The Ottoman-Russian War that touched off in 1768 lasted six years.  The Russians soon gained the upper hand in all the fronts; and in the east they over run Crimean and the Taman Region, and reached to the banks of the rivers Kuban and Terek.

              The leaders of  western Caucasia were highly perturbed by the situation. A Caucasian delegation headed by Zaniko Mehmet, the Prince of Natuhay visited Istanbul to solicit the Ottoman monarch for help.

              In the meantime the Ottman Empire had lost all their strongholds along the  northern coast of the Black Sea.  The Ottoman Sultan and his statesmen, therefore, positively received the Caucasian representation.  Ferah Ali Paşa, famous for his feats in the Balkan Wars in the west, was appointed as the Guardian of the Fort Soğucak.

              Ferah Ali Paşa landed at Tsemez in August 1782.  He found the area devastated.  There seemed no trace of any living body in the small fortress on rocks to the right either.

              The town of Tsemez had been destroyed and set on fire by the Russian Army under the command of General Von Mende in 1769.  The Russians, however, were later routed by the local forces in the outskirts of Fort Anapa, and was driven away  to the north.

              Basti Takir and his nephew Genar had taken part in the same battle.  Takir, fatally wounded on his chest, was killed in action at Fort Anapa.

              The devastation and dissoluteness at coast and at the Fort Soğucak had not been caused by the war alone.  The Plague epidemic of 1781, which had most severely hit the harbors, had scared away the population.  The people had withdrawn to the hinterland, severing all kinds of contacts with foreigners visiting the ports. The coast had been subjected to a sort of spontaneous quarantine.

              The plague had receded to a great extent by the time Ferah Ali Paşa landed at Tsemez.

              As the Paşa established a bridgehead and took necessary security measures around the fort, the people gradually regained confidence.  The nobles residing in the neighborhood visited  him to offer their greetings and allegiance.

              Ferah Ali Paşa, aside from being an able military commander, was a prudent administrator of vision.  Himself being of Caucasian ancestry, managed to become familiar with the characteristics of the environment within a brief span of time.  He employed Mehmet Ağa, who was well conversant in both the Tatar and Adiğe languages¹,  as his interpreter. The Paşa lost no time in reaching to mutual understanding with the leaders of the region.

              Ferah Ali Paşa saw to it that Fort Soğucak is expanded with addition of peripheral structures.  He also initiated restoration work at Fort Anapa to the north and the Gelincik harbor to the south.  Both the places, had been totally ruined by the Russians.

              The Taman Region and the neighborhood of Anapa had received a large number of refugees consequent to Russian occupation of Crimea and the Strait of Kerç.  The islands in the Strait had been vacated, and the population of coastal areas of the Strait had moved to the south in great confusion.  The Tatar and Hatkoy² refugees amassed on the Black Sea coast of the Taman Paninsula in distress in the makeshift transit camps.

              With the beginning of work on restoration of Fort Anapa another wave of population movement started; this time in the reverse direction.  The fort-city and  its suburbs were fully  inhabited once again within a short time.  In two years a full-fledged large city with its markets and bazaars came into being.

              The Hatkoys, who had been displaced from the islands in the Kerç Strait, were mostly fishermen and traders.  Having been resettled in Anapa, they resumed their earlier occupation; and  within a short time they managed to transform the city into a commercial center.

              At the same time there came to Anapa another group of refugees,  the Nogays, who had taken sanctuary south of the River Kuban.  They were more than forty-thousand strong, and intended to settle down in the neighborhood of Anapa.

              The Natuhay and Şapsığ tribes, who inhabited Anapa and its neighborhood since very old times,  had been highly disturbed by the recent migrations into their territory.  As a result clashes, though minor yet, had sporadically begun taking place. There was every likelihood that the clashes would escalate unless preventive measures were taken.

              Ferah Ali Paşa promptly sensed the up coming dangerous situation.  He told the Nogays that provided they stopped marauding, he could show them a place to settle down.  The Nogay Mirzas accepted the Paşa’s offer.  So the danger of clashes was averted.

              Reconstruction of Anapa continued.  More had to be done yet.  There was an urgent need for cheap labor.  The Paşa arranged for the settlement of the poorer among the Nogays in the suburbs of the city.

              The Nogay families who owned large herds of livestock were allowed to dwell in the neighborhood of Hacılar Kalesi on the borders of Kabardey. The pastures in the downstream basin of the River Laba were allotted to the remaining ten-thousand strong Nogay group.

              The Nogays settled in the Laba basin most comfortably maintained their nomadic way of life, and shortly improved their condition thanks to the opportunities offered them by the nature.

              Each summer they used to graze their herds on the  pastures watered by the upstream tributaries of the river Laba and the Psıfabe stream.  Late in summer, however, they would participate in the bazaar annually set up near Miyekope³  on the bank of the Shagoşe Stream.

