The Count of Monte Cristo
you,’ said Vasiliki; ‘if you die, my lord, I will die with you.’—‘Go to
Selim!’ cried my father. ‘Adieu, my lord,’ murmured my mother,
determining quietly to await the approach of death. ‘Take away
Vasiliki!’ said my father to his Palikares.
“As for me, I had been forgotten in the general confusion; I ran toward
Ali Tepelini; he saw me hold out my arms to him, and he stooped down
and pressed my forehead with his lips. Oh, how distinctly I remember
that kiss!—it was the last he ever gave me, and I feel as if it were
still warm on my forehead. On descending, we saw through the
lattice-work several boats which were gradually becoming more distinct
to our view. At first they appeared like black specks, and now they
looked like birds skimming the surface of the waves. During this time,
in the kiosk at my father’s feet, were seated twenty Palikares,
concealed from view by an angle of the wall and watching with eager
eyes the arrival of the boats. They were armed with their long guns
inlaid with mother-of-pearl and silver, and cartridges in great numbers
were lying scattered on the floor. My father looked at his watch, and
paced up and down with a countenance expressive of the greatest
anguish. This was the scene which presented itself to my view as I
quitted my father after that last kiss.
“My mother and I traversed the gloomy passage leading to the cavern.
Selim was still at his post, and smiled sadly on us as we entered. We
fetched our cushions from the other end of the cavern, and sat down by
Selim. In great dangers the devoted ones cling to each other; and,
young as I was, I quite understood that some imminent danger was
hanging over our heads.”
Albert had often heard—not from his father, for he never spoke on the
subject, but from strangers—the description of the last moments of the
vizier of Yanina; he had read different accounts of his death, but the
story seemed to acquire fresh meaning from the voice and expression of
the young girl, and her sympathetic accent and the melancholy
expression of her countenance at once charmed and horrified him.
As to Haydée, these terrible reminiscences seemed to have overpowered
her for a moment, for she ceased speaking, her head leaning on her hand
like a beautiful flower bowing beneath the violence of the storm; and
her eyes gazing on vacancy indicated that she was mentally
contemplating the green summit of the Pindus and the blue waters of the
lake of Yanina, which, like a magic mirror, seemed to reflect the
sombre picture which she sketched. Monte Cristo looked at her with an
indescribable expression of interest and pity.
“Go on, my child,” said the count in the Romaic language.
40074m
Haydée looked up abruptly, as if the sonorous tones of Monte Cristo’s
voice had awakened her from a dream; and she resumed her narrative.
“It was about four o’clock in the afternoon, and although the day was
brilliant out-of-doors, we were enveloped in the gloomy darkness of the
cavern. One single, solitary light was burning there, and it appeared
like a star set in a heaven of blackness; it was Selim’s flaming lance.
My mother was a Christian, and she prayed. Selim repeated from time to
time the sacred words: ‘God is great!’ However, my mother had still
some hope. As she was coming down, she thought she recognized the
French officer who had been sent to Constantinople, and in whom my
father placed so much confidence; for he knew that all the soldiers of
the French emperor were naturally noble and generous. She advanced some
steps towards the staircase, and listened. ‘They are approaching,’ said
she; ‘perhaps they bring us peace and liberty!’
“‘What do you fear, Vasiliki?’ said Selim, in a voice at once so gentle
and yet so proud. ‘If they do not bring us peace, we will give them
war; if they do not bring life, we will give them death.’ And he
renewed the flame of his lance with a gesture which made one think of
Dionysus of old Crete.16 But I, being only a little child, was
terrified by this undaunted courage, which appeared to me both
ferocious and senseless, and I recoiled with horror from the idea of
the frightful death amidst fire and flames which probably awaited us.
“My mother experienced the same sensations, for I felt her tremble.
‘Mamma, mamma,’ said I, ‘are we really to be killed?’ And at the sound
of my voice the slaves redoubled their cries and prayers and
lamentations. ‘My child,’ said Vasiliki, ‘may God preserve you from
ever wishing for that death which today you so much dread!’ Then,
whispering to Selim, she asked what were her master’s orders. ‘If he
send me his poniard, it will signify that the emperor’s intentions are
not favorable, and I am to set fire to the powder; if, on the contrary,
he send me his ring, it will be a sign that the emperor pardons him,
and I am to extinguish the match and leave the magazine untouched.’—‘My
friend,’ said my mother, ‘when your master’s orders arrive, if it is
the poniard which he sends, instead of despatching us by that horrible
death which we both so much dread, you will mercifully kill us with
this same poniard, will you not?’—‘Yes, Vasiliki,’ replied Selim
tranquilly.
“Suddenly we heard loud cries; and, listening, discerned that they were
cries of joy. The name of the French officer who had been sent to
Constantinople resounded on all sides amongst our Palikares; it was
evident that he brought the answer of the emperor, and that it was
favorable.”
“And do you not remember the Frenchman’s name?” said Morcerf, quite
ready to aid the memory of the narrator. Monte Cristo made a sign to
him to be silent.
“I do not recollect it,” said Haydée.
