/ifrontis.jpg" alt="Professor Vambery at the Age of 70" /></div> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">Professor Vambéry at the Age of 70</span></p> - -<p class="bold">(<i>Photo by Strelisky.</i>)</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/titlepage.jpg" alt="titlepage" /></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[Pg iii]</a></span></p> - -<h1>THE STORY OF<br />MY STRUGGLES</h1> - -<p class="bold">THE MEMOIRS OF<br />ARMINIUS VAMBÉRY</p> - -<p class="bold">PROFESSOR OF ORIENTAL LANGUAGES<br /> -IN THE UNIVERSITY OF BUDAPEST</p> - -<p class="bold space-above">VOLUME I</p> - -<div class="center space-above"><img src="images/logo.jpg" alt="logo" /></div> - -<p class="bold space-above">LONDON: T. FISHER UNWIN<br />PATERNOSTER SQUARE · 1904</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[Pg iv]</a></span></p> - -<p class="center">(<i>All rights reserved.</i>)</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[Pg v]</a></span></p> - -<h2>Preface</h2> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/sep.jpg" alt="separator" /></div> - -<p>Authors of Autobiographies are much exposed to fall into -self-glorification. If I nevertheless have undertaken to write the -following pages, I have done so because of the unexpectedly favourable -criticism which the first two chapters of my book—<i>Life and Adventures -of Arminius Vambéry, Written by Himself</i>—met with in England and in -America. In this book I tried to lay before the public an account of -such travels and wanderings of mine as were not comprised in my first -book on Central Asia, and in addition I thought it advisable to give a -few outlines of my juvenile adventures and struggles. Strange to say it -was the narrative of the latter which elicited the particular interest -of my readers, as I noticed from the many letters I received from the -most distant parts of Europe and America.</p> - -<p>Well, I said to myself, if such short sketches of my curious career have -evoked this interest on the part of my readers, what will be the -<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[Pg vi]</a></span>impression if I draw the picture of my whole life and of all the -vicissitudes I went through from my childhood to my present old age? -This is the main reason of the issue of the present volumes. Keeping in -mind the Oriental proverb, "To speak of his own self is the business of -the Shaitan," I have reluctantly touched upon many topics connected with -my personality, but events are mostly inseparable from actors, and -besides I have found encouragement in recalling the appreciation Britons -and Americans are habitually ready to accord to the career of self-made men.</p> - -<p>There are besides other motives which have served as incentives to these -pages. The various stages of my life have been passed in various -countries and societies, and a personal record of men and events dating -from half a century back may not be without interest to the present -generation. Unchecked by conventional modesty and false shame, I have -related all I went through in plain and unadorned words, and if I have -not concealed facts relating to my very humble origin and to the -mistakes I committed, neither have I thought it necessary to leave -unmentioned the result of my labours and the honours entailed by them. -It is now forty years ago since I had first the honour of coming before -the British public, and my desire to be thoroughly known by it may be pardoned.</p> - -<p class="right">A. VAMBÉRY.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[Pg vii]</a></span></p> - -<h2>Contents</h2> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/sep.jpg" alt="separator" /></div> - -<table summary="CONTENTS"> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER I.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td><span class="smaller">PAGE</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">MY ANTECEDENTS AND INFANCY</td> - <td><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER II.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">JUVENILE STRUGGLES</td> - <td><a href="#Page_33">33</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER III.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">THE PRIVATE TUTOR</td> - <td><a href="#Page_69">69</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER IV.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">MY FIRST JOURNEY TO THE EAST</td> - <td><a href="#Page_105">105</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER V.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">MY SECOND JOURNEY TO THE EAST</td> - <td><a href="#Page_161">161</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER VI.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">THE RETURN TO EUROPE</td> - <td><a href="#Page_203">203</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[Pg ix]</a></span></p> - -<h2>Illustrations</h2> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/sep.jpg" alt="separator" /></div> - -<table summary="Illustrations"> - <tr> - <td class="left">PROFESSOR VAMBÉRY AT THE AGE OF SEVENTY</td> - <td><a href="#ifrontis.jpg"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">PROFESSOR VAMBÉRY IN HIS EIGHTEENTH YEAR</td> - <td> <a href="#i035.jpg"><i>Facing page 35</i></a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold2">My Antecedents and Infancy</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER I</span> <span class="smaller">MY ANTECEDENTS AND INFANCY</span></h2> - -<p>"<i>Cogito ergo sum!</i>" Yes, I am here, but the date of my birth I cannot -positively state, as I have no means of ascertaining it. I had the -problematic good fortune to be born of Jewish parents, and as at that -time the Jews in Hungary were not compelled by law to be regularly -registered, and the authorities were satisfied with such scanty -information as the parish documents afforded, I have not been able to -get any official certificate as to the date of my birth. My mother told -me that I was born shortly before my father's death on St. Joseph's Day, -and as my father was one of the last victims of the cholera which began -to scourge the land in 1830, I cannot be far wrong in giving the year of -my birth as 1831 or 1832.</p> - -<p>Genealogy not being one of my favourite subjects, I will not trouble the -reader with a detailed account of my pedigree. As far as I know, my -great-great-grandfather came from the worthy little town of Bamberg, and -when the Emperor Joseph II. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span>commanded his Jewish subjects to take a -surname, my grandfather, who was born in Hungary, took the name of the -town of his ancestors, and was entered as Bamberger. As time went on the -"B" was changed into "W," and my father wrote his name as Wamberger, -although he made but little use of this registered name, for in those -days the Orthodox Jews followed the Oriental custom, according to which -the father's name is the one generally used, and the family name is -merely of official importance. My father was not only a devout Jew, but -also a distinguished Talmudist who often spent whole days and nights in -study, without troubling himself much about mundane affairs. Religious -zeal and love of learning are the two powerful levers of this especially -Jewish erudition, and its disciples who regard intellectual and -religious attainments as one and the same thing necessarily live in a -visionary world into which none but theologians of Asiatic creeds can -penetrate, and which has long since been closed to Christian divines, -whose doctrines are so permeated with scepticism. According to my -mother's saying, my father must have caught this fever of fanatical -enthusiasm in his early youth. In ordinary life he was diffident and -awkward, and when he came to woo her in her father's house at -Lundenburg, in Moravia, his appearance had caused much secret amusement -to the girls of the Malavan family. But my mother, a beautiful girl of -eighteen, had soon taken a liking to the bashful<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> young scholar, who had -bright eyes and pleasant features to recommend him. She had been brought -up by a stepmother, and from her earliest youth had tasted many a time -from the bitter cup of life. She hoped to find happiness at the side of -an earnest and religious-minded man, and so easily yielded to the -persuasions of her Orthodox father, and left her home and her birthplace -to follow the Talmudist, of whom as yet she knew but little, into -Hungary to the town of St. Georghen, in the Presburger county, where my -father, as a native of the place, hoped to get the appointment of -under-rabbi.</p> - -<p>But, as is only too well known, theologians of all times and religions -have always evinced an unconquerable hatred, jealousy, and bitterness -towards men of their own profession, and the darts thrown by the -religious zealot are known to be far more venomous than those of the -hunter after worldly treasures. The Talmudists of St. Georghen, whose -number must of necessity have been very limited, were not exempt from -this vice, and as my father's quiet, modest nature could not cope with -his antagonists, the hope of preferment vanished more and more into the -background, and the darkened horizon of the poor man's future was now -only illumined by the steady glimmer of his enthusiasm for his studies. -While musing and speculating upon the intricacies of the Mishna and -Gemara, the good man quite forgot that the modest dowry which my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> mother -had brought with her could not last for ever, and was not inexhaustible -like the bottomless discussions and arguments of his favourite study, -and that in order to live one had to look beyond the world of books into -the busy market-place of everyday life. Soon my mother had to rouse him -to the realisation of this cruel necessity. She was fully aware of the -gravity of the situation, and all the ways and means by which the clever -but young and inexperienced woman had tried to ward off the evil day -proved fruitless. At one time she advised her husband to commence a -fruit and corn business, then they tried to keep a public-house, but -when everything failed the pious Talmudist was forced to become a -hawker, and buying the agricultural products from the farmers in the -neighbouring villages to try to sell them again at a small profit. What -terrible martyrdom this must have been to the inspired Talmudist—to -leave his study and his books and to go hawking among the raw Slavonic -peasants of the neighbourhood! What self-sacrifice, to leave the -multi-coloured, visionary fields of "Halacha" and "Hagada," and to -descend to the vulgar occupation of bargaining and bartering for a sack -of beans or peas, a sheep- or a goat-skin. My mother often recalled it -with tears in her eyes, for she was deeply attached to my father. She -shared his enthusiasm for study, she sympathised in his mental -struggles, but the voice of hunger is peremptory; she encouraged and -helped<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> him, and my poor father hardly ever lost his patience. One wet -day in autumn, having bought a cowhide, yet damp, from a butcher at -Ratzersdorf, he flung it over his shoulder on the top of a heavy load he -was carrying. Thus laden he reached home late in the evening, wet -through and tired out after wading through the deep mud. My mother -awaited him with the frugal evening meal, but he, throwing down his load -on the floor, went straight into his little study, where he buried -himself in his books; and when my mother, tired of waiting, came to look -for him, she found him as deep in his studies as if he had been sitting -there the whole day. A man of such habits and tendencies was not likely -to succeed in looking after the temporary needs of his family. It is -therefore not surprising that my mother, with her practical common -sense, at last came to the conclusion that it would be best to leave her -husband to his books, and herself to look after the support of the -family. And so my mother became a business woman. She went out into the -world while my father sat at home in his study and took care of the -house. A sad change of places, which pleased my mother only in so far -as, being a pious Jewess, she thought she was doing a work well pleasing -to God. But the interests of the family suffered greatly, for as she was -inexperienced in the struggle for existence, our poverty increased -rapidly, and when the destroying angel, the cholera, at that time -ravaging Europe, swept<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> over North-West Hungary also, and snatched away -my father, my mother, at the age of twenty-two, was left a widow with -two children in the greatest distress.</p> - -<p>This terrible blow, the misery of it, and the feeling of loneliness in a -strange land filled the young, energetic woman with unwonted activity. -She took a young companion from Lundenburg into the house to look after -the children, in order that she might devote herself more entirely to -her business. She laboured without interruption, and in the second year -of her widowhood she had the satisfaction of seeing her cellar stocked -with good wine, her storehouse full of corn, and her inn one of the most -frequented in the little town of St. Georghen. She was getting on very -well indeed, but in order to extend her business she thought a man's -support was necessary, so she married again. Her husband was a young man -of her own age, who came from Duna Szerdahely, and was now to be the -father of the orphans (<i>i.e.</i>, my sister and myself) and my mother's -protector and companion. Whether my mother was induced to take this step -under the pretext used by all young widows, or whether she really needed -assistance, I cannot and dare not investigate. One thing is certain, she -did not improve her condition, for Mr. Fleischmann, as her second -husband was called, was a kind-hearted, easy-going man, but by no means -industrious or enterprising. He helped to spend the money, but<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> not to -make it. And when, after the first year, my mother upbraided him for his -idleness, he declared that here, among strangers, he should never get -on, but if my mother would go with him to his native town he was sure -that there, surrounded by his relatives and friends, he should be far -better able to attend to his duties as head of the family.</p> - -<p>And so it came about that my mother, and we with her, left St. Georghen -and settled at Duna Szerdahely, from which place I date my intellectual -awakening, for I look upon this town, and not the one where I first -beheld the light, as my real birthplace. I must at that time have been -about three years old, and my recollections of my first home are very -vague indeed. But I clearly remember one scene. I was playing about -under the big oblong table of the public room, while on the knobs round -about the table small miniature loaves were strung together, which I ate -one after the other, for even then I was known for my large appetite. -These gastric feats were interrupted by the entrance of several guests, -who playfully blew the froth of their beer glasses down upon me. It gave -me a fright which I remember to this day. Other incidents of my infancy -have also left a vague impression upon my mind. Thus, for instance, I -remember quite distinctly the morning when I got up with a pain in my -foot, and began to limp. Coxalgia had then taken hold of me, and I began -to go lame with my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> left leg, an affliction for which no cure could be -found, as will be further related in the course of this narrative. I can -slightly remember our move, which was effected on a large waggon, but I -have no distinct recollection of anything during the first two or three -years in Duna Szerdahely, my adopted native town.</p> - -<p>Where other children find roses on their path, and the blue sky of -golden youth is for ever smiling down upon them, I found nothing but -thorns, privation, and misery. It soon became evident that our -stepfather, as already mentioned, although a good-hearted man, possessed -none of those qualities which everybody needs in the struggle of life; -how much more, then, a man who has a whole family dependent upon him! -The small capital which my mother had brought with her from St. Georghen -soon dwindled away. Poverty entered the house and peace departed, and -the children had to suffer much through the mother's ever-increasing -despondency. The public-house had to be given up, and we tried a fresh -departure, viz., the sale of leeches. This was a sort of family trade of -the Fleischmanns in Duna Szerdahely, or rather a miserable sort of -hawker's business. The brothers Fleischmann bought from the peasants the -leeches found in abundance in the neighbouring swamps, and after sorting -them they sold them to the apothecaries of Northern Hungary.</p> - -<p>At a very early age I was initiated into the details of the trade. The -leeches had to be sorted<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> according to size, and put in linen bags about -40 centimeters long; they were bathed twice in the twenty-four hours, an -operation at which the children assisted, but I had great difficulty in -overcoming a feeling of repugnance when I had to separate the wretched -creatures from the slimy substance. It happened sometimes that the -leeches escaped in the night from the bag, if it had not been securely -enough fastened, and crawled about in the room which served us all as -bedroom. As we children had to sleep on the floor, for lack of a -bedstead, sometimes the one, sometimes the other of us would wake with a -sudden fright, for the hungry animals used to get hold of our toes, or -some other member, and quietly begin to suck. Then, of course, there was -a general commotion; the creatures had to be searched for with a light, -and replaced in the bag. The tragi-comedy of these nocturnal scenes -highly amused us children.</p> - -<p>The weal and the woe of the family, which meanwhile had increased from -four to six and seven, depended entirely upon the demand for, and the -price of, leeches. In Hungary, bleeding was still in fashion, but as -medical science in its steady growth began to prohibit all methods for -reducing the blood, the demand for leeches necessarily became less; and -as their value decreased, the poverty in our home increased. The rosy -days of childhood were for me days of suffering and privation and want. -Sometimes the pinch of poverty was terrible<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> to bear, especially when my -stepfather was on one of his hawking tours, which often took weeks. -Then, when the money he had left behind had come to an end, we had to -live on black bread, potatoes cooked in various ways, beans, peas, and -lentils. Coffee and milk were luxuries, and meat we only had in very -small portions on Saturdays and feast-days. Many a time we had not even -bread, and I have a lively recollection of the queer manner in which we -managed to get hold of some. Our house, a poor, dilapidated little place -on a level with the ground, stood at the extreme end of the little town, -on the borders of a willow-grove, and close to the large piece of waste -ground where wandering gipsies used to set up their black tents. Thus at -a very early age I became interested in gipsy life. I distinctly -remember the camp of these brown children of the East. Some of them were -almost naked, others dressed in rags, but never failed to display large -silver buttons on their tattered garments. My first impressions of -nomadic life I received through these people. They belonged to the tribe -known in Hungary as the "Wallachian Gipsies," a remarkable people, -wilder and more lawless than the half-civilised tribes. They lived by -stealing, fortune-telling, and tinkering, and were so hardened that in -the bitterest weather they would camp in the open. The next morning the -children would be packed into a kind of feather-bed, which was slung -over the horse's head, forming bags on<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> either side; and so the journey -was resumed, the mother generally sitting on the horse, the bigger boys -and the men going on foot.</p> - -<p>The road leading to the villages situated on the island Schütt, between -Duna Szerdahely and Komorn, went past our house, and as on Fridays all -the beggars of the neighbourhood were allowed to beg for alms of any -description in the market-places, mendicants of all ages and both sexes -might be seen on such days making their way past our house towards those -places. The picture of the horrible, motley caravan of feigned and real -cripples, blind, dumb, and lame folks, of lepers and paralytics, in -their dirty, tattered garments, fills me with dismay even now. The -phantoms of the past are ever before my eyes. And it was with these -miserable, offensive creatures that I had to barter on Friday afternoons -for the bread and other victuals they had collected during the -day—money seldom came their way—in exchange for one or two bottles of -brandy. It was indeed a bitter piece of bread, grudgingly bestowed by -dirty, sickly hands. Nevertheless, it was welcome food to us in our -starving condition. In my earliest youth I made the acquaintance of that -terrible spectre, hunger, and even in subsequent stages of my life he -has often been my companion; my battles with this monster were certainly -not amongst the lightest I have had to fight.</p> - -<p>In spite of everything I grew up strong and healthy, and, with the -exception of one illness when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> I was three years old—and of which I -have some remembrance, because my mother, in obedience to a superstition -prevalent in Hungary, sold me for a few kreuzer to another woman, in the -hope that God would ward off the impending danger, and be moved to -clemency towards the possibly sinless new mother—I have not known a -day's illness in the whole of my life. From early spring till late -autumn I went about generally barefooted and scantily clothed. In the -summer I slept by preference in the yard, under the overhanging roof of -our house, instead of in the close bedroom, and I slept so soundly that -not even a thunderstorm roused me until my naked feet were soaking wet -with the pouring rain. My rosy, chubby cheeks, my bright, black eyes, -and my curly hair found favour with the women folk; and whenever I came -in the market-place the farmers' wives petted and fondled me, and always -made the same remark, "Pity the little Jew is crooked." Personally, I -did not trouble much about this bodily defect. With my crutch tucked -under the left arm, I went about quite happily, and even tried to run -races with my companions. But when I had to give up the race on account -of my lame leg, and came home crying, my mother used to comfort me with -the words: "My child, thou wilt do better than any of thy companions, -but thou must have patience and perseverance."</p> - -<p>My bodily affliction, however, was a grievous<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> thorn in my mother's eye. -Her vanity was wounded, and her one aim and object was to rid me of the -evil. What has she not done to effect this? The ways and means by which -she endeavoured to cure me pass all description. The most out-of-the-way -remedies and magic cures were resorted to. I was not only bathed in -various kinds of herbs, rubbed with all possible and imaginable salves -and greases, but the strangest magic charms were tried at my expense. -And when everything failed I was placed at midnight at the crossing of -the road, to fall under the spell of passing old gipsy women. But worst -of all were the experiments of miracle-mongers or quacks. At one time -one such appeared in the shape of a Catholic priest, in the village of -Rudnó, in North Hungary, and no sooner had my mother heard of him than -she left the family in charge of her relatives, and undertook the long, -laborious journey to find him. As there were no railways, we travelled -on foot, a charitable farmer sometimes giving us a lift on his loaded -cart. And so we trudged on for many weary days, until the wretched -little village was reached. My poor destitute mother had to slip a fee -into the hand of the landlady of this clerical charlatan before we could -be admitted, but the gentleman of the black cowl did not waste many -words with his patients. He casually looked at my crooked leg, wrote a -prescription—the apothecary being partner in this holy business—and I -was dismissed with the promise<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> of a speedy recovery. Even to this day I -marvel how my mother, a thoroughly clever, capable woman—although she -could neither read nor write—was so desperately entangled in the meshes -of superstition, and that no amount of disillusion could save her from -falling into the same error again.</p> - -<p>The uselessness of the Rudnó prescription was still fresh in our minds, -when the fame of a new Wonder-doctor in the village of Gròb, in the -Neutraer county, was spread abroad, and my mother at once set out again. -The miraculous cure-worker this time was not a priest, but an ordinary, -ignorant peasant who could neither read nor write. We went to see him at -his farm, and when he heard that there was good wine to be had in Duna -Szerdahely, he at once offered to go home with us to effect the cure. A -cure indeed! So barbarously cruel and drastic was the remedy, that no -man with any proper feeling would have subjected an animal to it. For -five days running my leg had to be held over hot vapours every morning -for a certain length of time to soften the sinews and fibres, as the -peasant-doctor explained. Then on the sixth day the great operation took -place. My mother was sent out of the house, and I was made to lie down -on the floor, two strong gipsies acting as assistants, holding me tight, -the one by the shoulders, the other by the feet. Then the peasant threw -himself with all his weight upon the crippled knee, which formed almost -a right angle. A terrible crash—and I knew<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> no more. When I came to -myself again, my poor weeping mother was on her knees beside me. She -caressed me and gave me something to drink. The injured leg was now put -between rough wooden splints and tightly bandaged. Curative measures of -this kind were in vogue in Hungary in 1836, and they are so still, not -only in Hungary, but in other countries of civilised Europe! Of course -the operation was without success. When the splints were removed, and I -could go about again, the old mischief returned, the crutch had again to -be resorted to, and I have gone through life limping, not altogether to -my disadvantage, as the subsequent pages will show.</p> - -<p>Apart from this bodily defect I enjoyed good health as a child, -notwithstanding the chary and very primitive nourishment I received, and -in spite of the many miseries to which I was exposed on account of -insufficient clothing. Sometimes I was inclined to envy the better lot -of my schoolfellows and companions, and was unhappy in consequence, but -this early hardening process was the very best training I could have had -for my later career. The sufferings and privations I had later to bear -as Mohammedan mendicant friar seemed to me not much harder nor more -trying than what I had to go through in my youth.</p> - -<p>This much as regards my physical bringing up. As for my intellectual -accomplishments, the reader must first be made acquainted with the -literary<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> demands which, to the Orthodox Jew of those days, were -inseparable from a righteous and God-fearing life. Just as the -Mohammedan understands by learning merely religious knowledge, by -erudition merely a thorough acquaintance with the Koran and ritualistic -observances, and sees the ideal of education only in theological -accomplishments, so also the Jew regards a knowledge of the Holy -Scriptures as the only essential thing, and the study of the Talmud is -his chief accomplishment. Young lads, therefore, are first of all taught -to read Hebrew, and when they have become familiar with the letters of -the foreign tongue, they proceed to translate the Hebrew text according -to a very primitive method. They are told a few words here and there, -and have to make out the sense as best they can. Then, as a third stage, -they come to the grammar, the actual study of the language. Schools in -general were conducted much on the same primitive principle. Any Jew -with a sufficient knowledge of the Holy Scriptures was authorised to set -up an educational establishment, and the success of the school depended -in most cases upon the greatest number of successful pupils and on the -smallness of the school fees. The pedagogic talent of the teacher also -carried some weight, <i>i.e.</i>, whether he made much or little use of the -birch rod; for the schools where stripes and swollen cheeks were not so -frequent were naturally favoured by soft-hearted mothers. I received my -elementary education in a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> third-rate school; but an inborn brightness -of intellect and good memory enabled me soon to rise above my -schoolfellows, and I was qualified to enter the best-known school of the -place at a much reduced fee. I learned with pleasure and facility, and -had a special liking for learning by heart. I had but to read a Hebrew -text two or three times to be able to say it off by heart without much -prompting. The teacher had noticed this, and of course my mother knew -it, for she used to say, "His father was a great scholar, he is bound to -have plenty of brains."</p> - -<p>Nevertheless she kept me rigorously at my lessons, and when I went to -bed I had to put my books, often big folios, under my pillow, "for," -said my mother, "knowledge will get into thine head over night, right -through the bolster," which I believed literally. Yes, my mother was a -remarkable woman. Blind superstition and rare common sense alternated in -her. She had a most extraordinary energy, and was a type of the Jewess -of the Middle Ages, full of ancient principles and maxims, sometimes -showing themselves in a tenacious clinging to the old faith, sometimes -conforming to existing circumstances. If there was a thunderstorm in the -night she would quickly make a light, open the Bible at the Creation -story, and exclaim, "Behold, O God, Thou hast created the world, destroy -not Thine own handiwork." Her memory was marvellous. She could remember -the smallest details of her early childhood, and told<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> me often what her -mother had said to her about the Frenchmen after the battle of -Austerlitz. How they overran the country in the neighbourhood of -Lundenburg, and how the grenadiers forced their way into the houses, -crying for "<i>Café! Café, sacré nom de Dieu!</i>" I think I must have -inherited my memory from my mother.</p> - -<p>My knowledge up to my eighth year consisted chiefly of the Pentateuch -with commentary, the Prophets, and other Biblical stories, besides -Hungarian and German, reading and writing. I felt quite at home in the -five books of Moses, and in the Prophets I was sufficiently versed to -recite and translate long passages from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Treassar, and -other Holy Scriptures. These accomplishments gave me a certain standing -among my schoolfellows, and the teacher used to bring me forward as a -kind of specimen of his teaching; for whenever a father came to the -school to introduce his promising offspring, I was called up and -examined to prove by my answers the zeal and skill of the teacher.</p> - -<p>To be thus gazed at in one's youth has its dangers, for it is apt to -make one somewhat vain, and it might easily have grown into self-conceit -if my mother's warning words had not from time to time acted like a -shower-bath on the fire of my youthful imagination. "Thou art nothing -yet, thou knowest nothing yet," said she; "the son of my first husband -must be the first of all the boys."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> And what my mother meant by <i>the -first</i> was not confined to the Jewish schools at Duna Szerdahely. For -she intended me to excel not only in Jewish but also in Christian -learning. Devout and God-fearing though she was, she seems soon to have -come to the conclusion that the study of Thora and Talmud may be all -very well to open the gates of Paradise, but that they are of little use -to help one on in the world, and that under the altered conditions of -the time the disposition which reduced my father to beggary would be of -still less use to me. In short, my mother had made up her mind that I -was to relinquish the study of Jewish religion and direct my attention -to a worldly career, and that the son of the Rabbi and Talmudist was to -become a universal scholar. The boldness of this plan can only be fully -appreciated by those who have known some of the aspirations of the life, -the ways of thinking, and the horrible fanaticism of the Jews of those days.</p> - -<p>In my youth the Jewish community of Duna Szerdahely had the reputation -of being the most devout, the most zealous congregation of Hungary, in -no wise tinged with doctrinal innovations; the most devout of all -Europe, in fact, with the exception of a few Russian and Polish -communities, celebrated for their Chasidendon, or zeal. It was a piece -of pure unalloyed mediæval conceit, with all its wildly fanatical -fancies and impossibilities; a pure counterfeit of that religious<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> life -the dark shadow of which in my after life, during my sojourn with the -Moslems of Bokhara, has filled me with horror. In this superabundance of -religious enthusiasm, in this frightful labyrinth of ritualistic -cavilling and grievous superstition, I spent my childhood. Summer and -winter, early in the morning and late at night, I never neglected at the -first sound of the wooden hammer on the door—this replaced the bell -which calls the Jews to worship—to speed towards the synagogue, where -my strong young voice at a very early age was heard above all the -worshippers, and stamped me as a boy of marked Divine favour.</p> - -<p>I would rather have died of hunger than have taken a mouthful of food -which had not been prepared according to the established ritual, or than -partake of meat or milk food without observing the necessary interval of -six hours, or, worst of all, than incur pollution by contact with that -most monstrous of all creatures—the swine! For fear of baring my head I -wore my cap right down over my ears, and when some mischievous Christian -lads once forcibly took it from me, I trembled all over like an aspen -leaf, and imagined that I should straightway be committed to the awful -tortures of the Gehenna. In order not to have to say the word <i>Kreutz</i> -(cross), I always said <i>Schmeitzer</i> instead of <i>Kreutzer</i>. When I passed -a crucifix I always turned my head the other way, and murmured words of -disgust, or secretly spat on the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> ground. If by chance on Saturday, the -day of absolute rest, I found a copper or silver coin on the ground, I -pushed it along with my foot (as it was a sin to touch it with my hand), -and in holy dread covered it up with dust and dirt, so that I might find -it again next day. A religion which has to instruct its confessors in -these minutest details, which prescribes how he must eat, drink, walk, -stand, sleep, dress, cleanse his body outwardly and inwardly; how to -associate with women and how to comport himself during different natural -occurrences—such a religion necessarily exercises a profound influence -upon the youthful mind, it absorbs him entirely, it captivates his -senses and his thoughts. I found exactly the same thing in after years -among the Moslem youths of Turkey and Persia. There, as here, faith -really manifests itself merely in outward appearances, in a ritual which -is observed with the greatest exactitude, and it is therefore not -surprising that the young Jew, like the Moslem, when in after years he -begins to inquire into things for himself, breaks the fetters and -becomes a freethinker. This total revolution of ideas may be explained -as the natural result when two such widely different elements come into -contact with each other.</p> - -<p>The transformation necessarily depends to a great extent upon the -natural tendencies of the individual. As long as I attended the Jewish -school, and all contact with the Christian world<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> was prohibited, there -could of course be no question of scepticism with me. It was really my -mother who gave the initiative; for, as already mentioned, she meant me -to have a secular education. Regardless of the harsh criticism of our -fellow-believers, she removed me from the Jewish school, and placed me -in the elementary school maintained by the Protestant community. Here I -was taught from Christian books, attended the catechising, and received -such elementary notions of geography and natural history as the -extremely primitive school-books then in use in Hungary were able to -furnish. The description of the earth was contained in a little book in -verse, called "Kis tükör," or "Small Mirror." Natural history was -limited to the description of a few animals, and instead of the -Hungarian mother-tongue we were initiated into the elements of Latin. It -was, to say the best of it, very meagre fare which Christian culture -vouchsafed to me, but it was so totally different from my former -studies, which dealt only with events that happened thousands of years -ago, that even these scanty morsels convinced me of the greater -sustaining power and interest of the intellectual food here offered. The -intercourse with Christian companions of my own age also made me freer -and less prejudiced, for I played with them and made friends, without, -however, entering their houses or touching the food and cakes they -offered. This, both my mother and I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> felt, would be rank apostasy, and -would be going a little too far for the only son of the former rabbi! -But the ice was broken. True, I had not yet dared to climb over the wall -of partition which, on account of my bringing up, separated me from the -outer world, but I began to cast furtive glances over to the other side, -and when my mother, little by little, made me familiar with the idea of -following a secular career and becoming a doctor, the thick clouds of -orthodox religious views soon dispersed, the horizon widened, and with -ecstasy my childish eye roamed over those distant regions of delight.</p> - -<p>I may have been about ten years old then. My plans for the future were -made, but the means to carry them out cost my dear mother unspeakable -anxiety. The poverty and misery of the family had now reached a climax. -My elder sister had already gone to service, and in order that I might -not take the bread out of the children's mouths my mother made up her -mind, though with a heavy heart, to send me also out of the house. I -went as apprentice to a lady tailoress, whose son I instructed in the -Hebrew language, in return for which she boarded me and initiated me in -the mysteries of sewing together light cotton and linen materials.</p> - -<p>The three hours which I spent in the fulfilment of my pedagogic duties -were pleasant enough. It flattered my vanity to teach a boy of my own -age, but all the more disagreeable was the time which I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> had to spend -sitting at the round table among my companions and the more advanced -pupils in the tailor's trade. Here I had always to bear mocking remarks -about my clumsiness; they were always finding fault with me, and often -gave me palpable instruction how to hold my needle and thimble, how not -to crush the stuff unnecessarily, and so on. In short, the initiation -into the noble art of tailoring was embittered for me to such an extent -that after the first month had elapsed I complained to my mother with -tears. She realised the mistake she had made, and encouraged me to hold -out at least until the winter was past and she should have secured a -good appointment for me. It cost me much to consent, but my mother's -admonitions and the consciousness that during the bitter winter weather -I should at least have a warm room and tolerable food, whereas I used to -have to go all the way to school scantily dressed and with a few warm -potatoes in my pocket for breakfast, conquered at last. I became -reconciled to my disagreeable lot, until with the awakening of the -spring the hope of improving my condition also awoke in me, and glimmers -of future possibilities rose before my mind's eye.</p> - -<p>I had now reached my eleventh year, and made up my mind to leave not -only my home, but also the town in which my mother, the only being who -cared for me, lived.</p> - -<p>To set out into the world at eleven years of age,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> in poverty and -misery, with a crutch as companion, away from a mother's loving -sympathy, henceforth to wander among strangers, and to be subject to -their cold gaze, surely this is a cruel trial and hard to bear for a -young, sensitive child. The thought of it frightened me; it weighed me -down and forced tears from my eyes—tears which flowed the more -abundantly when I saw by my mother's red eyes that she also struggled in -vain to keep them down.