epidemic or other misfortune they found themselves working together, each
among men of their own faith. Otherwise, whenever they met at Mejdan or
Okolište,theygreetedoneanotherandaskedafteroneanother'shealth,aspriest
and hodja never did elsewhere. Then Pop Nikola would often point with his
pipestematthetownbesidetheriverandsayhalfinjest:
'Allthatbreathesorcreepsorspeakswithhumanvoicedownthereiseitheryour
ormyresponsibility.'
'Itisso,neighbour,'MulaIbrahimwouldstutterinreply,'indeedtheyare.'
(And so the townsmen who could always find time to mock at everyone and
everythingwouldsayofmenwholivedinfriendship:'Theyareascloseasthe
priestandthe hodja'; andthissayingbecameaproverbwiththem.)
Thesetwonowunderstoodoneanotherperfectlythoughtheydidnotexchangea
word. Pop Nikola knew how hard it was for Mula Ibrahim and Mula Ibrahim
knewthatitwasnoteasyforthepriest.
Theylookedatoneanotherastheyhaddonesomanytimesbeforeintheirlives
and on so many different occasions, as two men who had on their souls that
doubleburdenofthetown,theoneforthosewhocrossedthemselves,theother
forthosewhoboweddowninthemosque.
AtthatmomentthesoundoftrottingwasheardandaTurkishgendarmehurried
up on a scraggy pony. Scared and out of breath, he shouted at them from a distancelikeatown-crier.
'Hereheis;theoneonthewhitehorse!'
Thepolicechieftooarrived,alwayscalm,alwaysamiable,alwayssilent.
DustrosefromalongtheOkolišteroad.
Thesemen,bornandbroughtupinthisremotedistrictofTurkey,therotten-ripe
Turkey of the nineteenth century, had naturally never had the chance of seeing
the real, powerful and well-organized army of a great power. All that they had
beenabletoseetillthenhadbeentheincomplete,badlyfed,badlyclothedand
badly paid units of the Sultan's askers or, which was even worse, the Bosnian irregulars,the bashibazouks, recruitedbyforce,undisciplinedandfanatic.Now
for the first time there appeared before them the real 'power and force' of an
Empire,victorious,glisteningandsureofitself.Suchanarmydazzledthemand
checkedthewordsintheirthroats.Atthefirstsightofthesaddleryandthetunic-
buttons another world could be sensed behind these hussars and jaegers in
paradekit.Theirastonishmentwasgreatandtheimpressionprofound.
Firstrodetwotrumpetersontwofatbays,thenadetachmentofhussarsonblack
horses.Thehorseswerewellgroomedandmovedlikegirlswithshorttidysteps.
The hussars, all young and fresh, with waxed moustaches, in red shakos and
yellowfroggedtunics,seemedrestedandvigorousasiftheyhadjustcomeout
ofbarracks.Behindthemrodeagroupofsixofficersledbyacolonel.Alleyes
werefixedonhim.Hishorsewaslargerthantheothers,aflea-bittengreywitha
very long and curved neck. A little behind the officers came the infantry
detachment, jaegers, in green uniforms, with a panache of feathers on their
leathercapsandwhitebandsacrosstheirchests.Theyshutouteverythingsave
themselvesandseemedlikeamovingforest.
The trumpeters and hussars rode past the priest and the police chief, halted on
themarketplace,anddrewupalongthesides.
Themenonthe kapia, paleandshaken,stoodinthecentreofthebridgefacing
theofficers.Oneoftheyoungerofficersspurredhishorseuptothecoloneland
saidsomethingtohim.Allsloweddown.Afewpacesinfrontofthe'notables'
thecolonelsuddenlyhaltedanddismounted,asdidtheofficersbehindhimasif
by order. The soldiers whose duty it was to hold the horses hurried up and led
themafewpacesback.
Assoonashisfoottouchedtheground,thecolonelseemedanotherman.Hewas asmall,undistinguished,overtired,unpleasantandaggressiveman,behavingas
if he alone had fought for all of them. Only now could it be seen that he was
smartly-uniformed officers. He was the image of a man who drives himself
mercilessly,whocontinuallyovertaxeshimself.Hisfacewasflushed,hisbeard
untrimmed,hiseyestroubledandanxious,histallhelmetalittleononesideand
his crumpled uniform seemingly too big for his body. He was wearing cavalry
boots of soft unpolished leather. Walking with legs apart like a horseman he
camecloser,swinginghisriding-crop.Oneoftheofficersspoketohim,pointing
outthemenrangedbeforehim.Thecolonellookedatthemshortlyandsharply,
the angry glance of a man continually occupied with difficult duties and great
dangers. It was at once evident that he did not know how to look in any other
way.
