such as they had never heard him use by day. Then, suddenly, he started, leant
overtheboundpeasantasifoveraprecioushoard,andbegantomutterthrough
histeethinathinlachrymosevoice:
'Guardhim,guardhimwell!Youbastards,ifyoulethimgo,notasingleoneof
youwillkeephisheadonhisshoulders.'
Theguardscrowdedroundthepeasant.Twomorehurriedtojointhem,crossing
theferryfromthefartherbank.ThemanfromPlevljeorderedthemtobindthe
prisonermoresecurely.Sotheycarriedhimlikeacorpseslowlyandcarefullyto the bank. The man from Plevlje went with them, not looking where he was
treadingandnevertakinghiseyesfromtheboundman.Itseemedtohimthathe
was growing in stature with every step, that only from that moment was he
beginningtolive.
Onthebanknewtorcheswerelightedandbegantoflareup.Thecaptivepeasant
was taken into one of the workmen's barracks where there was a fire, and was
boundtightlytoapostwithropesandchainstakenfromthehearth.
ItwasRadisavofUništehimself.
ThemanfromPlevljecalmeddownalittle;henolongerscreamedorswore,but
hewasunabletokeepstill.Hesentguardsalongthebankstolookfortheother
peasantwhohadleaptintothewater,thoughitwasclearthatonsodarkanight,
if he had not drowned, it would be impossible to find or catch him. He gave
orderafterorder,wentout,cameinagainandthenonceagainwentback,drunk
with excitement. He began to interrogate the bound peasant, but soon left off
doingthatalso.Allthathedidwasonlytomasterandconcealhisnervousness,
forinfacthehadonlyonethoughtinhishead;hewaswaitingforAbidaga.He
hadnotlongtowait.
As soon as he had slept out his first sleep Abidaga, as was his habit, waked
shortly after midnight and, no longer able to sleep, stood by his window and
lookedoutintothedarkness.BydayhecouldseefromhisbalconyatBikavac
the whole river valley and all the construction works, with the barracks, mills,
stables and all that devastated and littered space around them. Now in the
darkness he sensed their presence and thought with bitterness how slowly the
workwasproceedingandhow,soonerorlater,thismustreachtheVezir'sears.
Someonewouldbesuretoseetothat.Ifnoone.else,thenthatsmooth,coldand
craftyTosunEffendi.Thenitmightchancethathemightfallintodisgracewith
theVezir.Thatwaswhatpreventedhimfromsleeping,andevenwhenhedidfall
asleephetrembledinhisdreams.Hisfoodseemedpoisontohim,menseemed
odiousandhislifedarkwhenheeventhoughtofit.Disgrace—thatmeantthat
he would be exiled from the Vezir's presence, that his enemies would laugh at
him (Ah! Anything but that!), that he would be nothing and nobody, no more
thanarag,agoodfornothing,notonlyintheeyesofothersbutalsoinhisown.
Itwouldmeangivinguphishardwonfortuneor,ifhemanagedtokeepit,toeke
it out stealthily, far from Stambul, somewhere in the obscure provinces,
forgotten,superfluous,ridiculous,wretched.No,anythingbutthat!Betternotto
see the sun, not to breathe the air. It would be a hundred times better to be
nobodyandtohavenothing.Thatwasthethoughtthatalwayscamebacktohim
and several times a day forced the blood to beat painfully in his skull and his
temples, but even at other times never completely left him but lay like a black
cloud within him. That was what disgrace meant to him, and disgrace was
possibleeveryday,everyhour,sinceeveryonewasworkingtobringitonhim.
Only he alone worked against it and defended himself; it was one man against
everyoneandeverything.Thathadnowlastedfifteenyears,fromthefirsttime
thattheVezirhadentrustedhimwith
a great and important task. Who could endure it? Who could sleep and be at
peace?