</p> - -<p>But what was to be done? In my dire distress and utter helplessness -there seemed no other way open to reach that goal to which my natural -propensities appeared to point. My mother encouraged me by saying, "Thou -canst not and darest not be an ordinary man. The spirit of thy learned -father is in thee. Thou must study and become a doctor; and in order to -commence thy studies at the college of St. Georghen, where thy name is -known and they will take an interest in thee, thou must earn a few -florins first, for I can give thee at best only a change of linen and a -suit of clothes for the journey. Yes, my child, thou wilt have much to -bear, many hardships to suffer, but mark what I say—we must not mind -the trouble. <i>During the first part of the night we must prepare the bed -on which to stretch ourselves during the latter part.</i>"</p> - -<p>Such and similar admonitions and encouraging words were oft repeated. -They steeled my courage, and when the appointment of teacher in the -house<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> of the Jewish inn-keeper in the village of Nyék—about two hours' -distant from Duna Szerdahely—was offered to me, I accepted it -gratefully, and accompanied by my mother, with my crutch and a small -bundle on my back, I left the place where I had spent the days of my -childhood, to undertake the office which was to furnish me with the -means to commence my new career.</p> - -<p class="space-above">Leaving the dusty road for a short cut across the fields, we soon -reached Nyék; and when my mother introduced me to my future principal, -the man curiously eyed the insignificant, poorly dressed appearance of -the crippled teacher, and during the low, whispered conversation I -frequently caught the words, "Too young, too small." A Jew from -Szerdahely who knew me happened to be present; he was kind enough to -speak a good word for me by saying, "Never mind the outside; it's the -inside you want. The lad is crammed full of book-learning; he knows the -Prayer-book and the Pentateuch by heart, and if Moritz—that was the -name of my future pupil—has but a spark of intelligence in him, he will -get on well with him."</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the mother and the son had also come in, and while the former -gazed with a scarcely concealed smile, as if to say, "He will hardly be -a match for my Moritz," the latter glared at me with open dislike, and -tearing himself away from his mother he ran into the garden. Such a -<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span>reception was not calculated to inspire me with courage, or to paint my -future duties as mentor in too rose-coloured a light. I stood there for -some time perplexed and broken-hearted; and it was the more difficult to -collect myself, as the pain of having to part with my dear mother took -all my spirit away. My mother, of course, suffered still more keenly, -but not a trace of her inner struggle did she betray; she remained a -little while longer with me, and, after warmly embracing me, she took -her leave and went with me into the garden. Stepping lightly over the -threshold, and looking back only once or twice she swiftly walked home -the same way we had come. There I stood, broken-hearted, gazing after my -mother as she disappeared in the distance, and overcome with sorrow I -sank down, kissed the threshold which her foot had so lately touched, -and cried bitter tears of despair over the hardness of my lot.</p> - -<p>From this prostrate condition I was suddenly roused by a rough touch on -the shoulder, and when I looked round Moritz stood before me. He grinned -and said, "Teacher, come to dinner." Obeying this summary call, I -entered the room where the family was already seated at table, but I -could hardly touch anything, and although some good-natured souls tried -to cheer me up, several days passed before I could get used to the new -condition of things and properly fulfil such duties as were entrusted to -me. For I was not only<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> teacher, but also house-servant and waiter. Four -hours a day I had to instruct "dear Moritz" in writing, reading, and -arithmetic, and in the Pentateuch, but early in the morning and late in -the evening I had to provide the peasants going to or coming back from -the field with wine and brandy, and on Friday afternoons—<i>i.e.</i>, before -the beginning of the Sabbath—I had to clean the boots of all the family -and brush the clothes. How my master came upon the idea of combining -these various offices, and making me the "boy of all work," as I had -specially been engaged as teacher, is a mystery to me to this day. The -Oriental says, "Man loads the ass as much as he can, but not as he (the -ass) likes," and this proverb the inn-keeper of Nyék seems to have -followed. I performed my duties to the best of my ability; but I soon -noticed that whereas the peasants always found the measure of spirituous -liquor offered to them too small or too deficient, my pupil found the -time of intellectual "dressing" always far too long, and together with -his mother complained to his father that I overburdened his mind. If I -had not made the mistake of treating my pupil, out of school hours, as -my companion and playmate—which seemed so natural because we were of -the same age—I might perhaps have impressed him more, but the anomaly -of attempting to combine in one person playfellow and teacher revenged -itself bitterly upon me; for once when, carried away by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> my professional -zeal, I upbraided my pupil in rather strong language for his -carelessness and stupidity, the rascal, who was much bigger and stronger -than I, attacked me, threw me on the floor, gave me a terrible -thrashing, and when at last my cries brought his mother on the scene, -she had much difficulty in liberating me from the hands of my -obstreperous pupil. The "dear boy" received a reprimand for the -impropriety of his behaviour, and then things went on as usual. This -first failure of my pedagogic capability was followed by many others. In -my capacity of waiter and shoe-black I could, to a certain extent, -maintain the credit and dignity of my office, but as teacher I was less -fortunate, since occasional fits of playfulness and merriment did not -agree with the gravity of my position as mentor. I soon wearied of my -false position, and counted myself fortunate indeed when the six months -were over and I could return to Szerdahely with my earnings—<i>eight -florins</i> (sixteen shillings)—in my pocket.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold2">Juvenile Struggles</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="center"><a name="i035.jpg" id="i035.jpg"></a><img src="images/i035.jpg" alt="VAMBERY IN HIS EIGHTEENTH YEAR" /></div> - -<p class="bold">VAMBÉRY IN HIS EIGHTEENTH YEAR.</p> - -<p class="bold"><i>To face Page 35.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER II</span> <span class="smaller">JUVENILE STRUGGLES</span></h2> - -<p>My visit to my home was very pleasant; instead of the cold surroundings -I had been used to among strangers, I now met on all sides loving -glances from my brothers and sisters, and more especially from my -mother, who was proud of the son who had already earned eight bright -silver florins. She entertained the greatest hopes as to the result of -my future studies and saw me in imagination a country doctor sent for by -all the villagers for miles around, handsome fees pouring into his -pockets; in fact, in time a rich man. In one word, the learning -displayed by her first husband was always present to her mind, and she -eagerly sought in me all the qualities and talents he had possessed.</p> - -<p>Had it depended upon my mother I should have started for St. Georghen at -once, so as to be able to begin my studies at the Latin school in -October as soon as the term commenced. But it was finally decided that I -was to stay at home till I had passed from childhood to youth, which -takes place in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> Jewish families at the age of thirteen and is celebrated -by the Feast of Bar Mitzva. So I stayed on, and by degrees got used to -the idea of having to leave home for good in a short time.</p> - -<p>On the occasion of this Feast of Bar Mitzva the youth who is to enter -the ranks of the Orthodox Jews must hold a public discourse on some -religious subject, and is admitted to the reading of the Thora in the -synagogue, and this symbolical feast, which marks the period at which he -leaves childhood behind him and enters youth, is very beautiful. An -entertainment is given, to which all his friends of the same age are -invited; in the centre of the table is a large basket made of a kind of -baked dough; this is filled with rods made of pastry, which are -distributed at dessert amongst the boys and eaten by them as a sign that -they will not be needed for the future.</p> - -<p>My mother shed tears of joy at this feast, and during my discourse she -imagined she heard my father speaking, and more than once sobbed out, -"He is sure to be happy, for his father is praying for him in Paradise."</p> - -<p>Strange to say, the whole ceremony made little impression on me. My one -desire was to give my mother pleasure and win the admiration of my -hearers; but the religious part of the ceremony did not interest me -much, for the influence which the orthodox Jewish faith had on me as a -child had diminished through my having read German books.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> I was not yet -a sceptic, but the fear of overstepping the ritual laws had disappeared. -Pork and Christian food no longer seemed poison to me, and with the -gradual breaking away of the barriers the sanctuary of my faith was more -exposed to the outward attacks made upon it. The first attack shook it -without destroying it entirely; my peace of mind was hardly disturbed; -not, for instance, like Renan's, who, in his twentieth year, rushed into -the cell of his friend at midnight, exclaiming, "Oh, I have become a -doubter!"</p> - -<p>There is only a short path from exaggerated fanaticism to scepticism. A -few days after the feast my knapsack was packed—a very small knapsack, -containing a few clothes and some books—and at dusk I left Duna -Szerdahely, my crutch under my arm and accompanied by my mother. We -hoped to be lucky enough to fall in with some carter taking corn to the -weekly market at Presburg who would give us a lift in return for a drink -or perhaps even from charity. And we were not mistaken, for we were soon -overtaken by some carts, but as they were heavily laden with sacks of -corn and the road was bad, we were given seats in two different carts. -Although my mother placed me as comfortably as possible among the sacks -and begged the man walking beside the cart to look after me, I heard her -call to me several times during the night to hold on tightly so as not -to fall out. Thus I arrived one fresh autumn morning at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> the toll-gate -of Presburg, and spent a few days in the town, during which time I did -not cease to admire the one-storied houses with their many windows.</p> - -<p>We continued our journey to St. Georghen in a cart drawn by four oxen, -which we happened to meet on the way. This unostentatious entry into the -pretty little town at the foot of one of the spurs of the Carpathians -was a fitting beginning for the poverty-stricken existence I was -destined to lead there.</p> - -<p>Our first visit was to a certain Hirsh-Tirnau, a man noted for his piety -and a school friend of my father, who, for the sake of his dead friend, -agreed to give me a lodging gratis, though not as willingly as he might -have done, for he would much rather have had me study the Talmud than -devote myself to Christian studies. As for my lodging, I had permission -to spread my mattress of straw in some part of the house at night, and a -pillow and blanket were given me by charitable people. But, after all, -it was something to have a place to sleep in and a roof over my head, -and as soon as my mother was satisfied on this score she went with me to -the Director of the Piarists' (Friars) College and entered my name in -the list of those who were to study in the first Latin class, or the -Parva, as they called it.</p> - -<p>Nearly half the money I had earned in Nyék had to be deposited here as -entrance fee; with the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> other half I had to buy the necessary -school-books, and thus I was left without a penny in my pocket, though -the question of my board had not yet been touched upon.</p> - -<p>It was the business of the Jewish commune to arrange for the daily -midday meal for students of the Talmud, and this they did. Charitable, -but mostly poor people offered me one meal a week at their table, and on -Saturdays I was the official guest of the Jewish commune. The cashier -gave me an assignment (or Bolette) on one of the richer members. This I -had to present on Fridays to the lady of the house, and it was often an -unpleasant surprise to her. By this means I got a better meal, which, -however, I ate with the bitter feeling that I was an unwelcome guest.</p> - -<p>It was a different thing in the case of the other meals; they were given -freely, were the result of human kindness, or bestowed in memory of my -dead father, and tasted better to me in consequence. This manner of -getting my meals had its comical side too, for it often happened that I -ate the same dish all the week according as it was the dish of the day -at the various houses I visited. But I had at least enough to eat, had -even a piece of bread given me sometimes for my supper, and as long as I -did not lose the favour of one or other of my patrons I was better off -even than at home as far as my board went.</p> - -<p>The custom of "boarding," which was willingly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> carried out by even the -poorest Jews, speaks well for the charity of that community on the one -hand, and on the other for their desire to assist and encourage poor -students in their pursuit of knowledge. The poor, deserted, and -much-oppressed Jew was always glad to share his hardly-earned crust of -bread with those who thirsted for knowledge, and it certainly is a -splendid trait of real humanity and of a noble endeavour to help in the -intellectual struggle.</p> - -<p>Being provided with board and lodging, I could now give my undivided -attention to my studies in the Parva. My mother, whom it had cost a -great effort to part from me, had given me much good advice as to my -behaviour when left alone among strangers. She gave me a few pence for -pocket-money and a bag of meal, from which I was to make my soup for -breakfast in the morning, and after embracing me warmly several times -she left me.</p> - -<p>This second separation was not as hard as the first one; habit makes -everything easy in time, and when, having made friends with my comrades, -I even took delight in going to school, I was able to overcome and -forget the adversities of my daily life, and real childlike mirth and -gaiety caused the first year of my school life to pass very pleasantly.</p> - -<p>There could be no question of over-exertion for me, who had already -learnt by heart and translated whole volumes of Hebrew. The elements of -Latin grammar, delivered, strange to say, in the Latin<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> tongue, the -rudiments of history, geography, and a little arithmetic were the -branches of knowledge with which I was made familiar at the college -conducted by the Piarists at St. Georghen. The greatest stress was laid -upon the acquirement of the Latin tongue, in which we were obliged to -carry on our general conversation after two months' time, and any one -heard speaking his mother-tongue at school, whether Hungarian, German, -or Slav, was condemned to write out the auxiliary verb "<i>sum, es, est</i>," -or some theme ten to twenty times, and to hand it in as a pensum. In -order to control this, there was a regular system of spying at school; -one of the scholars carried the so-called "<i>Liber asini</i>" (donkey's -book) hidden on his person, and as <i>agent provocateur</i> began to speak in -his mother-tongue, and if any one answered him in the same he whipped -out the book, exclaiming: "<i>Inscribas, amice!</i>" ("Inscribe your name, my -friend"); he left the delinquent no peace until he had entered his name, -and a suitable punishment was meted out to him the following Saturday. -This practice was a remnant of the Middle Ages, and formed a part of the -severe <i>régime</i> of monastic life in vogue at that time in the Hungarian -monasteries. A lively contrast to the spirit of national education which -crept in later, it seems strange to us to-day, when the Hungarian -language is rightly cultivated as the acknowledged language of the -State. Just as severely was Catholic <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span>ecclesiastical discipline kept up -in many respects. Lutherans, Calvinists and Jews were obliged to repeat -the "Veni Sancte Spiritus reple tuorum corda fidelium!" ("Come, Holy -Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful"), and also the "Our Father" and -the "Hail Mary"; we were not allowed to quit the room whilst the lesson -in catechism was going on, nor were we permitted to bring meat to school -on Fridays; in fact, there was a sort of silent pressure exercised on -the scholars in the hope of their embracing the Catholic religion—a -pressure exercised without result, it is true, but it had a strange -effect on me, who had been an Orthodox Jew, and would not for the world -have pronounced the word "cross."</p> - -<p>My teacher, a Piarist of twenty, Father Siebenlist by name, a man of -prepossessing exterior and great kindness of heart, seemed to take a -fancy to me from the beginning. He often pinched my cheek in a friendly -way, sometimes gave me an apple, and when, in the depth of winter, I -appeared at school with insufficient clothing, he called me up to his -room, gave me a warm comforter, a waistcoat, and once even a pair of old -trousers; in fact, he did what he could for me in every respect, moved, -I am sure, by pure benevolence.</p> - -<p>I certainly always did my duty at school as far as was in my power. I -was considered the second best scholar, but could not attain to the -position of primus, for the simple reason that I studied<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> one subject -less than the others, namely, catechism.</p> - -<p>At the examination at the end of the first term I succeeded in gaining -the approval of my teachers and of the visitors who were present; the -praise I earned was sweet to my youthful vanity, but while all my -companions were able to distinguish themselves in the presence of their -parents and relations, it was hard to have no one to share my pleasure.</p> - -<p>But this bitter feeling of desertion had all the more effect on my -ambition, and when, in the second term, I was the only scholar who -received for his pensum (a translation from Hungarian into Latin) the -classification "sine," that is <i>without</i> fault, I began to see what my -mother meant when she spoke of "the inheritance of my father," and it -was no wonder I took pleasure in forming hazy pictures of my future.</p> - -<p>When I ask myself to-day why, in spite of my bodily misery, I felt the -spur of ambition, and studied with such diligence, I find that the real -reason is to be found, not so much in a disposition favoured by nature, -as in my poverty and forlornness. I had no hope of help or protection -from any side, the possibility of better times in the future depended -entirely on my industry and activity, and that is why I worked so hard.</p> - -<p>Though fortune had smiled on me at the beginning of my student's life, -it was less kind to me later in the matter of daily existence, and it -seemed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> as though I were to be strengthened in my youth by means of hard -struggle for the even harder struggle I was to go through in the future.</p> - -<p>On account of my worldly, or rather Christian, studies, I soon lost the -favour of my orthodox Jewish friend who had let me lodge in his house, -and I had to look for another lodging, without having a penny in my -pocket. It was the same with my meals, and for similar reasons I was -reduced to five meals a week, later even to four. Jewish charity was not -compatible with Christian education, and only amongst the more -enlightened of the Orthodox Jews—the mere idea of neologism was then -almost unknown—did real humanity and pity for the starving boy gain the -upper hand. It may, in some cases, have been the result of the altered -circumstances of my kind but mostly poor benefactors, since they needed -every mouthful of food they had for their own increasing families. In -any case, I soon began to suffer the pangs of hunger; the strict diet I -was obliged to keep to, only stimulated my already healthy appetite, and -my feelings as I sat in a corner of the courtyard, learning my lessons -while other boys of my age were dining at their parents' tables, are -indescribable. I feasted with my eyes, and felt as though I could have -disposed of the contents of a baker's shop. The hungry-looking eyes of a -healthy boy, full of life, speak the most eloquent language in the -world. Later on, in my <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span>adventurous life, I often came face to face with -the dreadful monster called "hunger." His horrible, grinning features -have impressed themselves indelibly in my memory, for hunger caused me -to suffer equal pangs in my miserable lodging in the large town, or -among the sand-hills of the steppes of Central Asia.</p> - -<p>I found another lodging with a childless couple; the man was a -cap-maker, and as his wife wished to have some one to talk to in her -free hours, her choice fell upon me; for even then, in spite of all my -privations and struggles, I was known for my lively manner and untiring -loquacity.</p> - -<p>As the lodging of this worthy couple consisted of one room only, I was -given a corner in the kitchen, where I was allowed to spread my straw -mattress every night; during the day I was either at school or in the -court, and in the middle of the day, when there was no school, I either -wandered about in the streets or sat in a corner of our court reading or -learning my lessons.</p> - -<p>For a time false pride had gained the day over hunger, and the pieces of -bread I received from my schoolfellows in return for helping them with -their lessons replaced the mid-day meal; but when they noticed that the -colour was gradually leaving my cheeks, and that my liveliness -decreased, their hearts were touched, and I was invited to dinner, -sometimes by one, sometimes by another; so that, at the end of the term, -my position as <i>protégé</i> of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> the school was assured, and as second in -the class I had gained the love of my schoolmates.</p> - -<p>Two of them were specially kind to me in those days. One was a Herr von -Vaymár, later on a distinguished lawyer in Tirnau; the other a Herr -Hieronymi, later Hungarian Minister of Commerce, who recognised me -thirty-five years afterwards in the house of the Director of the -National Museum, Von Pulszky, and was agreeably surprised at the -metamorphosis that had taken place in his former <i>protégé</i>.</p> - -<p>Now came the delightful holidays, and with them the time for my return -home. The son of a well-to-do peasant from the neighbourhood of -Szerdahely gave me a lift in his cart, and it is impossible to describe -the delightful feeling with which I crossed the threshold of my parent's -door, bearing my certificate, on which my name was written in large -golden letters, and showed this first triumphal result of my work to my -mother.</p> - -<p>My heart understood the meaning of her warm maternal kisses and of the -hot tears she shed. Friendly neighbours had managed to explain to her -the meaning of the words "classification" and "eminent" in my -certificate; without being able to read them, she stared at my name, -written in large letters, and kept remarking, "Of course it is quite -natural, for my son Arminius has his dead father's brains, and I am -quite sure he will be a success."</p> - -<p>These were the happiest moments of my youth.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> The delightful "Home, -Sweet Home," the comfortable feeling of being with friends, and the -knowledge that, for a time at least, I was free from the horrible -spectre of hunger, did me a great deal of good. Unfortunately these two -months fled like a midsummer night's dream, and when, at the beginning -of autumn, I started for St. Georghen, my well-mended clothes in my -knapsack, and a few pence in my pocket, the earnest side of life, with -all its struggles, was again before me. I bravely tore myself away from -my mother's embrace, and so, getting a lift now and then, and walking -the rest of the way, I arrived the second time at St. Georghen.</p> - -<p>I was now to be in the second class, or Secunda, and rise a step in my -student's life. The worries and troubles as to board and lodging, and -the acquisition of the necessary books had recommenced, and caused me -more than once to blush with shame, and in spite of all my self-denial I -was unable to procure all I needed.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately my new professor in the second class was not so kindly -disposed towards me as the dark-haired young priest in the first class -had been, and when I went to enter my name in the list, I was received -with the not very flattering remark, "Well, Moshele" (the name given to -the Jews in general), "why dost thou study? Would it not be better for -thee to become a 'kosher' butcher?" In spite of these remarks, which -were more malicious<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> than witty, I found it desirable to show my last -year's certificate, and to beg him to be kind to me and protect me. This -he promised, smiling, but all the same, during the whole school-year, he -not only mocked and scoffed at me, but in spite of my diligence, always -kept me back in the class, and very often earnestly advised me not to -continue my studies. He was certainly a splendid specimen of a professor -whose business it was to guide the youthful mind through the halls of -knowledge, humanity, and enlightenment.</p> - -<p>But unfortunately this was the prevailing tone among the priests who -were entrusted with the school teaching, and roughness and fanaticism -flourished undisturbed in the shadow of semi-education. Exceptions were -very rare, and from his earliest childhood the Jewish boy of that period -received the saddest impressions of the position he was to fill in the -future.</p> - -<p>The real Magyars, the ruling element in the country, more chivalrously -inclined and of marked indifference to religious affairs, have always -shown themselves kinder and more tolerant to Jews; but all the more -disgraceful was the behaviour of the Slavs, and in spite of my -reputation as a good scholar, I was often exposed to the wanton -behaviour of passing Christians in the streets of St. Georghen, had -stones thrown at me, and was greeted with the insulting "Shide Makhele! -Hep! Hep! Hep!" and other similar titles.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span></p><p>The second year at St. Georghen was anything but agreeable, and was -full of privations of every kind. Only once or twice a week did I have -sufficient to eat, and oh, the bitterly cold nights in the kitchen of -the cap-maker, with only a miserable counterpane as covering! When my -misery was at its height I received, through the kindness of my last -year's teacher, the employment of "boots" in the monastery, where I had -to make my appearance early in the morning, in order to clean the boots -placed outside the doors of three professors, and sometimes to brush -their clothes. I performed this office in the corridor, by the light of -the fire blazing in the stove, which not only warmed me but gave me -sufficient light to learn my lessons by, and so I always managed to -appear at school with my lessons well prepared. And when I was able to -still my hunger with a piece of bread or some potatoes, I was the -liveliest amongst my comrades, and was even able at times to move my -surly professor to a smile.</p> - -<p>My sojourn in St. Georghen gave me the first proof of how much youth can -bear. Hunger, cold, mockery, and insult, I experienced them all in turn; -but the greatest misery was not capable of darkening the serene sky of -youthful mirth for more than a few minutes, and even my healthy colour -returned after a short interval of bodily collapse.</p> - -<p>Although I had only just completed my fourteenth year, I had made many -plans for the future,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> and built many castles in the air. While other -scholars spent their time in games and in sport, I had always indulged -in the delight of reading books about travel, heroic deeds, and -simply-written historical works, and a book was to me not only a friend -and comforter in trouble, but it even drove away hunger; for the fire of -my excited fancy nourished not only my mind but my body too, and -occupied my senses to such an extent that I often forgot both hunger and -sleep.</p> - -<p>Extraordinary was the change that took place in me as far as religion -was concerned. There was, of course, not a trace of the excessive ardour -of Jewish orthodoxy left. Fringes and phylacteries had long been done -away with; the law as to ritual food seemed to me childish and -ridiculous, and I had been prevented touching pork only by my aversion -to the unaccustomed taste. The glimpse I had already had into the -various religions, the acquaintance gradually gained with the causes of -certain natural phenomena, which superstition had formerly interpreted -quite differently, and, lastly, the vast difference I found between -principle and action in my Catholic teachers, had nearly upset all my -beliefs; they trembled on their bases.</p> - -<p>Of a complete want of religious feeling or of conversion to another -faith there could be no question, but in the ladder that was to lead me -to heaven many rungs were broken, some even<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> missing entirely, and in -the midst of the hard struggle for life I had neither time nor -inclination to soar to the higher regions of metaphysical contemplation.</p> - -<p>It was chiefly my experiences during the time I spent in service in the -monastery of the Piarists in St. Georghen which stimulated my -indifference in religious matters. The contrast between the way of -speaking and of acting of these ecclesiastics was often very marked. -They did not seem so very particular as to religious observances, and -when one morning the student who had been ordered to serve at the early -Mass did not appear on the scene, I had to put on the cassock and serve -as though I had been one of the regular acolytes. I knew the catechism -by heart, they said, and was quite like a Catholic: there was no need to -make any difficulty about it. I enjoyed the comedy very much, and this -and similar experiences were a good preparation for my future <i>rôle</i> of -Mohammedan priest. It was towards the end of the second year that the -idea of leaving St. Georghen for the larger provincial town of Presburg, -in the same neighbourhood, took firmer root in my mind; I hoped to find -more opportunities for study there and better means of livelihood. When -I thought of the sufferings and deprivations I had gone through in St. -Georghen at the beginning of my stay there, it was not hard for me to -take up my staff and seek my fortune elsewhere. Only the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> thought that -my father's grave was in the churchyard of St. Georghen made me waver, -for many a time had I gone out there in moments of bitterness and wept -away my trouble on the grave. And now I was to leave it.</p> - -<p>It was during one of these visits that I resolved to do away with the -crutch I had till then carried under my left arm, and which not only -gave rise to many satirical remarks among my schoolfellows, but also -wore out my coat-sleeve. In a fit of vanity I broke the crutch over my -father's gravestone, and with a heavy heart and slow, laborious steps I -returned to the town, hopping most of the way on one foot. At first it -was very hard to walk, but being now in my fifteenth year I was much -stronger, and, aided by my vanity, and with the help of a stick, I was -soon able to overcome all difficulties.</p> - -<p>I limped more than I had done, but at least I was rid of my crutch, and -I soon left St. Georghen with my knapsack (no heavy burden) and my -certificate containing the classification "Eminent." By my mother's -advice I was not to spend the next holidays at home but with her -relatives in Moravia, in the town of Lundenburg. The place of my -destination seemed further off than did later the most distant parts of -inner Asia. I had arrived in Presburg, the famous old coronation town, -without a penny in my pocket. After having wandered about helplessly in -the streets, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> gazed my fill at the high houses all around me, and -having had a good meal at the expense of an acquaintance from -Szerdahely, whom I met by chance in the town, my attention was attracted -by a cart which was just being laden preparatory to starting for Vienna. -I was told that the cart belonged to a hackney-coachman of the name of -Alexander, a rough but good-natured man, who would perhaps take me with -him to Vienna for nothing, if I could manage to gain his heart.</p> - -<p>Trembling, I proffered my request, and having inspected me from head to -foot, he said there was no more room on the box, but if I could make -myself comfortable in the basket of hay strapped on to the back of the -conveyance, he had no objection to taking me with him. In a minute I had -climbed into the basket, and making myself comfortable in the soft hay, -I started for the imperial town of Vienna, undisturbed by the jerks of -the rumbling vehicle.</p> - -<p>Arrived in Vienna, I had first to look up a relative, from whom I hoped -to receive the necessary sum to take me to Lundenburg, for in 1845 there -was already a railway between Vienna and that town.</p> - -<p>Mr. G., a well-to-do calico manufacturer, received me very kindly, kept -me in his house for two days, and gave me money for a third-class -ticket, besides a few pence for travelling necessaries. Quite delighted, -I started for the Nordbahn. I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> was to travel by rail for the first time, -and intending to provide myself with plenty of food for the journey, I -bought a quantity of fruit and various dainties, especially my favourite -kind of confectionery, the so-called butter-cake.</p> - -<p>But on arriving at the ticket-office I found, to my horror, that I had -spent too much; had, in fact, bought ten or fifteen butter-cakes more -than I should have done. As the Arabic proverb says, "The stomach is the -origin of all troubles," and here was I in a sorry plight! What was to -be done? With a disturbed countenance I told the clerk at the -ticket-office of the plight I was in. He laughed, and advised me to ask -in Latin for the missing sum from some gentlemen who were standing in a -corner of the hall. As it was nearly time to start, I picked up courage -and approached the group of gentlemen, saying in everyday Latin: "Domini -spectabiles, rogo humillime, dignemini mihi dare aliquantos cruciferos -qui iter ferrarium solvendi mihi carent" ("Honoured gentlemen, would you -give me a few pence, as I have not enough to pay for my railway -ticket?"). This Latin speech from a small, lame boy, such as I was, had -its effect, and they soon collected about two shillings for me. So I -took my ticket, and hopping gaily through the waiting-room, got into a -compartment of the train for Lundenburg.</p> - -<p>Those who know anything of the bond which draws Jewish families -together, will not be <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span>astonished that my uncle, David Malavan, received -the son of his sister, who had emigrated to Hungary years before, with -open arms, and that my other relatives were kindness itself, and did all -they could to make my holidays pleasant for me. They gave me a new suit -of clothes and a few florins to take me home again, and I started just -before the term began, travelling by Vienna to Presburg.</p> - -<p>It was not long before I discovered that it was to be my fate in the old -Hungarian coronation town to lead a life of martyrdom. I was never very -much attracted by large towns; the narrow horizon, enclosed between two -rows of high houses, and the hard pavement seemed to me to be in keeping -with the narrow-mindedness and hardness of heart of the inhabitants, and -the more I missed the blue sky the sadder I became inwardly. After many -useless wanderings I came to the conclusion that there could be no -question here of a free lodging, and was very glad when a certain Mr. -Lövy, whose son had failed in his examination in the second class, -offered me shelter in return for helping his son with his lessons. True -it was only half of a folding-bed, which by day was pushed behind a -bench, but I accepted it with delight.</p> - -<p>As far as my board was concerned, I was destined by fate to go through -all the torments of Tantalus. Mr. Lövy had a cookshop, and soon after -midday the one room in our small lodging began to fill with poor -students and tailors' journeymen, to whom, for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> the modest sum of -threepence, a meal was served, consisting of soup, meat, and vegetables, -not in very large quantities, it is true, and showing very primitive -culinary skill, but all the same sufficient to satisfy the heroes of the -thimble and the doctors-to-be. Custom there was plenty, and there would -have been even more had not Mr. Lövy made a rule that any one failing to -pay three times was not to enter the house again. Strangers, the length -of whose purse was as yet unknown, could easily indulge in the luxury of -<i>one</i> dinner, but my destitute state was well known to my landlord, and -so I had no credit even for a single meal. The state of my feelings as I -sat at dinner-time in a corner of the room, trying in vain to keep my -eyes fixed on my book, and feeling all the gnawing pains of hunger, may -well be imagined, and now and then I could not help stealing a glance at -the students and tailors as they sat at table enjoying their meal.</p> - -<p>This eager, hungry look of a starving lad seemed sometimes to appeal to -them, for now and then one or other of them would make a sign to me to -finish the vegetables he had left, or some one pressed a piece of bread -into my hand; so that I generally managed to get a trifle to still the -worst pangs of hunger, and partly to satisfy the inner man, which had -already caused me so much trouble in my short life.</p> - -<p>The reader will see from this that my position in Presburg was not of -the most brilliant. In<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> school matters I was not much better off. I was -to study in the third class at the college of the Benedictine monks, and -when I went to Father Aloysius Pendl to enter my name in the list, his -fat reverence received me with the following words, "Well, Harshl, so -you want to be a doctor, do you?" The fact that I had formerly been -dubbed "Moshele," and now "Harshl," did not vex me in the least, but it -was unpleasant as proving what treatment I had to expect in the future; -and the three years I went to the college under the archway in Presburg -will never be forgotten by me, recalling as they do endless instances of -stupid priestly animosity and disgraceful intolerance.</p> - -<p>Later on in life I again met that amiable director, Father <i>Pendl</i>, who -ought to have been used as a <i>pendulum</i> on a village church spire, -rather than have been placed at the head of a college. Our second -meeting was under quite different circumstances. I was then an honoured -traveller in the Monastery of Martinsberg, and although he did not -remember me, I have never forgotten him. Unfortunately the personality -of the teacher is not without influence on the subjects he teaches, and -in the third class, and even more in the fourth, I found that my desire -for study was rapidly decreasing, and that my visits to school partook -more and more of the nature of forced labour, so that I was happiest -when I was able, after having learnt my lessons, to read or study for my -own pleasure, that is, when I could occupy my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> youthful mind in my own -way, without control from others.