              The Bazaar, which the Adiğes called “Miyekope” and the Nogays “Maykop”⁴ , soon became a famous trading center, where butter, cheese, honey, wool,  hide, and many other items were transacted.

              Such cities as Kaplu and Taman, as well as the harbors and the islands on the Kerç Strait had lost their significance and characteristics in terms of commerce since their occupation by the Russians.   The traders, who  once operated in the coast, increasingly showed interest in the Miyekope  Bazaar.

              All those positive developments were the result of the campaigns  for improvement and organization initiated by Ferah Ali Paşa.  The resultant intellectual  enthusiasm spread all over the western Caucasia.

              The development of Tsemez and Anapa day by day into flourishing cities had influenced the intellectual life as well.  It virtually changed the world outlook of all the peoples of western Caucasia.

              Ferah Ali Paşa’s wife had died before his departure for Caucasia.  Presently he was a widower. In compliance with the suggestion of his advisors he decided to marry.  He was told that it would help enhancing his popularity with the local leaders.

              The Paşa married with Sine, daughter of Hajanuko Perit⁵ , a leading member of the  Şapsığ tribe, who lived close to the coast. Despite her rather advanced age she had been considered to be the most suitable spouse for him.

              In the meantime some of the bachelor officers of the garrison in Fort Soğucak followed suit.  They also married with Adiğe girls.

              The kinship so established through marriage further intensified relations between the local people and the Ottoman Garrison.  In addition, the religious indoctrination campaign initiated by the Paşa soon came to fruition.  The Şapsığ began converting to Islam in large numbers.

              Ferah Ali Paşa was rightly hopeful of the future.  He invited to Caucasia Imams, that is, holy men or preachers of Islam,  from different parts of the empire.  He dispatched them to the villages.  Besides he sponsored and encouraged building of mosques of  sizes according to the population of the relevant localities.

              The arrival of Imams in Caucasia had a profound impact on the populace.  The date they took over their assignment was taken as the beginning of local calendar. Such phrases as  so many years “Before the Imam” or so many years “After the Imam”  became part of the common language of the Adiğe people.

              The new order then brought to west Caucasia by Ferah Ali Paşa also influenced the people of Crimea and the Khanzades, who had been engaged in rivalry to capture the throne.

              The Khanzades were involved in intensive activities to free their homeland from Russian occupation.  They wanted the Paşa to start a campaign to liberate Crimea.  The Paşa, on the other hand, did not want to see  peace with Russia be undermined.

              The Russians had been working to consolidate their hold by setting up colonies astride the Strait of Kerç and along the River Kuban.  The Paşa sought to build a solid and dependable defense line south of Kuban.  He deemed that cohesion of the local people with the Ottoman administration was a precondition for the realization of his objective.  The linkage was not yet strong enough, he believed.

              Ferah Ali Paşa’s mission was not only to command a small fort.  He was fully conscious of the fact.  To succeed in his mission he had to set up the Ottoman State Organization after the pattern of that existed in the Eastern Europe.  It was, however, too difficult to realize his objective.  He needed adequate resources and  a set of informed and devoted cadre. Most important of all he need time.

              He was yet at the gateway of the country.  Each of the  local popular leaders, whom he happened to know,  acted arbitrarily. They seemed not prepared to share their power with any one else.

              Three centuries had been wasted.  The Ottoman Empire had left no impression in Caucasia, which was though nominally an Ottoman territory, but in effect left to the mercy of the arbitrary rule of the Khans of Crimea.

              Notwithstanding all those unbecoming situations, Ferah Ali Paşa had discovered one important fact:  The local popular leaders were brave people, who were attached to their traditions.  They were conscious of their own obligations, and of the magnitude of the menace looming on the horizon.

              The developments that soon afterwards unfolded proved his judgment right.

              The popular leaders of western Caucasia had, in the meantime, agreed to hold a large meeting to discuss the growing Russian menace.  The movement was led by Zanıko Mehmet Bey.

              The Antehir Plains, at the Hatkoy borders, was chosen as the venue.  The meeting was destined to have a special significance in that its venue was very close to the Russian occupied zone.

              Ferah Ali Paşa was also invited to the meeting.

              The Paşa was a little upset because he had not been consulted in advanced about organizing such a meeting.  He, however, did to show any direct sign of displeasure to save the decorum.  He went to the Antehir Plains, accompanied with his entourage.

              The meeting was more of a show of force rather than an occasion for decision making.  For each of  the leaders had come there with a host of armed riders.  The expansive plain resounded with neighing of the horses.

