by Ivo Andrić
end'. The insurgents knew that well enough themselves but did not want to
acknowledge it, for these well-fed and well-clothed men who had saved their
houses and properties by keeping wisely and cravenly far from the revolt
irritated and provoked them. With them came that same Osman Effendi
Karamanli,asifoutofhismind,palerandthinnerthanever,evenmorefrenzied
and warlike. He was one of those men for whom failure has no meaning. He
spokeofresistanceinanyplaceandatanypriceandcontinuallyoftheneedto
die. Before his furious ardour everyone retreated or withdrew, save only
Alihodja. He proved to the aggressive Osman Effendi, without the slightest
malice, coldly and brutally, that what had happened to the revolt was exactly
whathehadforeseenamonthagoonthisvery kapia. Herecommendedhimto
leavewithhismenasquicklyaspossibleforPlevljeandnottomakebadworse.
The hodja was now less aggressive, even to a certain extent compassionate
towards this Karamanli as towards a sick man. For within himself, beneath all
his outward obstinacy the hodja was greatly shaken by the approaching
misfortune. He was unhappy and embittered as only a true-believing Moslem
couldbewhoseesthataforeignforceisapproachinginexorably,beforewhose
onslaughttheancientorderofIslamcouldnotlongsurvive.Thathiddenrancour
couldbefeltinhisownwordsevenagainsthiswill.ToallKaramanli'sinsultshe
repliedalmostsadly:'Doyouthink,Effendi,thatitiseasyformetobealiveto
awaitthecomingoftheSchwabestoourland?Asifwedidnotknowwhatisin
storeforusinthetimestocome?Weknowwhereithurtsusandwhatweare
losing;weknowitonlytoowell.Ifyoucameheretotellusthis,youshouldnot
havereturnedhere.IndeedtherewasnoneedforyoutocomefromPlevljeatall.
For, as I see, you do not understand matters. Had you done so, you would not
have done what you have done or said what you have said. This is a worse
torment,Effendi,thanyoucanthink;nordoIknowaremedyforit,butIknow
that what you suggest is not a remedy.' But Osman Effendi was deaf to
everything that did not accord with his deep and sincere passion for resistance
andhehatedthis hodja asmuchastheSchwabesagainstwhomhehadrevolted.
Soisitalwayswhenanoverwhelmingenemyisnearandagreatdefeatcertain.
In every society appear fratricidal hatreds and mutual quarrels. Not finding
anything fresh to say, he went on calling Alihodja a traitor, ironically
recommendinghimtogetbaptizedbeforetheSchwabescame.
'Myancestorswerenotbaptized,norwillIbe.I,Effendi,havenowisheitherto
be baptized with a Schwabe or to go to war with an idiot,' the hodja replied calmly.
AlltheleadingVišegradTurkswereofthesameopinionasAlihodja,butalldid
notthinkitdiscreettosayso,especiallysoharshlyanduncompromisingly.They
were afraid of the Austrians who were coming but they were also afraid of
Karamanliwhowithhismenhadtakenovercontrolofthetown.Thereforethey
shut themselves up in their houses or withdrew to their properties outside the
town, and when they could not avoid meeting Karamanli and his men they
lookedawayorrepliedwithequivocalphraseslookingforthemostconvenient
pretextandthesafestwayofextricatingthemselves.
OnthelevelspaceinfrontoftheruinsofthecaravanseraiKaramanliheldopen
courtfrommorningtoevening.Amotleycrowdwasalwaysabouthim,hisown
men,chancepassers-by,thosewhocametobegsomethingfromthenewmaster
ofthetownandtravellerswhomtheinsurgentsbroughtmoreorlessbyforcein
front of their leader. And Karamanli talked incessantly. Even when he was
talkingtoonemanheshoutedasifhewereaddressinghundreds.Stillpaler,he
rolled his eyes, in which the whites had noticeably yellowed, and white foam
gathered at the corners of his lips. One of the townsmen had told him of the
MoslemtraditionaboutSheikTurhaniawhohaddiedtherelongagodefending
thepassageoftheDrinaagainstaninfidelarmyandnowrestedinhisgraveon
thefartherbankjustabovethebridge,butwhowithoutdoubtwouldriseagain
the moment the first infidel soldier stepped on to the bridge. He seized on this
legend, feverishly and passionately, expounding it to the people as a real and
unexpectedaid.