</p> - -<p>The ease with which I made use of the Latin tongue for general -conversation, and also the fact that when I began my studies I knew four -languages—Hungarian, German, Slav, and Hebrew—was the reason I turned -my attention to the acquirement of other languages. I had heard that a -knowledge of French was necessary in order to be considered <i>bon ton</i>, -and that without it no one could pretend to any education worth speaking -of. So I decided to learn the language at once, and bought a small -grammar by a certain La Fosse, which possessed the advantage of giving -the pronunciation of the words in German transcription, thus making the -help of a teacher unnecessary. It was, of course, a miserable -pronunciation, but I worked my way through the book the best way I -could, and, as with the help of the Latin I knew, I was soon able to -understand books written in a simple style, I was, after a few weeks' -time, full of hope that I should soon be able to speak French.</p> - -<p>When alone I used to make up sentences or carry on a conversation with -myself, or read the most trivial things, declaiming them with great -pathos; and in the space of a few months I had learnt so much that I had -(especially in the lower class I was in) acquired a reputation for a -much greater knowledge of French than I really had. Whether it was my -own deceptive <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span>self-consciousness supported by the ignorance of those -whom I associated with, or my natural talent for languages which was -then beginning to show itself, I do not know; certain it is that I -conversed in French without restraint, and by my volubility surprised -not only myself but all who heard me. It developed to such a mania with -me, that I addressed every one in French—peasants, tradespeople, -merchants, Slavs, Germans, and Hungarians, it was all the same to me, -and great was my delight if they stared at me and admired me for my -learning(?). Such juvenile tricks were the only amusement I had in my -otherwise very hard life. In every other respect I was excessively badly -off, and there is not a stone in the little town on the Danube that -could not tell pitiable tales of my extreme misery and suffering.</p> - -<p>As long as I had half of the folding-bed at Mr. Lövy's I was at least -sure of a shelter, and had only to fight against hunger. But one evening -I had for a bedfellow a young man, just arrived from a foreign country, -and from him I caught an illness which showed itself after some days in -constant irritation of the skin, and in consequence of which I was -immediately sent away by Mr. Lövy. As I owed that good man a few pence -he retained all my personal effects as payment of the debt; so one dull -autumn evening I left the house with my school-books under my arm, and -wandered about in the streets, not daring to apply for shelter for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> fear -of being turned out again on account of my disease.</p> - -<p>It was nine o'clock, when, quite exhausted by hunger and fatigue, I sank -down on a bench in the Promenade. My glance fell upon the windows of the -one-storied houses opposite; I saw children at table having supper, -while farther on there were others playing games and running and jumping -about. I heard a piano being played, thought of home and my mother, and, -seized with a feeling of unutterable loneliness, I began to cry -bitterly.</p> - -<p>Having put my boots under my head for a pillow, I had just lain down on -the bench to try to sleep, when I heard the tramp of regular footsteps -approaching from a distance.</p> - -<p>"That is the watchman," I thought, "going his nightly round."</p> - -<p>Trembling with the fear of being discovered and taken up as a vagabond, -to spend the night in a cell, I crept under the bench and hid there -until the watchman, wrapped in his long cloak, had passed on. He did not -notice me, and thus I was saved from the shame of spending a night in -prison.</p> - -<p>Of course there was no further possibility of sleep that night, and with -an anxious heart I peered out from under the bench. The lights in the -windows were extinguished one by one, the watchman passed several times, -but not very near to me, and I lay there, cowering under the bench the -whole of that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> cold autumn night, till the break of day. I went to -school that day, but gave notice that I was ill, and it was only after a -fortnight's sojourn in the hospital of the Friars of Mercy that, once -more in good health and much stronger, I was able to start again on my -thorny way.</p> - -<p>After this sad interval my natural liveliness soon returned. I finished -the third and fourth classes in Presburg at the Benedictine College the -best way I could, but I took far more interest in the progress I was -making in my private studies than in satisfying my professors. This -certainly had no good result, for I had begun to study alone, without -first acquiring the solid foundation of a college education; but on the -other hand it spurred me on to greater industry and perseverance, as, -being free from all control, I was master and pupil in one person.</p> - -<p>Like all autodidacts, I had greatly overrated the results of my work, -paying no attention whatever to the difference between reading a thing -superficially and learning it thoroughly. The consequence was I fell -into faults that I have never been able to eradicate. But I learned with -delight and diligence, and being hardened by constant struggles against -Fate, questions of material comfort ceased to trouble me much.</p> - -<p>As my circle of acquaintances widened, it was easier for me to gain my -living by teaching. I found shelter with an old bachelor, a usurer,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> -whose lodging consisted of a single room and a tiny ante-room where I -slept, with the usurer's coat for my covering. This shameful old -Harpagon begrudged me even the crumbs he left, although I filled the -office of man-servant and watch-dog for him; but he was mistaken in -thinking me of much use in the latter capacity, for were I once asleep, -a thief, in fact a whole regiment of thieves, could have rushed over my -prostrate body without awakening me. Oh! golden hours of youth! With -what pleasure I dwell on them to-day, when in my soft, comfortable bed I -have difficulty in stealing a few hours of sleep from friend Morpheus! -In spite of every comfort and convenience I cannot to-day attain to what -I could when I went to bed hungry and slept on the hard, bare boards.</p> - -<p>As far as boarding went I was better off just then, for my fame as a -teacher had spread in the lower classes of Jewish society, and it was -chiefly to cooks and housemaids I gave lessons in reading and writing. -In some cases where I had inspired great confidence I was employed to -write billets-doux, and in return for this service of love I received a -good meal, sometimes even dainties.</p> - -<p>I always found that cooks were the persons who most indulged in -love-letters; each one seemed to have been crossed in love, and whether -its flame was fanned by proximity to the fire or by other unknown -reasons, certain it is that the ladies who practised the culinary art -were my best customers,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> and if I was able to commit to paper a sigh, a -longing look, a greeting sweet as sugar, or even a kiss, I was sure of a -rich reward, and could reckon on a good dinner or supper for days to -come.</p> - -<p>From cooks and housemaids my reputation spread to the young ladies, or -rather to the lady of the house. One evening at the request of a cook -who was head over ears in love with her boot-maker, I sang the -well-known German song—</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div>"Schöne Minka, ich muss scheiden,</div> -<div>Ach, du fühlest nicht die Leiden!"</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div>("Lovely Minka, I must leave you,</div> -<div>Ah! you cannot guess my sorrow!")</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>to the accompaniment of a guitar. My sonorous voice (I had, of course, -no idea of singing) seems to have penetrated to the sitting-room, and -made a favourable impression, for the attention of the lady of the house -and her daughters was attracted; I was called into the room, made to -sing some songs, and when the lady smoothed my curls and praised my -voice and my hair, I became aware that I had stumbled upon a <i>gradus ad -Parnassum</i>, and that I was in for a good time.</p> - -<p>I was not engaged in the house itself, for the aristocratic feelings of -plutocracy revolted against the idea of employing the cook's teacher. -But I was recommended to others, and was soon introduced into the Jewish -society of Presburg (the lines between which and Christian circles were -very<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> distinctly defined in those days) as private teacher of Hungarian, -French, and Latin.</p> - -<p>The sum received for these lessons was, of course, in proportion to the -age and position of the teacher, very modest, sometimes not exceeding -two florins a month, which worked out at about one penny an hour. But -when my teaching was attended with great success my salary was raised, -and thus I was enabled, by dint of devoting three hours a day to -teaching, to live pretty comfortably, for things were cheap in Presburg -in those days. I was at all events freed from my greatest care, the -question of daily bread, and was even able now and then to buy some -article of second-hand clothing; and oh! how proud I was when I bought -with my own hard-earned money a tolerably threadbare coat or pair of trousers!</p> - -<p>Unfortunately my success had its bad effects, for after spending eight -hours a day at school and three or four in teaching, there was little -time left for my private studies. Besides, even this small success awoke -in me a desire for the pleasures of life, such as a visit to the theatre -now and then, or a piece of cake; and I was in danger of losing my zeal -in the pursuit of higher aims.</p> - -<p>In spite of all I had gone through I was childish and frivolous enough -to allow my head to be turned by the watery ray of sunshine that Fate -had sent me. The knowledge that I was now well fed and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> tolerably well -clothed would have made me presumptuous had not Divine Providence sent -me a timely warning and roused me from my lethargy.</p> - -<p>This warning was conveyed by the War of Independence of 1848, which had -just broken out. At the first approach of the storm the schools were -closed and lectures discontinued. Commerce was stopped, and every one -was anxious as to the result of the storm that was breaking over their -heads. To make matters worse, the mob in Presburg began a regular -persecution of the Jews, plundering the ghetto, breaking into houses and -shops, and destroying hundreds of barrels of wine and spirits in the cellars.</p> - -<p>The maddened and drunken mob then stormed through the Judengasse, on to -the Wödritz, and round the Zuckermandl, and the cries and wailings of -the persecuted Jews rang in every one's ears for some time after. Thus -the busy little colony was cast into poverty and despair.</p> - -<p>I was rudely waked from the enjoyment of my imaginary good fortune; but -my chief feeling was one of disgust at the horrible executions of -Hungarian patriots, stigmatised as rebels, which I, in my youthful -curiosity, attended on the so-called Eselsberg, behind the fortress. Two -of these bloody scenes especially took deep root in my memory. One was -the execution of Baron Mednyanszky, the commander of the little fortress -of Leopoldstadt, taken by the Austrians, and of his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> adjutant, by name -Gruber. Both were young, and, laughing and talking, they walked -arm-in-arm to the scaffold. When I saw how those constables of the -Camarilla treated the corpses of these martyrs for freedom, swinging -them by the feet as they hung on the gallows, I was overcome by a -strange feeling of revenge. I called the Slav soldiers several -opprobrious names, and it would have gone hard with me had I not hurried -away.</p> - -<p>The second awful picture I have in my mind's eye is another execution I -witnessed on the same spot, namely, that of a Lutheran clergyman called -Razga, who was condemned to be hanged for preaching a sermon of -Hungarian national tendency. This noble man was accompanied from his -prison to the place of execution by his wife and children. Embracing and -comforting his dear ones, he walked to the gallows with a firm step, and -when the Profos had read the sentence and broken the staves, the heroic -churchman kissed each member of his family, and gave himself into the -hands of his executioners. Mother and children (I do not know how many -there were) knelt on the ground near to the scaffold, their sorrowful -gaze fixed on the condemned husband and father, and several of them -fainted, overcome by sorrow.</p> - -<p>This scene brought tears to the eyes even of the soldiers, and the -reader may imagine what an impression it left on a sentimental youth -like me.</p> - -<p>The present generation of Hungarians has, for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> political reasons, drawn -a veil over this and other dreadful scenes; but it can only partially -cover them, for those who were present will always remember them with a -shudder.</p> - -<p>My further residence in Presburg had become impossible, and I began to -look about for an engagement in the country. I accepted the offer of a -poor Jew in the village of Marienthal, near Presburg, to spend some -months in his house in the capacity of family preceptor. There, in a -quiet valley of the Carpathians, I could once more devote myself to my -private studies, and when I returned to town with my modest earnings in -my pocket, I decided not to enter the sixth class at the Benedictine -college, but at the Protestant Lyceum, as the professors there were -known to be unprejudiced, humane, and intelligent men, and I was -heartily tired of the everlasting drudgery for the fanatic monks.</p> - -<p>At the Lyceum the language spoken was mostly German, and the lectures -were better in every way, so that I might have got on very well there -had not my difficulties in procuring the necessaries of life -recommenced, and partly withdrawn my attention from my studies. At that -time I was eighteen years old, and weary of my eight years' struggle -with all the moods of Fate. My spirit was so broken that I decided to -pause in my studies for a year, and take an engagement as tutor in a -country family, and then, having earned the necessary means, return to -town and take up the thread of my studies again.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold2">The Private Tutor</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER III</span> <span class="smaller">THE PRIVATE TUTOR</span></h2> - -<p>"Docendo discimus" ("by teaching we learn") says the Latin proverb, and -according to this I must have had the very best opportunities for -acquiring those scientific accomplishments necessary to the attainment -of the object I had in view. Nevertheless it was with a heavy heart that -I left the school, where I ought to have remained to finish the regular -course of my studies, and went out into the world as—<i>a wild student</i>, -without discipline, without system, without even the supervision which -my age and inexperience demanded. Being on a visit to my uncle at -Zsámbokrét, in the county of Neutra, I first made the acquaintance of -Mr. von Petrikovich, a small landowner and postmaster. He was a clever, -unprejudiced, and worthy man, who had had his eye on me for some time -because of my readiness in foreign languages, and he now engaged me as -tutor, or rather as teacher of languages, to his two sons. I was to -receive full board and a salary of 150 florins, a very modest -honorarium, but quite<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> in keeping with the very modest services which I -was able to render. For, apart from my knowledge of Hungarian and Latin, -my learning was very deficient, and as regards my office of -prefect—such was my title—I was rather pupil than master. Mrs. von -Petrikovich, a highly-accomplished woman, who had been brought up in -very aristocratic surroundings, and thought a great deal of good -behaviour, manners and dress, soon found to her grief that the prefect, -in spite of his linguistic accomplishments, was a very unpolished -individual, who could scarcely be expected to teach her sons -drawing-room manners. She therefore undertook the difficult task of -first educating the tutor, and the trouble the good lady took to -instruct me on all possible points of etiquette, showing me how to -handle my serviette, fork and knife at table, how to salute, walk, -stand, and sit, was indeed a brilliant proof of her kind-heartedness. I -became a totally different being during this, my first sojourn, in a -gentleman's family, and I was so much in earnest that I spent whole -hours over my toilet, and in practising bows, and the elegant movements -of head and hands. I attended fairly well to my duties as tutor, but my -own studies suffered considerably under the influence of this training. -I became seriously inclined to vanity, and wasted not only my time -before the looking-glass and in the drawing-room, but also my substance; -and the few florins which I ought to have saved to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span>recommence my -studies dwindled away so fast, that at the end of the year I had not -even the sixteen florins left, which I owed to the Lutheran Lyceum at -Presburg, and without which I could not get my certificate, or rather -testimonial of merit. It was indeed unpardonable thoughtlessness which -had thus led me into debt, an offence for which I had to suffer many -sharp pricks of conscience, and which cost me dear. Was it because for -the first time in my life I enjoyed the comfort of living free from -care? Was it this that so enthralled my senses and captivated my whole -being? Or was it the outcome of some hidden, frivolous trait in my -character? I cannot account for it. All I know is that I felt very -miserable when, in the autumn of 1851, I went to Pest with Mr. -Petrikovich, this worthy man having taken his sons there to attend the -public school. Thus I left the quiet haven of the Petrikovich's home, -and found myself once more launched on the stormy sea of wretchedness -and disappointment.</p> - -<p class="space-above">Pest, now Budapest, the beautiful, flourishing capital of the kingdom of -Hungary, boasted at that time nothing of the pomp and grandeur which it -now possesses, for the Austrian reign of terror which followed the -struggle for independence had left its sorrowful mark upon the city and -the people. After taking leave of Mr. Petrikovich, I turned into one of -the less frequented back streets in search of inexpensive lodgings, -<i>i.e.</i>, a bed, eventually half a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> bed; and the same terrible despondency -which had taken hold of me on my first arrival at Presburg came over me -again in all its intensity. For half a day I wandered round without -success; nobody would take me in without references and part payment in -advance. At last I was reluctantly obliged to go to the house of a -wealthy relative, who allowed me to remain with him for a few days, and -then slipping two florins into my hand, he gave me the paternal advice -to try and find something to do, as his wife objected to my presence -there. I went straight to some of the coffee-houses to inquire from the -tradespeople hanging about if they could help me to a position as -teacher of languages. My timid and dejected appearance attracted the -attention and called forth the sympathy, of a certain Mr. G. He began to -talk to me, and the end of it was that he proposed I should enter his -service as tutor to his children in return for board and lodging, to -which, of course, I agreed at once. Alas for my studies! Mr. G. lived on -the Herminenplatz, a good way from the college of the Piarists, which I -wanted to attend. The grand-sounding word <i>quarter</i> (lodging) consisted -of a bed in the servants' room, which I shared with the cook, the -chambermaid, and one of the children, while the board was so extremely -poor and scanty that the memory of the various meals of the day was -rather in my thoughts than in my stomach. And yet for this meagre fare I -had much to do and to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> suffer. The untrained children were always -worrying me, and when they had gone to bed and I tried to get on with -some of my school preparations, or private studies, the cook and the -chambermaid began to sing, or to quarrel, or to play tricks upon me, and -made it absolutely impossible for me to do any work. In the long run -this became unbearable, and hard though it was, I gave notice to leave. -As I had not the public certificate, for which I could not pay the -necessary sixteen florins to the Lyceum at Presburg, I had only been -admitted to the Piarist school for three months as provisional student -of the seventh class. For want of the said official certificate from the -previously finished classes, I was compelled to leave the school, and I -took the bold resolve to turn my back once and for all upon the town and -public study, and to find a place in the country as private tutor.</p> - -<p>I call this a bold resolve, but it was also a very painful one, for -henceforth I had quitted for ever the road which was to lead me to a -definite profession in life, and as I had devoted myself to the aimless -study of foreign languages, I drifted into a road the end of which I did -not know myself, and which I was certainly not led to follow by the -faintest glimmer of future events. The danger of my position gradually -became clear to me, for in the hard struggle of life, now lasting -already for ten years, only the momentary deliverance from suffering and -privation had been before my eyes, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> now again this one thought, this -one care filled my mind: Will my plan succeed, shall I find a good place -as private tutor? My fitness for the office consisted in the knowledge -of a few languages, and a slight acquaintance with one or two more. I -could read German, French, and Italian fairly well without the help of a -dictionary; Hebrew and Latin I knew slightly, and of course I could -speak and write my two native tongues, viz., Hungarian and Slav. On the -strength of these accomplishments I had the audacity to advertise myself -as professor of seven languages, and in my arrogance I even pretended to -teach them all.</p> - -<p>This was certainly a sufficiently striking signboard and quite in -keeping with the market where I hoped to dispose of my intellectual -wares; for at best I could only expect to take a position in a homely -Jewish family, who, with slight knowledge of philology and pædagogy, -would be perfectly satisfied with my pretentious assertions. Far from -wishing to act under false pretences, I tried to fulfil my office to the -very best of my ability; I taught languages after the method by which I -myself had learned them, viz., the so-called Jacotot method, and in most -cases I had the satisfaction of seeing my pupils so well advanced in any -one language within six months that they could read easy passages and -also speak a little. I was equally successful in other branches of -learning, such as history, geography, and arithmetic, so that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> without -claiming any pædagogic merit, but simply by honest effort and -perseverance, I managed to fulfil my office as tutor fairly -satisfactorily.</p> - -<p>Not without some interest are the different ways and means by which I -secured my appointments as private tutor, and for curiosity's sake, I -will relate them here. Advertising in newspapers was at that time either -not the custom in Hungary or of very little use; besides, for lack of -the necessary means this method was quite closed to me. But there were -professional agents or brokers, as they were commonly called, who -undertook to provide teachers with situations, and also to find tutors -for such country families as could afford the luxury of a private tutor. -These were chiefly merchants or farmers living in the provinces, who -came to Pest every year at the time of the two great general fairs, and -after disposing of their goods—<i>i.e.</i>, after they had sold their wool, -gall-nuts, corn, skins, &c., proceeded to make the necessary purchases -for their house and farm. The domestic wants were supplied by the -various stores, but to procure a tutor, a "kosher" butcher, or brandy -distiller, there were certain coffee-houses—<i>i.e.</i>, places where the -brokers in that particular line could be consulted, and the pædagogic -strength at disposal inspected. As educational exchange, the Café Orczy, -on the high-road of Pest, enjoyed in those days a special popularity. -This dirty place, reeking with the smell of various kinds of -tobacco—which even<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> now after forty years has for the most part -preserved its old physiognomy—was then crowded with town and country -Jews of all sorts and descriptions; some sipping their coffee, others -talking and wildly gesticulating, others again bargaining and shouting, -all making a deafening noise. In the afternoon, between two and four, -the crush and the clatter were at their worst in this pædagogic -exchange. At that time everybody of any importance was there, and on a -bench at the side the eligible teachers were seated, anxiously watching -the agent as he extricated himself from the crowd and with the -purchaser, <i>i.e.</i>, the future principal, stood before the bench, -reviewed the candidates and called up one or the other of them. It was -always a most painful scene, of which I have since often been reminded -when visiting the slave markets in the bazaars of Central Asia, and the -remembrance of it even now makes me shudder whenever I pass the Café -Orczy. With a heavy heart and deeply ashamed I used to sit there for -hours many afternoons together, until at last Mr. Mayer (that was the -name of my agent) came up to me accompanied by a son of Mercury engaged -in agricultural pursuits, told me to rise, and, all the time expatiating -upon my tremendous cleverness, introduced me to the farmer. Of course I -had to support the zealous broker in the glorification of my own -littleness—just as the slave has to prove his muscular strength in the -bazaars of Central<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> Asia by the execution of his <i>tours de force</i>—and -after the amount of the annual honorarium had been fixed and I had -presented my references, the farmer paid me the earnest money, the -greater portion of which was claimed by the broker for the trouble he -had taken, while I with the shabby remainder had to cover the cost of my -equipment, and eventually my travelling expenses.</p> - -<p>This was the regular routine of business on such occasions, and both -buyer and seller benefited by it. I have always been struck by the great -desire for culture evinced even by the most illiterate Jewish merchant. -He spares no pains and no trouble to give his children a better -education than he himself enjoyed; for in spite of his strong -materialistic tendencies he has higher ideals in his mind for the future -of his children.</p> - -<p>The first engagement I obtained in this manner was with Mr. Rosenberg, -in Kutyevo, a village in Slavonia. He was the eldest son of the family, -only a few years my senior, who had to do some business for his father -at the St. Joseph fair, and amongst other things had also to find a -teacher for his younger brothers and sisters. The young man had looked -at me, somewhat abashed, but I began to talk to him in fluent French, of -which he had some faint notion, and this had its effect; he took a -liking to me, engaged me, and a few days later I went with him by -steamer to Eszegg, and from there by carriage to the village of Kutyevo<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> -in a charming valley of the Slavonic mountains. My reception at Mr. -Rosenberg's house was just as unfortunate as when I first came to -Nyék—that is to say, they thought I looked too young, that my cheeks -were too red, and that with such attributes I should probably lack the -dignity and gravity so indispensable to a teacher. The principal cause -of this fear seems to have been Miss Emily, the eldest daughter of the -house, a charming girl of sixteen, who also was to refresh herself at -the fountain of my wisdom, and according to the mother's judgment the -small difference in age between teacher and pupil might lead to grave -consequences. As things turned out the good lady was not far wrong in -this. Otherwise they were all very kind to me. I had a good room, -excellent food, and as I had to teach only six hours a day, I had time -enough to devote myself with all my might to philological studies. It -was here that I first began to give my studies a definite direction, for -after acquiring a so-called knowledge of several European languages I -passed on to Turkish, and therewith turned my attention to Oriental -studies. The consciousness of having missed the help of regular -schooling, and the formal discharge in the ordinary course, caused me -many pangs of conscience, for I knew it was all through my own -unpardonable recklessness, namely, in neglecting twice over to save the -sixteen florins wherewith to redeem the school certificate. I reproached -myself most unmercifully, called myself a good-for-nothing,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> and -determined henceforth to work with unremitting zeal, to make use of -every moment, and by increased diligence to redeem the past. In my -excessive remorse I even went so far as to write in Turkish -characters—so as not to be read by any one else—on my books, on my -writing-table, on the walls of my room, such words as "Persevere!" "Be -ashamed of yourself!" "Work!" These were to act as a stimulant and -constant warning not to fall again into the same error.</p> - -<p>I could the more easily keep this firm resolve to myself, as my -linguistic studies had now carried me beyond the mere mechanical -committing of passages to memory, and enabled me to enjoy the more -intellectual pleasure of reading the classical works of foreign lands. -This filled my leisure hours with exquisite delight. Was it the -loneliness of village life which made work such a recreation to me, or -was it the glorious feeling of being able to read these master-works of -other nations in the original tongue? Enough, my pleasure in reading was -unbounded; every thought seemed divine, every metaphor a veritable gem -of poesy; and my reading, or more often reciting, was constantly -interrupted by exclamations of surprise and admiration, and the margins -of the various texts were covered with notes and comments expressive of -my rapturous appreciation. The works which at that time especially took -my fancy were: The <i>Seasons</i>, by Thomson; the <i>Henriade</i>, by Voltaire;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> -the <i>Sonnets</i> of Petrarch; and above all the <i>Gerusalemme Liberata</i> of -Tasso. For hours together I could sit spellbound by the simple and -beautiful account of the heroic deeds of love, or drink in with delight -the exquisite description of the changing seasons. The noble battle -before the walls of Jerusalem or the charming disquisitions of Thomson, -all had the same magic charm for me. The precursors of awakening spring -or the glories of an English summer landscape filled my cup of delight -to the very brim, and the winter picture of the homely company gathered -round the crackling cottage fire brought me into an equally enthusiastic -frame of mind. When reading the <i>Henriade</i> I was particularly fascinated -by the heroic figure of Henry IV.; while the Sonnets of Petrarch were -the silent interpreters of my awakening passion for the daughter of the -house, and I would gladly have substituted the name of Emily for that of -Laura, if the rhythm and the Argus eye of "Mamma" had not prevented me. -Tasso's immortal epic exercised a truly magic charm upon my youthful -imagination. I liked best to read out of doors, far from all human -sounds; it seemed to suit my imaginative fancy; and as long as the -weather was fit my favourite spot used to be on a hill just outside the -village, overshadowed by a large cherry-tree, and close to a gently -murmuring stream. There in the early morning hours, and in the evenings -between five and eight I used to while away my time in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> company of -my favourite poets. There I repeated the sonnets of Petrarch, with my -eyes fixed upon the house where Emily dwelt. There I recited my Tasso -with wild enthusiasm, and it was there that one afternoon I was so -absorbed in that wonderful passage where the poet compares the battle of -the Saracens before Jerusalem to claps of thunder and flashes of -lightning, that I had never noticed the gathering thunderstorm over my -own head; I did not hear the peals of thunder and heeded not the -lightning, until I was rudely awakened from my trance by the rain coming -down in torrents, and wetting me to the skin. Often I was so oblivious -of everything, that I held long discourses with birds or flowers or -grass-blades, and never stopped until some passer-by interrupted the -current of my thoughts. Thus it came about that at a very early age -Mother Nature had become so dear to me; and a fine morning not only put -me in good trim for the whole day, but for many days after. I always -chose the most secluded spots for my favourite studies—places where I -could be safe from sudden interruptions; and so, living in a world of -flowery imagery, and burning with the fire of enthusiasm and fantasy, I -began to build my airy castles for the future. To the seven languages I -knew I had gradually added Spanish, Danish, and Swedish, all of which I -learnt in a comparatively short time, sufficiently at any rate to -appreciate the literary productions of these various countries. I -revelled in the poetry of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> Calderon, Garcilazo de la Vega, Andersen, -Tégnér, and Atterbon, but at the same time I made steady progress in -Turkish, for in my passion for learning, strengthened by an ever-growing -power of retention, I had indeed accomplished wonders. Whenever in my -readings I came upon words that I did not know the meaning of, I wrote -them down and committed them to memory, at first from ten to twenty per -day, but gradually I managed to learn as many as eighty or even a -hundred, and to remember them also. With a determined will, a young man -in the vigour of youth can do almost anything. True, I made many -mistakes, and often had to unlearn again what I had learnt; many a time -I found myself on the wrong track, but there was always satisfaction in -the consciousness that I had not wasted my time, that I had not -squandered the precious years of my youth. In this consciousness I -boldly faced the future with all the disappointments which possibly -might await me in the thorny path of life, whether owing to accident or -to my own fault.</p> - -<p>The happiness of my idyllic rest and careless existence in the beautiful -valley of the Slavonic mountains came abruptly to an end; and after a -sojourn of eighteen months in Kutyevo, my fair, smiling sky was once -more darkened by gathering clouds. As teacher I had fulfilled my duty; -as pedagogue Mr. Rosenfeld was satisfied with me, but as man, <i>i.e.</i>, -young man, my conduct was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span>considered objectionable and detrimental to -the reputation of the young lady, who was expected to make a good match. -As already noted, my eyes were rather too frequently fixed upon the -shining orbs of the charming Miss Emily; and although the latter, more -from plutocratic pride than innate prudishness, took good care not to -give the poor, lame tutor the slightest encouragement, the parents -nevertheless thought it necessary to guard against such an eventuality, -and decided to dismiss me. The actual cause which hastened this decision -was, as far as I can remember, a lesson in writing. For when I noticed -that Miss Emily did not form some of her letters quite correctly, I took -hold of her hand to guide it. The contact with the white, plump little -hand—although at first I managed to guide it mechanically—soon sent -the fire of passion tingling into my finger-tips, and when a gentle -pressure revealed the fact that not mere caligraphic zeal but another -motive stirred within me, the young lady jumped up, gave me an angry -look, and left the room. This decided my fate, and I was dismissed.</p> - -<p>The announcement was grievous, even painful to me, not so much because I -had to leave my quiet haven of rest, and the beacon of my first and only -love, but because here, as in Zsámbokrét, I had proved to be a very bad -financier. Of the considerable salary of 600 florins per annum, I had -spent most on books and clothes, and only saved enough to take me to -Pest, and on to Duna <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span>Szerdahely, where at my mother's special request I -had decided to go, as she had a great desire to see me after an absence -of several years. The parting from this quiet spot, where I had spent -the happiest eighteen months of my life, was very hard indeed, and when -I took leave of the old cherry-tree, under whose shade I had spent so -many blissful hours with the intellectual heroes of Italy, England, -France and Spain, I cried for hours, and with good reason, for never -again in all my life have I had moments of such pure enjoyment.</p> - -<p>It goes without saying that during my stay in Slavonia I made myself -thoroughly acquainted with the Illyric, <i>i.e.</i>, South-Slavonic language, -both written and conversational. Well stocked with knowledge, but poor -in purse, I now had to face my mother, in whose eyes the material side -of life had most value. A few new clothes in my knapsack and a silver -watch in my pocket could not satisfy her; she upbraided me with lack of -practical common sense, and always wanted to know whither the knowledge -of so many languages would lead me, and whether, considering all the -time spent in study, I could not get a regular position or appointment -of some kind. Higher aims were beyond the ken of the good, practical -woman, and although always full of affection for me, she could not help -now and then expressing her anxiety as to my future, and hinted that I -should have done better to follow the regular course of study, take my -degree at the University,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> and become a doctor of medicine. I tried once -or twice to explain to her that the knowledge of so many, and especially -of Oriental, languages might one day make me famous; that I might become -interpreter at one of the embassies; but she was quite unable to take -this in. The uncertainty of my future troubled her much, and it grieved -me deeply not to be able to make her see it in a different and better -light. After a short visit I again took leave of her, once more to throw -myself into the world's turmoil.</p> - -<p class="space-above">As my self-conceit had grown with the acquisition of so many languages, -and the stimulus of praise, which up to now had only been vouchsafed to -me by the lower classes of society, had puffed me up with egotism, I -fancied myself worthy of something better than the humble position of -tutor in a Jewish family. I even imagined that my capacities and -learning ought to secure me a position under Government, and for this -purpose I travelled to Vienna, where I hoped to obtain from the Minister -of Foreign Affairs an appointment as interpreter. Of course I failed; -for in the first place I was a perfect stranger and had no -introductions, and in the second place I was absolutely ignorant of the -preliminary steps that had to be taken; of the pedantic and tortuous -passages of Austrian bureaucracy. Realising the fruitlessness of my -efforts, I endeavoured to get private lessons. I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> advertised in the -Vienna newspapers; but the high-flown announcements of my mezzofantic -perfections remained without the slightest result, and the worthy -ladies' tailor, in whose house on the high-road I had hired a bed on the -fourth story, was much wiser than I, for he advised me to leave Vienna -and go back to Pest, as long as I still had a few books and some clothes -to dispose of to defray the travelling expenses; otherwise, he said, I -should fare badly.</p> - -<p>I was bound to acknowledge that the tailor had more common sense than I, -and the only reason that I did not immediately act upon his suggestion -was that I had still a lingering hope that the acquaintances I had made -in Vienna might yet shed a little brightness over the horizon of my -future career. I had had the good fortune of making the personal -acquaintance of some linguistic celebrities. In the hotel "The Wild Man" -in Kärthner Street I had met the great Orientalist Baron Hammer -Purgstall, who had introduced me to the young Baron Schlechta, and -encouraged me to persevere in the study of Turkology. The old gentleman -spoke to me of my very learned countrymen in Turkology, Gévay and -Huszár, and was of opinion that we Hungarians had most exceptional -advantages for the study of Oriental languages. I also came into contact -with the great Servian poet and writer, Vuk Karačič. Under his -humble roof on the Haymarket I was urged to take up the study of the -South-Slavonic tongue; and his daughter, a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> highly cultured lady, took a -special interest in my destiny, and was much surprised when I recited -with pathos long passages from Davoria, viz., <i>Heroic Songs</i>. Mr. -Rayewski, the priest of the Russian Embassy, also received me kindly. -The good man wanted to win me for Russian literature, perhaps also for -its orthodoxy, for he gave me Russian books, and advised me to make a -journey to St. Petersburg, whereas I afterwards took my way in quite a -different direction. There certainly was no want of good advice, -friendly hints and encouragements, but a beautiful lack of practical -help.