The Rise of Iskander | Page 9

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.

CHAPTER 7
At break of dawn Iskander sent couriers throughout all Epirus,
announcing the fall of Croia, and that he had raised the standard of
independence in his ancient country. He also despatched a trusty
messenger to Prince Nicæus at Athens, and to the great Hunniades. The
people were so excited throughout all Epirus, at this great and
unthought-of intelligence, that they simultaneously rose in all the open
country, and massacred the Turks, and the towns were only restrained
in a forced submission to Amurath, by the strong garrisons of the
Sultan.
Now Iskander was very anxious to effect the removal of these garrisons
without loss of time, in order that if Amurath sent a great power against
him, as he expected, the invading army might have nothing to rely upon
but its own force, and that his attention might not in any way be
diverted from effecting their overthrow. Therefore, as soon as his
troops had rested, and he had formed his new recruits into some order,

which, with their willing spirits, did not demand many days, Iskander
set out from Croia, at the head of twelve thousand men, and marched
against the strong city of Petrella, meeting in his way the remainder of
the garrison of Croia on their return, who surrendered themselves to
him at discretion. Petrella was only one day's march from Croia, and
when Iskander arrived there he requested a conference with the
governor, and told his tale so well, representing the late overthrow of
the Turks by Hunniades, and the incapacity of Amurath at present to
relieve him, that the Turkish commander agreed to deliver up the place,
and leave the country with his troops, particularly as the alternative of
Iskander to these easy terms