'Brothers,thisbridgewasaVezir'sbequest.Itiswrittenthataninfidelforceshall
never cross it. It is not we alone who are to defend it but also this "holy one"
whomriflescannothitnorswordscut.Shouldthefoecome,hewillrisefromhis
graveandwillstandinthecentreofthebridgewithoutstretchedarms;andwhen
theSchwabesseehimtheirkneeswilltremble,andtheirheartsfailsothatthey
will not even be able to run away. Turkish brothers, do not disperse but all
followmetothebridge.'
SoKaramanlishoutedtothecrowd.Standingstifflyinhisblackshabbycloak,
stretchingouthisarmsandshowinghowthe'holyone'wouldstand,helooked
exactlylikeatallthinblackcrosswithaturbanontop.
ThistheVišegradTurksknewevenbetterthanKaramanli,foreveryoneofthem
had heard and told this legend countless times in his childhood, but they none
thelessshowednottheleastdesiretominglefactwithlegendorreckononthe help of the dead since nothing could be expected of the living. Alihodja, who
hadnotmovedfarfromhisshop,buttowhomthepeopletoldallthatwassaid
or done before the Stone Han, only waved his arms sorrowfully and
compassionately.
'I knew that that idiot would not leave either the living or the dead in
peace. Allahselametolsun! MayGodhelpus!'
But Karamanli, helpless before the real enemy, turned all his fury against
Alihodja.Hethreatened,heshoutedandsworethatbeforehewasforcedtoleave
thetownhewouldnailtheobstinate hodja tothe kapia likeabadgertoawaitthe Schwabesinthatway,sincehedidnotwanttofightortoallowotherstodoso.
All this bickering was cut short by the appearance of the Austrians on the
Lijeska slopes. Then it was seen that the town really could not be defended.
Karamanliwasthelasttoleavethetown,abandoningontheraisedlevelspace
before the caravanserai both the iron cannons that he had dragged there. But
before he left he carried out his threat. He ordered his servant, a smith by
profession,amanofgiantsizebutwiththebrainofabird,tobindAlihodjaand
tonailhimbytherighteartothatoakbeamwedgedbetweentwostonestepson
the kapia, whichwasallthatremainedoftheformerblockhouse.
Inthegeneralcrushandconfusionwhichreignedinthemarketplaceandaround
the bridge, all heard that order given in a loud voice but no one even
dreamed
that it would be carried out in the form in which it was given. In such
circumstancesallsortsofthings,bravewordsandloudcurses,canbeheard.So
tooitwasinthiscase.Atfirstsightthethingseemedinconceivable.Itwastobe
considered a threat or an insult or something of the sort. Nor did Alihodja
himself take the matter very seriously. Even the smith himself who had been
orderedtocarryitoutandwhowasbusyspikingthegunshesitatedandseemed
tothinkitover.Butthethoughtthatthe hodja mustbenailedtothe kapia wasin the air and the suspicious and embittered townsmen turned over in their minds
theprospectsand probabilities of such a crime being carried out or not carried
out. Would it be, or would it not be? At first the majority of them thought the affairtobe,asindeeditwas,senseless,uglyandimpossible.Butinmomentsof
general excitement, something has to be done, something big and unusual, and
that was the only thing to be done. Would it be—or would it not be? The
possibility seemed stronger and became every moment and with every
movement more probable and more natural. Why not? Two men already held
the hodja whodidnotdefendhimselfovermuch.Theyboundhishandsbehind hisback.Butallthiswasstillfarfromsomadandterribleareality.Butitwas
coming nearer and nearer. The smith, as if suddenly ashamed of his weakness
and indecision, produced from somewhere or other the hammer with which a
shorttimebeforehehadbeenspikingtheguns.ThethoughtthattheSchwabes
weresotospeakalreadyhere,halfanhour'smarchfromthetown,gavehimthe
resolution to bring the matter to a head. And with this same painful thought
the hodja obstinately maintained his indifference to everything, even towards that mad, undeserved and shameful punishment to which they had condemned
him.
