He Could No Longer Maintain The Glassy Stillness Of The
Eyes Which He Had Affected, And Evidently Became Much Agitated.
At
the feet of the satrap there stood a trembling Italian.
This man was a sort of medico in the potentate's service, and now
in the absence of our attendants he was to act as interpreter. The
Pasha caused him to tell us that we had openly defied his
authority, and had forced our way on shore in the teeth of his own
officers.
Up to this time I had been the planner of the enterprise, but now
that the moment had come when all would depend upon able and
earnest speechifying, I felt at once the immense superiority of my
gallant friend, and gladly left to him the whole conduct of this
discussion. Indeed he had vast advantages over me, not only by his
superior command of language and his far more spirited style of
address, but also in his consciousness of a good cause; for whilst
I felt myself completely in the wrong, his Excellency had really
worked himself up to believe that the Pasha's refusal to permit our
landing was a gross outrage and insult. Therefore, without
deigning to defend our conduct he at once commenced a spirited
attack upon the Pasha. The poor Italian doctor translated one or
two sentences to the Pasha, but he evidently mitigated their
import. The Russian, growing warm, insisted upon his attack with
redoubled energy and spirit; but the medico, instead of
translating, began to shake violently with terror, and at last he
came out with his non ardisco, and fairly confessed that he dared
not interpret fierce words to his master.
Now then, at a time when everything seemed to depend upon the
effect of speech, we were left without an interpreter.
But this very circumstance, which at first appeared so
unfavourable, turned out to be advantageous. The General, finding
that he could not have his words translated, ceased to speak in
Italian, and recurred to his accustomed French; he became eloquent.
No one present except myself understood one syllable of what he was
saying, but he had drawn forth his passport, and the energy and
violence with which, as he spoke, he pointed to the graven Eagle of
all the Russias, began to make an impression. The Pasha saw at his
side a man not only free from every the least pang of fear, but
raging, as it seemed, with just indignation, and thenceforward he
plainly began to think that, in some way or other (he could not
tell how) he must certainly have been in the wrong. In a little
time he was so much shaken that the Italian ventured to resume his
interpretation, and my comrade had again the opportunity of
pressing his attack upon the Pasha. His argument, if I rightly
recollect its import, was to this effect: "If the vilest Jews were
to come into the harbour, you would but forbid them to land, and
force them to perform quarantine; yet this is the very course, O
Pasha, which your rash officers dared to think of adopting with
US!
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 162 of 170
Words from 85005 to 85528
of 89094