</p> - -<p>It was well for me that I turned my back on the beautiful Imperial city -of the Danube to try my fortune once again in Pest, where, as Hungarian, -I felt more at home. I alighted at a house in the street of the Three -Drums, No. 7. It was a house on the level, with a long court, and -inhabited for the greater part by poor people who could only pay their -rent by letting one or two beds to third parties and sharing their one -living room with several others. I lived at door No. 5 with Madame -Schönfeld, a certificated nurse, who had but little practice, and an -invalid husband into the bargain. Therefore she had four beds for hire -put up in her room, in which eight persons, <i>i.e.</i>, two in each bed, -were accommodated. Poor artisans who spent their days in the workshop -had here their night-quarters, and I, a special favourite of the -childless Madame Schönfeld, had the privilege of receiving for my -bedfellow a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> thin tailor-lad, who, because of his lanky proportions, did -not take up quite so much room in the bed, and so allowed me a certain -amount of comfort; for although we lay in bed sardine fashion it -happened sometimes that the more corpulent and stronger bedfellow kicked -his mate out of bed in the night. In these surroundings, which cannot -exactly be called regal, I awaited the favourable moment at which that -friend of my fortunes (Mr. Mayer, already mentioned) should provide me -with another appointment as tutor. Weeks and months passed by, during -which time I had to subsist on the scanty remuneration given for private -lessons. The more I advanced in my studies the more painful it was to -teach French or English for two or three florins per month; but my -poverty-stricken appearance denied me entrance into the better circles -of the capital, and as I had no friends I hesitated to approach any one -who might possibly have lent me a helping hand. The remembrance of house -No. 7 in the street of the Three Drums recalls a series of privations -and sufferings in which hunger, that bitter enemy of my younger days, -plays a principal part. As long as this terrible tyrant plagued me I was -rather spiritless and depressed, and it was only in my books that I -could find comfort against the gnawing pain; for although the Latin -proverb rightly says, "<i>Plenus venter non studet libenter</i>," I -nevertheless have experienced that with an empty or half-satisfied<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> -stomach my intellectual elasticity has been greater and my memory -intensified so that I was able to accomplish extraordinary things.</p> - -<p>I am not exaggerating when I say that during this interval of my -professional duties I devoted daily ten or twelve hours assiduously to -linguistic studies. To the Romanic and Germanic languages I had added -the study of the Slavonic dialects. The Slovak dialect I had learned -conversationally at St. Georghen and Zsámbokrét; Illyric at Kutyevo; I -had also studied the literatures of these languages. I now applied -myself to learn Russian, which of course was a comparatively easy -matter, and I revelled in the works of Pushkin, Lermontoff, Batyushka, -Dershavin, and other northern writers. I particularly enjoyed changing -about from one poet to another, wandering from north to south, from east -to west. Now I read a few pages from the <i>Orlando Furioso</i>, then again a -few verses from the <i>Fountain in Bagtcheseraj</i> of Pushkin, and from the -<i>Prisoner of the Caucasus</i>. Here an Andalusian picture unrolled itself -before my eyes—a charming scene on the glorious Ebro, with its pastoral -groups, from Galatea or Estrée. Next I admired a northern sea-fight from -the <i>Frithiof Sága</i>, or amused myself with Andersen's Fairy Tales, or -the simple popular songs of <i>Gusle</i> by Vuk Karačič. My joy and my -delight were boundless; my eyes shone, my cheeks were flushed. Every -fibre in my body tingled with the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span>excitement of the lyric or epic -contents of these various works. One can only read with such thorough -appreciation, such deep feeling, in one's early twenties, when the -knowledge of the language has been acquired with much trouble and alone -and when abhorring and despising the mundane character of one's -surroundings, and carried away on the wings of one's heated imagination, -one roams about in higher spheres. The contrast of my own enthusiastic -imagination and the life of the people with whom I associated was about -as great as one can well conceive. Bartering Jews of the most prosaic -type, artisans, day-labourers, and shop-assistants, their only thought -how to earn a few coppers, and to spend them again straight away; -menders and cleaners of old clothes, poor women and pedlars—such were -the people I associated with, and who, looking upon me as half demented, -sometimes pitied and sometimes mocked me. In the winter-time it was very -hard, for then I had to suffer from cold as well as hunger, especially -when the public reading-room of the University was closed, and I was -reduced to sit in Madame Schönfeld's parlour in the Three Drums Street, -where no fire was provided in the daytime. In broad daylight it was not -so bad, for I could jump up and run up and down to get warm. But when it -grew dark I was obliged to go to the Café Szégedin round the corner of -the Three Drums Street; and there, huddled up in a corner of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> room, -I read my books by the light of a flickering lamp, regardless of the -frantic noise of the gambling, laughing, bartering crowd. As I could not -pay an entrance fee I had to go home before the gate was locked. -Generally I found all in bed, and continued my studies by the light of a -tallow candle stuck in a broken candlestick, while the sleeping inmates -of the room accompanied my recital—for I always read aloud—with a -snoring duet or terzet, without my interfering with their sleep or they -with my reading. I allowed myself but very little sleep at that time, -for in the early morning I had to give a lesson next door to the son of -Mr. Rosner, the owner of a coffee-house, for which I received every day -a mug of coffee and two little rolls. Two rolls, and my ferocious -hunger! What a contrast! I could easily have demolished half a dozen, -and I had earned them too; but man, whether the owner of a coffee-shop -or of a rich gold-mine, always seeks to make all he can out of the -wretchedness of his fellow-creatures, and this sad truth I had to -realise very early.</p> - -<p>At last the weary time of waiting came to an end and I was released from -my uncomfortable position. After several afternoons spent on the rack at -the Café Orczy, my deliverer, the agent Mayer, succeeded in getting me -an appointment with the wealthy Schweiger family in Kecskemét, where I -was well paid, well cared for, but was also hard worked. Here I spent a -year profitably. I had to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> teach for eight or nine hours daily; two or -three hours were spent over toilet and meals, and when I add that my -private studies occupied at least six hours a day, one sees how little -time I could afford to give to rest, and how very few were the pleasures -in which, at that period of the never-returning spring of life, I was -able to indulge. And yet I am told that in those days I was always -bright and merry, sometimes even quite reckless and extravagant in my -mirth—a characteristic which did not agree well with my position of -tutor. My pupils, who were only three or four years younger than myself, -made good progress in their studies, but their education left much to be -desired. In Kecskemét, where I had more money at my disposal than ever -before, and where I was able to procure the expensive books necessary -for the study of Oriental languages, I made Turkish and Arabic my chief -objects of study. At that time Professor Ballagi lived in that -neighbourhood, and he lent me Arabic books. Thus I was able, assisted by -my knowledge of Hebrew, to make rapid progress in the second Semitic -language, and by the help of Arabic also to perfect myself in Turkish. -The strange characters, the difficulty of learning to read, and the want -of dictionaries, which were too expensive for me to buy, were terrible -obstacles in my way; often I was almost driven to distraction, and the -hours spent in the shady little Protestant churchyard of Kecskemét, -where I loved to linger<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> near the grave of two lovers, will ever remain -in my memory.</p> - -<p>The reason of my being only one year with the family Schweiger I cannot -quite remember. Enough to say that I returned again to Pest, that I once -more occupied the seat of disgrace in the Café Orczy, and went from -there to the Puszta Csěv, not far from Monor, to a Mr. Schauengel, -where I stayed only six months, fortunately in the spring and summer; -for life in a lonely house on the Puszta (Heath), notwithstanding my -love of solitude, soon became too much for me, and the terrible monotony -of the scenery made me almost melancholy. Here I had the first foretaste -of the Steppe regions of Central Asia, afterwards to be the scenes of my -adventurous travels. On the Puszta itself no tree was to be seen for -miles round, and when in the afternoons I wanted to read out of doors, -the only shade I could find against the scorching sun of the hot summer -months was under a haycock or straw-rick. Exhausted with the hard study -of the Orientalia, I used to indulge here in my favourite reading of the -Odyssey, for I had meanwhile also learned Greek. Stretched out on the -grass I recited aloud the glorious scenes and wonderful stories, and -never noticed the shepherd who was grazing his flock in the -neighbourhood, standing before me, both hands leaning on his staff, and -listening in breathless attention to the strange sounds, half admiring, -half pitying me; for on the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> Puszta they all thought I was possessed of -the devil—a man who had learned far too much, lost his reason, and now -talked nonsense. When in my lonely walks I stood still and gazed into -the far distance, these simple children of nature used to look at me -with a kind of reverence and awe; sometimes they avoided me, and only -the most daring of them ventured to approach and question me as to a -lost head of cattle or about the weather. My fame as an eccentric spread -over the whole neighbourhood, and to this I owed my invitation to the -house of Mr. Karl Balla, the owner of the neighbouring Puszta -Pot-Haraszt, and late director of the prison of the Pest county. Herr -Balla, an elderly, humane, and amiable man, a passionate meteorologist, -who had on his Puszta erected high poles with weathercocks, had also the -reputation of being an eccentric. Like seeks like; a mutual friendship -grew up between us, and when he proposed to me to come and spend the -winter at his house and instruct his son Zádor in French and English, I -gladly accepted, the more so as Mr. Schauengel intended to send his -children to town for the winter, and I should therefore again have been -out of a place.</p> - -<p>As far as the personality of my principal was concerned, my residence at -Pot-Haraszti promised to be very pleasant indeed. I had a quiet, large -room looking into the garden, the food was excellent, my teaching duties -only occupied a few hours<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> of the day, and I had plenty of time and -leisure to devote to the study of the Oriental languages, more -especially Turkish, Arabic, and Persian. The latter had a particularly -magic influence upon me at that time, and the literary treasures which I -found in a Chrestomathy of Vullers filled me with an ecstasy of delight. -Sadi, Jámí, and Khakani were ideals to which I gladly sacrificed many a -night's sleep and many a drive. Unfortunately the family of Herr Balla -had not attained to the same degree of culture as the paterfamilias. The -lady of the house could never bear the idea that a Jew was occupying the -position of prefect in her house, and her constant sneering at my origin -and my want of gentlemanly manners necessarily undermined my authority -over my pupils; there were unpleasant scenes every day, and when these -gave rise to family quarrels—for the old gentleman always firmly took -my side—I made up my mind, though with a heavy heart, to leave this -spot so favourable to my studies, and went to Pest, where, after waiting -six months, I obtained an equally good position at Csetény, in the -county of Veszprém, with Mr. Grünfeld, who rented the place.</p> - -<p>This was my last position as private tutor in Hungary, and the kind -treatment which I received from the generous and noble-minded Grünfeld -family has also left the most vivid and pleasant recollections of my -varied and sometimes very<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> difficult pedagogic career. Only one sad -circumstance is connected with my sojourn in this quiet village in the -Bakony, and it has left its ineffaceable traces on my memory. It was on -the 11th of November, 1856, on a rainy evening that, after remaining in -the family circle in pleasant conversation till ten o'clock, I was just -about to retire to my room, which was outside in the court. As I opened -the front door I saw to my horror a number of masked people before me, -one of whom took me by the chest and threw me with force back into the -room, while the others stormed in after him, each of them taking hold of -a member of the panic-stricken family, threatening to kill any one who -dared to utter a sound. It was a band of robbers who had come over from -the neighbouring Bakony Forest. They had watched their opportunity to -attack Mr. Grünfeld, who had returned the day before with a considerable -sum of money from the Pest Market. Lying on the floor with one of those -ruffians kneeling on my chest and the barrel of the pistol wet with the -rain pressed to my forehead, I gradually recovered my senses. The sight -of that dim, lamplighted scene, with the ghastly faces of the -terror-stricken family, has stamped itself for ever on my memory like -some dreadful dream.</p> - -<p>Still more terrible scenes followed. We were dragged from one room to -the other, and while the servants of the house stood bound outside, -sighing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> and groaning, Mr. Grünfeld was requested to give up all his -effects and money. He was robbed of about 20,000 florins; but as this -did not satisfy the rapacity of those wild fellows, and one of them -pointed the barrel of his gun to the breast of the father of the family, -I lost all patience, jumped up, and placing the weapon on my own breast -I cried, "If you must kill, kill me; I have neither wife nor child, it -is better that I should die." These words seemed to make an impression -on the leader of the band, probably a political fugitive who had retired -into the forest to escape the vengeance of the Austrian Government, for -at a sign from him his accomplices refrained from shedding blood. They -collected all the money and valuables, and after searching my room also, -but only depriving me of some volumes of Hungarian classics, they went -away, leaving us all locked up in the dark room.</p> - -<p>This ghastly nocturnal scene might have had serious consequences for me, -for the police of the district of Zircz, to which Csetény belonged, came -upon the bright idea of suspecting me—who even at that time as a -Hungarian scholar was in touch with the Hungarian Academy of -Sciences—to be a secret accomplice of this robber band of fugitive -rebels; and they were strengthened in their suspicion by the fact that I -had opened the door, and, with the exception of the books, had escaped -without loss. A zealous anti-Magyar even went so far<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> as to suggest that -it would be wise to take me into custody, and await my trial. I should -certainly have been locked up and treated for months like any common -criminal, if my good friend Mr. Grünfeld had not answered for me and -affirmed my innocence. Instead of going to the sunny Levant, I might -have been shut up in prison without any fault of mine.</p> - -<p>This sojourn with the Grünfeld family concluded my career as private -tutor. All my thoughts were now fixed upon the idea of accomplishing -something definite, something more in keeping with all my previous -studies, and no longer running wildly after chimeras. I therefore made -up my mind to go to the East at once, and though it cost me much to -leave the peaceful haven of rest and comfort, I took the necessary steps -to set out on my travels. The last link with the land of my birth was -broken, for my mother, whom I dearly loved, died shortly before my -departure. My name was the last word that passed her lips, and her death -left me absolutely alone, with no one to care for me in all the world.</p> - -<p>Before concluding this chapter of my career as private tutor, I must not -forget to mention that these six years were the most productive of all -my life and formed the nucleus of all my future actions. Looking back -upon the many vicissitudes of my early life, the long chain of -incredible privations, and the insatiable desire for knowledge, I must<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> -confess with sorrow that my labour would have been far more profitable -and beneficial if I had not been led astray by my rare power of memory -and an innate talent for languages and conversation; if, instead of -blindly rushing forward regardless of obstacles, I had worked more -quietly, more leisurely, and more thoroughly. I had an immense number of -foreign languages in my head. I could say by heart long passages from -the Parnasso Italiano, Byron, Pushkin, Tegner, and Saadi. I could speak -fluently and write moderately well in several of these languages; yet my -learning was absolutely without system or method, and it was not until I -had had actual intercourse with the various nations and had paid the -penalty of my many shortcomings and erroneous notions, that I could -rejoice in having attained a certain degree of perfection. It is chiefly -due to this haste and eagerness to get on that in the course of my later -studies I always preferred a wide field of action to great depth, and -always set my mind rather on expansion than on penetration.</p> - -<p>Nor will I hide the fact that, in spite of want and distress, in spite -of poverty and loneliness, a great longing for the pleasures and -dissipations of youth often possessed me, and that in order to avoid -useless waste of time I had to keep a very strict watch, and often had -to reprimand and punish myself. For many years I used to spend New -Year's Eve in solitude to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span> give an account to myself of all I had done -in the past twelve months, and to write out and seal the programme for -the new year; and when I opened this on the following 31st of December -and saw that some one or other point had remained unaccomplished, I -wrote bitter reproaches on the margin as reminders, and was out of sorts -for days. Besides this, I had my daily calendar, marked with the rubrics -for different subjects of study, which had to be attended to before -going to sleep. If by chance one or other of these rubrics had not been -filled in, I tried to make up for it the next day, and when I could not -manage that I punished myself by absenting myself from the table under -the pretext of a headache or indigestion. With my healthy appetite this -was the severest punishment I could think of, and the irritating clatter -of plates and knives and forks from the adjoining dining-room was indeed -a sore temptation.</p> - -<p>Now I can smile over this self-chastisement; but he who has to fight by -himself the battle of youthful folly may easily fall a victim to -thoughtlessness. The eye becomes dazzled by the rosy, smiling picture of -the present, and gets weary of looking into the future.</p> - -<p>My young readers, who enter the school of life guided by the admonitions -of parents or teachers, do not realise perhaps how beneficial and useful -these disagreeable-sounding corrections may be some day. They are the -stars that twinkle in the perilous <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span>darkness of youthful eagerness. I -missed these helps, and I must call myself fortunate that a kind -Providence spared me the sad consequences of this want.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold2">My First Journey to the East</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER IV</span> <span class="smaller">MY FIRST JOURNEY TO THE EAST</span></h2> - -<p>From the little foretaste which my theoretical studies had given me of -the immense depths of delight contained in Oriental literature, it had -become quite clear to me that in order fully to understand and -appreciate this strange and wonderful world it would be absolutely -necessary to have a more intimate knowledge of the land and its bizarre -inhabitants. When I was still in Kecskemét I had been planning a journey -to the East, and since that time the enchanting pictures which the -Oriental poets conjured up had ever been before my eyes. But how could -I, devoid of all means, and scarcely able to procure the bare -necessaries of life—how could I possibly dream of undertaking a journey -which at that time was very expensive? I pondered in vain. But now I had -saved 120 florins from my last salary as tutor. I was thoroughly weary -of teaching, and possessed by a wild desire for adventure. The time -seemed come at last to carry out my ambitious plans. I <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span>determined to -start for Constantinople <i>viâ</i> Galatz as soon as ever I could get ready. -The means at my disposal would cover only half of my travelling -expenses, and arrived in Constantinople I should be penniless, without -recommendation, without friends, an utter stranger, with nothing but -starvation before me. But none of these things troubled me, nor did I -worry myself about the possible issue of my hazardous scheme. The -glorious Bosporus, the Golden Horn, the slender minarets, the stately -cupolas of the mosques, the turbaned Turks, and closely veiled Turkish -women, and many other marvels which I was about to behold, had entirely -captivated my imagination, and I had no thought left for the prosaic -details of travelling preparations and expenses, and the care for daily -food. "I shall manage somehow," I said to myself, and the only thing -that caused me some uneasiness was how to get a passport from the -Austrian authorities. Just then they were always very suspicious of any -one going to Turkey, for it was the favourite resort of Hungarian -emigrants, and it was thought in Vienna that rebellious schemes were -being hatched there. Without protection I could do nothing, and by good -fortune the Baron Joseph Eötvös came to my rescue. I had made the -acquaintance of this noble-minded, highly-cultured countryman of mine -some little time before. He, the distinguished and kind-hearted author -and scientist, having accidentally heard of me, had expressed a wish to -make my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> personal acquaintance. I was then in great want and distress. -My foot covering was in a very dilapidated condition, the soles of my -shoes were in holes, and as I did not like to come into the room from -the dirty street in the rags which covered my feet I tied pasteboard -soles under my shoes. In spite of this precaution my feet left -unmistakable traces on the carpet, much to the annoyance of the -servants, no doubt, but the noble baron only smiled at my discomfiture; -he set me at my ease and questioned me as to what had induced me to take -up the study of philology. He promised me his protection and also gave -me an introduction to the Academy library, so that I could borrow books, -which was of great service to me in my studies. When I spoke to him -about the passport he managed, not without a good deal of trouble, to -influence in my favour the then Governor, a man highly esteemed in -Government circles. The noble baron even went so far as to start a -collection for my benefit, but this failed, and when I took leave of -him, although not rich himself, he gave me some money and clothes, -requesting me to let him have news of me from time to time.</p> - -<p>Provided with the necessary legal documents, I soon after packed up my -dictionaries, a few favourite authors, and some underclothes, and was -ready to start. Again at the recommendation of Baron Eötvös I was -provided with a ticket to Galatz at half price, and I went on board one -fine<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> morning in the month of May, 1857, to enter the "land of romance," -as Wieland calls it in his <i>Oberon</i>, with no one to see me off, no one -to weep, no one to grieve over me. The reader will easily imagine the -joyful exultation and rapturous delight which filled my whole being. As -my little stock of ready money had considerably diminished during the -prolonged delay, I had only taken a second-class ticket. All day I -remained on deck, entering into conversation with my fellow-travellers, -old and young, great and small, and of many different nationalities; and -as I could address them all in their mother-tongue my versatility called -forth much admiration, which sometimes expressed itself in the offer of -a drink, sometimes in an invitation to share a modest repast, which I -always gladly accepted. After a good meal my hilarity generally rose a -few degrees, and in this agreeable state of mind I was always pleased to -recite some beautiful passage or other from one of my favourite authors, -and especially from Petrarch's <i>Sonnets</i>. It was with the "Hermit of -Vaucluse" that I first gained the favour of the Italian ship's cook, who -invited me to sit down by his kitchen door, and while I was gaily -declaiming outside, the poetically inclined cook inside stirred his pans -with all the more vigour, and an occasional bravo! or <i>ben fatto!</i> for -my benefit. Of course the practical tokens of his favour were not -wanting, for Mr. Cook handed me from time to time a plateful of the best -food<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> his kitchen could produce. Thus I lived in plenty and comfort, and -often had to confess to myself that my adventurous sail to the East had -with this passage of the Danube commenced under the very best auspices. -I was particularly fascinated by the variety of nationalities around me. -For the first time in my life the narrow limits of a ship afforded me -the opportunity of conversing with representatives of so many different -nations, that I could now at pleasure put into practice my theoretical -and letter knowledge; and although my queer pronunciation and faulty -accentuation often made it difficult for the foreigners to understand -me, I very soon learned to understand them, and after a while I was -surprised to find how smoothly and fluently the conversation went along. -When at Widdin I first saw real live Turks, and my surprise and -astonishment knew no bounds. My first acquaintance with a Mussulman was -of special interest. It was evening, the sun was going down, and its -last rays shone on the deck swarming with natives from Servia, -Wallachia, Bulgaria, and Turkey. A venerable follower of the Prophet -stepped forth, spread his carpet in a corner of the deck, and began to -perform his "Akhsham Namazi," <i>i.e.</i>, evening devotions. The sight of -this old man prostrating himself in all humility and contrition of -heart, with his head bent low, and arms limply stretched out in front of -him, made a deep impression upon me. I never took my eyes off him, and -when he rose from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> his prayers and rolled up his carpet, I came forward -and addressed him. I was pleased to find that he was willing to talk to -me; he told me that his name was Mehemed Aga and that he came from -Lofcha. He was now on his way to Stambul to visit his son Djewdet -Effendi, who was studying there, and who afterwards became known as -Historiographer and Minister of Justice. From Stambul he intended to go -on to Mecca. The name "Madjar" (Hungarian) stood at that time in good -repute with the Turks, who had interested themselves for the emigrating -Hungarians; and when I had shown the dear old man my Turkish reading -book, a religious work entitled <i>Kyrk Sual</i> (the Forty Questions), and -had read something aloud out of it, his confidence increased, he invited -me to supper, and throughout the voyage proved himself a good, kind -friend to me.</p> - -<p>Other acquaintances of a similar nature helped to clear away the black -clouds which darkened the horizon of my future in the strange land. The -sail up the Danube as far as Galatz soon came to an end, and I was -fortunate enough to secure a half deck-ticket on one of the Lloyd -steamers. I was supremely happy, as now for the first time in my life I -should see the briny ocean, so familiar to me from the descriptions of -Byron and Tegner and other master poets; and when I beheld its mighty -grandeur I was almost giddy with delight and admiration. In order to -watch the motion of the waves more closely I stationed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> myself, with -permission of the sailors, on a projection near to the bowsprit, and I -imagined I was riding a dolphin, with the salt waves splashing round me. -Thus I accomplished the first few miles on the dark waters of the Pontus -Euxinus. I literally bathed in a sea of delight. I sang, I shouted in my -exultation, and until far into the night my voice vied with the seagulls -and the clamour of the ship's crew behind me. At last, nearly soaked -through with the spray, I left my perch and retired to a corner of the -deck which the Turks had taken possession of, and soon fell fast asleep. -About midnight I was roused by the jerky motion of the ship, and got up. -The howling of the wind, the creaking of the planks, the jolting and -bumping of the vessel, the sighs and groans of the passengers, and -especially of the Turkish women, soon made me realise that I was to have -the good fortune of witnessing the terrible majesty of the Euxine in a -real storm. Regardless of the consternation round me, the fright, the -lamentations, the cries, and the general confusion, I steered my way -along the pitch-dark deck, and was beside myself with joy when an -occasional flash of lightning gave me a sight of the awful spectacle -around, and the black waves towering high above us. Oh! the horror and -the delight of it! My dearest wishes were realised, and as I stood -leaning against the railing which separated our quarter from the deck of -the first-class passengers, and in my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> rapturous excitement began to -declaim a few stanzas from the <i>Henriade</i>, I noticed that a traveller, -pacing up and down on the other side, occasionally stopped to listen; -and after a while he shouted to me in French, "Who are you; what makes -you think of the <i>Henriade</i> just now?" After a little conversation I -found that I was talking to the Secretary of the Belgian Legation at -Constantinople. The next morning he talked for a long time with me, and -finally asked me to come and see him at Pera.</p> - -<p>Needless to say I was deeply impressed by the entrance of the Bosporus, -and it was not until the ship had cast anchor at the Golden Horn -opposite Galata, and the passengers crowding into the boats had gone -ashore, that I awoke from my dreams and began to realise my critical -position. I had only just enough money in my pocket to pay for the -ferryboat, without the slightest idea where to go or what to do. There I -stood, penniless, in an utterly strange town. As far as I can remember I -was about two hours climbing up the steep incline between Galata and -Pera. I was so fascinated by the absolute grotesqueness of the life -around me, the chaos of languages, gaudy costumes and strange -physiognomies, that I was obliged to stop every few minutes, rooted, as -it were, to the spot. Pushed on all sides, I felt myself suddenly seized -by the shoulder, and some one addressed me first in Italian and then in -Hungarian. I stood face to face with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> Mr. Püspöki, my countryman and an -emigrant. My Hungarian hat with the flying ribbons had attracted his -attention, and he began to question me as to the aim and object of my -journey. "Ah, perhaps you are the philologer of whose journey to the -East we have read in the Hungarian papers?" "Yes," I answered; "and -since you are the first countryman I have met, you must help me to find -a lodging and work to do." The good man looked at me with surprise; he -seemed to have guessed the emptiness of my pocket, and in order not to -raise my hopes too high he told me that he was not doing very well -himself, and that just at present he was looking for a cook's place, and -would gladly share his modest quarters with me. Talking about the -beloved fatherland, the absolutism of the Austrians, and the miserable -condition of Turkey, he led me through a labyrinth of dirty, narrow -passages to his abode behind the wall of the English Embassy. This -dwelling consisted of one bare room, with broken windows, and as its -only furniture a long, torn, Turkish divan, which he pulled forward, -inviting me to sit down. "Half of it is mine, and the other yours," said -kind-hearted Mr. Püspöki; "and as for food, I will show you a locanda -(eating-house), where, if you happen to have cash, you can get a good -meal very reasonably." He took me to a basement place in what is now the -Grande Rue de Pera, and which bore the pompous title of "Café Flamm de -Vienne." They sold<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> café-au-lait and Vienna rolls, quite a novelty for -the East in those days. Here I found other compatriots lounging about, -some in Turkish military uniform, some in threadbare clothes. The -majority gave me a hearty welcome, but a few eyed me suspiciously, for -just then the emigrants dreaded to find in every fresh arrival from -Hungary an Austrian spy, sent over to report about them to the -authorities. However, the harmlessness of my personality soon reassured -them, and all suspicions were allayed when they found that I could read -Turkish and speak it a little as well. Some of them invited me to -breakfast straight away, to which meal I did full justice.</p> - -<p>After the conclusion of the Crimean War this Café Flamm had become the -favourite haunt of disillusioned adventurers, officers out of employ, -bankrupt merchants, despairing emigrants, political enthusiasts, and -heroes of all trades and nationalities. To judge from the conversation -of these almost always hungry gentlemen, the fate of Europe and of -Turkey was to be decided in this dingy, smoky parlour; they played ball -with Sovereigns and Ministers of State to their hearts' content; they -all had their own plans and views for the amelioration of the world, and -each of them secretly believed that it was merely a question of time for -him to get to the head of affairs in Turkey. The modern Argonaut -expedition of united Europe to the northern banks of the Euxine had -created during<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> and since the Crimean War quite a marvellous host of -knights of the Golden Fleece, and had opened the romantic East to the -romantic children of the West. The tailor's apprentice is in this -"Foreign Legion" suddenly promoted to be a first lieutenant or captain; -hotel waiters become secretaries and interpreters; journalists blossom -forth as great strategists, financiers, and diplomatists; ensigns are -for the nonce colonels and generals; and when, after the violent attack -on the Malakoff, the angel of peace appeared on the banks of the Seine, -vanished was the glitter of the golden existence in the Golden Horn; the -heroes, one and all, subsided into their former insignificance, and met -at the Café Flamm to sweeten the bitter bread of sad reality by the -concoction of still more high-flown plans for the future. The various -types I saw in this coffee-house and the hours spent there will ever -remain fresh in my memory.</p> - -<p>In this manner the first days of my sojourn in Pera passed away. I -traversed in all directions both the European and the Turkish quarters -of the town, and always liked to enter into conversation with the Turks -lounging in the coffee-houses; I read aloud from the Turkish books I -always carried about with me, and noticed that the Mohammedans, easily -influenced and affable folks, were impressed by my knowledge of Turkish -and Persian, and regarded me as a kind of prodigy who, having arrived in -Stambul only a day or two ago, already spoke Turkish<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> like an Effendi. -On account of the great difference between the language of the educated -classes and of the people, those who speak the former are always treated -with a certain amount of respect, especially if they are unbelievers; -and as at that time the sympathies of the Turks for the Hungarians had -reached their height, the kindness of these good Osmanli seemed quite -natural to me; and when in any of the coffee-houses I read aloud -passages from "Ashik Garib" ("The Amorous Foreigner"), or from another -popular poem, with the right accentuation and modulation, I generally -reaped a rich harvest of bread, cheese, and coffee, sometimes even Kebab -(roast beef) or Pilaf and Pastirma (dry, smoked meat). At night I -availed myself of Mr. Püspöki's hospitality, and slept excellently on my -miserable couch, in spite of the fiendish noise of the rats racing about -in the room. Their presence was at first rather objectionable to me, as -they gnawed my boots and my clothes, but afterwards, when the necessary -precautions had been taken, I did not trouble any more about them. -Favoured by fine weather, in the charm of novelty the first six weeks of -my stay in Constantinople passed away pleasantly. I never knew in the -morning where I should eat in the evening: the future did not trouble me -in the least; and as I had now changed my hat for a fez, and looked -shabby enough to pass for a wandering lecturer, I spent my days enjoying -to the full my vagabond life.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span></p><p>The mixed nationalities that I came into contact with on the banks of -the Bosporus, were exactly what I needed to complete my theoretical -knowledge of their languages, and ear and memory stood each other in -good stead. I soon acquired the correct accent and construction; and -imitating the different languages as closely as I could in tone and -sound, many took me for a native, and the jokes and jests caused by this -muddle of languages gave me many a delicious moment. Unfortunately my -happiness was somewhat marred by the sudden departure of Mr. Püspöki, -who had found employment as cook on one of the steamers of the -Messageries Impériales, for this made me lose my night quarters, and I -had to hunt about for a long time, until at last the secretary of the -Hungarian Association—Magyar Egylet—proposed that I should take up my -quarters in the council-room of the Society, which was likely soon to be -dissolved. In this large, empty hall I found an old sofa, on which I -stretched myself, but the evenings were cool and I could not sleep. So I -begged Mr. Frecskay, which was the secretary's name, to give me a wrap -of some kind. The good-hearted man appeared presently with a torn -tricolor in his hand, handed it to me with grave pathos, and said, "I -have nothing but this precious memento of our glorious struggle. This -flag has sent the fire of enthusiasm into the lines of our fighters for -justice and freedom; cover yourself with it, it will warm you also." Of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> -course I could not continue to sleep there, so I set off once more in -search of a bed, and soon found help in the person of another -compatriot, Major E. This man had unfortunately lost his watchdog, and -as his wife would not be left alone in the lonely house near Hassköi, he -invited me to take up my abode there while he was away on business in -the provinces, and until he had procured another watchdog. So I was to -occupy the vacant position of watchdog! It was not particularly -inviting; but turned out rather better than I expected. Instead of a -dog-kennel I had a comfortable room, and plenty of coffee and bread for -breakfast. So I contented myself with the exchange, and continued my old -Bohemian life.