“The noise increased; steps were heard approaching nearer and nearer;
they were descending the steps leading to the cavern. Selim made ready
his lance. Soon a figure appeared in the gray twilight at the entrance
of the cave, formed by the reflection of the few rays of daylight which
had found their way into this gloomy retreat. ‘Who are you?’ cried
Selim. ‘But whoever you may be, I charge you not to advance another
step.’—‘Long live the emperor!’ said the figure. ‘He grants a full
pardon to the Vizier Ali, and not only gives him his life, but restores
to him his fortune and his possessions.’ My mother uttered a cry of
joy, and clasped me to her bosom. ‘Stop,’ said Selim, seeing that she
was about to go out; ‘you see I have not yet received the
ring,’—‘True,’ said my mother. And she fell on her knees, at the same
time holding me up towards heaven, as if she desired, while praying to
God in my behalf, to raise me actually to his presence.”
And for the second time Haydée stopped, overcome by such violent
emotion that the perspiration stood upon her pale brow, and her stifled
voice seemed hardly able to find utterance, so parched and dry were her
throat and lips.
40076m
Monte Cristo poured a little iced water into a glass, and presented it
to her, saying with a mildness in which was also a shade of
command,—“Courage.”
Haydée dried her eyes, and continued:
“By this time our eyes, habituated to the darkness, had recognized the
messenger of the pasha,—it was a friend. Selim had also recognized him,
but the brave young man only acknowledged one duty, which was to obey.
‘In whose name do you come?’ said he to him. ‘I come in the name of our
master, Ali Tepelini.’—‘If you come from Ali himself,’ said Selim, ‘you
know what you were charged to remit to me?’—‘Yes,’ said the messenger,
‘and I bring you his ring.’ At these words he raised his hand above his
head, to show the token; but it was too far off, and there was not
light enough to enable Selim, where he was standing, to distinguish and
recognize the object presented to his view. ‘I do not see what you have
in your hand,’ said Selim. ‘Approach then,’ said the messenger, ‘or I
will come nearer to you, if you prefer it.’—‘I will agree to neither
one nor the other,’ replied the young soldier; ‘place the object which
I desire to see in the ray of light which shines there, and retire
while I examine it.’—‘Be it so,’ said the envoy; and he retired, after
having first deposited the token agreed on in the place pointed out to
him by Selim.
“Oh, how our hearts palpitated; for it did, indeed, seem to be a ring
which was placed there. But was it my father’s ring? that was the
question. Selim, still holding in his hand the lighted match, walked
towards the opening in the cavern, and, aided by the faint light which
streamed in through the mouth of the cave, picked up the token.
“‘It is well,’ said he, kissing it; ‘it is my master’s ring!’ And
throwing the match on the ground, he trampled on it and extinguished
it. The messenger uttered a cry of joy and clapped his hands. At this
signal four soldiers of the Seraskier Kourchid suddenly appeared, and
Selim fell, pierced by five blows. Each man had stabbed him separately,
and, intoxicated by their crime, though still pale with fear, they
sought all over the cavern to discover if there was any fear of fire,
after which they amused themselves by rolling on the bags of gold. At
this moment my mother seized me in her arms, and hurrying noiselessly
along numerous turnings and windings known only to ourselves, she
arrived at a private staircase of the kiosk, where was a scene of
frightful tumult and confusion. The lower rooms were entirely filled
with Kourchid’s troops; that is to say, with our enemies. Just as my
mother was on the point of pushing open a small door, we heard the
voice of the pasha sounding in a loud and threatening tone. My mother
applied her eye to the crack between the boards; I luckily found a
small opening which afforded me a view of the apartment and what was
passing within. ‘What do you want?’ said my father to some people who
were holding a paper inscribed with characters of gold. ‘What we want,’
replied one, ‘is to communicate to you the will of his highness. Do you
see this firman?’—‘I do,’ said my father. ‘Well, read it; he demands
your head.’
40078m
“My father answered with a loud laugh, which was more frightful than
even threats would have been, and he had not ceased when two reports of
a pistol were heard; he had fired them himself, and had killed two men.
The Palikares, who were prostrated at my father’s feet, now sprang up
and fired, and the room was filled with fire and smoke. At the same
instant the firing began on the other side, and the balls penetrated
the boards all round us. Oh, how noble did the grand vizier my father
look at that moment, in the midst of the flying bullets, his scimitar
in his hand, and his face blackened with the powder of his enemies! and
how he terrified them, even then, and made them fly before him! ‘Selim,
Selim!’ cried he, ‘guardian of the fire, do your duty!’—‘Selim is
dead,’ replied a voice which seemed to come from the depths of the
earth, ‘and you are lost, Ali!’ At the same moment an explosion was
heard, and the flooring of the room in which my father was sitting was
suddenly torn up and shivered to atoms—the troops were firing from
underneath. Three or four Palikares fell with their bodies literally
ploughed with wounds.
“My father howled aloud, plunged his fingers into the holes which the
balls had made, and tore up one of the planks entire. But immediately
through this opening twenty more shots were fired, and the flame,
rushing up like fire from the crater of a volcano, soon reached the
tapestry, which it quickly devoured. In the midst of all this frightful
tumult and these terrific cries, two reports, fearfully distinct,
followed by two shrieks more heartrending than all, froze me with
terror. These two shots had mortally wounded my father, and it was he
who had given utterance to these frightful cries. However, he remained