Although it was a cold damp autumn night, Abidaga opened the casement and
looked into the darkness, for the closed room seemed stifling to him. Then he
noticed that there were lights and movements on the scaffolding and along the
banks. When he saw that there were more and more of them, he thought that
somethingunusualmusthavehappened,dressedandwokehisservant.Thushe
arrived at the lighted stable just at the moment when the man from Plevlje no
longerknewwhatfurtherinsultstouse,whomtoorderandwhattodotoshorten
thetime.
TheunexpectedarrivalofAbidagacompletelybewilderedhim.Somuchhadhe
longedforthismoment,yetnowthatithadcomehedidnotknowhowtoprofit
from it as he had hoped. He stuttered in excitement and forgot all about the
boundpeasant.Abidagaonlygazedthroughhimdisdainfullyandwentstraight
uptotheprisoner.
Inthestabletheyhadbuiltupabigfiretowhichtheguardskeptaddingfresh
faggotssothateventhemostdistantcornerwaslitup.
Abidaga stood looking down at the bound peasant for he was much the taller
man.Hewascalmandthoughtful.Everyonewaitedforhimtospeak,whilehe
thoughttohimself;sothisistheonewithwhomIhavehadtostruggleandfight,
this is what my position and my fate depended upon, this wretched half-witted
renegadefromPlevljeandtheincomprehensibleandobdurateoppositionofthis
louse from the rayah. Then he shook himself and began to give orders and to questionthepeasant.
The stable filled with guards, and outside could be heard the voices of the
awakened overseers and workmen. Abidaga put his questions through the man
fromPlevlje.
Radisav first said that he and another man had decided to run away and that therefore they had prepared a small raft and set off downstream. When they
pointedouttohimthesenselessnessofthisstorysinceitwasimpossibleinthe
darknesstogodowntheturbulentriverfullofwhirlpools,rocksandshoals,and
thatthosewhowanttorunawaydonotclimbonthescaffoldinganddamagethe
works,hefellsilentandonlymutteredsullenly:
'Well,Iaminyourhands.Dowhatyoulike.'
'Youwillsoonfindoutwhatwelike,'Abidagaretortedbriskly.
Theguardstookawaythechainsandstrippedthepeasanttothebuff.Theythrew
thechainsintotheheartofthefireandwaited.Asthechainswerecoveredwith
soot,theirhandswereblackenedandgreatpatcheswereleftonthemselvesand
on the half-naked peasant. When the chains were almost red hot, Merdjan the
Gipsycameupandtookoneendoftheminalongpairoftongs,whileoneofthe
guardstooktheotherend.
ThemanfromPlevljetranslatedAbidaga'swords.
'Perhapsnowyouwilltellthewholetruth.'
'WhathaveIgottotellyou?Youknoweverythingandcandowhatyoulike.'
Thetwomenbroughtthechainsandwrappedthemroundtheth
epeasant'sbroad
hairychest.Thescorchedhairbegantosizzle.Hismouthcontracted,theveinsin
his neck swelled, his ribs seemed to stand out and his stomach muscles to
contractandrelaxaswhenamanvomits.Hegroanedfromthepain,strainedat
theropeswhichboundhimandwrithedandtwistedinvaintolessenthecontact
ofhisbodywiththeredhotiron.Hiseyesclosedandthetearsfloweddownhis
cheeks.Theytookthechainaway.
'Thatwasonlyabeginning.Isn'titbettertotalkwithoutthat?'
Thepeasantonlybreathedheavilythroughhisnose,andremainedsilent.
'Whowaswithyou?'
'HisnamewasJovan,butIdonotknoweitherhishouseorhisvillage.'
Theybroughtthechainsagainandtheburninghairandskinsizzled.Coughing
fromthesmokeandwrithingfromthepain,thepeasantbegantospeakjerkily.
Th6se two alone had come to an agreement to destroy the work on the bridge.