</p> - -<p>The mornings were chiefly devoted to reading Turkish books, then I -cleaned out the yard and fetched water from the well some little -distance off, and towards evening I repaired to different coffee-houses -to gain a piaster or two by reciting familiar love-poems. No sooner was -I seated there on a high stool surrounded by Turks and Armenians, and -had begun to recite in a nasal sing-song tone, when the conversation -gradually dropped, and the rattling of the nargiles began to subside. -They listened to the love-sick lamentations of Wamik and Esra, of -Khossru and Shirin, where the sad fate of the lovers is recounted. My -readings and recitations were generally attended by the manifestations -of violent emotion or admiration on the part of my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span> audience. In my -subsequent travels in Persia I have often experienced the same thing; -and even now, when I think of those times, the spell of the scene comes -over me again, and I revel in the memory of those early days, when I -could gain the ear of those regular Orientals and keep the crowds -spellbound. Truly speech, the spoken word, is a mighty instrument! By it -mountains are levelled and hearts hard as rock are softened. Differences -of faith and nationality vanish before it; and as I had the good fortune -to experience all this at the very outset of my adventurous career in -Asia, many dark outlines of the far-off future were smoothed away.</p> - -<p>Thus the days passed swiftly until the approach of autumn, when I began -to realise the seriousness of my condition, and once more I made up my -mind to try to get lessons or a permanent appointment as private tutor, -in order to make a decent living. In the East bombastic speeches and -high-flown announcements are not at all a rarity; nevertheless the -advertisement which I had fixed up in all the booksellers' shops in -Pera, and in which I offered myself as teacher of a whole string of -Western and Eastern languages, attracted much attention. Bizarre, -absurd, and fantastic as my advertisement was, it did not fail in its -object, for before long I was summoned by a Turk in Scutari, and a Mr. -von Hübsch, General-Consul of Denmark. The former had just come in for a -large sum of money, and in order to do justice to his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> position of -modern dandy wanted to be able to talk a little French. He wished to -take French lessons from me, while the latter, an Easterling by birth, -wanted to learn Danish, not so much for conversation, he thought, but -rather to be able to read the Danish Court circular and newspapers. Here -was a singular and rather perplexing demand upon my Scandinavian -studies; in my wildest dreams it had never entered my brain that I might -be called upon to teach a representative of Denmark the language of that -country! And yet such was the case. For eighteen months Mr. v. Hübsch -continued my pupil, and when, at the end of that time, we had finished -Andersen's novel <i>Kun [=a] Spilleman</i> ("Only a Fiddler"), and he could -read the <i>Berlinske Tidninger</i>, I came to the conclusion that there is -nothing impossible in this world, and that an adventurous career -certainly brings the oddest experiences. I did not get on so well with -my Turkish scholar. As a man of fashion his object was merely to have a -French <i>maître</i> coming to the house, but he was lazy and frivolous, and -all the learning that was done was on my side; for in his house at -Chamlidjia, on the hill above Scutari, he always entertained a company -of Effendis and Porte officials in the evenings, with whom I conversed -for hours, and made rapid progress both in Turkish society manners and -customs, and in the elegancies of the Osmanli speech. The distance -between the landing-stage at Scutari and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span>Chamlidjia was a weary journey -to accomplish every day on foot, but it was a <i>gradus ad Parnassum</i>, and -after being in office for three months I could act the Effendi not only -in outward appearance, manners, and gesticulations, but I could hold a -conversation in Turkish with all the necessary elegance, and was well on -the way to becoming a perfect Effendi.</p> - -<p>The Turks of the upper classes are very pleasant people, especially when -one humours their peculiarities, and takes the trouble to learn their -language, one of the most difficult in the world. No wonder, therefore, -that my circle of acquaintances perceptibly increased, and that I had -constantly fresh applications and fresh invitations as teacher of -languages. Thus far I had made Pera my headquarters, but when, through -the intervention of my countryman, Ismail Pasha (General Kmetty), I was -offered the position of private tutor in the Konak of the Hussain Daim -Pasha, in the town-quarter of Kabatash, I accepted at once, adjourned to -the Turkish quarter, and henceforth became a regular Turk. Only the name -was wanting now, and this was given me by my principal, a worthy -Cherkess, who had been educated at the court of Sultan Mahmud; he -ordered his household henceforth to address me as <i>Reshid</i>, <i>i.e.</i>, the -valiant, the honest one; and on the strength of my linguistic skill to -give me the title of Effendi. So Reshid Effendi was my official name, -but neither the Pasha nor myself had ever thought of a regular -Islamising.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> The former, a Mohammedan of the purest water, who -afterwards became involved in an anti-reform conspiracy, thought no -doubt that my conversion would follow as a matter of course, and that, -when fully convinced of the material advantages to be derived from -joining the ruling class altogether, I should give up all idea of -returning to the West. As for myself, the very idea of conversion was -far from me. I had long been a confirmed freethinker, and Islam seemed -to open a religious world which, because of its sound foundation and -rational dogmas, was all the more dangerous to the free soaring upward -of the spirit; but with my declared animosity against positive religions -in general, it was altogether beyond me to embrace it. At the same time -I must admit that the forbearance of the upper classes in the Turkish -metropolis was most praiseworthy; for most of them saw perfectly well -through the hypocritical nature not only of my Moslemism but of that of -other European renegades, and did not pin the slightest faith to the -conversion of Europeans; they never in any way, however, disapproved of -this incognito, or resented the mere external acknowledgment of the -newly adopted faith. In this the better classes of Turkey have always -advantageously distinguished themselves from the <i>soi-disant</i> cultured -classes of European society; for while these latter high-born gentlemen, -brought up in the trammels of prejudice, short-sightedness, and -hypocrisy, presuppose in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> their converts the same lack of inner -persuasion, and consider conversion to their views quite a possible -thing, the cultured Turk, be he ever so religious, recognises in Islam a -world of thought, born and bred in the blood, dependent upon education -and mental development, and absolutely impossible of adoption by a man -of Western training. They called me Reshid Effendi, they permitted me to -be present at and to join in their religious ceremonies, they discussed -in my presence frankly and unreservedly the most abstruse religious -questions, they even brought me in contact with the friars, and laughed -when I joined in the recitation of hymns, or took part in their -disputes; but the question whether I really intended to become a -Mohammedan, to marry, and to live the life of a regular Moslem, nobody -ever thought of asking; that question has been put to me only by the -uneducated.</p> - -<p>In this manner I was enabled to move in Turkish society as Reshid -Effendi without in any way binding myself. The more I became familiar -with their social customs, and steeped in the Oriental ways of living -and thinking, the larger grew my circle of acquaintances, and the more -unreservedly all doors were opened to me, not merely of lower officials -but of the higher and even the very highest dignitaries. Turkey knows no -aristocracy of birth; the man of obscure origin can suddenly become -Marshal and Grand-Vizier; and since most of them, as self-made<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> men, -have no genealogical scruples, so also in the foreigner they do not so -much consider his antecedents as his personal capabilities; and as my -fame as professor of the Turkish language spread, I found the doors of -the highest society open to me, and in a year's time, I was, with the -exception of Murad Effendi (Werner), who lived in the house of Kibrisli -Pasha, the only European who, without formally going over to Islam, had -become an Effendi and a <i>protégé</i> of the Porte circle. Easy as this -transformation had been, because of the tolerance of the better classes -of Stambul, so much the greater had been the sacrifices which the lower -classes demanded from me. Servants play an important part in Turkish -households; they are looked upon as members of the family, and in the -patriarchal organisation of the house they have a considerable influence -upon the Effendi and Pasha, and especially upon the children. These -servants, transported from the interior of European and Asiatic Turkey -to the banks of the Bosporus, are generally in the very lowest stage of -education; they are extremely fanatical and suspicious as regards -Europeans, and the higher I rose in the favour of the master of the -house the higher rose their jealousy and animosity. They could not -understand that, notwithstanding my literary and religious knowledge, I -did not become a pious Moslem, and why the Pasha, Bey, or Effendi should -show me, the disguised Giaour, so much attention. In spite of all that -both religion and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> national custom prescribe as to the kind treatment of -guests, for the Koran says, "Ekremu ed dhaifun ve lau kana kafirun," -<i>i.e.</i>, "Honour the guest, even if he be an unbeliever," I had much -unkindness to bear, and had to put up with many a humiliation. What -amused me most was the conduct of the older house-servants; they even -played the Mentor towards the governor, his wife, and his children, and -often instructed me in rules of etiquette and general views of life. In -the eyes of these people infidel Europe was a barbarian wilderness, -rejecting the civilising influences of Islam, and it was an act of -condescension on the part of the old-stock Turk, brought up within the -small Stambul circle, to put me right, and to instruct me in the correct -way of sitting, walking, eating, talking, and general comportment. -Others, again, were malevolent and fanatical, made me the butt of their -ill-chosen jokes, worried me, and once it even happened that a -scoundrel, who had risen to be the tyrant of the house, threw his boot -at my head because I had not polished it enough to his liking. I had to -take all this into the bargain; it was a new school—the school of -Oriental life—which I had to pass through, and the fee had to be paid.</p> - -<p>After the servants it was the harem, <i>i.e.</i>, the Turkish female world, -which caused me a good deal of trouble. Turkish women, the fair sex in -general, are distinctly conservative, and they could not understand how -the Pasha or Effendi could<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> tolerate the presence of a Giaour in the -Selamlik, <i>i.e.</i>, in close proximity to the harem, and above all, how he -could have come upon the idea of entrusting the education of his -children to an infidel. Even now Turkish ladies are much more fanatical -than the men; but at that time, the beginning of the reform period, they -evinced an ungovernable hatred and aversion against everything -Christian. They showed me their dislike in all sorts of teasing ways. -Communication between the harem and the outer world is carried on by -means of the Dolab, a round, revolving sort of cupboard. Everything -intended for the Selamlik is placed in this Dolab, and when the women -want to speak with any one outside they do so through the Dolab. When I -heard the sound of a woman's voice, and shouted the customary "Buyurun" -("At your service") into the Dolab, I either received no answer at all -or else some rude rejoinder; and it was not till later, when I had -trained myself to make exquisitely polite speeches and poetic -compliments, that they vouchsafed to give me a short answer. After -months of effort I succeeded at last in breaking the ice. My youthful -fire could not fail to take effect, and the ladies, most of them very -beautiful Circassians, who were much neglected by the old invalid master -of the house, gradually began to praise my willingness to oblige them -and my linguistic proficiency, and proofs of their favour were also -forthcoming. In six months' time the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> Böyük Hanim (chief wife) entrusted -me with the charge of one of the Odalisks, long past the spring of life, -who suffered from severe toothache, and had to be taken to a dentist at -Pera. The long and difficult road up the steep incline to Pera -necessitated a rest midway, and with the afflicted lady I stopped at the -house of a Hungarian countryman of mine. The kind hospitality she met -with seemed to have pleased the Turkish woman extremely, for soon -afterwards more ladies of the harem, some of them quite young, were -suddenly seized with toothache, and I had to take them in turns to Pera -for dental operations. My intercourse with the inmates of the harem was -very strained; it was so difficult to keep to the strict rules of -etiquette. I could not accustom myself to cast down my eyes when in the -presence of a lady, as Turkish custom demands. It is no small matter at -twenty-four to tear one's gaze away from the fiery orbs of a beautiful -Circassian. There were other difficulties which it cost me much trouble -to overcome.</p> - -<p>But, true to my principle to persevere and to bear all things, and -hardened by early sufferings, I found strength to pursue the end I had -in view. Rising, step by step, I first came into the house of the Chief -Chancellor of the Imperial Divan, Afif Bey, whose son-in-law, Kiamil -Bey, I taught for about twelve months, and where I had daily intercourse -with the <i>élite</i> of Porte society. Our house,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> opposite the mausoleum of -Sultan Mahmud II., not far from the High Porte, was the rendezvous of -men of wit and genius, celebrated authors, and high society generally. -Here I made the acquaintance of Midhat Pasha, afterwards celebrated in -Europe as the father of the Turkish constitution. He was then Midhat -Effendi, and occupied the position of secretary to my Pasha. Midhat was -a lively young man of a restless and fanciful turn of mind; he was -studying French at that time, and as he had not the patience, while -reading, to look up words in the dictionary, he began to read with me -for a few hours every day, in return for which he helped me to decipher -difficult Turkish texts, as, for instance, in the historical works of -Saaddesdin of Kemalpashazade, or he corrected my compositions and -introduced me into the Medrissa (college) for Osmanlis, where I was -allowed to attend the lectures of celebrated exegetists, grammarians, -and lawyers of the time, in company with the Softas (students of -divinity). Here, crouching before the Rahle (Koran-desk) at the feet of -the thickly turbaned Khodjas (teachers), I was introduced into the -practical knowledge of Islam, and the instruction which my -fellow-students accepted with religious enthusiasm was to me all the -more interesting as, rising higher and higher in the estimation of the -Turks in general, I gained possession of the talisman which has been my -guide in all my subsequent journeys and wanderings. Amongst the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span> many -Europeans who have formally gone over to Islam, I was the first to be -educated at a Medresse (university), and the study seemed the easier to -me as the ruling spirit here strongly reminded me of the Orthodox Jewish -schools. Here, as there, discussions and disputations are carried on -with great religious zeal; they go carefully into the minutest details -of ritualistic ordinances, they criticise and speak for and against; and -whoever can hold out longest with his arguments is reckoned to be the -best scholar. As Muhtedi, <i>i.e.</i>, One brought to the truth, or properly, -converted, they were particularly obliging to me, and all my remarks -were applauded.</p> - -<p>In the year 1859 I could take part in single disputes, and as my name -was often mentioned in society, I soon received an appointment at the -house of Rifaat Pasha, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, as -teacher of history, geography, and French. This house not only ranked as -the richest in the Turkish capital at that time, but it was also the -rendezvous of Turkish <i>literati</i>, who, as fanatical adherents to old -Asiatic culture, always gave the preference to Turkish compositions and -literature; and when the young master of the house, Reouf Bey, gathered -round him in the evening the celebrated Kiatibs (writers) and led the -conversation to selections of Turkish authors, I literally revelled in -the enjoyment of the marvellous metaphors and gems of oratory in the -Osmanli language. History,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> philosophy, and similar themes were not -introduced into this circle, and as for politics the conversation was -limited to the discussion of some elevation to a higher rank, or some -official grant, on which occasions the high dignitaries then in office -were always sharply criticised, for every one endeavoured to show up -their faults by witty epigrams, or to prove their unfitness, corruption, -and injustice in elaborate flowery language. So far the decorous evening -assemblies. As for the merry gatherings, the so-called pot-evenings, of -which I have spoken at large in my <i>Sketches of the East</i>, under the -title of "Drinking Bouts," they were always objectionable and abominable -to me, for I have never had a liking for spirituous drinks, and I have -often had to sit for hours with an empty stomach, waiting until the -grand gentlemen had finished intoxicating themselves with their Mastika -(a kind of brandy) before the evening meal was served. The conversation -on these occasions was coarse and vile in the extreme, and things were -discussed freely and openly before young people which would have brought -a flush of shame to the cheek in the most degraded of European society. -In this it becomes apparent to the stranger of Western lands how -beneficial is the influence of women on society in general, and that -social amenity is incompatible with the rigorous separation of the -sexes, as it is in the East, and must ultimately lead to moral -corruption. To be nailed to one's chair for hours together, without<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> -daring to move—for to show any restlessness is a breach of good -manners—and to be obliged to listen to all sorts of disgusting stories, -generally bearing upon sexual intercourse, and to trivial, childish, and -absurd conversations, is of all things about the most terrible penance -which can be inflicted upon a young, enthusiastic European striving -after higher ideals. As long as the language still offered fresh charms, -this torture was bearable, but afterwards these gatherings became a -veritable infernal pain to me, and I was glad indeed when the winter was -over and we adjourned to the summer residence on the banks of the -Bosphorus, in the villa of Kanlidjia, where, at any rate, I was able to -escape from the smoke-filled room and enjoy to my heart's content the -fresh summer evening air on the Bosphorus, the loveliest spot on all the -earth.</p> - -<p>A prominent feature of the Oriental character is an extraordinary -serenity and an easy-going, contemplative turn of mind. This same -feature also evinces itself in family life. Being a stranger, I had -access only to the Selamlik, <i>i.e.</i>, the men's part of the house, and I -often felt very lonely in the daytime, and had plenty of time and -leisure for my studies. The four years I spent in Turkish households -were in many respects like life in a monastery, and it was not till -later, when I had become acquainted with many prominent members of high -society, that I could break the monotony by making<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> frequent calls, and -bring some variety into my studies. Always welcome in one house as -teacher, in another as friend and guest, I often used to spend two or -three days a week outside the family where I really belonged. I had in -these various houses my own Gedjelik, or night requisites; also a bed at -my disposal, consisting of a cover and bolster and the use of a divan; -and when I arrived anywhere at night it was taken for granted that I -stayed the night and shared the evening meal. The hospitality of the -Orientals, and especially of the Turks, is unbounded, and it is to them -not only a pleasure but also a means of fulfilling one of the most -sacred duties of their religion. Whether one or two more people sit down -at his table makes very little difference to him, for there is always -plenty to satisfy a few unexpected guests, and whether he be rich or -poor, the Turk is always supremely happy when he has plenty of company -at his table. But what struck me especially was the total absence of -aristocratic pride and class distinction in social life. Vizier, -marshal, minister, or son-in-law of the Sultan, all gave me an equally -hearty reception, nobody asked after my antecedents, nobody inquired as -to my circumstances, and I, who at home in the mother country had been -an obscure Jewish teacher, living in absolute retirement, became now in -the very short time of two years the confidential friend of the most -distinguished and wealthiest dignitaries. As friend and guest initiated -into all the mysteries of private<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> and official concerns, I soon became -as learned and knowing as any Effendi born in Stambul and brought up -under the Porte. Of necessity this privileged position in Turkish -society brought me often in contact with European intelligence and the -diplomatic circle at Pera. Besides the Austrian internunciature, where -Baron Schlechta, whom I knew at Vienna, introduced me, I came into -contact with the Prussian, Italian, and English Embassies. At the -Prussian legation I taught Turkish to Count Kayserling, and at the hotel -of the English Embassy I was introduced by Count Pisani, the first -interpreter, to the then powerful Lord Stratford Canning, and I often -acted as interpreter to him when he paid private calls at the house of -Mahmud Nedim Pasha at Bebek. This man of the iron mien was not a little -astonished when he heard me, the supposed Effendi, talk English -fluently. My Turkish appearance, and the fame I enjoyed among the Turks -of a thorough knowledge of their language, soon became the talk of the -diplomatic circles at Pera. I was invited to <i>soirées</i> and public -dinners, and thus received the first impressions of the social life of -the West, the rigorous etiquette and stiffness of which was, honestly -speaking, very objectionable to me at first.</p> - -<p>The free access I had to all circles of Turkish society, where even -native Armenians and Greeks comported themselves with a certain amount -of restraint, gave me a deeper insight into the political<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> and social -condition of Turkey in the fifties than perhaps any other European. And -this was the more interesting as it revealed the first stage of the -transformation from Eastern to Western civilisation. In the house, in -the school, in the harem, in religion, and in government, everywhere a -partly spontaneous, partly forced change became apparent, and, alas! it -was this very first phase of the transformation which gave the -thoughtful spectator but little hope as to the ultimate result of the -metamorphosis, the assimilation of the East of Western ways. There was -no sound basis to work upon, and the introduction of modern civilisation -was forced on far too hastily, for the evident purpose of satisfying the -craving impatience of the West. Wherever one looked, the eye met the -deceptive, forced, and unreal evidences of the reform movement; it was -merely obedience to the word spoken from high places; and even there, -where the necessity of assimilation was acknowledged, a transition from -East to West would eventually have failed. In my constant intercourse -with the leading men of this movement I have often touched upon this -theme, and, pointing out the tremendous difference between Asiatic and -European civilisation, I have always advocated the necessity of a -gradual progress, based on historical, religious and social -developments.</p> - -<p>But I was always met with the answer, "We are forcibly pushed on; they -despise our centuries of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> old Oriental culture, they want to change us, -like a <i>Deus ex machinâ</i>, into Europeans; if they would only give us -time, our transformation would be slower, but more effectual in the -end."</p> - -<p>And now, in view of recent events in Japan, these words are explained as -a mere pretext for the laziness and the spirit of procrastination of the -Moslem East. The fact is lost sight of that the Shinto faith of the -Japanese, never at any time prudish like Islam, has never resisted the -influences of European civilisation in the same degree as the triumphant -doctrine of Mohammed has done. And what is more, one cannot or will not -see that the intensely autocratic government of Moslem sovereigns -hinders the work of modernisation as much as the liberal institutions of -Japan further it.</p> - -<p>When I think of those nightly assemblies at the house of my Pasha, where -the most varied arguments were brought forward, for and against the new -movement, I am particularly struck with the struggle which was going on -between self-abnegation and the forcible ignoring of all the glorious -past, which was inevitably connected with an acknowledgment of the -advantages of Western civilisation. No nation likes to acknowledge of -itself, "All that we have is bad, and all that others have is good." The -number of Turks familiar with our languages and sciences was far too -small to turn the scale in favour of a more correct view of the matter, -and among the few who, on account of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> their modern culture, were capable -of a better opinion, personal ambition and rivalry frustrated many a -good proposal. Reshid Pasha, who stood at the head, was a thoroughly -well-bred, fair, and patriotic man; a statesman full of energy and -perseverance, not hindered or hampered by any prejudices or -prepossessions, honoured with the full confidence of his sovereign, and -one who could have accomplished great things if his own pupils and -assistants had not secretly opposed him, and thus frustrated many of his -plans. The very able Ali Pasha, of whom Mr. Thouvenel, the ambassador of -Napoleon III., said that he wrote better French than many a French -diplomatist, was the paragon of Oriental intriguers and dissimulators. -He was a small, weakly-looking man, with a disproportionately large -head: hence his stooping posture; and in slow, hardly audible words he -used to fling out the hardest criticisms against the politics of his -master and patron, without being able to improve matters. When I was of -the company, either at table or in the drawing-room, he used to steal -furtive glances at me, and only after he had made quite sure of my -discretion and considered me harmless, used he to speak somewhat louder -to those immediately around him; but not until I had borrowed some -Tchagataic books from his well-stocked library did he express himself -without any restraint in my presence, in the full conviction that I, the -philologist, took no interest whatever in <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span>politics. Yes, the hours -spent in the villa of Kanlidjia, with the more than once Grand-Vizier -and Minister of the Exterior, were most instructive to me; they gave me -the first insight into the reform movement and the life and aspirations -of the officials of the higher Porte in those days.</p> - -<p>After Ali Pasha the personality of Fuad Pasha interested me especially. -This tall, stately man, with refined, thoroughly European manners, who, -with his sparkling wit and humorous <i>aperçus</i>, was more like a Frenchman -than a Turk, and, as was generally known, had risen from being a simple -military doctor to the highest State dignity, was now one of the three -first reformers. Although fair and patriotic, he does not appear to have -taken his position very much in earnest. He was complacency itself, but -his sarcasm did not even spare the sacred person of his sovereign; and -once, on the occasion of an illumination, when I happened to be in his -suite, I heard him say, "Yes, it is light everywhere; darkness only -reigns in our State cassa."</p> - -<p>Many of his <i>bon-mots</i> are still in circulation; as, for instance, his -remark to an inquisitive diplomatist, who, in going through the house, -wanted to open the door of the harem: "Monsieur, vous n'êtes accredité -qu'à a Porte—au delà vous n'avez pas de droit." It is told of him that -when he was Ambassador Extraordinary at Madrid, and sat at table next to -the Queen, who drew his attention to the emblem of friendship displayed -on the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span>Spanish-Turkish flag on the ham, he said, "Madame! je reconnais -volontièrement l'emblème de l'amitié—mais comme Musulman, je ne peux -pas reconnaître la neutralité du terrain." In those days I managed to -make quite a collection of his Turkish and French <i>aperçus</i> and poems, -for he had inherited the poetic vein from his father, the celebrated -Tzzet-Molla, who had had the audacity to write a satire against Sultan -Mahmud, and for punishment had been banished to Köchük Tchekmedje. There -he wrote his beautiful poem, "Mihnetkeshan" ("The Sorrowful"), in which -the affectionate father recommends his two sons with rhyming names, Fuad -and Reshad, to God's special protection. Fuad also gave his sons names -that rhyme, for they were called Nazim and Kiazim. Fuad remained the -lifelong, faithful friend of Ali, whose intellectual superiority he -gladly acknowledged, without, however, altogether sparing him the darts -of his sarcasm. Towards me Fuad Pasha was always most gracious, only he -thought that my thirst for knowledge, without showing any practical -results, rather resembled the craving of a hungry man for a glass of -water, and he often quoted to me the Persian lines:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div>"Kushishi bi faide, vesme ber abrui kur,"</div> -<div>(<i>I.e.</i>, "It is vain labour to adorn the eye of the blind.")</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Besides this trio of reformers—Reshid, Ali, Fuad—only very few have -distinguished themselves since that time in the field of home and -foreign<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> politics. The only exceptions are Mehemmed Kibrizli Pasha and -Mehemmed Rushdi Pasha. The former, a Cypriote by birth, who had long -been ambassador in London, was as enthusiastic about England as the -latter was about France. Kibrizli's wife was an Englishwoman, and it -would seem that he concluded this marriage anticipating the future -annexation of his native island by the British Empire. In his politics -he has given many proofs of independence, and was not nearly so amenable -at court as his successor in the Grand-Vizierate. Rushdi Pasha, -generally called Müterdjim (the interpreter), showed himself a Liberal -even in my days, and afterwards, in concert with Midhat Pasha, took a -prominent part in the dethronement of Sultan Aziz. I had access to the -Konak of both, but because of my frequent attendance at the houses of -Fuad and Ali they observed a certain degree of reserve with regard to -me, without, however, being able to hide the tendency of the ruling -spirit there. Of some importance were, even at that time, Aarifi -Effendi, Safvet Effendi, and Server Effendi, who properly belonged to -Ali's clique, and afterwards attained to the highest dignities. They -were all zealous adherents of the reform party, fairly well advanced in -Western civilisation, but none of them made of the stuff of which -political leaders are formed. To the political amphibia belonged the -then Minister of Finance, Hassib Pasha—a blind<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> tool of the court -faction who allowed Sultan Abdul Medjid large sums of money far beyond -the fixed Civil List; and when Fuad Pasha called him to book about this -he replied, "The bank-note press was just in operation, and I thought a -few millions more or less would make no difference." Then there was the -War Minister, Riza Pasha, I might say, next to Fethi Pasha, the Grand -Master of Artillery, the most powerful and influential man of his time, -as he was related to the court, and moreover extremely rich, for he is -said to have purloined enormous sums of money. Last, but not least, -there was Mahmud Nedim Pasha, afterwards called Nedimoff because of his -Russian sympathies. In his house I occupied for two years the position -of French master to his son-in-law, slept there three nights a week, and -even in those days took a dislike to this man who afterwards caused such -harm to Turkey. He was a genuine specimen of the true Oriental, minus -the goodly qualities which characterise the Turks. During his -drinking-bouts, which lasted till long after midnight, he practised -composing Sharkis (love-songs), and while he wrote down his verses under -the inspiration of the Castalian Raki, his Mewlewi-Dervish had to play a -suitable accompaniment on the flute. These songs were afterwards much -liked by the ladies of the Imperial harem, and have probably contributed -to his later influential position. As a politician he was nowhere, for -his ignorance of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> Western affairs was boundless; and when once I had to -be interpreter on the occasion of a visit from Lord Stratford Canning to -the villa at Bebek, where he was acting as substitute for the Minister -of Foreign Affairs, I positively blushed when I had to translate his -ignorant geographical remarks about the Suez Canal—the point under -discussion. No wonder that Ignatieff could afterwards so easily gain -this monster over to assist Russia in the overthrow of Modern Turkey.</p> - -<p>Besides the above, I enjoyed the confidence and hospitality of Damad -Kiamil Pasha, a worthy Turk of the old stamp, immensely rich, who, -notwithstanding his hesitation between West and East, applied himself in -his advanced age to the study of French, and was fond of me because in -his attempts to translate Fénelon's <i>Télémaque</i> I had served him instead -of a dictionary. He led a contemplative life in his villa on the bay of -Bebek, and took great delight in my recitations of Turkish poems.</p> - -<p>It would lead me too far to mention all the Turkish statesmen with whom -I had personal intercourse and whose friendship I enjoyed. I had also -made the acquaintance of the <i>literati</i> of the day—the historians -Shinassi Effendi, Djevdet Effendi, and Khairullah Effendi, who very -kindly assisted me, perhaps not so much on my own account as because of -the high repute which the house of Rifat Pasha, and, later, of his son -Reouf<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> Bey, of which I was then a member, enjoyed with the Porte. I love -to think of those days. In spite of the threatening clouds of State -bankruptcy and the general impoverishment, chiefly caused by the last -Turko-Russian war, the Turkey of the fifties enjoyed a certain -reputation in Europe; and as in our financial world the youngest member -in the European Concert had received loan upon loan, Turkish society was -rich, and on the strength of foreign money luxury grew apace. It was a -period of childish carelessness and abandonment, in which both nation -and ruler were plunged. Sultan Abdul Medjid, the true prototype of those -days, was a kindly monarch, who gladly relinquished the cares of the -State to his dignitaries, while he himself enjoyed all the pleasures of -court life, and was a willing tool in the hands of the reform trio -already mentioned, honestly trying, in outward form at any rate, to copy -the European sovereigns. When at diplomatic dinners he handed his -Havannah cigars to the European ambassadors, or offered his arm to a -European princess who happened to be his guest, or when at solemn -audiences he shook hands with the foreign representatives, he did so -with all the grace of a perfect gentleman, and one could scarcely credit -that only two generations ago the European ambassadors entered the -audience chamber clad in a long kaftan, with a servant walking at each -side of them holding their hands. His father, Sultan<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span> Mahmud, still wore -on State occasions a richly braided coat of Hungarian make, such as may -still be seen among the costumes in the treasure-house. But Sultan Abdul -Medjid dressed in a simple black suit made by Dusetoy in Paris, and when -he appeared on horseback in the streets of the city, graciously -acknowledging the greetings of the multitude with his white-gloved hand, -no one would have recognised in him the earthly representative of -Mohammed, the Khalif of all true believers, and the mighty autocrat of -an empire still extending over three continents. In spite of all his -refined manners, however, he remained the Oriental despot and autocrat. -Whenever he showed himself in this light before Fuad or Ali Pasha the -two statesmen made private comments about it in their own intimate -circle. The Sultan's angry outbursts were faithfully reported, and once -Fuad Pasha told how, when he had gently remonstrated with him in regard -to advances from the public exchequer, the Sultan had accosted him with, -"Am I not the true Osmanli ruler of this land, and owner of all its -possessions?" Of course foreigners had not to fear such -outbursts—towards strangers Abdul Medjid was always most courteous, and -I like to remember the audience I once attended when, by order of the -Grand-Vizier, Kibrizli Pasha, I acted as interpreter to an Englishman -and an Italian, who came to offer for sale a supposed autograph letter -of the Prophet, which had been found in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span> Upper Egypt, and for which -questionable relic they received a large sum of money. The Sultan was -seated at about five feet distance; he spoke in a low voice, and asked -me whether all Hungarians could speak Turkish so easily. Most touching -was his intercourse with Lord Stratford. He called him Baba (father), -and was always willing to follow his advice.</p> - -<p>A detailed narrative of all my experiences in Constantinople would fill -several volumes. Suffice it to say that I had the satisfaction of -knowing that in the diplomatic circles of Pera I was recognised as the -only foreigner familiarly acquainted with the Porte and with Turkish -family life. So I might well be satisfied with my lot. My income had -considerably increased, and after the everlasting struggle with poverty, -misery, and loneliness I had a proportionate degree of wealth, comfort, -and fame; but, strange to say, I could not make up my mind as to my -future career, and did not know in which direction I really wanted to -go. For some time it had been my great desire to be an interpreter at -one of the European embassies: to be an interpreter like those whom I -saw honoured and feared at the Porte, riding on a high horse attended by -servitors, and enjoying a certain amount of distinction in the Pera -circles. But I never tried very hard to realise this ambition, for I -knew that such a position could only be obtained through official -connections with the Governments <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span>concerned. It would have been far -easier for me to get an appointment with the Porte itself, especially as -I had been employed for some considerable time in the translation bureau -of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and through my connection with the -highest dignitaries might have accomplished something, like, for -instance, my former colleague, Murad Effendi (Werner), who, as is well -known, ended his career as Ottoman ambassador at the Hague. I cannot -tell why, but an official career in Turkey, an appointment in a State -which was merely tolerated in Europe, had no attractions whatever for -me. State officials are irregularly paid there, and absolutely dependent -upon the whims of their superiors; advancement is not in any way -dependent upon personal merit, and altogether such State service had no -charm for me.