Halil the Pedlar

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Halil the Pedlar

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Title: Halil the Pedlar A Tale of Old Stambul
Author: Mór Jókai

Release Date: January 24, 2006 [eBook #17597]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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HALIL THE PEDLAR
A Tale of Old Stambul
by
MAURUS JóKAI
Author of "The Green Book," "Black Diamonds," "The Poor Plutocrats," etc.
Authorised Edition, Translated by R. Nisbet Bain

[Illustration]

SANS PEUR ET SANS REPROCHE Third Edition London Jarrold & Sons, 10 & 11, Warwick Lane, E.C. [All Rights Reserved] 1901 Copyright London: Jarrold & Sons New York: McClure, Phillips, & Co.

Translated from the Hungarian, "A fehér rózsa," by R. Nisbet Bain.

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER PAGE
INTRODUCTION 7
I. THE PEDLAR 11
II. GüL-BEJáZE--THE WHITE ROSE 36
III. SULTAN ACHMED 49
IV. THE SLAVE OF THE SLAVE-GIRL 69
V. THE CAMP 99
VI. THE BURSTING FORTH OF THE STORM 123
VII. TULIP-BULBS AND HUMAN HEADS 134
VIII. A TOPSY-TURVY WORLD 153
IX. THE SETTING AND THE RISING SUN 179
X. THE FEAST OF HALWET 203
XI. GLIMPSES INTO THE FUTURE 216
XII. HUMAN HOPES 240
XIII. THE EMPTY PLACE 270

INTRODUCTION.
On September 28th, 1730, a rebellion burst forth in Stambul against Sultan Achmed III., whose cowardly hesitation to take the field against the advancing hosts of the victorious Persians had revolted both the army and the people. The rebellion began in the camp of the Janissaries, and the ringleader was one Halil Patrona, a poor Albanian sailor-man, who after plying for a time the trade of a petty huckster had been compelled, by crime or accident, to seek a refuge among the mercenary soldiery of the Empire. The rebellion was unexpectedly, amazingly successful. The Sultan, after vainly sacrificing his chief councillors to the fury of the mob, was himself dethroned by Halil, and Mahmud I. appointed Sultan in his stead. For the next six weeks the ex-costermonger held the destiny of the Ottoman Empire in his hands till, on November 25th, he and his chief associates were treacherously assassinated in full Divan by the secret command, and actually in the presence of, the very monarch whom he had drawn from obscurity to set upon the throne.
This dramatic event is the historical basis of Jókai's famous story, "A Fehér Rózsa," now translated into English for the first time. No doubt the genial Hungarian romancer has idealised the rough, outspoken, masterful rebel-chief, Halil Patrona, into a great patriot-statesman, a martyr for justice and honour; yet, on the other hand, he has certainly preserved the salient features of Halil's character and, so far as I am competent to verify his authorities, has not been untrue to history though, as I opine, depending too much on the now somewhat obsolete narrative of Hammer-Purgstall ("Geschichte des osmanischen Reichs"). Almost incredible as they seem to us sober Westerns, such incidents as the tame surrender of Achmed III., the elevation of the lowliest demagogues to the highest positions in the realm, and the curious and characteristically oriental episode of the tulip-pots, are absolute facts. Naturally Jókai's splendid fancy has gorgeously embellished the plain narrative of the Turkish chroniclers. Such a subject as Halil's strange career must irresistibly have appealed to an author who is nothing if not vivid and romantic, and ever delights in startling contrasts. On the other hand, the unique episode of Gül-Bejáze, "The White Rose," and her terrible experiences in the Seraglio are largely, if not entirely, of Jókai's own invention, and worthy, as told by him, of a place in The Thousand and One Nights.
Finally--a bibliographical note.
Originally "A Fehér Rózsa," under the title of "Halil Patrona," formed the first part of "A Janicsárok végnapjai," a novel first published at Pest in three volumes in 1854. The two tales are, however, quite distinct, and have, since then, as a matter of fact, frequently been published separately. The second part of "A Janicsárok végnapjai" was translated by me from the Hungarian original, some years ago, under the title of "The Lion of Janina," and published by Messrs. Jarrold and Sons as one of their "Jókai" Series in 1898. The striking favour with which that story was then received justifies my hope that its counterpart, which I have re-named "Halil the Pedlar," from its chief character, may be equally fortunate.
R. NISBET BAIN.
September, 1901.

HALIL THE PEDLAR.
CHAPTER I.
THE PEDLAR.
Time out of mind, for hundreds and hundreds of years, the struggle between the Shiites and the Sunnites has divided the Moslem World.
Persia and India are the lands of the Shiites; Turkey, Arabia, Egypt, and the realm of Barbary follow the