Theythoughtthatithadtobedoneandtheyhaddoneit.Nooneelsehadknown anythingaboutitorhadtakenpartinit.Atfirsttheyhadsetoutfromthebanks
invariousplacesandbeenquitesuccessful,butwhentheysawthattherewere
guardsonthescaffoldingandalongthebanks,theyhadthoughtofbindingthree
plankstogethertomakearaftandthus,unnoticed,approachtheworkfromthe
river. That had been three days ago. On the first night they had nearly been
caught.Theyonlyjustgotaway.Sothenextnighttheyhadnotgoneoutatall.
When they tried again that same night with the raft, there had happened what
hadhappened.
'Thatisall.Soitwas,andsoweworked.Nowdowhatyouwill.'
'No,no,thatisnotwhatwewant.Telluswhomadeyoudothis!Whatyouhave
suffereduptillnowisnothingtowhatyouwillgetlateron!'
'Well,dowhatyoulike.'
Merdjanthencamenearerwithapairofpincers.Hekneltinfrontofthebound
manandbegantotearthenailsoffhisnakedfeet.
Thepeasantremainedsilentandclenchedhisteethbutastrangetremblingshook
hiswholebodyuptothewaisteventhoughhewasboundwhichshowedthatthe
pain must have been exceptionally great. After a few moments the peasant
forcedafewmutteredwordsthroughhisteeth.ThemanfromPlevlje,whohad
beenhangingonhiseverywordandwaitingeagerlyforsomesortofadmission,
madeasignwithhishandtothegipsytostopandatonceasked:
'Whatwasthat?Whatdidyousay?'
'Nothing.Ionlysaid:whyinthenameofGoddoyouwasteyourtimetorturing
me?'
'Telluswhomadeyoudoit?'
'Whomademedoit?Why,thedevil.'
Thedevil?'
'The devil. Certainly that same devil who made you come here and build the
bridge!'
Thepeasantspokesoftly,butclearlyanddecisively.
Thedevil!Astrangeword,saidsobitterlyinsounusualasituation.Thedevil!
ThedeviliscertainlysomewhereinthisthoughtthemanfromPlevlje,standing
with bowed head as if the bound man were questioning him and not he the boundman.Thewordstouchedhimonasensitivespotandawokeinhimallofa
suddenallhisanxietiesandfears,inalltheirstrengthandterror,asiftheyhad
neverbeensweptawaybythecaptureoftheculprit.Perhapsindeedallthis,with
Abidaga and the building of the bridge and this mad peasant, was the devil's
work. The devil! Perhaps he was the only one to fear. The man from Plevlje
shivered and shook himself. At that moment the loud and angry voice of
Abidagabroughthimtohimself.
'What's the matter with you? Are you asleep, good-for-nothing?' shouted
Abidaga,strikinghisrightbootwithhisshortleatherwhip.
The gipsy was still kneeling with the pincers in his hand and looking upwards
with black shining eyes, frightened and humble, at the tall figure of Abidaga.
Theguardspiledupthefirewhichwasalreadyroaring.Thewholeplaceshone;
it was like a furnace but somehow solemn. What that evening had seemed a
gloomyandundistinguishedbuildingallatoncewastransformed,becamelarger,
widenedout.Inthestableandarounditreignedasortofsolemnemotionanda
specialsilenceasthereisinplaceswhereoneextractsthetruth,alivingmanis
tortured or where fateful things occur. Abidaga, the man from Plevlje and the
boundmanmovedandspokelikeactorsandalltheotherswentontiptoewith
lowered eyes, not speaking save when forced to and then only in a whisper.
Everyonewished to be somewhere else, only not to be in this place nor at this
work,butsincethatwasnotpossible,theyallloweredtheirvoicesandmovedas
littleastheycould,asiftogetasfarawayaspossiblefromthisaffair.
Seeing that the interrogation was going slowly and did not give any hope of
results, Abidaga with impatient movements and loud oaths went out of the
stable.AfterhimreeledthemanfromPlevlje,followedbytheguards.