</p> - -<p>Possibly similar motives would have made me object to service in Europe -also, for we too suffer from the same disease which has thrown Turkey on -its deathbed; but because of my origin and lack of means I had never -dared to think of any diplomatic appointment at home; and besides, I -should probably soon have tired of even the greatest success in this -department, for in the first place my unbounded sense of freedom could -not in the long run have brooked any interference or subordination, and -in the second place I was, and ever shall be, an incorrigible enthusiast -and visionary, only delighting in the extraordinary; a man who,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> running -helter-skelter after empty phantoms, does not come to his senses and -never knows what he really wants or can do. Perhaps some will say that -these are the very people called upon to accomplish extraordinary -things, and that with more reflection I might have shrunk back from many -a mad enterprise. True; but one must not overlook the faults and -mistakes of such ill-weighed, badly arranged steps; and the effects of -these faults and mistakes I have often experienced during my travels and -during my after-life!</p> - -<p>The only consolation and refuge in all my complicated ambitions and -aimless endeavours was, and remained always, a steady progress in my -studies and the conviction that, true to my principle, accepted in early -life, "Nulla dies sine linea," I had not one lost day to record. While I -was perfecting myself in the acquisition of certain peculiar linguistic -niceties, which only practice on the spot and constant intercourse can -teach, and thus gradually becoming an accomplished Effendi, I had from -the very commencement of my sojourn in Turkish houses set myself to the -reading of Turkish manuscripts, and I had thus overcome the great -difficulty of deciphering such manuscripts and also made rapid progress -in the knowledge of Ottoman history. I had access to the libraries, and -in the historical works which formerly I knew only by name I found so -much that had reference to the history of Hungary that I intended to -begin my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> literary career by translating these. Besides this I made a -study of the conversational language, and a Germano-Turkish pocket -dictionary containing about 14,000 words, which was published in Pera, -1858, by Georg Köhler, was the first work with which I appeared before -the public. It was also the first German book printed in Constantinople. -To this purely scientific occupation I soon added public writing, as my -constant and intimate intercourse with the political circles of the high -Porte enabled me to obtain accurate information about the political -questions of the day. Stambul, although only separated from Pera by the -Golden Horn, is quite cut off from this centre of European life on -account of the strong line of demarcation between the Turkish circles -and Pera; and when on my daily visits to the European quarter I came -into contact with politicians and journalists, I was looked upon and -sought after as a source of information for the latest news and -disclosures. I was surprised to see how little the Pera world knew of -what was going on in Stambul; I hastened to enlighten the world by -correct information, and became in this manner, without seeking or -desiring it, reporter and journalist. I gained my first journalistic -spurs with the <i>Augsburger Algemeine Zeitung</i>, through its -correspondent, a Prussian officer named Reiner. I sent in a few notes, -which he inserted in his Correspondence. Later on I wrote letters under -my Turkish name,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span> "Reshid," for the <i>Pesti Naplo</i> in Budapest, and -instead of an honorarium I received only patriotic acknowledgments. When -Vienna's attention had been drawn towards the originality of my -Hungarian correspondence the <i>Wanderer</i> appointed me as regular -correspondent. Amongst these many-sided occupations of teacher, -historian, Softa, and linguist my studies regarding the origin of the -Magyars were always uppermost. The mysterious origin of the Magyar -nation and language, which to this day has not yet been explained, was a -subject which ever since I began my linguistic studies had particularly -interested me. It had taken hold of my youthful fancy also, because at -school many tales and legends had been told us in explanation of it. The -campaign of the warlike ancestors of the present Hungarians had at all -times awakened in the hearts of the Magyars a peculiar interest in and -sense of the poetic charm of lands of the interior of Asia, and behind -the curtain which as yet hid the Steppe region of Central Asia (the -supposed cradle of the Ural-Altaians at the time of the great migration -to Europe) from the gaze of Europeans, the most wonderful pictures of -national romance and inspiration were faintly discerned. When I beheld -the grotesque Orientals of the interior of Asia this curiosity became -naturally still more lively. The beautiful colouring of their ample -robes, the stores of ammunition in their girdles, and their proud, -dignified bearing must necessarily increase the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span> desire to claim -relationship with these old-world types; and when I realised that the -similarity between the Magyar and Turkish languages increases as we -advance farther into the interior of Asia I could not help being -convinced in my innermost mind that the <i>terra incognita</i> of Central -Asia held quite unexpected surprises for me.</p> - -<p>The real impulse for inquiring into the ancient history of the Magyar -nation dates back to my boyhood. It was in the year 1849. I was sitting -with my playfellows in a maize-field. It was harvest-time and shortly -after the surrender of Fort Komárom. Some straggling Honvéds, mournful -and of broken-down appearance, were on their way home after the -conclusion of the War of Independence, and stopped their march in the -field where we were, to tell us of their struggles, and their stories -made us all feel very sad. An old peasant, the owner of the field, -comforted us and said, "It will all come right. Whenever our nation is -in trouble the old Magyars from Asia come to our rescue, for we descend -from them; they will not fail us this time, you may be sure." "So there -are old Magyars," I thought to myself, and ever since that time the idea -has stuck to me. Whether it was an old tradition or a later historical -legend is impossible to say, but it is a very remarkable fact that this -old-world story after many centuries still lives in the national mind; -the peasant who told it to us could neither read nor write and could -only speak from hearsay.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span></p><p>It followed as a matter of course that as an outcome of my studies in -comparative philology I hoped to find in Central Asia a few rays of -light to guide me through the dark regions of primitive Hungarian -history. The language of Central Asia, <i>i.e.</i>, Chagataic or East -Turkish, was in those days known to us in the West only by the works of -the French Orientalist, Quatremère. Judging from the relationship -between the written and the spoken language of the Osmanlis, I hoped and -expected to find among the idioms of the Steppes and of the -town-dwellers on the other side of the Oxus linguistic elements which -would show a pregnant resemblance and relationship with the Magyar -language, and that in consequence I could not fail to make important -discoveries and considerably help the solution of the origin question. -The idea of a journey to Central Asia had been in my mind for many -years; I thought of it incessantly and always tried to get into contact -with the Mecca pilgrims who came to Stambul from the various khanates of -Central Asia. On the other hand, I greedily devoured every scrap of -Chagataic writing; and when I was admitted to the private library of the -celebrated Ali Pasha, which was rich in this subject, my joy knew no -bounds. The Turks themselves looked upon this curiosity of mine as a -kind of literary madness. They could not understand how I, without -position and without means, living from hand to mouth, could be so -enthusiastic<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> about such an abstract, useless, ridiculous thing, and as -the witty Fuad Pasha tried to cool my ardour by the remark already -mentioned, other Turks kept reiterating, "Allah akillar versin," <i>i.e.</i>, -"God grant wisdom," in order that I who have none may also obtain a -little. The Turks, whose national feeling has only begun quite lately to -show itself, content themselves with a queer mixture of Arabic and -Persian. Real Turkish does not suit them at all; it is even considered -plebeian, and of the relationship between their Turkish mother-tongue -and the sister dialects of inner Asia they have but a very faint notion, -if any at all. Curious as my study of the Turkish language seemed to -them, my desire to travel in these remote and unsafe parts in order to -gain more knowledge was absolutely incomprehensible to them. They simply -thought me a maniac who, instead of soliciting the favour of influential -and great men, so as to lead a pleasant and comfortable life, preferred -to throw myself into the greatest dangers and privations, and who would -certainly not escape them. Many shook their heads and looked -compassionately at me; they even began to fight shy of me, and when my -friends saw me in company with the ragged, half-naked pilgrims from -Central Asia who often came to Stambul they turned away from me and -declared that I was irretrievably lost.</p> - -<p>I need hardly say that these deplorable signs of ignorance and absolute -lack of higher ideals did not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> in the least disturb me. My adopted -Turkdom, my pseudo-Oriental character and nature were, after all -confined to external things; in my inmost being I was filled through and -through with the spirit of the West, and the deeper I penetrated into -the life and thoughts of Asiatic society the more passionately and -warmly did I cling to Western ideas, for there alone did I find the -aspirations worthy of mankind, there alone could I see what was really -noble and exalted. My resolve to tear myself away from the life at -Stambul, which threatened to emasculate me, remained immovably fixed, -and my plans were only somewhat delayed until the necessary travelling -means should have been procured. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences had -at that time, in acknowledgment of my literary work, made me a -corresponding member of the institution; and when, after an absence of -four years, I returned to Pest in 1861 to deliver my entrance address to -the Academy, I told Count E. Dessewffy, the president, of my plans, and -asked him whether the Academy would be able to give me some assistance -for the journey. The Hungarian Academy was at that time not particularly -well off, but fortunately one thousand florins had been put aside for -scientific travels, and Count Dessewffy, an energetic, unprejudiced man, -decided at once that I should have them on condition that I went into -the interior of Asia to investigate the relationships of the Magyar -language. His decision was at first<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> objected to by some of the members -on account of my bodily defects and delicate looks, also perhaps because -of the small sum at my disposal. They opposed in public session, but the -Count remained firm; and when an enthusiastic craniologist wanted to -commission me to bring some Tartar skulls for comparison with Magyar -skulls, the Count replied, "Before all things we would ask our -fellow-member to bring his own skull home again; thereby he will best -fulfil the charge entrusted to him."</p> - -<p>Little as was known in Europe of Central Asia in those days, my learned -compatriots had not the remotest conception of these distant parts; -finally, however, the national side of the undertaking carried the -victory, and although most of the members considered it a great risk, -they consented to it. They took leave of me with the warmest -protestations of friendship, and in order to protect me against any -danger they gave me the following letter of safe-conduct written in -Latin:—</p> - -<blockquote> -<p class="center">"<i>Magyar Academia.</i></p> - -<p>Academia Scientiarum Hungarica sub Auspiciis Potentissimi et -Inclitissimi Principis Francisci Josephi II. Austriae Imperatoris -et Hungariae Regis vigens.</p> - -<p class="center"><i>Lecturis Salutem.</i></p> - -<p>Socius noster Vir ingenuus honestissimusque Arminius Vambéry -Hungarus eo fine per nos ad<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> oras Asiae Tartaricas mittitur; ut -ibidem studio et disquisitioni linguae et dialectorum -Turcico-Tartaricarum incumbat et sic nova perscrutandae linguae -nostrae popularis Hungaricae, familiae altaicae cognatae adminicula -scientifica procuret.</p> - -<p>Omnes igitur Viros Illustres, qui literas has nostras viderint, -quive, vel Rei Publicae administrandae in Imperiis Summorum -Principum Turciae et Persarum praesunt, vel Legationibus Principum -Europaeorum funguntur, aut secus amore literarum tenentur, rogamus -obtestamurque, ut eidem Socio nostro Arminio Vambéry in rebus -quibuscunque, quae ad promovendum eius scopum literarum pertinent, -gratiose opitulari eumque benevola protectione sua fulcire velint.</p> - -<p>Datae Pestini in Hungarica, die 1 Augusti anno mdccclxi.</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Baro Josephus Eötvös</span><br /> -(<i>Acad. Sci. Hung. V. Praeses</i>).<br /> -<span class="smcap">Dr. Franciscus Toldy</span>,<br /> -(<i>Acad. Sci. Hung. Secretarius perpetuus</i>)."</p> - -<p><i>Seal.</i></p></blockquote> - -<p>The good gentlemen at home hoped that I should find this letter of -commendation useful with the Khans in Turkestan and the Turkoman chiefs. -It would have meant at least the gallows or the executioner's sword if I -had shown this infidel writing either in the Steppe or on the Oxus!</p> - -<p class="space-above">Full of glorious expectations, I left Pest in 1861<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> to go to -Constantinople for the second time. There I wanted to make the necessary -preparations to enable me to start in the early spring on my wanderings -through Asia Minor and Persia. The rate of exchange being so -preposterously high, the thousand florins in Austrian bank-notes had -dwindled down to seven hundred, and a stay of several more months in -Constantinople further reduced my little stock of ready money. When in -March, 1862, I went on board the Lloyd steamer <i>Progresso</i> to Trebizond, -the girdle which I wore next to my skin contained only enough to take me -as far as Teheran. Truly a risky undertaking, perhaps a mad trick, the -danger of which I hardly realised just then. It was somewhat hard to -part with all my kind Turkish friends in Stambul. These noble people did -all they could to help me, and to postpone my certain destruction, as -they thought, as long as possible. They advised me to go for the present -only to Persia; and as the plenipotentiary and Turkish ambassador at the -court of Teheran was at that time Haidar Effendi, an intimate friend of -my patron, Reouf Bey, I received, besides the official commendation of -Ali Pasha, also a collective letter from several distinguished officials -of the Porte, in which they commended me, the poor demented one, to his -kind care. Of my European descent, of the aim and object of my journey, -not one word. I had to be Reshid Effendi only, and comport myself so as -to tally exactly with my letter of introduction. I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> durst not do -anything else, for it was imperative that I should pass for a real Turk, -an Effendi from Constantinople.</p> - -<p>As for my state of mind when the critical moment of departure arrived, I -was so excited that I hardly knew what I was doing. The dreams of my -childhood, the visions of my youth, the Fata Morgana which had played -before my eyes through all my rambles in the literatures of Eastern and -Western lands—all were now nearing realisation, and my eyes were to -behold all these wonders in bodily form. Anticipation drowned the voice -of reason and common sense within me. What indeed could have made me -afraid? After all, the dangers before me were but of a material -nature—privation, fighting the elements, risk of health, sickness. -Failure and death never entered into my speculations. And what were all -these sufferings to me, who had had my measure full of them in my early -years? Hunger I suffered in Europe till my eighteenth year. Insufficient -clothing had been my portion from earliest youth. And as for sneering -and scoffing, the poor little Jew boy had had to bear plenty of that -with many other insults from his Christian playmates. Where was the -difference between their derisive "Hep! Heps!" and throwing of stones, -and the insults of the fanatical Shiites, or the suspicion of the -Central Asiatics?</p> - -<p>Human whims and weaknesses were indeed well known to me, and experience -taught me that,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span> whether in the rough garb of the Asiatic or in the -refined dress of the Westerner, men are much the same everywhere; nay, -more, I have found more compassion and kindness of heart with the former -than with the latter, and the terrible pictures which literature gives -us of barbarian customs and dealings need not have discouraged me too -much. There is only one thing which strikes me as rather remarkable in -my firm decision to carry out my intention, and this is, that having -once emerged from the school of misery and wretchedness, and having -tasted the pleasures of good cheer and comfort, I should voluntarily -return to the former. For in Constantinople, as already mentioned, I was -getting on well the last few years—very well, in fact. I had a -comfortable home, plenty to eat, even a horse at my disposal; and now I -was going to exchange all that, of my own free will, for a beggar's -staff. This perhaps is the only thing that can be counted to my credit.</p> - -<p>But to what can not the sting of ambition spur us! And what is our life -worth where this impetus, this source of all energy, does not exist or -has become weakened? Material comforts, distinctions and dignities are -but particoloured toys which fascinate us only for a time. True -satisfaction lies in the consciousness of having rendered if only the -smallest service to mankind in general; and what in all the world is -more glorious than the hope of being able to enrich the book of -intellectual life<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> which lies open before us, if only with one single -letter! Such were my thoughts and feelings, and I found strength therein -to face a thousand times greater dangers, difficulties, and privations -than had hitherto fallen to my lot. I have often asked myself the -question whether, apart from these higher, ideal aims, the thought of -material advantages, <i>i.e.</i>, my future welfare, never crossed my mind. -There would certainly have been no harm in this, but if material welfare -had been my object its realisation would have been far less difficult -and more certain of success if I had followed an official career at -Constantinople, where I had influential patrons, and where I could have -settled down in quiet pastures. No; my scheme was the outcome of my -heated fancy, a mighty longing for the unknown and an insatiable thirst -for adventure.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold2">My Second Journey to the East</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER V</span> <span class="smaller">MY SECOND JOURNEY TO THE EAST</span></h2> - -<p>As I have published several books about this my second journey to the -East, and as these, being translated into various languages, have become -public property over the civilised world, I intend in these memoirs to -touch only upon such points as are of a purely personal character, and -could therefore find no place in the general accounts of my travels -written for the world at large. And I want to lay particular stress upon -such details as led to the gradual transformation of the Stambul Effendi -into the confirmed Asiatic and the mendicant Dervish. In their light my -many strange adventures will appear but the natural outcome of my -career. This I consider the more necessary as it will enable my readers -to note both the psychical transitions and the ethical and social -influences to which the constant and intimate intercourse with the -natives necessarily subjected me. It will help to show how, in a -comparatively short time, changes<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span> were effected which even I myself -cannot quite account for.</p> - -<p class="space-above">After leaving the hospitable roof of Emin Mukhlis Pasha, the Governor of -Trebizond, I continued my journey to Persia in the company of a small -trading caravan. As I laboriously climbed up the Pontus mountain slope, -and watched the sea gradually receding in the distance, a feeling of -anxiety came over me, and for the first time I experienced that internal -struggle between the craving for adventure and a sickening dread of the -uncertainty and perilousness of my undertaking. It was springtime. The -glorious scenery and the charms of nature all along the road as I -ascended the Propontic mountain had well-nigh dispersed these dark -forebodings, and my enthusiasm had almost gained the day. But when at -night I had to put up at a dirty, loathsome caravansary, and after -spreading my carpet on the bare floor, tired out as I was with my first -ride, had to prepare my own frugal evening meal, the cold gravity of my -position overwhelmed me, and I realised for the first time the awful -difference between dark reality and rose-coloured imagination. My rice -was burnt, the fat rancid, and the bread one of the worst kinds I had -ever tasted in Turkey. My bed on the cold floor was anything but -comfortable, and when, in spite of all, I fell into a heavy sleep, I had -only the exhaustion after my first ride to thank for it. That<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> first -long ride left its painful effects for two or three days. The stretch -between Trebizond and Erzerum, a foretaste of the long ride to -Samarkand, was altogether the most painful I have ever experienced; for -in the first place I had to ingratiate myself with my fellow-travellers, -mainly consisting of raw, dirty, fanatical mule-drivers, and, worst of -all, I had to get used to the vermin with which every night's lodging -swarmed. Arrived at Erzerum, where I enjoyed the hospitality of my -former principal, Hussein Daim Pasha, who here occupied the position of -military governor, I enjoyed a good rest. The kind-hearted man, an -enthusiastic religious mystic, was firmly convinced of the pious motives -of my journey to Bokhara, and both he and his adjutant, Hidayet Effendi, -instructed me for hours in the mysteries of the various orders, and -especially of the Nakish Bendi, to the grave of whose founder I was to -make a pilgrimage. It was during my stay at this house that I witnessed -quite an original use of superstition in the service of the law. One day -the Pasha lost a valuable diamond ring, and as he had not been out of -the house one might justly suppose that the ring would be found, unless -one of the numerous servants of the establishment had made away with it. -As all investigations were fruitless, Hidayet Effendi sent for a -celebrated wonder-working Sheikh, who squatted down in the middle of the -great entrance-hall, where all the servants were assembled. I -impatiently waited the issue of events. At last the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span> Sheikh, sitting -cross-legged, produced from under his mantle a black cock, and holding -it in his lap he invited all the servants, each in turn, to come up to -him, stroke the cock softly and straightway put his hand into his -pocket; then, said the Sheikh, the cock, without any more ado, will -declare who is the thief by crowing. When all the servants had passed in -turn before the Sheikh and touched the cock, he told them all to hold -out their hands. All hands were black, with the exception of one, which -had remained white, and whose owner was at once designated as the thief. -The cock had been blackened all over with coal dust, and as the thief, -fearing detection, had avoided touching him, his hand had remained -white, and consequently his guilt was declared. The servant received his -punishment and the Sheikh his reward.</p> - -<p>My sojourn in the house of the Pasha and in Erzerum generally, was very -pleasant and comfortable, but hardly a good preparation for my further -journey over the Armenian heights to the frontier of Persia, one of the -most troublesome étapes of Asiatic travel. The poor Armenian houses, -mostly underground holes, looking from the outside more like molehills -than anything else, consist of one apartment in which the inmates live, -crowded together with from ten to twenty buffaloes, and the first night -I spent in company with these evil-smelling animals, tormented by smoke -and heat and vermin, will ever remain vivid in my mind. The crisp -morning air<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> of the high Armenian plateau acted like a tonic upon my -weakened nerves. I felt supremely happy and drank in the pure, keen air -with delight. One would like to shout for very joy if it were not for -the constant dread of an attack by the Kurds who make their home in -these Körogly passes, and are ever more keenly on the watch for small -caravans than even for single travellers.</p> - -<p>It was here on the Dagar mountains that I had my first encounter with -the Kurdish robber hordes. It was my baptism of fire, but instead of -filling me with enthusiasm, a deathly cold shiver came over me when at -the request of my Armenian fellow-travellers I took up my pistol to act -the protector. The precious bales of goods of the Armenian merchants had -already been unloaded by the Kurds, and we stormed up the steep incline -to call the robbers to account. Bravery, quick decision, and contempt of -death are noble virtues, but one is not always born with them; they have -to be learned and practised. The bold front, the keen eye, and the blood -coursing wildly through one's veins are all symptoms of valour, but they -may also be those of a more or less reckless temper. Since that first -episode on the Dagar I have in my subsequent travels often been exposed -to attacks and surprises of various kinds, until at last I learned to -face all dangers boldly, and had no more fear of death. But I still hold -to my opinion, that heroes are not born but made, and that the most -timid home-lover<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> can by a gradual process of compulsory self-defence -become a very lion of strength and valour. Thus and thus only is -produced that much-exalted virtue of personal courage and heroism. The -pressing need of self-preservation is the real source of all heroism, -and in the physically strong this psychological quality can hardly fail -to show itself.</p> - -<p>As I crossed the Persian frontiers at Diadin, and actually found myself -in the land of Iran—the land which hitherto I had only viewed in the -light of poetic fancy—the bare and barren wilderness which met my eyes -added to my physical and mental sufferings, rudely tore away the last -vestige of the glamour which my imagination had woven round this -blissful spot. I was thoroughly disillusioned. Here I was, an Effendi, -the greatest monster in the eyes of the Shiite Persian, in virtue of my -antecedents, subject to scornful remarks, derisive laughter, and -continually exposed to gross insults; for the Persians on their native -soil are bold and audacious fanatics. As if I had not suffered enough of -this in my early youth! The Hydra of religious fury now attacked and -tormented me in a new form, and the "Segi Sunni!" ("Sunnitic dog!"), a -variant of the "Hep! Hep!" of former days, resounded day and night in my -ears. The villainy and knavery of the Persian merchants and Mollas were -not less offensive than the stones thrown by the Christian street-boys -and the invectives of the Catholic college instructors. But this trial -also I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> learned to overcome. Patience and endurance disarm the bitterest -opponent, and when in a melodious voice and with strict Shiite -modulation I recited a Sura from the Koran, or a passage from the -Mesnevi, the sacred books common to both sects, their anger subsided and -my fanatical fellow-travellers comforted themselves by saying, "He is -not quite lost yet, he may yet grow to be a good Mussulman," <i>i.e.</i>, a -Shiite. As will appear from the following pages of this work, it was for -the most part religion, the product of Divine inspiration and the -supposed means for ennobling and raising mankind, which made me feel the -baseness of humanity most acutely; and from my cradle to my old age, in -Europe as well as in Asia, among those of highest culture, as well as -amid the crudest barbarism, I have found fanaticism and -narrow-mindedness, malice, and injustice emanating mostly from the -religious people, and always on behalf of religion!</p> - -<p>Arrived on Persian soil, my material troubles and struggles were further -enhanced by physical sufferings. I shall never forget the impression -made upon me by the furtive looks of anger and disdain cast upon me by -the Persians I met in the streets or in the bazaar of Khoi. The national -language is Turkish there, but as soon as I opened my mouth my pure -Stambul accent at once betrayed my Sunnitic character. This ill-will is -a retribution for the insults and the chicanery to which the Shiite -strangers in Turkey are exposed, but I could not help asking<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> myself, -"What have I done to these people? Have I in any way aided in preventing -Ali from succeeding to the Prophet?" But all speculations and arguments -were useless. I came in the character of an Effendi, and the profound -disgust which this word awakens in the Shiite mind accounted quite -sufficiently for all the insults I had to bear. Even for money these -fanatics would scarcely sell me anything. The question arose whether -Sunnites, like Christians, were to be accounted <i>nedjis</i>, <i>i.e.</i>, -unclean, whom to touch is a sin; and it was only after prolonged and -violent discussions that I could pacify their scruples on this point. If -there had been a livelier intercourse between Turks and Persians I -should probably have had less to suffer, but I was the first private -Osmanli who, for many years, had travelled in Persia, and therefore I -must take weal and woe into the bargain. I was surprised to find that -the women were far more vehement in their expressions than the men; many -spat at me as they passed me on the road, giving expression to their -hatred by pithy oaths. Truly woman everywhere is more passionate than -man! Thanks to my excellent health and vigour, still further improved by -abnormal physical exertions, I was able to cope with these mental -distractions. I even enjoyed the excitement of them; and when at Tebris, -in the Emir caravanseray, I had for several days been an attentive -spectator from within my little cell, of the mad carryings-on of the -Persian traders, craftsmen,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> beggars, Dervishes, buffoons, singers, and -jugglers, I felt that I was gradually being transformed into an -Oriental, and that my existence as a poor traveller was quite bearable. -Exchanging my semi-European dress, piece by piece, for the long, wide -Persian garments, I gradually accomplished the metamorphosis of my -outward appearance; I was no longer conspicuous in a crowd. Once, as I -was loitering about in the courtyard of the caravanseray, I noticed -among the bargaining groups collected round the loaded and unloaded -beasts of burden a European, who while unpacking his bales was evidently -at a loss for a Turkish word. Impatiently he turned over the leaves of a -small octavo volume, and I was not a little amused to recognise in it my -own Turkish pocket dictionary printed in Pera many years ago. When the -merchant (he was a Swiss, a Mr. W., commission agent at Tebris), after a -fruitless search, put the little book impatiently aside with no very -complimentary remarks, I suddenly addressed him in German, remarking -that the writer of his little dictionary was not exactly a fool, only -that he had been looking in the wrong place. To be addressed in German -by a ragged semi-Turkish, semi-Persian individual in the bazaar at -Tebris was a little too much even for the equanimity of this son of -Mercury. We exchanged a few words, reproaches and irritation were -followed by apologies, and the end of the comical intermezzo was an -invitation to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> his house and lavish hospitality for a few days. Amusing -adventures of a similar nature befell me on other occasions, and it was -always and everywhere my linguistic skill, and the ease with which I -could reproduce foreign accents, intonations, and constructions, and in -many instances quote suitable maxims and passages of the Koran, -accompanied with the usual gesticulations, that took with my audience, -and made me pass for a native in spite of my foreign physiognomy.</p> - -<p>I had noticed this with pleasure on the banks of the Bosphorus, and more -still on the first part of my journey in the interior of Asia. I could -not say that I was proof against all suspicion, for the typical -expression of the face always excited doubt, and was detrimental to me, -but in the variegated national mosaic of the West Asiatic world, where -types and races of all zones meet and mix in ever-varying amalgamation, -there language is everything and looks nothing; and when this language, -moreover, expresses respect for Allah and the Prophet, one becomes -incorporated <i>de jure et de facto</i> in the all-encompassing bond of -religious community, and one ceases to be a foreigner.</p> - -<p>And so my stay at the caravanseray of Tebris was full of curious -impressions and incidents. Sitting in my poor, bare little cell, I -watched for hours together the confused bustle of the bartering, -wrangling, shouting, singing, begging crowd in the court. Sometimes I -went out among them, spoke<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> to one or another, talked about trade in its -various branches, and in the evening hours when it was comparatively -quiet in the caravanseray, sometimes, when I could not get out of it, I -joined in the conversation about sectarianism, politics, and other -matters. The merchant of the East is always a man of the opposition, for -he has much to suffer from anarchy and the <i>régime</i> of absolutism, and -his open criticism has often surprised me.</p> - -<p>After a prolonged stay in Tebris, I found myself at last in the saddle -again on the way to Teheran. The future appeared more hopeful, and the -success of my undertaking somewhat more certain. Instead of travelling -in the usual caravan I had joined a company of travellers who, although -natives of Sunnitic lands, Kurds and Arabs, wandered all over Iran in -Shiite disguise. Religion was their business—that is to say, they -travelled from village to village singing elegies (Rouzekhan), and daily -shed bucketfuls of tears in the commemoration of the tragic fate of the -martyrs Hasan and Husein, and then, after pocketing the shining gold -pieces, the disguised Sunnites laughed in their sleeve. Another kind of -these religion-traders occupied themselves with the expediting of -Persians, both living and dead, to the holy shrine at Kerbela. To the -former they served as guides on their pilgrimage, getting as much as -they could out of them, and secretly conniving with the marauding -Beduins, who attacked and stripped them of all they possessed. The<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> -latter, <i>i.e.</i>, the departed faithful worshippers of Ali, are -transported by them between four planks to Kerbela and Nedshef. In my -<i>Wanderings and Experiences in Persia</i> I have attempted to describe such -a funeral caravan. It is the most awful and gruesome spectacle -imaginable, but it is a profitable trade; and when I travelled in -company with these gentlemen expeditioners, elegy-singers, and -Kerbela-pilgrims, I came to the conclusion that the juggling of the -pious in East and West, amongst Christians and Mohammedans, is all the -same. Here as there the maxim holds good: "<i>Mundus vult decipi—ergo -decipiatur</i>," only that the felicity of being deceived is in Asia far -more intense than with us in Europe.</p> - -<p>In Asia the light of civilisation and revelation has as yet illumined -but a few. Scepticism has always been timid in the world of Islam, even -in the time of its glory, and now that poverty and misery reign supreme, -and the struggle for existence is almost the only thing thought of or -cared for, there is but little desire for metaphysical speculations; -people have no time for meditation, and conform with cold apathy to the -old prescribed forms of faith.</p> - -<p>In spite of the oppressive July heat, in spite of occasional nightly -attacks, or rather intimidations by robber bands, I arrived full of good -courage in the Persian capital; and after I had somewhat recovered from -the fatigues of the journey at the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> Turkish Embassy in the cool valley -of the Shimran mountains, no one was happier than I when the cooler -weather set in, and, leaving luxury and comfort behind, I was able to -resume my adventurous route to South Persia, <i>i.e.</i>, to Ispahan, Shiraz, -and Persepolis. This journey formed, so to speak, the second course of -my preparation for the expedition into Central Asia, and if I had not -gone through this course I don't know but that my perilous expedition -into Turkestan would on the whole have been a failure. When I arrived in -Teheran I was greeted with the discouraging news that a journey to -Bokhara was fraught with gigantic and unconquerable dangers, and not by -any means so easy as I had imagined, and, moreover, that in the -North-East of Persia, because of the war between Dost Mohammed and Ahmed -Shah, the journey <i>viâ</i> Meshed and Merv or <i>viâ</i> Herat had become -perfectly impossible. So I was obliged, in order to avoid further -inactivity, to find another opening and a new field of labour. As the -study of the Aryan languages was not at all in my programme, there -seemed no object in my going to South Persia. But I durst not break off -the hardening system I had commenced, and I had already grown so fond of -the excitement of venturesome expeditions that the dry saddle, dry -bread, and dry soil were more to my taste than all the luxury, riches, -and wealth of the hospitable Turkish Embassy. The kind reception I had -met with there secured<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> for me, in the Persian capital, the -half-official character of an attaché to the Embassy. I gained -admittance to the houses of the aristocracy, and was also presented to -the King, and when ready to start for South Persia the Persian -Government gave me the following letter of commendation:—</p> - -<blockquote><p>"The State officials of the glorious residence as far as Shiraz are -hereby notified that the high-born and noble Reshid Effendi, a -subject of the Ottoman Government, who has come to travel in this -land, is now on his way to the Province of Fars. On account of the -friendly relations between the two States, and also because of the -harmony prescribed by the common Moslem religion, all officials of -those regions are hereby instructed to see that the traveller above -mentioned receive all due honour and respect; to protect him on the -journey and at the different stations against all injuries and -molestations.</p> - -<p class="right">"<span class="smcap">Mirza Said Khan</span><span class="s3"> </span><br /> -"(<i>Minister of Foreign Affairs</i>).</p> - -<p>"<span class="smcap">Teheran</span>, 24th Safar, 1279."</p></blockquote> - -<p>Considering the very small consideration which even the very highest -official commands receive in the provinces, I did not attach overmuch -importance to this letter. It has, however, protected me occasionally -against suspicion.</p> - -<p>In Ispahan and Shiraz I could, in my character of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> Stambul Effendi under -State protection, obtain a much more intimate knowledge of the land and -the people of Persia than falls to the lot of any other European. I -particularly enjoyed my stay at the house of Imam Djumaa of Ispahan, the -Shiite high priest at that time, to whom I was a regular problem, and -who tried in vain to penetrate my incognito. This cunning and most -skilful man, who exercised great influence, gave himself much trouble to -convert me to the Shiite sect. Evenings for disputations were organised, -in which learned Shiite Akhondes (priests) and Mollas unpacked all the -paraphernalia of their sectarian learning for my benefit; they entered -into the minutest details to prove the correctness of Shiite dogmas and -rites, they marshalled a whole army of arguments to prove the -usurpations of the first Kalifs, Abubeker, Osman, and Omar, and Ali's -irrefutable right of succession. As I had often been present at similar -discussions in the opposite—that is, in the Sunnitic—camp, I was not -afraid to put in a word to the point here and there; but when, very -closely pressed, I was at a loss for an answer, my opponents rejoiced, -and in overcoming me, the disguised European, they fancied they had -conquered all the Sunnites. Poor fools! what would have been their -feelings if they had known that through contact with a Frenghi they had -become Nedjis, <i>i.e.