At that moment Pop Nikola began to speak in a calm deep voice. The colonel
lookedupandfixedhisgazeonthefaceofthebigmanintheblackcloak.That
broadserenemaskofabiblicalpatriarchheldhisattentionforamoment.Itmay
bethathedidnotunderstand,orthathepretendednottolistento,whattheold
manwassaying,butthatfacecouldnotgounnoticed.PopNikolaspokefluently
andnaturally,addressinghimselfmoretotheyoungofficerwhowastotranslate
hiswordsthantothecolonelhimself.Inthenameofallthefaithsherepresent,
he assured the colonel that they, and their people, were willing to submit
themselvestothecomingauthoritiesandwoulddoallthatwasintheirpowerto
maintainpeaceandorderasthenewauthoritiesdemanded.Theyaskedthearmy
to protect them and their families and make a peaceful life and honest toil
possibleforthem.
PopNikolaspokeshortlyandendedabruptly.Thenervouscoloneldidnothave
anyexcusetolosepatience.Butallthesamehedidnotwaitfortheendofthe
youngofficer'stranslation.Brandishinghisriding-crop,heinterruptedhimina
harshandunevenvoice:
'Good, good! All those who behave themselves will be protected. Peace and
ordermustbemaintainedeverywhere.Itmustbe,whethertheylikeitornot.'
Then, shaking his head, he moved onward without a glance or a greeting. The
'notables' moved aside. The colonel passed them, followed by the officers and
the orderlies with the horses. None of them paid the least attention to the
'notables'whoremainedaloneonthe kapia.
Allofthemweredisillusioned.Forthedaybefore,andallthroughtheprevious night, in which not one of them had slept much, each had asked himself a
hundred times what that moment would be like when they had to welcome the
commandant of the Imperial Army on the kapia. They had imagined him in
every sort of way, each according to his nature and intelligence, and had been
ready for the worst. Some of them had already seen themselves carried away
immediatelytoexileinfarawayAustria,neveragaintoseetheirhomesortheir
town. Others remembered the stories about Hairuddin who at one time used to
cutoffheadsonthisvery kapia. Theyhadimaginedineverypossibleway,save
thatinwhichithadactuallyhappened,themeetingwiththatsmallbutcurtand
bad-temperedofficertowhomwarwaslife,whodidnotthinkofhimselforpay
anyheedtoothers,butsawallmenandalllandsonlyasasubjectoranoccasion
for war and conflict, and who behaved as if he were waging war on his own
accountandinhisownname.
Sotheystood,lookingatoneanotherinuncertainty.Eachoftheirlooksseemed
tosaydumbly:'Wehavegotoutofthisalive.Havewereallygonethroughthe
worst?Whatisstillinstoreforusandwhatmustbedone?'
The police chief and Pop Nikola were the first to come to themselves. They
came to the conclusion that the 'notables' had done their duty and that nothing
more was left for them to do but to go home and tell the people not to be
frightened and run away, but to take good care what they did. The others,
withoutbloodintheirfacesorthoughtsintheirheads,acceptedthisconclusion
astheywouldhaveacceptedanyother,sincetheythemselveswereinnostateto
cometoanyconclusion.
The police chief, whom nothing could ruffle, went about his duties. The
gendarme rolled up the long multicoloured carpet which had not been fated to
receive the visit of the commandant, with Salko Hedo standing beside him as
coldandunfeelingasFate.Meanwhilethe'notables'dispersedeachinhisown
wayandeachinhisowndirection.Therabbihurriedoffwithtinystepsinorder
togethomeassoonaspossibleandfeelagainthewarmthandprotectionofthe
familycircleinwhichhismotherandhiswifelived.Theschoolmasterleftmore
slowly, deep in thought. Now that everything had passed so unexpectedly well
andeasily,thoughharshlyandunpleasantlyenough,itseemedtohimquiteclear
thattherehadneverbeenanyrealreasonforpanicanditseemedtohimthathe
had never in fact been afraid of anyone. He thought only what importance this
eventshouldhaveinhischronicleandhowmuchspaceshouldbedevotedtoit.
A score of lines should be enough. Perhaps even fifteen, or maybe less. The
nearer he got to his house the more he reduced the number. With every line spared it seemed to him that he saw all around him diminished in importance
whilehe,theschoolmaster,becamegreaterandmoreimportantinhisowneyes.
Mula Ibrahim and Pop Nikola walked together as far as the slope leading to
Mejdan. They both remained silent, astonished and discouraged at the
appearance and bearing of the Imperial colonel. Both were hastening to get
homeassoonaspossibleandforegatherwiththeirfamilies.Atthepointwhere
their paths diverged, they stood and looked at one another for a moment in
silence. Mula Ibrahim rolled his eyes and moved his lips as if continually
chewingoversomewordthathewasunabletoutter.PopNikola,whohadonce
morerecoveredhis smileofgolden sparkswhichencouraged bothhimselfand
the hodja, utteredhisownandthe hodja's thought:
'Abloodybusiness,thisarmy,MulaIbrahim!'
'Youareright,ab-b-b-bloodybusiness,'stutteredMulaIbrahimraisinghisarms
andsayingfarewellwithamovementofhishead.
PopNikolawentbacktohishousebythechurch,slowlyandheavily.Hiswife
whowaswaitingforhimaskednoquestions.Sheatoncetookoffhisboots,took
hiscloakandremovedthehoodfromthethicksweatymassofredandgreyhair.
