The huge line of battle-ships, with their
triple decks and their long rows of oars, looked like hundred-eyed
sea-monsters swimming with hundreds of legs on the surface of the water,
and the booming reverberation of the thunder of their guns was re-echoed
from the broad foreheads of the palaces looking into the Bosphorus.
Everywhere along the sea-front was to be seen an armed multitude;
sparkling swords and lances in thousands flash back the rays of the sun.
The whole of the grass plain round about was planted with tents of
every hue; white tents for the chief muftis, bright green tents for the
viziers, scarlet tents for the kiayaks, dark blue tents for the great
officers of state, the Emirs, the Mecca, Medina, and Stambul
justiciaries, the Defterdars, and the Nishandji; lilac-coloured tents
for the Ulemas, bright blue tents for the Muederesseks, azure-blue tents
for the Ciaus-Agas, and dark green designates the tent of the Emir Alem,
the bearer of the sacred standard. And high above them all on a hillock
towers the orange-coloured pavilion of the Padishah, with gold and
purple hangings, and two and three fold horse-tails planted in front of
the entrance.
At sunset yesterday there was not a trace of this vast camp, all night
long this city of tents was a-building, and at dawn of day there it
stands all ready like the creation of a magician's wand!
The plain is occupied by the Spahis, the finest, smartest horsemen of
the whole host; along the sea-front are ranged the topidjis, with their
rows and rows of cannons.
Pages:
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88