</i>, unclean, and that they had taken all this trouble -over a declared enemy of all positive faith. In my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> intercourse with the -lower classes these discussions were not carried on in quite so pleasant -a manner. During the long caravan journey I was never free from their -impertinent questions; whether on the march, resting, eating or -drinking, they challenged me, and left me no peace. Even in the coolness -of the night, when I had fallen asleep seated on my slowly-trotting -donkey, I was often roughly roused and accosted with such remarks as, -"Now, then, do you mean to say that this mangy dog, called Omar, this -hideous, infernal beast, this stinking vermin, was not a usurper? -Answer, Effendi, for I tell you I have a great mind to send you down to -the infernal regions after your dirty patron-saint."</p> - -<p>Thirteen hundred years have passed away since first the spirit of -mastery and boastfulness began to wage this barbarous, destructive war -in the name of religion—a war which has led to the shedding of oceans -of blood, and cost mountains of wreck and ruin. And here was I, a -harmless wayfarer, a follower of Voltaire and David Strauss, rudely -roused from my peaceful slumbers and forcibly dragged into stupid -arguments! It was too bad!</p> - -<p>Indeed, my visit to South Persia, with all its glorious monuments many -thousand years old, with the graves of Hafiz and Saadi, cost me very -dearly. In my book about Persia I did not mention a tenth part of all -the sufferings, all the privations I had to bear, and yet, in spite of -all, I experienced intense<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span> joy during this expedition. Every modulation -of the beautiful South Persian dialect, the sight of the glorious -monuments of Iranian antiquity, made my bosom swell and wrapt me in a -world of delicious dreams. Never shall I forget the night of my arrival -at the ruins of Persepolis. It was bright moonlight, and I stood for -hours, transfixed in silent wonder, gazing at the gigantic monuments of -ancient culture. Then the evenings spent in company with Persian -literati, at Hafiz's grave, with music and song and the pearly goblet in -our hands, or the solemn moments of pious meditation in Saadi's -mausoleum, shall I ever forget them?</p> - -<p>Apart from these intellectual enjoyments of a peculiar nature, the -journey to and from Shiraz, which lasted for several months, had -considerably hardened me, and given me a quite extraordinary elasticity. -I could brave wind and rain, heat and cold, without the slightest risk; -I slept in the saddle as on the softest bed, I rode on any kind of -saddle-beast over hill and dale; nay, I took special pleasure in -horsemanship—a thing which, considering my lame leg, is now -incomprehensible to me. I swung myself into the saddle of a horse in -full gallop, I mounted high-loaded mules and camels as if I had been -brought up with rope-dancers, and I felt safe in company with the -roughest specimens of humanity as if I had lived all my life with -vagabonds and robbers. Under these conditions it is not surprising that, -on returning from South Persia, I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span> stuck to my resolution to undertake -the journey to Bokhara, if necessary <i>viâ</i> Herat and right through the -Turkoman Steppes, and that all the words of advice, warning, and -intimidation of European and Turkish friends at Teheran were fruitless, -and left me perfectly unmoved. I thought to myself, "What can befall me -worse than what I have gone through already?" I had long since discarded -the character of the poor Effendi in which I had commenced my travels, -and, without being conscious of it, I had adopted the part of a roving -Dervish, for Dervish is the name applied to all Orientals who have not -run after earthly goods, but lead a roaming life in search of adventure, -with religion as their signboard. Now, whether I begged my bread in -Persia, in the character of a Dervish, in the daytime wandering about in -tatters, and at night in the Tekke (convent) singing hymns, to while -away the time, or whether I did the same in Middle Asia, came to much -the same thing. On the contrary, I thought in the latter portion of the -Islamic world, where I can move more freely and probably get on better -as Osmanli amongst Sunnites and Turks, better days may (possibly) be in -store for me; instead of torments and insults and scorn, I may find -honour and liberal hospitality; and so strong was my confidence in the -success of my undertaking that I began to have a perfect longing for -Central Asia. It was rather amusing to see the way in which the -Europeans at Teheran viewed my resolution, and how<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> the opinion gained -ground that I had fallen into a fatal delusion, and that, unconscious of -danger, I was hurrying on to certain destruction. The tragic end of the -English officers, Conolly and Stoddart, who died a martyr's death at -Bokhara, was then fresh in everybody's mind. Monsieur de Blocqueville -had not long since returned from his Turkoman captivity, and the -frightful details of his experiences as prisoner under the Tekke still -resounded in our ears. Stories were told of the mysterious death of an -English officer, Captain Wyburn, who had suddenly disappeared on the -Turkoman Steppes, and not a trace of whom could be found. Other -imaginary atrocities were conjured up, and it seemed only natural that -everybody did his best to dissuade me from my purpose, and to paint a -journey into the very centre of Moslem fanaticism in the most glaring -colours. Curiously enough, my friends at the English Embassy discouraged -me less than any; and, pointing to the travels of Burnes and Dr. Wolff, -Mr. R. Th. thought that I might have a chance of success. Count -Gobineau, the French Ambassador, himself a literary man and Orientalist, -gave me but little hope; my success would not please him, for he was -filled with envy and jealousy. They were most put out at the Turkish -Embassy, where I had been so warmly recommended by the Porte, and where -they were really anxious about my fate.</p> - -<p>I was not at all loath to leave Persia; what<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> charm could a longer -sojourn in Iran have for me? A description of the political and social -conditions of this land, already sufficiently well known even in those -days, offered no special attraction to my literary vanity. True, the -instructive and classical works of Dr. Polak and Lord Curzon of -Kedleston had not appeared yet, but I could not have written anything -absolutely new about Persia. In my intimate intercourse with the people -of the land I was principally struck with the more intensely Oriental -character of the Government and society, and all that I saw strengthened -me in my conviction that Persia was at least a hundred years behind -Turkey, notwithstanding the greater intellectuality of the people, and -would certainly take longer to extricate itself from the pool of Asiatic -thought. Of the West and Western culture they had but very vague notions -in Persia. The young king, Nasreddin Shah, was instructed by his court -physicians, Cloquet, Polak, and Tholozan, in many points of our Western -culture, and he took a good deal of trouble to mould his surroundings -upon their suggestions. The prudish conservatism of the Orientals, -supported by the national pride and boundless vanity of the -Persians—who, recollecting the age of the Sasanides and the glorious -period of Shah Abbas II. always try to minimise the triumphs of our -civilisation, or even hold it in derision—hindered all healthy and -vigorous progress. Even the heads of the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span>administration very seldom -knew French. In my frequent intercourse with Mirza Said Khan, then -Minister of Foreign Affairs, a native Persian of the old school, I often -received amusing proofs of this ignorance and obstinacy. He lacked even -the elementary knowledge of the geography and history of Europe, and all -that I told him of the power and might of some of the European States -was nonsense in his eyes, and he used to say reproachfully "If Europe is -really so great, why does it want to enrich itself by commerce with -Persia, and why does it force itself upon us?" Mirza Yahya Khan, the -first adjutant of the king, who knew French and was somewhat enlightened -by his travels in Europe, used to laugh aloud at the ignorance of the -minister; but even he allowed the West but few prerogatives, and always -boasted of the greater intellectual endowments and sagacity of the -Persian people in general. With the scholars and literati I could not -get on at all. Referring to their truly beautiful literature of -antiquity, they used to speak with poetic ecstasy about the superiority -and unequalled beauty of Eastern thought, and were especially proud of -their philosophers. "If your thinkers are really so great and sublime," -I was often told, "why then do you translate our Sadi, Hafiz, and -Khayyám? We have no desire for <i>your</i> classics." These people are happy -in their Persian microcosm, and I well recollect the disputations I used -to have with the Akhondes (learned). These thickly turbaned priests<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> -struck me as being remarkably liberal-minded in religious matters. They -spoke about Mohammed and his doctrine without any fanaticism, from a -purely historical point of view, and did not appear shocked at the most -daring hypothesis or suggestion, which surprised me very much, for -amongst the Sunnites of Turkey and Central Asia such discussions would -have been called blasphemous.</p> - -<p>Looked at from this point of view Persia was highly interesting to me, -and if I had not had my mind full of plans for travel I could perhaps -have turned the advantage of my incognito to better account by a -comparative study of individual Oriental nations. But it was no good, I -was compelled to go forward; and while in this excited frame of mind I -accidentally made the acquaintance, at the Turkish Embassy, of some -Tartar pilgrims on their way back from Mecca to Central Asia. When I -acquainted the members of the Turkish Embassy with my intention to -travel in company with these frightful-looking people, half-starved, -tattered zealots, covered with dirt and sores, one can imagine the -surprise of those kind-hearted folks. The ambassador, Haidar Effendi, a -particularly high-minded man and extremely tolerant in matters of -religion, was quite upset about it. He threatened to use force; but when -he saw that all his expostulations had not the slightest effect upon me, -he did his utmost to minimise the danger of my undertaking. He called -the leaders of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span> beggar-band before him, gave them rich presents and -recommended me to their special care and protection; he also gave me an -authorised passport, bearing the name of Hadji Mehemmed Reshid Effendi, -with the official signature and seal. Seeing that I had never been in -Mecca, and had therefore no legal right to the title of Hadji (pilgrim), -this official lie may be viewed in various lights. But it saved my life, -and I owe my success to it; for this pass, in the critical moments of my -journey incognito, supplied the necessary documentary evidence. The -official document bearing the Tugra (Sultan's signature) is at all times -an object of pious veneration to the Turkomans. They recognise in the -Osmanlis their brethren in the faith, and the simple children of the -Steppes came from far and near to behold the holy Tugra, and after -performing the prescribed ablutions, to press the sacred sign against -their brow. In Khiva and in Bokhara, where the official sign was better -known, it elicited still more respect. In fact, I may honestly say that -I owe my success to this passport; and when one considers the -magnanimous tolerance which must have prompted these Mohammedan -dignitaries and representatives of the Sultan to describe a European and -a freethinker as a Mussulman pilgrim, I think the deception may be -condoned. An official of humane Christian Europe would scarcely have -shown as much generosity to a Mohammedan! After Haidar Effendi, I found -another kind friend in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span> Dr. Bimsenstein, an Austrian by birth, who acted -as physician to the Legation at Teheran. He seemed much concerned about -me, but when he saw that even his fatherly advice was of no avail, and -that the prospect of a martyr's death did not frighten me, he called me -into his dispensary and gave me three pills, saying, "These are -strychnine pills. I give them to you to spare you the agonies of a slow -martyr's death. When you see that preparations are being made to torture -you to death, and when you cannot see a ray of hope anywhere, then -swallow these pills; they will shorten your agony." With tears the -kind-hearted man gave me the fateful globules, which I carefully hid in -the wadding of my upper garment. They have been my sheet-anchor, and -many a time when in moments of danger I felt the little hard -protuberances in the wadding, I have derived comfort from them. My -valuables consisted of a silver watch, the face of which had been -transformed into a Kiblenuma, <i>i.e.</i>, a compass, or more correctly, an -indicator or hand to show the position of Mecca and Medina, and a few -ducats, hidden between the soles of my shoes, which I only had occasion -to extricate twice during the whole of my journey. "Cantabit vacuus -coram latrone viator." So I was safe against the greed of my -fellow-travellers and any other robbers. I wore my very oldest Persian -clothes, and in every respect made myself as much as possible in outward -appearance<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span> like my beggarly companions. So I started on my adventurous -expedition with a cheerful mind, and turning my back upon Teheran, the -last connection with European memories, I set my face towards the -Caspian Sea.</p> - -<p>And now in the evening of my life,—the glow of enthusiasm vanished, and -heart and head cooled down almost to freezing-point,—looking back upon -this wild folly of my younger days, I cannot but condemn the whole -affair as absolutely unjustifiable and opposed to all common sense. The -first part of my plan and its execution were not matters of calculation -and premeditation, but a leap in the dark, a rushing forward at random. -I quite forgot to consider whether my physical strength would hold out -in the unusual struggle, and whether with my lame foot I should be able -to get over large distances <i>per pedes apostolorum</i>. Also I had not -sufficiently taken into account the suspicion of Central Asiatic -tyrants, and forgot that Bokhara was not only a hotbed of hyperzealous -fanaticism, but also of the most consummate villains in the world. I had -not the faintest idea that I should be watched day and night by numerous -spies, reporters, and officious hirelings, who followed me in the lonely -Steppes, in the bazaars, the streets, the mosques, and the convents, and -took note of every word, every movement of mine. I never thought that my -European features would at once attract attention among the masses of -pure <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span>Ural-Altaic and genuine Iranian type, and form a permanent -suspicion against me; and least of all did I think that, notwithstanding -my versatility, my well-tempered nervous system, and my experience in -the morals and customs of Islam, prying eyes were always busy trying to -look through my incognito. I had had no idea of the fiendish cunning and -subtilty of the Bokhariots, and the frightful crudeness of the Osbeg -court at Khiva. How could I have known all this, seeing that these -countries and people, cut off for centuries from the other Islamic -States, and perfectly unknown to Western nations, still continued in the -stage of ancient almost primitive culture and ignorance, and had nothing -in common with the civilisation of the Turks, Persians, Kurds, and -Arabs, with whom I was familiar? With every step I took into this -strange world my astonishment and surprise and also my fear grew. I -realised that I had entered into a perfectly strange and unknown world -of ideas, that I had undertaken a most risky thing, that my former -experiences would avail me nothing here, and that I had to gather up all -my strength to escape the dangers on all sides. The preservation of my -incognito was a tremendous mental and physical exertion. As for the -former, I could not and dare not relax for one moment during the whole -of my journey; by day or by night, asleep or awake, alone or in company, -I had always to remember my <i>rôle</i>, be ever on my guard, and never<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span> by -the slightest mistake or neglect betray my identity. I used mostly at -night, when all were asleep round me, to practise certain grimaces and -contortions of eyes and face, I tried to imitate the gesticulations -which in the daytime I had observed from my travelling companions; and -so great is human adaptability to foreign customs and habits that within -two months I was in fashion, manners, and speech a faithful copy of my -Hadji companions, and in the eyes of ordinary Turkomans passed for a -regular Khokandian or Kashgarian. Of course my poverty-stricken and -dirty appearance greatly assisted the delusion. In the seams and cracks -of the face sand and dirt had collected, and formed quite a crust, which -could not be removed by the prescribed ablutions, for the simple reason -that as we were often short of water in the Steppe, I had to take refuge -in Teyemmun, <i>i.e.</i> (a substitute), washing with sand. My beard grew -rugged and coarse, my eyes rolled wilder, and my gait in the awkward -full garments, perhaps also because of my frequent and long rides, had -become as unwieldy, waddling and uncomfortable as if I had lived from -early youth with Mongol and Turkish tribes. I cannot and need not hide -the fact that at first these physical discomforts were very irksome to -me, and cost me many a pang. To dip one's fingers into a pot of rice, -which for want of fat is cooked with tallow-candle, and in which the -Tartars plunged their filthy, wounded fists, cannot<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span> exactly be -described as one of the most pleasurable methods of feeding, nor is it a -treat to spend the night squeezed in among a row of sleeping, snoring -beggars. Both are equally undesirable, but when in these predicaments I -recalled the sufferings and privations of my early life, the comparison -made me realise that the European mendicant has much the advantage over -his Central Asiatic comrade, for the sufferings of hunger, thirst, and -vermin are far worse in Turkestan than they ever could be in Europe.</p> - -<p>What I had to suffer from this last evil, the lice, which multiply in -the most appalling manner in Central Asia, passes all description, and, -objectionable as the subject may be, I must try to give some idea of the -manner in which I endeavoured to rid myself of this pest, if only for a -short space of time. With the Dervish the catching of these insects -forms part of the toilet, and is also looked upon as a kind of -after-dinner enjoyment. One begins by using the thumb-nails as a weapon -of defence against these intruding guests; and the picture of various -groups engaged in search and slaughter was sometimes intensely -ludicrous. In the second stage of the cleansing process the garment -under treatment is held over the red-hot cinders, and the animals, -stunned by the fierce heat, die a fiery death with a peculiar crackling -noise. If this <i>auto-da-fé</i> is not procurable, the garment is strewn all -over with sand, and exposed to the scorching rays of the sun. The vermin -are thus<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> invited to exchange their lower cooler quarters for the upper -warmer ones, and once there they can easily be shaken off. When neither -fire nor sand is available the garment is placed near an anthill, and -the troublesome insects are left to the mercy of the ants, who soon make -their way into the smallest crevices and apertures and carry off their -prey. Curiously enough, this pest is far worse in winter than in summer, -for when, on my journey between Herat and Meshed, I lay huddled up in -one corner of my bed, these creatures, always in search of heat, -collected wherever the heat of my body was greatest, and no sooner had I -turned from the right on to the left side, than these detestable animals -at once instituted a formal migration and took possession of the heated -portion of my body. Now I understood for the first time why in the -Jewish Holy Scriptures the plague of lice is mentioned second after that -of the water turned into blood. Next to this plague I suffered much from -the fatigues of the journey. First of all there was the scorching heat -on the plain of the Balkan mountains up to the Khiva oasis, where the -thermometer, as I learned afterwards from the reports of Colonel -Markusoff, rises fifty and fifty-two degrees Réaumur, and where the lack -of drinkable water causes the traveller unheard-of sufferings. One -inhales fire, so to speak, the skin shrivels visibly, and one is almost -blinded by the vibrations of the air. From eight o'clock in the morning -till<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span> three or four in the afternoon it is like being in a baker's oven, -and the torture is aggravated when one has to sit huddled together and -cross-legged in the Kedjeve (or basket) on the back of a camel, stinking -of sweat and sores. Sometimes, when the poor beast could go no farther -through the thick sand, I had to climb down from my perch and go for -long distances on foot. On account of my lame leg I had to lean on a -stick with my right hand, and on one of these tramps my right arm became -so terribly swollen that I suffered great pain for several days. Apart -from these inconveniences, I enjoyed excellent health, which rather -surprised me, as the half-baked bread freely mixed with sand, the best -we could make in the Steppes, was apt to be somewhat indigestible. So -much for the magic effect of an outdoor life and the excitement of an -adventurous expedition!</p> - -<p>And yet all these physical sufferings were light as compared with the -mental and nervous strain I underwent. Every look, every gesture, every -sign, no matter how innocent, and even in the circle of my most intimate -friends, I viewed with apprehension, lest it might contain some hidden -allusion to my incognito. I tried to hide my anxiety behind the mask of -exuberant hilarity, and generally managed to lead the conversation on to -some irrelevant subject. But I found out afterwards that these harmless -folks never dreamed of unmasking me. In their absolute ignorance of -Europeanism they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span> had never for a moment doubted the genuineness of my -Effendi character. Fortunately, precautionary measures were only -necessary when I was in a town, in Bokhara or Samarkand, for amongst the -country folks and the nomads, the latter of whom had never seen a -European face to face, they were quite superfluous. The successful -preservation of my incognito among these simple children of Nature made -me indulge in the wildest flights of fancy. I remember one mad idea, the -impracticability of which did not at all strike me at the time, but -which must now seem ridiculous to everybody, even to myself. I had -reached the height of my reputation with the Turkomans of the Gorghen -and the Atrek. They looked upon me as a saint from distant Rum (the -west); young and old flocked round me to receive a blessing, or even a -sacred breath, as a preservative against diseases. One day an old -greybeard, who had spent his whole life in plunder and murder, -discreetly advanced towards me, and in all earnest made me the following -proposition: "Sheik-him (my Sheikh)," he said, "why do you not place -yourself at the head of a great plundering expedition? Under your -blessed guidance we might organise an attack on a large scale into -heretic Shiite (Persia). I am good for 5,000 lances; steeled heroes and -fiery horses could do much with Allah's help, and assisted by a Fatiha -(prayer) from you." Now the reader will naturally suppose that I treated -this proposal as a huge joke. Nothing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> of the kind. The words of the old -Turkoman wolf did not sound at all absurd to me; they only required a -little consideration. I thought of the unexampled cowardice and state of -confusion of the Persian army, and knowing the wild impetuosity, the -rapaciousness, and the audacity of the Turkomans, one of whom was a -match for ten Persians, the thought flashed through my brain, "Stop, why -not undertake this romantic exploit? All the way from Sharud the Persian -frontiers are exposed; 5,000 Turkomans can easily take the field against -10,000 Persians and more. And where will the Shah find so many soldiers -all in a hurry? In Teheran I shall find some adventurous Italian and -French officers who will probably like to join me. In any case an attack -upon the capital can be successfully accomplished, and who knows, I -might possess myself of the Persian throne if only for a few days!" The -fact that it would be no easy matter to keep 5,000 Turkomans within the -bounds of discipline, and that in the face of European politics my -success would at best be but a midsummer night's dream—all this -troubled me not one whit; so deeply had I plunged into the atmosphere of -mediæval life around me, and so far did my heated fancy carry me back -into the regions of past ages!</p> - -<p>In places where my incognito had to stand the test with people who, on -their journeys through India and Turkey, had come into contact with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> -Europeans, I had the hardest battle to fight, and was often in great -danger. There I was not treated with the humble reverence and admiration -which is due to a foreign Hadji and divine. On the contrary, they -questioned me about my nationality, the aim and object of my journey, -and even the fittest and readiest answers could not banish their -suspicion and doubt. In this respect my adventure with the Afghan on the -journey to Khiva will ever remain vivid in my mind. He was a Kandahari -who, during the British occupation of 1840, had escaped the English -criminal law; he had spent some time in the Afghan colony on the Caspian -Sea, and afterwards had wandered about for many years in Khiva. He would -insist that, in spite of my knowledge of the languages of Islam, I was a -disguised European, and therefore a dangerous spy. At first I treated -him with every possible mark of respect and politeness; I flattered his -vanity, but all in vain. The scoundrel would not be taken off his guard, -and one evening I overheard him say to the Kervanbashi (head of the -caravan): "I bet you he is a Frenghi or a Russian spy, and with his -pencil he makes a note of all the mountains and valleys, all the streams -and springs, so that the Russians can later on come into the land -without a guide to rob you of your flocks and children. In Khiva, thanks -to the precautions of the Khan, the rack will do its part, and the -red-hot iron will soon show what sort of metal he is made of." Never to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span> -move a muscle under such amiable discourses, or to betray one's feelings -by any uneasy expression in one's eye, that mighty mirror of the soul, -is, in truth, no easy task. I managed, however, to preserve my cold -indifference on this and similar occasions; but one evening, during our -passage through the Steppe, the Afghan was quietly smoking his opium -pipe in the night camp. By the glimmer of the coals on his water-pipe I -met his dull, intoxicated gaze, and a diabolical idea took possession of -me. "This man is planning my destruction, and he can effect it; shall I -throw one of my strychnine pills into his dish of tea, which he is even -now holding in his shaky hand? I could thus save myself, and accomplish -my purpose." A horrible thought which reminds one of Eugene Aram in -Bulwer's novel. I took the pill from the wadding of my cloak, and held -it for some time between my fingers close to the edge of the dish. The -deadly silence of the night and the opium fumes which held this man -under their spell seemed to favour my devilish scheme, but when in my -distraction I gazed upwards and saw the brilliantly shining canopy of -heaven, the magic beauty of the stars overmastered me; the first rays of -the rising moon fell upon me—I stayed my hand, ashamed of meditating a -deed unworthy of a civilised man, and quickly hid the fateful pill again -in the lining of my Dervish cloak.</p> - -<p>The continuance of my dangerous position eased<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> my task in some -respects, and custom makes many things bearable. Practice had taught me -to sit still for hours, immovable like a statue, perhaps just moving my -lips as if in silent prayer, while the spies sent to Bokhara to find me -out, freely discussed my identity, and speculated upon the enigma of my -nationality and my faith. The danger of growing red or pale, or of -betraying my internal struggle by a look, had long since ceased for me. -I had so thoroughly accustomed myself to my character of pseudo-Dervish, -that the emotions connected with the pious demeanour of those -individuals came quite spontaneously to me. When my companions of the -Steppe consulted the oracle of stones or sticks about the issue of our -dangerous campaign through the Khalata desert, I stooped down as curious -as the rest, and watched the configuration of the stones or sticks as -anxiously as the superstitious natives. They had even assigned to me a -greater power of divination than to any of the others, and hearkened -diligently to my explanation. When, arrived at the grave of the native -saint, Bahaeddin, near Bokhara, we performed the customary prayers, I -could hold out with my fellow-travellers from eight in the morning till -late at night. I prayed, sang, shouted aloud, groaned, and raved in -pious contrition with the best of them. I wonder even now whence I -procured the uninterrupted flow of tears which I shed on those -occasions, and how I could play my part in this comedy for hours -together <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span>without betraying the slightest emotion or perturbation. I -must confess that Nature has endowed me with a fair dose of mimicry, a -quality which Napoleon III. once in a conversation commended me for. -From my earliest youth I had learned to imitate the outward expression -of various kinds of people; thus I had accustomed myself to wear -alternately the mask of Jew, Christian, Sunnite, and Shiite, although -any form of positive religion was objectionable to me. I believe, -however, it was not so much my mimetic faculty as the instinct of -self-preservation and the consciousness of ever-present danger which -enabled me to bring my venturesome experiment to a satisfactory end. The -fear of death is at all times a hideous beast, which glares at us and -shows its teeth, and although one may get used to its presence in course -of time, and even become blunted and hardened, yet this monster, fear of -death, never quite loses its influence over us, and if we are blest with -a strong nervous system, we can in the face of it do almost impossible -things.</p> - -<p>It would lead me too far were I to dwell here upon some of the exciting -and critical incidents of my incognito, examples of which have been -given in my earlier works. It has often been laid to my charge by -conscientious critics that I have been too reserved, too brief, in the -accounts of my travels. So, for instance, the learned Jules Mohl -writes<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a>: "M. Vambéry est un voyageur singulièrement modeste,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> qui ne -raconte de ses aventures que ce qui est indispensable à son histoire, et -l'impression que donne son ouvrage est, qu'il ne raconte pas tout ce qui -lui arrive." In my <i>Sketches of Central Asia</i> I have entered a little -more into details, but even they are far from exhaustive. The compass of -an autobiography is likewise too small for this. Self-glorification does -not please me, and where I have occasionally been a little more -circumstantial in my narrative, it has been for the purpose of lessening -the surprise which my incognito travels called forth in Europe, by -showing the reasons for and the natural effects of certain things. Many -well-disposed critics even have doubted the verity of some of my -experiences, which to the European <i>pur sang</i> are simply incredible. But -those who have read the story of my childhood and early youth, who -realise that up to my eighteenth year I hardly ever knew what it was to -have enough to eat, that I went about insufficiently clothed and exposed -to miseries of all sorts, will not see in my adventures anything so very -marvellous. From a very early age I have had to act contrary to my inner -convictions; in religion, in society, in politics, I have often had to -pretend in order to attain my object. Nothing is more natural than that -when in Central Asia I had to fight with want and distress, with -perplexities of every form and shape, I should come out victorious. No -European before me has ever attempted to assume the incognito of a -<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span>mendicant friar, for Burckhardt, Burton, and Snouck Hurgronje in Mecca, -Wolff and Burnes in Bokhara, and Conolly in the Turkoman Steppes, -travelled as Asiatics with plenty of means, or in an official character. -Few, no doubt, have had such bodily fatigues to bear, but few, perhaps -none, of my colleagues have gone through such a hard school in their -tender childhood. The conventional modesty of scholars and writers has -always been irksome to me, for virtue in the garb of a lie is -disgusting. I speak quite openly and honestly when I say that my -adventures in Central Asia will appear little remarkable if regarded as -the continuation of my experiences in Turkey and Persia on an -intensified scale; and these latter, again, were in form and character -closely allied to my struggles and trials as a little Jew boy, a -mendicant student, and a private tutor. I have often been asked how I -could bear the constant fear of death, and if I were not sometimes -overcome by the thought of certain destruction. But one can accustom -one's self to a life in constant fear of death as well as to anything -else. It has disturbed me only when the crisis came all too suddenly, -and I had no time to collect my thoughts and plan means of escape. Such -was the case when, in the Khalata Steppe, I was near dying of thirst, -and being in a high fever I swooned. Then, again, at the time of my -audience with the Emir at Samarkand, one of the court officials touched -the nape of my neck, and remarked to his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span> companion, "Unfortunately I -have left my knife at home to-day," which may have been quite a casual -remark. On the whole I have preserved my equanimity, nay, even my -cheerfulness, in the most critical moments, for high-spirited youth does -not easily give way to despair; it has a store of confidence which only -disease or age can diminish.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTE:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> <i>Journal Asiatique</i>, March-April, 1865, p. 371.</p></div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold2">The Return to Europe</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER VI</span> <span class="smaller">THE RETURN TO EUROPE</span></h2> - -<p>I had now become thoroughly accustomed to my <i>rôle</i> of mendicant friar, -and the severe physical and mental exertions I had undergone should have -prepared and fitted me for a yet more serious journey of discovery. And -yet, strange to say, when I heard at Samarkand from my Kashgar -travelling companions that it would be no easy matter, nay, practically -impossible, for me to proceed to Khiva—because of the political -disturbances there—I was not altogether sorry. The frustration of my -plans was unpleasant, but I was not inconsolable. The fatigues I had -undergone had affected me to such an extent that the prospect of an -overland journey to Peking and back across the Kun-lun to India did not -strike me as quite so delightful as it had done before. To tread in the -footsteps of Marco Polo, and to return home illumined by the aureole -which surrounded the great Venetian; for me, a lame beggar, to have -accomplished the greatest overland journey of modern<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span> times—all this -had stimulated my ambition for a while, but a tired, weary body affects -the spirit also, ambition becomes languid and in default of this most -energising medium the desire for action also fails. After I had escaped -from my dangerous adventure with the Emir of Bokhara, and my -fellow-travellers had committed me to the care of a company of pilgrims -on their way to Mecca, I realised for the first time what a fortunate -escape I had had, and my thankfulness rose in proportion as I left -Samarkand behind and approached the south-west of Asia. I speak of -deliverance, but as a matter of fact on this return journey I laboured -under the same constant sense of suspicion, perhaps even in an increased -measure; and was exposed to all the miseries of the approaching rough -season and the perceptible coldness of my new travelling companions. -Now, indeed, I had to drink the last dregs of my cup of suffering; now I -experienced the bitterest and most painful moments of the whole of my -journey; for what I suffered from hunger, cold, and exhaustion between -Samarkand and Meshed surpasses all description, and would scarcely be -credited by European readers.</p> - -<p>The population of the stretch of land between the Oxus and Herat forms, -as far as their culture is concerned, a kind of medium between the -Moslemic-fanatical Bokhariots and the partly or wholly nomadic, in some -things still primitive, tribes of Central Asia. These people are -harassed on the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> one side by the tyrannical arbitrariness of their -Government, and on the other by the lawlessness and rapacity of the -dwellers of the Steppes. Great and pressing poverty and distress of -every description have crushed all human feeling and faith out of them; -and when the pilgrims passing through now and then receive an obolus -from them this is not due to any pious motives, but entirely in -obedience to the ancient laws of hospitality. My beads, talismans, -benedictions, and similar baubles were of no use to me here. These -people had a look as if they wanted to be good, but could not, and I, -with not a penny in my pocket, was often nearly driven to distraction. -What were the times of starvation at Presburg, or the miseries of an -empty stomach in the wretched house of the Three Drums Street in -Budapest, compared to the sufferings and the forlornness on the way -south of the Oxus? The only pleasant memory left to me of those days is -the kindness I received from Rahmet Bi, a trusty chamberlain, and -afterwards Minister to the Emir of Bokhara, in Kerki on the Oxus, which -has since become Russian. This man, of whom more later on, seemed to -have guessed my incognito, and for some time could not make up his mind -whether to betray me or to follow the promptings of his kindly heart. -The latter triumphed; but to this day I do not know how or why. At any -rate he quieted the suspicions of the Governor of Kerki on my account, -and helped me safely over the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> frontiers. If I am not mistaken, the -poetic Muse had a hand in Rahmet Bi's friendliness towards me. He -sometimes wrote Persian verses, and was delighted when he could read -them to me and gain my approbation.</p> - -<p>Among the warlike, rapacious, and wildly fanatic Afghans I have never -found a trace of any one like Rahmet Bi. He not only treated me with -marked friendliness during our sojourn in Kerki, where he had a mission -to the Ersari Turkomans, but he also gave me a letter of safe-conduct in -Persian for eventual use in Central Asia. As a curiosity I here insert -this document in the original with translation.—</p> - -<blockquote><p class="center"><i>Text.</i></p> - -<p>"Maalum bude bashed ki darendei khatt duagui djenabi aali Hadji -Molla Abdurreshid rumi ez berai Ziareti buzurgani Bokharai Sherif -we Samarkand firdus manend amede, buzurganra ziaret numude, djenabi -aalira dua kerde baz bewatani khod mirefte est. Ez djenab Emir ul -Muminin we Imam ul Muslimin nishan mubarek der dest dashte est. -Baed ki der rah we reste bahadji mezkur kesi mudakhele nenumude her -kudam muwafiki hal izaz we ikram hadji mezkuna bedja arend. -Nuwishte be shehr Safar 1280 (1863)."</p> - -<p class="center"><i>Translation.</i></p> - -<p>"Be it known, that the holder of this letter, the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span> high-born Hadji -Abdurreshid, from Turkey, has come hither with the intention of -making a pilgrimage to the graves of the saints in noble Bokhara -and in paradisiacal Samarkand. After accomplishing his pilgrimage -to the graves of the saints, and having paid homage to his Highness -the Emir, he returns to his home. He is in possession of a writing -(passport) from his Highness the Sovereign of all true believers -and the Imam of all Moslems (the Sultan); it is therefore seemly -that the said Hadji should not be inconvenienced by any one, -neither on the journey nor at any station, but that every one as he -is able should honour and respect him.