Soinafewmomentstheretookplacewhatinanyoneofthosemomentswould
have seemed impossible and incredible. There was no one who would have
considered that this deed was good or possible, yet everyone to some extent
playedhispartinthefactthatthe hodja found himself on the bridge nailed by hisrighteartoawoodenbeamwhichwasonthe kapia; andwheneveryonefled
inalldirectionsbeforetheSchwabeswhowerecomingdowntheslopesintothe
town, the hodja remained in this strange but comic position, forced to kneel motionless since every movement, even the slightest, was exceedingly painful
andthreatenedtotearoffhisear,whichseemedtohimasheavyandaslargeasa
mountain.Hecriedout,buttherewasnoonetohearhimorreleasehimfromhis
painfulsituationforeverythinglivinghadhiddeninthehousesorscatteredinto
thevillagesforfear,partlyoftheSchwabeswhowerecomingandpartlyofthe
insurgentswhowereleaving.Thetownseemeddeadandthebridgeasemptyas
ifdeathhadsweptitclean.Therewasneitherlivingnordeadtodefendit,only
onthe kapia themotionlessAlihodjacroucheddownwithhisheadstucktothe
beam, groaning with pain but even in this position thinking up fresh proofs
againstKaramanli.
The Austrians approached slowly; from the farther bank their patrols had seen
thetwocannonsinfrontofthecaravanseraiandtheyatoncehaltedtoawaitthe
arrival of their mountain guns. About midday they fired a few shells from the
shelterofalittlewood at the deserted caravanserai. They damaged the already
ruined han anddestroyedthoseexceptionallyfinewindowgrilles,eachcutfrom
asinglepieceofsoftstone.Onlyaftertheyhadgottherangeandoverturnedthe
twoTurkishcannonsandseenthattheywereabandonedandthatnoonereplied
didtheSchwabesceasetheirfireandbegintoapproachthebridgeandthetown
witheveryprecaution.SomeMagyar honveds approachedthe kapia slowlywith
theirriflesattheready.Theyhaltedinuncertaintybeforethehuddled hodja who
infearoftheshells,whichhadwhistledandgrumbledabovehishead,hadfora momentforgottenthepainfromhisnailedear.Whenhesawthehatedsoldiers
with their rifles trained on him, he began to utter piteous and prolonged sobs,
since that was a language that everyone understood. This prevented him from
beingshot.Someofthemcontinuedtheirslowadvancestepbystepacrossthe
bridgewhileothersremainedbyhimlookingathimmorecloselyandunableto
understandhisposition.Onlywhenahospitalorderlyarriveddidtheyfindapair
ofpliers,carefullyextractedthenail,oneofthoseusedforshoeinghorses,and
releasedAlihodja.Sostiffandexhaustedwashethathecollapsedonthestone
step,groaningandsobbing.Theorderlydressedhisearwithsomesortofliquid
whichstung.Throughhistearsthe hodja asifinastrangedreamlookedatthe
broadwhitebandonthesoldier'sleftarmandonitalargeregularcrossinred
material. Only in fever could such repulsive and terrible sights be seen. This
cross swam and danced before his eyes and filled his whole horizon like a
nightmare. Then the soldier bound up his wound and fixed his turban over the
bandage. His head thus bandaged, and as if broken in his loins,
the hodja draggedhimselftohisfeetandremainedsoforsomemomentsleaning
on the stone parapet of the bridge. With difficulty he collected himself and
regainedhiscalm.