              The leaders highlighted that the Russians had firmly established themselves on Caucasian homeland, and that concrete measures had to be taken against Russian aggression.  Thy declared that in the event of another aggression they would put up an over all defense in unity.  A solemn oath was taken to the same effect.

              Ferah Ali Paşa had been worried lest the Caucasians should decide to terminate the peace.  They, however, in effect resolved on a line of action pertaining to the future.  The Paşa was, therefore, highly satisfied.  For preservation of peace was one of his foremost duties.  He had received repeated instructions from Istanbul to the same effect.

              The Russian Ambassador in Istanbul continually complained to the Ottoman Prime Minister about the alleged intransigence of the Adiğes, and demanded that the Adiğe sallies against the Russian position across Kuban be stopped.

              The Russian envoy was not all together unjustified in his complaint.  Small guerrilla groups attacked Russian settlements on every possible opportunity.  The Caucasian patriots did all they could to harass the Cossacks, and to scare them away; so that they should not take root on the occupied territories.

              The meeting at the Antehir plains proved very useful to Ferah Ali Paşa.  It provided him with an opportunity to get to know some of the local leaders whose opinion mattered much.  He listened to them, obtained concrete information about the situation in Caucasia;  and most important of all,  he was convinced that a strong resistance against the Russian menace could be organized.  He was inspired with confidence.

              A sound Ottoman-Caucasian cooperation would be a definite guarantee for victory, Ferah Ali Paşa believe
 
 
 

O0O
 
 
 
 

              The second year of  Ferah Ali Paşa’s tenure in Caucasia witnessed interesting developments.  In the east, in the Çeçen and Daghistan regions there emerged a popular hero, called Imam Mansur.

              Within a short time the name of “Imam Mansur” became a myth.  His fame transcended the confines of Caucasia; reaching  to the Steppes of Russia and to every corner of the Ottoman Empire.

              There came into circulation so many varied speculations and  incongruous stories about Imam Mansur that his actual personality was virtually overshadowed.  Not all what were said were imaginary.  There were some that were deliberately concocted to serve certain objectives.  For instance it was said that,

              -  He is merely a shepherd, a poor crazy man!

              -  He is a  false prophet, a liar!

              -  He is neither this nor that; he is a foreign agent sent in to confuse the minds!

              The Russians reasoned otherwise.  They claimed that Imam Mansur was a fanatic Roman Catholic of Italian nationality. “He is cheating the people in the garb of a Muslim holy man.  He intends to exploit the Caucasian Muslims against the Russian Orthodox Church,”  the Russians contended.

              The outsiders talking about him from far away were not interested to see the reality.  Each of the interested foreign parties tended to exploit the “Phenomenon of Mansur” to its own advantage; hence commented on it accordingly.

              Nevertheless Imam Mansur’s identity was very clear and definite.  There were his parents and several thousand acquaintances around.  Şebesse, his father, was a poor but honorable person.

              He was not an ignorant shephered, as some quarters asserted.  Initially he had  learnet reading Qur’an from his father, and later he was educated by scholars of the Naqshibandi Order in Daghistan.

              Indeed he was not a great scholar of religion, nor he was familiar with the world affairs adequately.  Nevertheless he had a sound reasoning and a strong intuition.  Most importantly, he was a pious and patriotic person.

                 Shortly after Mansur’s birth, his parents had moved to Aldı, a village on the bank of the river Sunç, where Mansur lived through his childhood and youth.

              Since his early youth he had been acting as a servant of the masses.  He protected the weak, and assisted the poor.  “Mansur”⁶ , his nickname, was attributed to him by his friends when he was a madrasa student in Daghistan.  His original name “Uşurma” was forgotten in the course of time.

              After having completing his education in Daghistan Mansur returned to Aldı, where he was assigned as the Imam of the village mosque.  His Friday sermons influenced the audience.

              He owed his fame to his power of oratory.

              Mansur was not a mosque hermit.  He followed the events far away.  He perceived the power vacuum in Caucasia.

              Daghistan was divided into small Khanates. Trans-Caucasia comprised of small independent principalities,  each ruled by the local nobles who jealously guarded their own privileges.  Obviously a land so divided was an easy prey for the Russians.

              Imam Mansur had perceived this very  reality.

              There was a need for an authority or a leadership over and above the independent families and the ruling princes.  Caucasia needed a charismatic leader capable of commanding the masses.

              The nobles would not agree with each other, and  would not either gather around the most powerful one among them. The arrogance nourished by the traditions prevented tendencies in that direction.  Therefore, any emergent leader ought to not belong to the nobility.  He ought to possess unrivaled attributes, so that there could be no room for jealousy.

              Religious uniformity had been nearly achieved in Trans-Caucasia.  Religious fervor was it its peak.  The spiritual unity of the masses could be stimulated.