</p> - -<p>"Written in the month of Safar, in the year 1280."</p></blockquote> - -<p>Thus I was safe on Bokharan soil, and also on the journey through -Maimene up to the Persian frontiers. From there, however, and for the -rest of the way, I was constantly watched with Argus eyes, and had to -endure the most trying fatigues. During my stay at Herat, which lasted -for several weeks, I had to sleep in the shivering cold autumn nights on -the bare ground, and in the literal sense of the word begged my bread -from the fanatical Shiites or the niggardly Afghans, who frequently -instead of bread gave me invectives, and often struck me, the supposed -Frenghi, or threatened me with death. Even now I shudder when I think of -the vile food<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> on which I had to feed and the angry looks these people -cast upon me, whom by command of the young Emir they dare not insult, -but whom they hated from the bottom of their hearts.</p> - -<p>When I think upon the Ghazi attacks in North India, so frequent even in -our days, in which some fanatical Afghan calmly murders the harmless -Englishman he happens to come across, simply to gain paradise by killing -a Kafir, it seems a veritable marvel that I escaped with my life. Every -Afghan who came past my cell glared at me with angry eyes. To shoot me -would have passed as a virtue, but fortunately their anger did not vent -itself in deeds.</p> - -<p>This secret wrathfulness manifested itself most strongly on the journey -from Herat to Meshhed, when the hard-hearted Afghans, wrapped in their -thick fur-coats, took a special delight in seeing me spend the night in -my light clothing without any covering, hungry, and with chattering -teeth. In spite of all my sufferings and privations I did not give way -however, but, regardless of hunger and cold, I always remained cheerful, -and I attribute this chiefly to my excitement at the successful -accomplishment of my adventure, for once on Persian soil I expected to -be safe from all danger.</p> - -<p>The charm of this consciousness was so strong and effective that for -days together, both after my arrival at Meshhed and on the tedious -marches<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> through Khorasan, I lived in a constant fever of excitement; -and the farther the horrible spectres of past dangers dwindled away in -the distance, <i>i.e.</i>, the nearer I came to Teheran, where I should find -the first European colony, the louder throbbed my heart, and the more -vivid became the enchanting pictures of future renown on the rosy -horizon of my fancy. Whether this joyous excitement was proportionate to -the actual results of my adventurous enterprise, and whether the reward -was worth all the trouble, I never stopped to consider then. It was -enough for me that I was the first European to have advanced from the -south coast of the Caspian Sea through the Hyrcanian desert to Khiva, -from there through the sandy plains of the Khalata to Bokhara, and from -thence to Herat. I knew that the specimens of the East Turkish languages -and the manuscripts I had collected were unknown to the scientific world -of Europe, and would give me the character of an explorer and specialist -in Turkology, and finally I was not a little proud of the manner in -which I had travelled, always under the impression that my intimate -intercourse with the various tribes of inner Asia, so far but little or -imperfectly known, must yield an abundant harvest of ethnographical -knowledge. Indeed, had I been a professional philologist and linguist, -trade, industry, and politics, geography as well as ethnography, could -not have captivated my attention to the same extent, and I could not -have obtained all<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span> this practical knowledge of inner Asia, keenly -interested as I was in the destiny of these far-away nations. If it had -struck me that, owing to my very deficient education, much had been -neglected and passed by unnoticed, that, for instance, I had not a -notion of geology, and was absolutely useless on geographical grounds; -that I could not have rendered any assistance in these, even had I had -the knowledge, because I only carried a little bit of pencil hidden in -the lining of my coat, and consequently that my services to geography -and natural science in general were of the vaguest and most problematic -character—had I realised all this the temperature of my exultation -would have fallen considerably. But all such thoughts remained down at -the bottom of the ocean of my bliss; and so now, after an existence of -thirty-one years in this world, for the first time in my life the golden -fruit of realised success and the sweet reward after hard labour -beckoned to me from the distance, and filled me with ecstasy and -blissful anticipation. The long, weary stretch from Meshhed to Teheran I -accomplished in mid-winter; two horses were at my disposal, for the -Governor of Meshhed, Prince Hussam es Saltana, had furnished me with the -necessary means, and throughout all this journey my mind was full of joy -and anticipation. My Osbeg attendant, who from Khiva had accompanied me, -and through weal and woe had been faithful to me, was not a little -surprised at this metamorphosis<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span> in my behaviour. For hours together I -used to sing songs or airs from favourite operas, which the good lad -took for holy hymns of the Western Islam. He was highly pleased to see -the Dervish of the West in such a pious frame of mind, and often as I -warbled my operas he accompanied me in his nasal tone, fully under the -impression that they were Moslem songs of praise or pious hymns. Such a -duet has not often been heard, I believe. Thus it came about that during -the four weeks occupied by this ride from Meshhed to Teheran—a ride -which exhausts even the most hardened traveller—I was always full of -good-humour. Physically I was worn out, even to the extent of being -unrecognisable, but mentally uplifted and full of elasticity when I made -my entry into the Persian capital.</p> - -<p>The kindly reception accorded me in Meshhed by Colonel Dolmage had shown -me that in Asia Europeans are not separated by any national wall of -partition, but, united in a common bond of Western fraternity, share -each other's weal and woe; and on my arrival in the Persian capital I -was still firmer convinced of this bond of unity. The news of my -fortunate escape from the hands of the Central Asiatic tyrants had been -received by all the European colony with equal pleasure. Young and old, -rich and poor, high diplomatists and modest craftsmen—all the Europeans -in Teheran, in fact—wanted to see and to welcome<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span> me; and few could -repress their sympathy when they saw the gay and lively young Hungarian -of former days so sadly changed and fallen off. From my letter to the -Turkish Embassy, written in the Turkoman Steppe, they had heard of my -safe arrival in this dangerous robbers' den. But after that no further -intelligence had been received. No wonder that in the Persian capital -the wildest rumours about my imprisonment, execution, and miserable end -were circulated and believed. Pilgrims from Middle Asia, who confused my -identity with that of some Italian silk merchants captured in Bokhara -before my arrival there, related the most horrible details of the -martyr's death I had undergone. Some had seen me hanging by my feet; -others declared that I had been thrown down from the tower of the -citadel; others again had been eye-witnesses when the executioner -quartered me and threw my limbs to the dogs to eat. As Bokhara was known -to be the hotbed of the most consummate barbarities and cruelties, these -tales were easily believed by the Europeans in Teheran, and now, on my -return, hale and hearty, but with the indisputable marks of excessive -sufferings upon me, every one's sympathy went out to me. All strove to -show me attention and to please me in some way or other. The various -Legations invited me to festive dinners. The English Envoy, Sir Charles -Alison, asked me to write an account of my travels, and gave me<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span> -official recommendations to Lord Palmerston, Lord Strangford, Sir Justin -Sheil, Sir H. Rawlinson, and other political and scientific notabilities -in London, which were of great service to me, and largely influenced my -further career. M. von Giers, then Russian Ambassador at Teheran, and -afterwards Imperial Chancellor, urged me to go to Petersburg, because he -thought that my Turkestan experiences would be most appreciated on the -Neva. At the Russian Legation they drew a picture of my future career in -the most brilliant colours, and when I pointed out that life in those -severely autocratic spheres would be incompatible with my nationality -and political opinions, these diplomatists came to the conclusion that I -was too naïve, and, in spite of the hard school I had gone through, -still remained an enthusiast.</p> - -<p>Teheran, indeed, was the centre of important decisions for me. Had I -listened to the persuasions of the Russians, who knows what position I -might not be occupying at present in the administration of Turkestan? Of -course it was out of the question for me to turn my footsteps northward. -All the treasures and all the glory of the Czar's dominions would never -help me to conquer the feeling of dislike which from a child I had had -against the oppressor of my fatherland and all its national policy, the -personification of despotism and unbridled absolutism. With all the more -readiness I accepted the introductions given me by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span> the English; for -this nation, with its glorious literature and liberal ideas, had long -since become dear to me; and as, moreover, in the East I had found them -the only worthy representatives of the West, it will seem quite natural -that in Teheran I had already made up my mind what course to pursue in -Europe, and made London the final aim of my journey to the West.</p> - -<p>At Teheran I rested for about three months from the fatigues of my -Central Asiatic expedition. During that time, and while it was all yet -fresh in my mind, I completed and supplemented the pencil-notes secretly -taken on the journey and written on odd bits of paper in the Hungarian -tongue, but with Arabic characters to avoid detection. I even mapped out -an account of my travels, which I intended to publish in England. I -built the most delightful castles in the air, and revelled in the -glorious colouring of the pictures of my imagination, without, however, -having the slightest conception of how to create for myself a decided -career built upon solid foundations. It was enough for me that I had -become acquainted with districts and places in the Asiatic world which -no European before me had ever set eyes on, but how and where I was to -turn this knowledge to the best account never once entered my mind in -the excessive joy of my successful campaign. And I could not in any case -have come to any satisfactory conclusion on this head, for, in the first -place, I was not quite sure yet<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span> as to the best ways and means of -disposing of my knowledge; in the second, I was somewhat doubtful as to -my literary accomplishments; and in the third, I had not yet made up my -mind in which language to write.</p> - -<p>In the tumult of my exultation the one certain, joyful prospect that -rose up before me was that my successful expedition would gain me -European fame and honour, and secure for me a position in life, but of -what nature this position was to be I knew not, and cared not. All I -wanted was to get to Europe now as soon as possible; first go home to -Hungary and report myself to the Academy at Pest, and then place the -account of my wanderings before the European public.</p> - -<p class="space-above">As soon as the fine weather set in I left the Persian capital to return -to Trebizond by the same way by which I had come, viz., Tebriz and -Erzerum. Full of anxiety, apprehension, and uncertainty as my journey -here had been, equally full of joy and delightful anticipation was my -journey back to the Black Sea. In quick day marches I passed the -different stations. The formerly toilsome journey was now mere child's -play to my body inured against fatigues. It was an exciting -pleasure-ride which the warm reception of my European friends in Tebriz -made into a veritable triumphal march. Warm welcomes, banquets, -laudations, and undisguised appreciation of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span> my adventure were my -greeting. Swiss, French, Germans, English, and Italians—all were proud -that a lame European had actually been amongst the kidnapping Turkomans -and the wildly fanatical Central Asiatics; and glad that through his -discoveries this hitherto obscure portion of the Old World was brought -within the reach of Western lands. Besides the account of my journey -which I had sent from Teheran to the President of the Hungarian Academy, -the diplomatic representatives at Teheran officially acquainted their -various Governments with my doings, and sent off innumerable letters to -European newspapers. The fame of my successful expedition thus preceded -me, and when I came to Constantinople I was presented to the Austrian -Internuncio (Count Prokesh-Orten) and the Grand-Vizier (Ali Pasha), who -both seemed to know all about me. Their warm reception and the lively -interest they manifested in the concerns of the hitherto closed -districts of inner Asia showed me their appreciation of the work I had -done. After my late experiences, Constantinople, where I delayed only -for a few hours, seemed to me the flower of Western civilisation. I went -by one of Lloyd's steamers, <i>viâ</i> Kustendji-Czernawoda on the Danube, to -Pest, where I arrived in the first half of May, 1864.</p> - -<p>I shall not attempt to describe my feelings at sight of my beloved -fatherland. My pen would be unequal to interpret the emotions which I -<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span>experienced as I trod once again the soil of the land for which I had -undergone so much. It was to find out its early history that I had first -been induced to start on this dangerous expedition; for, as already -mentioned, the national beginnings of my native land had from my -earliest youth stirred within me a feeling of curiosity, to satisfy -which I had faced the dangers and privations now safely over. Arrived in -Pest, I left the boat at the Suspension Bridge and, accompanied by the -Tartar whom I had brought from Khiva as a living proof of my sojourn in -foreign parts, I sped towards the Hôtel de l'Europe. My joy knew no -bounds, and it never struck me that my home-coming was just as lonely -and unobserved as my departure had been some years ago. When in after -years I witnessed the receptions granted in London to Livingstone, Speke -and Grant, Palgrave, Burton, and, above all, to Stanley—receptions in -which the whole nation took part, of which the newspapers were full -weeks and months beforehand, a special train meeting the traveller, who -was feasted as if he were a national hero—and when I saw how even in -Vienna, where travellers as a rule are not the heroes of the day, -officers like Payer and Weyprecht were celebrated on their return from -the North Pole—it pained me to think upon my own gloomy, lonely -home-coming, and the lamentable indifference of my compatriots. Even in -the circle of the Academy, whose delegate I had been, my successfully -accomplished<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> undertaking seemed to rouse no interest; for, when at the -next Monday's meeting, I entered the hall of the Academy only the noble, -highly-cultured secretary, Mr. Ladislaus Szalay, and my high-minded -patron, Baron Eötvös, warmly embraced me and expressed their pleasure at -my fortunate escape. They indeed did all they could to make up for the -neglect of the others. Hungary was just then passing through the sad -period of Austrian absolutism. The nation languished in the bonds of -this autocracy. There was no sign of public life or social vitality. -Every one's hopes and expectations were fixed on the restoration of the -national Government and the reconciliation with Austria; and although -Asia, from the historical point of view of the old Magyars, might be of -some interest, geographical and ethnographical researches and the -opening out of the hitherto almost unknown portion of the old world -could have no special attractions for Hungary just then. He who longs -for bread requires no dainties to tempt the palate, and a nation sorely -troubled about its political existence and its future can scarcely be -blamed if all efforts are in the first place directed towards the -regaining of its constitutional rights and national independence, and if -it pays more attention to culture and the improvement of science in -general than to geographical and ethnographical discoveries in distant -lands.</p> - -<p>At the time of my home-coming Hungary had reached but the first stage of -internal administration.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span> The Academy, the only national institution -which had escaped the Argus eye of absolutism, had rather a political -and national than a purely scientific character, and the society -desirous for the restitution of its constitutional rights naturally felt -more drawn towards the enlightened, more advanced nations of Western -lands than towards the obscure districts of the Oxus and their -inhabitants. Even in Germany, the home of strictly scientific pursuits, -my travels had attracted less attention than in England and Russia, -where both political and commercial interests directed the attention of -the Government towards these regions, and where a more intimate -knowledge of those hitherto inaccessible regions seemed urgently needed.</p> - -<p>Therefore, to be perfectly fair and honest, and allowing for the -all-pervading interest in the political questions of the day, I had -perhaps very little or no cause at all to feel hurt at the coldness and -indifference shown to my travels, or to see in it an intentional -non-appreciation of my services. But in my despondency, and with the -still vivid memory of my reception by the European colonies in Persia -and Turkey, a more sober, dispassionate view seemed impossible, and I -broke down altogether. The first days of my stay in Pest were bitterly -disappointing. I said to myself: "Is this the reward for all I have gone -through, all I have suffered? is this the gratitude of a nation in quest -of whose origin I have risked my life? this<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span> the appreciation of the -Academy which I trust has been benefited by my researches?" Thus rudely -awakened out of the happy dreams which had been my companions on the -homeward journey, I felt bruised and hurt, and my vanity was wounded. To -see those beautiful pictures—which my fancy had conjured up, and which -had cheered and encouraged me under the greatest privations and in hours -of peril—thus mercilessly shivered and dispelled, was indeed one of the -most painful experiences of my life. For hours together I brooded over -this in my lonely room in the Hôtel de l'Europe. I would not and could -not believe that it was actually true, and the wound was all the more -sore and irritating as I found myself, after all these years of struggle -and exertion, in exactly the same position as before—that is, I was no -nearer the solution of the question how to secure a position for myself.</p> - -<p>Some advised me to resume the official career I had abandoned in -Constantinople; others suggested that I should apply for a professorship -in Oriental languages at the Pest University, which would be the easier -to obtain since the position of lector had become vacant through the -death of Dr. Repiczky. The former of these suggestions was not at all to -my taste, for after my adventures, the East had but little attraction -for me. Even when on the spot and at the very source of Oriental -thought, and beholding the steady decay of the Asiatic world, I clung -the more passionately to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> energetic life of the West. The -professorship seemed a little more attractive, as, before all things, I -longed for rest, and I hoped in that capacity to find leisure to work -out the linguistic and ethnographical results of my travels. -Unfortunately the procuring of a professorial chair in those days was -beset with grave difficulties for me. Hungary was ruled from Vienna, and -in that centre of administration I, being on intimate terms with the -Hungarian emigrants of the East, and never having felt much sympathy for -Austria, could hardly expect to find friends and promoters of my -interests.</p> - -<p>So neither of these two suggestions seemed practicable; and as my -English friends in Teheran had advised me to publish the account of my -travels in London, and to this effect had liberally supplied me with -introductions to different ranks and classes of society in the British -metropolis, I soon made up my mind to go to England, and to appear -before the London Geographical Society, the best known forum of Asiatic -travel. Possibly another reason also induced me to decide upon this -plan. After a four weeks' rest the desire for travel was again upon me, -and the hopelessness and weariness of my existence made me long for -change and adventure. I decided to go, the sooner the better, and, -turning away from the field of Eastern vicissitudes, to plunge into the -full stream of Western life and action. Very well; but this also was -more easily said than done. Travel in the East requires but a knowledge -of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span> languages and the customs, while money is more often dangerous -than helpful; but in the West it is just the reverse; and as I had come -to Pest devoid of all means, I had a great deal of trouble in collecting -the necessary funds to defray my travelling expenses to London. The -bitterness of my feelings was not improved thereby. In vain I asked my -supposed friends for a small loan, in vain I promised fourfold -repayment, in vain I pointed out the advantages which my appearance in -the cultured West would confer upon the nation; deaf ears everywhere. -The coolness with which my various travelling experiences were received -raised doubts in many minds. Ignorance is the mother of suspicion, and -as many people thought my adventures fantastic and exaggerated no one -cared to advance me any money; and there I stood in my native land more -forlorn and helpless than in the wildest regions of Central Asia.</p> - -<p>Thanks to the intervention of my noble patron, Baron Eötvös, Count Emil -Desewffy, President of the Academy, was at last persuaded to advance me -a few hundred florins from the Library Fund of the Society—a helping -hand indeed in my sore necessity, if only that hand in taking me by the -arm had not left behind black stains which for ever have disfigured this -deed of charity. The money was given me on condition that I should -deposit my Oriental manuscripts, the treasured results of my travels, -with the president, and praiseworthy as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span> this precaution and zeal for -the property of the Academy on the part of the noble president may seem, -it had a most injurious and mortifying effect upon me. When I took my -bagful of manuscripts to the Count's house I could not help remarking, -"So you do not believe me; you take me for a vagabond without any -feeling of honour; you think that I take the money of the Academy and do -not mean to pay it back—I who have been slaving and suffering for the -good of the Academy as few have done before me, and who now as the fruit -of my researches want to see the Hungarian nation—hitherto almost -unknown on the world's literary stage—recognised as a fellow-labourer -in the great harvest field of European culture! I, the fanatical -enthusiast, have to give a guarantee for a paltry few florins!" No, it -was too much; I felt grievously hurt and my patriotism had been deeply -wounded. One may imagine that I was not in the most amiable frame of -mind as I left the city for which I had yearned so many years, and if -the hope of recognition in England had not buoyed me up, the black -spectre of disappointment would have been still blacker. And, I ask the -kind reader, was it strange that I began to think that all this -humiliation and mistrust, all this cruel misapprehension, and this -wilful ignoring of all my trouble and labour was due to my obscure -origin and the ill-fated star of my Jewish descent? This hypothesis may -possibly be a mistaken one, for I believe that true<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span> Magyar explorers of -Christian faith would have fared no better in the intellectual morass of -the Hungary of those days. But the painful suspicion was there, and -could not easily be banished.</p> - -<p>With my modest viaticum, lent to me on security, I was soon on the way, -and on the journey from Pest to London I fortunately received many -tokens of a favourable turn in my affairs. In Vienna I gathered from the -notices about me in the daily papers that my journey had created a good -deal of interest. At home jealous, narrow-minded people, even from the -Academy circle, had published scornful remarks about me on the day after -my arrival, and amongst other things blamed me for appearing in the -Academy hall with my fez on, not considering that, being used to the -heavy turban, my head had to get gradually used to the lighter covering -of Europe. But the foreign papers were enthusiastic in their praise and -appreciation of my endeavours. In my progress Westward these good signs -gradually increased. At Cologne I was interviewed by the <i>Kölnische -Zeitung</i>; and in the railway carriage from Dover to London my travelling -companions were interested to hear of the purpose of my journey, and one -of these was a man whose identity has remained a mystery to me to this -day. He was a Mr. <i>Smith</i> according to his card, and seemed so pleased -to make my acquaintance that on our arrival in the capital he took me to -the Hotel Victoria, engaged a splendid<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span> room for me, and that evening -and the next day entertained me with regal hospitality. Then he found a -private house for me, and, as I afterwards learned, paid the first -month's rent for me. After he had seen me comfortably settled this -kind-hearted man took leave of me. Who was this Mr. Smith? From that day -till now I have not been able to find out. I have never seen him again. -And indeed his was a deed of charity. But for him how should I have -managed in this English Babel, with my small means and absolute -ignorance of Western ways and customs.</p> - -<p>When I had become somewhat familiar with the British metropolis I -presented my letters of introduction to Sir Roderick Murchison, -President of the Royal Geographical Society; Sir Henry Rawlinson, the -greatest authority on Central Asiatic affairs; Sir Henry A. Layard, -Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Sir Justin Sheil, -former Ambassador at Teheran, and last, but not least, Lord Strangford, -the great authority on the Moslemic East. All gave me a hearty welcome, -and interrogated me upon the details of my travels and the condition of -things in Central Asia. Pleased as I was with the interest shown by -these experts, I was not a little surprised to find everywhere, instead -of the anticipated ice-crust of English etiquette a hearty and sincere -appreciation of my labours. I realised at once that here I was in my -element, and that I had hit upon the best market<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span> for the publication of -my travelling experiences. And how could it be otherwise? England, with -its widespread colonies, with its gigantic universal trade, and its -lively interest in anything that happens in the remotest corners of the -earth, England is, and remains, the only land of great, universal ideas. -Here the fostering of geographical and ethnographical knowledge is -closely connected with the commercial, political, and national concerns -of the people, and as with the wide view they take of things the -question of practical usefulness triumphs over petty national -jealousies, it is quite natural that the Britishers do not trouble -themselves about the origin and antecedents of their heroes; and in the -case of the Frenchman, German, or Hungarian who happens to have enriched -their knowledge of lands and peoples, gladly forget the title of -"foreigner," otherwise not particularly liked in England. I noticed all -this during the first few days of my stay in England, and necessarily -this prominent feature of the English national character came later on -even more strikingly and, in my case, advantageously to the foreground. -With the exception of one small, rather amusing episode, there was not -the slightest hitch in my reception. My strongly sunburnt face, but more -still my thorough knowledge of Persian and Turkish, which I spoke -without the slightest accent, made some people suspicious as to my -European, <i>i.e.</i>, Hungarian descent. Some Orientalists would take me<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span> -for a disguised Asiatic, and for some time they withheld their -confidence, but when General Kmetty, a countryman of mine, then living -in London, who had known me in Constantinople, allayed their doubts -their appreciation was all the greater, and two weeks after my arrival -on the banks of the Thames I had quite a crowd of friends and -acquaintances, who spread my fame by word of mouth and pen, and -transformed the former Dervish suddenly into a celebrity and a lion of -London society.</p> - -<p>This episode is not without its comical side, and shows how an inborn -talent for languages, or rather for talking, may deceive even the -cleverest expert in finding out people's nationalities. In Asia they -took me for a Turk, a Persian, or Central Asiatic, and very seldom for a -European. Here in Europe they thought I was a disguised Persian or -Osmanli, such is the curious sport of ethnical location!</p> - -<p>I made my <i>début</i> by a lecture at Burlington House, under the auspices -of the Royal Geographical Society, before a large and select audience. -Here I delivered my first speech in English, with a strong foreign -accent, as the <i>Times</i> remarked next day, but still I spoke for an hour -and made myself understood. From that evening dates my title of -"Explorer," and with it came a considerable change in my material -condition. Instead of having to seek a publisher, I was literally -overrun by men of the craft and inundated with offers. Absolutely<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span> -inexperienced as I was in such matters, I took advice with my friends, -and Lord Strangford decided this momentous question for me, and very -kindly introduced me to John Murray, rightly called the "prince of -publishers." A short conversation with him settled the whole matter. The -contract was simply that after deducting the printing costs I was to -receive half of the nett proceeds, and when the first edition was sold I -should have the right to make other arrangements. These conditions -seemed bad enough, but as Lord Strangford said, it was not so much the -question now to make money by it as to get my book introduced into -society; and as Murray only published the intellectual products of the -fashionable world, my connection with him would be to my advantage in -other ways, that is, it would serve as an introduction to society. For -England, the land of strict formalities and outward appearances, this -view was perfectly correct. The publishing offices in Albemarle Street, -where Murray had his business place then, were known as the literary -forum of the <i>élite</i>. The Queen was at that time in negotiation with Mr. -Murray about the publication of the late Prince Consort's Memoirs, and -Lord Derby was publishing his translation of Homer with him. Any -dealings with this house raised the author at once to the position of a -gentleman, even if they did not provide him with the means to act as -such. When my arrangements<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span> with Murray were completed and he said, "You -can draw upon me," I seemed all at once changed from a beggar into a -Crœsus. I accepted his offer and at once drew a cheque for £50, -followed later on by larger amounts, and this sudden transformation of -my financial position very nearly turned my brain. Fortunately my -friends explained to me just in time that this offer of the publisher's -was a mere act of courtesy, that I must not build any false hopes upon -it, that it would have its limits, and that I should not really know how -I stood until the first accounts were squared.</p> - -<p>In my excess of joy I had given but little thought to this important -question. One must have been in the rushing stream of London high-life, -one must have gone through the everlasting feastings, the dinners, -luncheons, parties, balls, &c., which fall to the lot of a society lion -during the so-called "season," to understand how little time one has for -thinking, and how a constant intercourse with millionaires makes one -fancy one's self in possession of inexhaustible wealth. Day after day -the post brought piles of invitations to lunch, or dinner, races, -hunting-parties, visits to beautiful country-houses, and all imaginable -pleasures and recreations. Hardly a tenth part of the people who thus -offered me hospitality I knew personally. I was received everywhere as a -friend and old acquaintance, and overwhelmed with attentions of all -sorts. One recommended<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span> me to another, and the draconic law of fashion -made it everybody's imperative duty to entertain the stranger who was -about to publish in England the result of his perilous travels, and give -England the first benefit of them, and in this manner to show him the -gratitude of the nation.</p> - -<p>I do not doubt that underlying all this there was a strong dose of -snobbishness, in which England excels, an aping of the great and the -wealthy and the highly cultured, for I am certain that many of my -entertainers had but very vague notions about Central Asia. Nevertheless -expressions of appreciation of my toils and labours, even if they were -speculations upon ulterior benefits on the part of my hosts, could not -leave me quite indifferent; in fact they took a most astonishing hold of -me. When I saw with what fervour Livingstone was received on his second -return from Africa, how anonymous patrons placed large sums at his -disposal, and how patiently his curious whims and tempers were put up -with; when I witnessed the part played in society by Burton, Speke, -Grant, Du Chaillu, and Kirk, and realised that these highly celebrated -"travellers" were not thus admired, distinguished, and rewarded for -their great learning, but rather for their manly character, their -personal courage and spirit of enterprise, I began to understand the -eminently practical bent of the British nation, and the problem was -explained how this little Albion had attained to so<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span> great power, so -great riches, and boasts possessions which encircle the entire globe. -Indeed the traveller in England enjoys much more notoriety than ever the -greatest scholar and artist does on the Continent. He has seen distant -lands and continents and knows where the best and the cheapest raw -materials are to be had, and where the industrial products of the Mother -Country can be sold most advantageously. He clears the way for the -missionary and the trader and, in their wake, for the red-coat; and just -as in past ages the thirst for discovery as manifested by a Drake, a -Raleigh, and a Cook materially contributed to the greatness of England, -so now it is expected that the explorer's zeal and love of adventure -will help to expand the country's political and commercial spheres of -interest.</p> - -<p>A cursory glance at England's latest acquisitions in the most diverse -portions of the globe justifies this national point of view. At the time -of my visit to London I met Mr. Stewart, the bold explorer of the -Steppes of Australia, physically a perfect wreck on account of the great -fatigues he had sustained; but he was lionised tremendously. Australia -at that time counted scarcely a million inhabitants, and now the number -of Englishmen settled there has risen to four or five millions. The -number of explorers, missionaries, and colonists has steadily increased, -and this Colony, which is almost independent of the Mother Country,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span> now -plays a very important part in the British Empire. The same may be -expected of Africa. From the beginning of the sixties the African -travels of Livingstone, and later on those of Du Chaillu, Burton, Speke, -Grant, Baker, &c., were looked upon as great national events, the -consequences of which would affect not only politics and commerce, but -also ordinary workmen and artisans. And now, after scarce half a -century, the British flag waves over the most diverse and by far the -best parts of the Dark Continent. Railways run across the borderlands; -in the Soudan, Uganda, Bulawayo and other lands, Western culture in -British garb is making its way; and during the late South African War -the whole nation, including its Colonies, manifested as much zeal and -patriotism for the establishment of British power in Africa as if it -concerned the defence of London or Birmingham. When we estimate at its -right value this profound national interest in the exploration of -foreign lands, we cannot be so very much surprised at England's -political greatness, nor at the degree of attention paid to travellers. -The English saying, "Trade follows the flag," can hardly be called -correct, for first of all comes the explorer, then the missionary, then -the merchant, and lastly comes the flag.</p> - -<p>Of course my travels did not warrant any such expectations. The chief -point of interest of these lay in the information which I brought from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span> -Khiva, Bokhara, and Herat, and more especially with regard to the secret -movements of Russia towards South Asia, so far unknown in England -because of the total isolation of Central Asia. In political circles -curiosity in this respect had reached a high pitch, for wild and -undefined rumours were afloat about the Northern Colossus advancing -towards the Yaxartes. My appearance was therefore of political -importance, and when I add to this the interest created by the manner in -which I had travelled—I mean my Dervish incognito, which amused the -sensation-loving English people just as my proficiency in different -European languages and Asiatic idioms provoked their curiosity—my -brilliant reception is to a certain extent explained. The rapid change -of scene during the early part of my sojourn in London quite stunned me; -I lived in a world altogether new and hitherto undreamed of. For many -days I had quite a struggle to adopt not merely European but English -manners and customs. The contrast between the free-and-easy life of -Asiatic lands—where in the way of food, clothes, and general behaviour, -only such restraint is required as one chooses to lay upon oneself—and -the rigid rules of society life to which in England one is expected to -conform, was often painful and disagreeable to me. One gets sometimes -into the most uncomfortable and ridiculous predicaments, and Livingstone -was right when he once said to me, "Oh, how happy was my life in Africa; -how<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span> beautiful is the freedom amidst naked barbarism as compared with -the tyrannical etiquette of our refined society!"</p> - -<p>Thoughts of this kind came to me also sometimes; I even longed often for -the unfettered life and the ever-varying vicissitudes of my wanderings, -but these were merely the result of momentary depression. The contrast -between the highest and the lowest stage of civilisation had quite a -different effect upon me, for in my inmost mind I clung to the medium -stage of culture of my native land; the home where, in spite of the -mortifications inflicted upon me, I hoped one day to find a quieter -haven of refuge than in the noisy, restless centre of Western activity.</p> - -<p class="center space-above">UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The story of my struggles: the memoirs -of Arminius Vambéry, Volume 1 (of 2), by Arminius Vambéry - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS OF ARMINIUS VAMBERY, VOL 1 *** - -***** This file should be named 50812-h.htm or 50812-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/8/1/50812/ - -Produced by Albert László, Martin Pettit and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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