With incredible celerity Iskander and his cavalry dashed over the plains
of Roumelia, and never halted, except for short and hurried intervals
of rest and repose, until they had entered the mountainous borders of
Epirus, and were within fifty miles of its capital, Croia. On the eve
of entering the kingdom of his fathers, Iskander ordered his guards
to produce the chief secretary of Karam Bey. Exhausted with fatigue,
vexation, and terror, the disconsolate Mousa was led forward.
“Cheer up, worthy Mousa!” said Iskander, lying his length on the green
turf. “We have had a sharp ride; but I doubt not we shall soon find
ourselves, by the blessing of God, in good quarters. There is a city at
hand which they call Croia, and in which once, as the rumour runs, the
son of my father should not have had to go seek for an entrance. No
matter. Methinks, worthy Mousa, thou art the only man in our society
that can sign thy name. Come now, write me an order signed Karam Bey
to the governor of this said city, for its delivery up to the valiant
champion of the Crescent, Iskander, and thou shalt ride in future at a
pace more suitable to a secretary.”
The worthy Mousa humbled himself to the ground, and then talking his
writing materials from his girdle, inscribed the desired order, and
delivered it to Iskander, who, glancing at the inscription, pushed it
into his vest.
“I shall proceed at once to Croia, with a few friends,” said Iskander;
“do you, my bold companions, follow me this eve in various parties,
and in various routes. At dead of the second night, collect in silence
before the gates of Croia!”
Thus speaking, Iskander called for his now refreshed charger, and,
accompanied by two hundred horsemen, bade farewell for a brief period
to his troops, and soon having crossed the mountains, descended into the
fertile plains of Epirus.
When the sun rose in the morning, Iskander and his friends beheld at the
further end of the plain a very fine city shining in the light. It was
surrounded with lofty turreted walls flanked by square towers, and was
built upon a gentle eminence, which gave it a very majestic appearance.
Behind it rose a lofty range of purple mountains of very picturesque
form, and the highest peaks capped with snow. A noble lake, from which
troops of wild fowl occasionally rose, expanded like a sheet of silver
on one side of the city. The green breast of the contiguous hills
sparkled with white houses.
“Behold Croia!” exclaimed Iskander. “Our old fathers could choose
a site, comrades. We shall see whether they expended their time and
treasure for strangers, or their own seed.” So saying, he spurred his
horse, and with panting hearts and smiling faces, Iskander and his
company had soon arrived in the vicinity of the city.
The city was surrounded by a beautiful region of corn-fields and
fruit-trees. The road was arched with the over-hanging boughs. The birds
chirped on every spray. It was a blithe and merry morn. Iskander plucked
a bunch of olives as he cantered along. “Dear friends,” he said, looking
round with an inspiring smile, “let us gather our first harvest!” And,
thereupon, each putting forth his rapid hand, seized, as he rushed
by, the emblem of possession, and following the example of his leader,
placed it in his cap.
They arrived at the gates of the city, which was strongly garrisoned;
and Iskander, followed by his train, galloped up the height of the
citadel. Alighting from his horse, he was ushered into the divan of the
governor, an ancient Pacha, who received the conqueror of Caramania with
all the respect that became so illustrious a champion of the Crescent.
After the usual forms of ceremonious hospitality, Iskander, with a
courteous air presented him the order for delivering up the citadel; and
the old Pacha, resigning himself to the loss of his post with Oriental
submission, instantly delivered the keys of the citadel and town to
Iskander, and requested permission immediately to quit the scene of his
late command.
Quitting the citadel, Iskander now proceeded through the whole town, and
in the afternoon reviewed the Turkish garrison in the great square. As
the late governor was very anxious to quit Croia that very day, Iskander
insisted on a considerable portion of the garrison accompanying him as a
guard of honour, and returning the next morning. The rest he divided in
several quarters, and placed the gates in charge of his own companions.
At midnight the Epirots, faithful to their orders, arrived and united
beneath the walls of the city, and after inter-changing the signals
agreed upon, the gates were opened. A large body instantly marched
and secured the citadel. The rest, conducted by appointed leaders,
surrounded the Turks in their quarters. And suddenly, in the noon of
night, in that great city, arose a clang so dreadful that people leapt
up from their sleep and stared with stupor. Instantly the terrace of
every house blazed with torches, and it became as light as day. Troops
of armed men were charging down the streets, brandishing their scimitars
and yataghans, and exclaiming, “The Cross, the Cross!” “Liberty!”
“Greece!” “Iskander and Epirus!” The townsmen recognised their
countrymen by their language and their dress. The name of Iskander
acted as a spell. They stopt not to inquire. A magic sympathy at once
persuaded them that this great man had, by the grace of Heaven, recurred
to the creed and country of his fathers. And so every townsman, seizing
the nearest weapon, with a spirit of patriotic frenzy, rushed into
the streets, crying out, “The Cross, the Cross!” “Liberty!” “Greece!”
“Iskander and Epirus!” Ay! even the women lost all womanly fears,
and stimulated instead of soothing the impulse of their masters. They
fetched them arms, they held the torches, they sent them forth with vows
and prayers and imprecations, their children clinging to their robes,
and repeating with enthusiasm, phrases which they could not comprehend.
The Turks fought with the desperation of men who feel that they are
betrayed, and must be victims. The small and isolated bodies were soon
massacred, all with cold steel, for at this time, although some of the
terrible inventions of modern warfare were introduced, their use was not
general. The citadel, indeed, was fortified with cannon; but the greater
part of the soldiery trusted to their crooked swords, and their unerring
javelins. The main force of the Turkish garrison had been quartered in
an old palace of the Archbishop, situate in the middle of the city on a
slightly rising and open ground, a massy building of rustic stone. Here
the Turks, although surrounded, defended themselves desperately, using
their cross bows with terrible effect; and hither, the rest of the city
being now secured, Iskander himself repaired to achieve its complete
deliverance.
The Greeks had endeavoured to carry the principal entrance of the palace
by main force, but the strength of the portal had resisted their utmost
exertions, and the arrows of the besieged had at length forced them to
retire to a distance. Iskander directed that two pieces of cannon should
be dragged down from the citadel, and then played against the entrance.
In the meantime, he ordered immense piles of damp faggots to be lit
before the building, the smoke of which prevented the besieged from
taking any aim. The ardour of the people was so great that the cannon
were soon served against the palace, and their effects were speedily
remarked. The massy portal shook; a few blows of the battering ram, and
it fell. The Turks sallied forth, were received with a shower of Greek
fire, and driven in with agonising yells. Some endeavoured to escape
from the windows, and were speared or cut down; some appeared wringing
their hands in despair upon the terraced roof. Suddenly the palace was
announced to be on fire. A tall white-blueish flame darted up from a
cloud of smoke, and soon, as if by magic, the whole back of the building
was encompassed with rising tongues of red and raging light. Amid a
Babel of shrieks, and shouts, and cheers, and prayers, and curses,
the roof of the palace fell in with a crash, which produced amid the
besiegers an awful and momentary silence, but in an instant they started
from their strange inactivity, and rushing forward, leapt into the
smoking ruins, and at the same time completed the massacre and achieved
their freedom.