Oppositehim,onthefarsideofthe kapia, beneaththeTurkishinscriptioninthe
stone,asoldierhadaffixedalargewhitepaper.Thoughhisheadwasthrobbing
with pain the hodja could not restrain his curiosity and looked at that white placard. It was a proclamation by General Filipović, in Serbian and Turkish,
addressed to the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the occasion of the
entryoftheAustrianarmyintoBosnia.Screwinguphisrighteye,Alihodjaspelt
outtheTurkishtext,butonlythosesentencesprintedinlargeletters:
'PeopleofBosniaandHerzegovina!
'The Army of the Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary has crossed the
frontierofyourcountry.Itdoesnotcomeasanenemytotakethelandbyforce.
It comes as a friend to put an end to the disorders which for years past have
disturbed not only Bosnia and Herzegovina but also the frontier districts of
Austria-Hungary.
'TheKing-Emperorcouldnolongerseehowviolenceanddisorderruledinthe
neighbourhoodofhisdominionsandhowmiseryandmisfortuneknockedatthe
frontiersofhislands.
'He has drawn the attention of the European States to your position and at a
Council of the Nations it has been unanimously decided that Austria-Hungary shallrestoretoyouthepeaceandprosperitythatyouhavesolonglost.
'His Majesty the Sultan who has your good at heart has felt it necessary to
confideyoutotheprotectionofhispowerfulfriendtheKing-Emperor.
'TheKing-Emperordecreesthatallsonsofthislandshallenjoythesame
rights
beforethelawandthatthelives,faithandpropertyofallshallbeprotected.
'People of Bosnia and Herzegovina! Put yourselves with confidence under the
protectionofthegloriousstandardsofAustria-Hungary.Welcomeoursoldiersas
friends,submityourselvestotheauthoritiesandreturntoyouroccupations.The
fruitsofyourtoilwillbeprotected.'
The hodja read haltingly, sentence by sentence. He did not understand every word,yeteverywordcausedhimpain,aspecialsortofpaincompletelydistinct
fromthosepainswhichhefeltinhiswoundedear,inhisheadandinhisloins.
Onlynow,fromthesewords,these'imperialwords',wasitatoncecleartohim
that everything was ended for them, all that was his and theirs, ended in some
strangefashiononceandforall;eyesgoonseeing,lipsspeaking,mangoeson
livingbutlife,reallife,existsnomore.Aforeigntsarhadputhishandonthem
andaforeignfaithruled.Thatemergedclearlyfromthosebigwordsandobscure
commands,andstillmoreclearlyfromthatleadenpaininhisbreastwhichwas
fiercer and harder to bear than any human pain that could be imagined. It was
not thousands of fools like that Osman Karamanli who could do anything or
changeanything(thusthe hodja continuedtoarguewithinhimself).'Weshallall
die','Wemustdie'.Whatwastheuseofallthathullabaloowhen,hereandnow,
therehadcomeforamanatimeofdisasterinwhichhecouldneitherlivenor
die, but rotted like a stake in the earth and belonged to whomever you wished
butnothimself.ThatwasthegreatmiserywhichtheKaramanlisofallsortsdid
notseeandcouldnotunderstandandwhichbytheirlackofunderstandingthey
madeevenheavierandmoreshameful.
DeepinhisthoughtsAlihodjaslowlyleftthebridge.Hedidnotevennoticethat
theAustrianred-crossmanwasaccompanyinghim.Hiseardidnotpainhimas
much as that leaden and bitter pain which had risen in his breast after reading
'the imperial words'. He walked slowly and it seemed to him that never again
would he cross to the farther bank, that this bridge which was the pride of the
townandeversinceitscreationhadbeensocloselylinkedwithit,onwhichhe