Hesatdownonalowdivan.Onitswoodenarmaglassofwaterandalumpof
sugarwerereadywaiting.Afterrefreshinghimselfandlightingacigarheclosed
his eyes wearily. But in his inmost thoughts still flashed the image of that
colonel,likeaflashoflightningthatdazzlesamanandfillshiswholefieldof
vision so that nothing else may be seen and yet it is impossible to look away
from it. The priest puffed his smoke far away from him with a sigh and then
spokequietlyasiftohimself:
'Astrangesortofbastard,onmygrandmother'ssoul!'
Fromthetowncouldbeheardadrumandthenabugleofthe jaeger detachment,
gayandpenetrating,anewandunusualmelody.
XI
Thusthegreatchangeinthelifeofthetownbesidethebridgetookplacewithout
sacrifices other than the martyrdom of Alihodja. After a few days life went on
again as before and seemed essentially unchanged. Even Alihodja himself
plucked up his courage and opened his shop near the bridge like all the other
traders,savethatnowheworehisturbanslightlytippedtotherightsothatthe
scar on his wounded ear could not be seen. That 'leaden weight' which he had
feltinhischestafterseeingtheredcrossonthearmoftheAustrianorderlyand
readingthe'Imperialwords'hadnotactuallyvanished,butithadbecomequite
smalllikethebeadofarosary,sothatitwaspossibletolivewithit.Norwashe
theonlyonewhofeltsuchaweight.
Sobegantheneweraundertheoccupationwhichthepeople,unabletoprevent,
consideredintheirheartstobetemporary.Whatdidnotpassacrossthebridgein
those first few years after the occupation! Yellow military vehicles rumbled
acrossitinlongconvoysbringingfood,clothingandfurniture,instrumentsand
fittingshithertounheardof.
At first only the army was to be seen. Soldiers sprang up, like water from the
earth, behind every corner and every bush. The marketplace was full of them,
but they were also in every part of the town. Every minute of the day some
frightenedwomanwouldscream,havingunexpectedlycomeacrossasoldierin
her courtyard or in the plum-orchard behind her house, in dark blue uniforms,
tanned by two months of marching and fighting, glad that they were alive and
eager for rest and enjoyment, they sauntered through the town and the country
around. Few of the citizens went to the kapia for now it was always full of soldiers.Theywouldsitthere,singinginvariouslanguagesandbuyingfruitin
theirblueleather-peakedcapswithayellowmetalcockadeonwhichwascutthe
imperialinitialsFJI.
But when autumn came the soldiers began to move away. Slowly and
imperceptibly there seemed fewer and fewer of them. There remained only the
gendarmedetachments.Theserequisitionedhousesandpreparedforalongstay.
Atthesametimeofficialsbegantoarrive,civilservantswiththeirfamiliesand,
afterthem,artisansandcraftsmenforallthosetradeswhichuptillthenhadnot
existed in the town. Among them were Czechs, Poles, Croats, Hungarians and
Austrians.
Atfirstitseemedthattheyhadcomebychance,asifdrivenbythewind,andas
if they were coming for a short stay to live more or less the same life as had alwaysbeenlivedhere,asthoughthecivilauthoritiesweretoprolongforashort
time the occupation begun by the army. But with every month that passed the
numberofnewcomersincreased.However,whatmostastonishedthepeopleof
the town and filled them with wonder and distrust was not so much their
numbers as their immense and incomprehensible plans, their untiring industry
andtheperseverancewithwhichtheyproceededtotherealizationofthoseplans.
The newcomers were never at peace; and they allowed no one else to live in
peace. It seemed that they were resolved with their impalpable yet ever more
noticeableweboflaws,regulationsandorderstoembraceallformsoflife,men,
beasts and things, and to change and alter everything, both the outward
appearanceofthetownandthecustomsandhabitsofmenfromthecradletothe
grave. All this they did quietly without many words, without force or
provocation, so that a man had nothing to protest about. If they encountered
resistance or lack of understanding, they at once stopped, discussed the matter
somewhereoutofsightandthenchangedonlythemanneranddirectionoftheir
work,stillcarryingoutwhateverwasintheirminds.Everytaskthattheybegan
seemeduselessandevensilly.Theymeasuredoutthewasteland,numberedthe
treesintheforest,inspectedlavatoriesanddrains,lookedattheteethofhorses
andcows,askedabouttheillnessesofthepeople,notedthenumberandtypesof
fruit-treesandofdifferentkindsofsheepandpoultry.(Itseemedthattheywere
playing games, so incomprehensible, unreal and futile all these tasks of theirs
appearedtothepeople.)Thenallthattheyhadcarriedoutwithsomuchcareand
zealvanishedsomewhereorotherasifithadbeenlostwithouttraceorsound.
Butafewmonthslater,sometimesevenayearlater,whenthewholethinghad
beencompletelyforgottenbythepeople,therealsenseofthesemeasureswhich
hadseemedsosenselesswassuddenlyrevealed.The mukhtars oftheindividual
quarterswouldbesummonedtothe konak(theadministrativecentre)andtoldof