Mika Waltari - The Wanderer

The Sultan and the Grand Vizier, wearing plain kaftans and helmets and attended by a few of the bodyguard, made a tour of inspection to hearten their men before the assault. I had the good fortune to meet them as I was bringing food to Sinan, who was so engrossed in his work that he often forgot to eat. When the Sultan, no doubt to display his excellent memory, addressed me kindly by name, some unexplained impulse made me mention a dream I had had.

“I’ve been told that your wife also has dreams,” the Sultan remarked, “and that she can see coming events in a bowl of sand. Tell me then what you saw in your dream.”

I was taken aback, and stammered, and glanced at the handsome Ibrahim, who seemed not altogether pleased at the Sultan’s words. It was a mystery to me how Suleiman could know anything of Giulia, but now I had begun there was nothing for it but to continue.

“Yesterday I bathed in the marvelous springs of this region, and was afterward so weary that I fell asleep. I dreamed, and saw the fortress of Buda and a vulture flying heavily over it, bearing in his beak a strange crown. The gates of the citadel opened and the defenders prostrated themselves before the vulture. Then the Son of the Compassionate stepped forward and the vulture set the crown upon his head. This I saw, but a wiser man than I must interpret the vision.”

I had indeed had this dream, which was no doubt suggested by Master Gritti’s account of St. Stephen’s crown, though in fact I had seen the crown fall from the vulture’s talons, crushing all Buda beneath its weight. My vision of the opened gates was no doubt born of a lively desire to see the city fall as rapidly as possible into the Sultan’s hands, that I might escape the perils of an assault.

So, as is usual, I improved the dream a little, yet not too transparently, I thought, since neither the Sultan nor the Grand Vizier could know what Master Gritti had blabbed to me of St. Stephen’s crown. Nor did they seem to suspect any deceit; they looked at one another in the greatest astonishment, and the Sultan exclaimed, “Allah’s will be done!” Even Ibrahim’s handsome face brightened. Later I received from the Sultan a new coat and a well-filled purse in reward for my dream.

It is hard to assess the value of dreams as omens, yet this one was fulfilled, in as much as Buda fell after six days’ siege, before even a breach had been shot in the walls. No one was more astonished than myself, for I had been far from expecting so speedy a conclusion.

When the two captains of the garrison saw the mighty forces of the Sultan and the large numbers of cannon that had been brought ashore from the rafts, they opened negotiations and consented to leave the city provided they might retain their arms and personal possessions. The Sultan gladly agreed to these moderate terms, for summer was far advanced and the main object of the expedition still lay a great way off.

To the beat of drums and clash of cymbals the janissaries paraded smartly on either side of the city gates to allow the German garrison to march out, and to show with words and gestures what they thought of them. At first the Germans walked humbly, exhorting one another to remember the suffering and scorn to which our Lord Jesus Christ had submitted; but when the janissaries vied with one another in treading the Cross underfoot and in subjecting the vanquished to every sort of mockery they could contain themselves no longer. Their faces darkened as they cursed their officers and reminded one another that they were German lands\nechts, before whom the whole world trembled. Some paused to reply to those janissaries who spoke in German; the adversaries stood screeching nose to nose with outstretched necks, like fighting cocks. This gave me an opportunity to see and even handle the new light muskets, fitted with wheel locks, which many o£ the Germans treasured as their most precious possession. The janissaries who had come of! worst in the battle of words could no longer master their thievish desires, and now tried to wrench these weapons by force from the Germans’ hands. Struggles ensued; the conflict spread with ever increasing savagery, and it was not long before most of the Germans were slain and their weapons and stores were in Turkish hands.

I believe no more than five or six of the garrison escaped the massacre and hid in the willow thickets. All the ground between the city gates and the riverbank was strewn with heads, arms, legs, and other portions of dead lands\nechts. The janissaries returned to their camp well pleased, to try their new weapons, or fight one another for them. The episode did great harm to the Sultan’s reputation in the world. Both the Emperor Charles and his brother of Vienna made haste to proclaim the Sultan’s treachery, though the noble Suleiman was so deeply stricken by the conduct of his janissaries that he retired into his tent and would not show himself for three days.

Shortly after this I was summoned to Ibrahim’s tent by Master Gritti, who escorted me thither. The Grand Vizier was sitting cross legged on a cushion studying a map. He invited us cordially to sit down beside him, then with a smile of mockery in his dark, sparkling eyes he said, “I am obliged to you for your dream, Michael el-Hakim, but I forbid you to have any more-or at least to tell the Sultan about them without my permission.”

Somewhat hurt I replied, “I can’t help my dreams, and my intentions were of the best. Moreover my dream came true, for Buda fell without a blow struck.”

Ibrahim gave me a searching glance and said, “In this instance your dream did indeed come true, and that is why I’ve sent for you. How could you guess what would happen? What was your object? Who put the words into your mouth? Was it to make the Sultan suspect me, his slave, of coveting the crown of Hungary?”

I froze at these words, but he went on relentlessly, “How can I trust you? Do you think I don’t know how you’ve curried favor at the Seraglio and entered the service of Sultana Khurrem? As a sign of your loyalty you even gave your dog to her son, though she is a false woman and hopes to injure me. Confess that it was she who paid you to follow me on the campaign and dream these noxious dreams!”

I was too stunned to take in a word of what he was saying. Master Gritti looked at me through narrowed eyes and shook his head. Suddenly the Grand Vizier took out a great silken purse from under his cushion and flung it into my lap. A second and a third followed until my knees sagged beneath their weight. Then he cried, almost in fear, “Weigh that gold in your hands and think carefully-which of us is the richer, I or the Sultan, and which of us can reward you most liberally? I must admit that hitherto you’ve had no great profit from me. But that gold is yours if you will only confess that Khurrem the Russian has won you over and set you against me, for it’s hard to lay hold of an adversary in the dark and I must know what her intentions are.”

Nothwithstanding my agitation I could estimate that each of the three money bags contained at least five hundred gold pieces-a vast fortune for a man in my position. With this money I could buy a beautiful house and garden on the Bosphorus as well as slaves and boats and all that my heart could desire. I saw before me the plump face of Sultana Khurrem, the cold blue eyes, the irregular features, the perpetually smiling mouth and dimpled cheeks. I owed her nothing and was in no way bound to her, yet I hesitated to reply-not for her sake but because I found it difficult to lie to the Grand Vizier. Ibrahim watched my face closely and said, “Fear nothing, but speak openly. You need never regret it, for I alone require certainty on this point. This is my secret and the Sultan shall never learn of it.”