Outsideitwasgrowinglight.Thesunhadnotyetrisen,butthewholehorizon
was clear. Deep among the hills the clouds lay in long dull purple bands and
between them could be seen the clear sky almost green in colour. Scattered
trees with sparse yellowish leaves. Still striking at his boot with his whip,
Abidagagaveorders.Thecriminalshouldcontinuetobeinterrogated,especially
about those who had helped him, but he should not be tortured beyond
endurancelesthedie.Everythingmustbemadereadysothatatnoonthatsame
dayheshouldbeimpaledaliveontheoutermostpartoftheconstructionworkat
itshighestpoint,sothatthewholetownandalltheworkersshouldbeabletosee
him from the banks of the river; Merdjan was to get everything ready and the town-criertoannouncetheexecutionthroughallthequartersofthetown,sothat
at midday all the people might see what happened to those who hindered the
building of the bridge, and that the whole male population, both Turks
and rayah, fromchildrentooldmen,mustgatherononeorotherofthebanksto
witnessit.
ThedaywhichwasdawningwasaSunday.OnSundayworkwentonasonany
otherday,butthisdayeventheoverseersweredistrait.Assoonasitwasbroad
daylight, the news spread about the capture of the criminal, his torture and his
executionwhichwastotakeplaceatmidday.Thehushedandsolemnmoodof
the stable spread over the whole area about the building works. The men on
forced labour worked silently, each one avoided looking his neighbour in the
eyes, and each man looked only to the work before him as if that were the
beginningandtheendofhisworld.
An hour before noon the people of the town, for the most part Turks, had
collected on a level space near the bridge. Children were hoisted on to high
blocksofbuildingstonewhichwerelyinga
bout.Theworkmenswarmedaround
the narrow benches where the meagre rations which kept them alive were
usuallydistributed.Chewingatthem,theyweresilentandlookeduneasilyabout
them. A little later Abidaga appeared, accompanied by Tosun Effendi, Mastro
AntonioandoneortwoofthemoreprominentTurks.Allstoodonasmalldry
hummock between the bridge and the stable where the condemned man was.
Abidaga went once more to the stable, where he was told that everything was
ready; lying there was an oak stake about eight feet long, pointed as was
necessary and tipped with iron, quite thin and sharp, and all well greased with
lard. On the scaffolding were the blocks between which the stake would be
embeddedandnailed,awoodenmalletfortheimpalement,ropesandeverything
elsethatwasneeded.
The man from Plevlje was distraught, his face earthen in colour and his eyes
bloodshot.EvennowhewasnotabletoendureAbidaga'sflamingglances.
'Listen,you!Ifeverythingisnotasitshouldbeandifyoudisgracemeinpublic,
neitheryounoryourbastardofagipsywilleverappearbeforemeagain,forI
willdrownyoubothintheDrinalikeapairofblindpuppies.'
Then,turningtotheshiveringgipsy,hesaidmorekindly:
'Youwillgetsixgroshforthejob,andanothersixifhestaysalivetillnightfall.
Seetoit!'
The hodja calledoutfromthemainmosqueinthemarketplaceinaclearsharp
voice.Uneasinessspreadamongtheassembledpeopleandafewmomentslater
thedoorofthestableopened.Tenguardsweredrawnupintworanks,fiveon
either side. Between them was Radislav, barefooted and bareheaded, alert and
stooping as ever, but he no longer 'sowed' as he walked but marched strangely
withshortsteps,almostskippingonhismutilatedfeetwithbleedingholeswhere
the nails had been; on his shoulders he carried a long white sharpened stake.
BehindhimwasMerdjanwithtwoothergipsieswhoweretobehishelpersin
theexecutionofthesentence.Suddenlyfromsomewhereorotherthemanfrom
Plevlje appeared on his bay and took his place at the head of the procession,
whichonlyhadtogoaboutahundredpacestoreachthefirstscaffolding.