              The people at the mosque stood in line for prayer behind the Imam without distinction of race, creed and social status.  The Imam, should therefore be the leader sought after.

              The Imam would set out for the sake  of Allah.  He would advocate the moral values which the whole of the community honored, including the faith, chastity and freedom.  He would fight for the sake of the homeland rather than for the Ottoman Empire.

              This was the striking reality that Mansur had discovered. He deemed it as the only way to the salvation of the people of Caucasia.   He decided to personally try out what he had contemplated. In the event his attempt proved a failure, it would form a precedence  in the conscience of hls people, and would be repeated in the future.  And that he cherished.

              With this fact in mind he began preaching his religious and social ideas, which stirred the whole land and scared his enemies.  He declared:

              -  I am ordained by God Almighty to reform and unite the people of Caucasia.  My mission equally concerns the nobles  and the commoners both.

              These words of him had far and wide repercussions.

              Mansur wanted his ideas to stand to the last, not mortal as himself was.  To this end he expressed his ideas in terms of the future:

              -  I am a humble servant of God.  I am a faithful pioneer.  After me there shall come much more capable and powerful ones!

              Ferah Ali Paşa passed away before he could fully discover the “Facts about Imam Mansur”.  He had been insistently ordered by the Sultan and the Ottoman Cabinet to report on the affair.  He was buried in Anapa in the grave he himself had prepared in advance.  His Caucasian wife too died three days after him.

              Ferah Ali Paşa was replaced by Acarlı Bicanoğlu.  His only preoccupation in Caucasia was to acquire slaves and concubines, and to fleece the people. The residents of Anapa could not tolerate rhe repression exercised  by this mean person much  longer.  Within the first year of his assignment the people revolted and forced him to flee from the town.

              The Central Government in Istanbul then appointed Ipeklizade Mustafa Paşa, who was the Guardian of Çorum at that time,  as the Governor of Caucasia.

              Ipeklizade was a man of integrity and prudence, fit to succeed  Ferah Ali Paşa.  The people liked him.
 
 
 

O0O
 
 
 
 

              Imam Mansur continually received information on Russian activities in eastern Caucasia.  He closely watched the heinous conduct on the part of the Russians in the  Gazi Kumuk and Kabardey regions.

              The forts Yekartrinodar in the west, Georgievski in the center, and Kızlar in the east formed the most important Russian strongholds.  Stavrapol was the main headquarters for military operations.  The Fort Viladikafkas was responsible for the defense of Georgia.  Besides there were numerous  communication out-posts interspersed in  between the above.

              General Von Medeme had been replaced by General Von Yakobi. He was the most ruthless of Russian theater commanders.  He inflicted untold miseries on the people in the occupied territories, summarily killed any one who resisted, and deported the potential community leaders.

              In 1784 Georgia became a protectorate of Russia on the request of King Iraklı.  The treaty to the same effect was signed at Fort Georgievski.

              Prince Potemkin, Commander-in-Chief of Russian Forces and the Governor General of Caucasia, in his report to Queen Cathrina-II, attached to the text of the treaty on the status of Georgia,  claimed that Russian conquest of Caucasia had been completed.  He stated,

              -  My Exalted Queen!  Conquest of Caucasia has been completed!

              Imam Mansur perceived the approaching danger; and urged the Caucasias to unite.  He continually conveyed his message in his sermons in the mosque and at the rostrums outside.  He warned the people about the ever advancing Russian power.  He reminded his audience the misery suffered by the people in the occupied territories.  He urged all the patriots to stand up against the Russian aggression.

              In 1785 there was a earth-quake that rocked the Çeçen and Daghistan regions.  A number of villages were destroyed and some damaged due to land-slide at several places.  Imam Masur reckoned the tremor as God’s warning.  In addition to intensifying religious and moral indoctrination work, he voiced the need to start active struggle. He said,

              -  I have warned you on several occasions before.  Very few of you have lent ear to my words.  Now God, by shaking the earth and the sky, has alarmed  you to relieve yourselves of the neglect and inadvertence you have been  embroiled in.  Should you fail to come to your sense despite this significant event,  an infinite tragedy might befall at any time.

              Imam Mansur’s words spread from one avul⁷ to another, from one zone to the other.  Finally it reached to every place in northern Caucasia.  It was even heard outside the land.  Long before his words commanded a wide attention. The Aldı village was soon crowded by mureeds⁸ offering oath of allegiance as well as by admirers.

              The Imam issued a written declaration in the same year.  His disciples produced multiple copies of the declaration and circulated it far and wide.  It proved highly effective.  Within a short period a ten thousand strong cavalry force was created under his banner.

              Since the first time they had heard about Imam Masur, the Russians had be been interested in him and had been gathering intelligence on his activities.  His declaration to the effect that “I am ordained by God Almighty to reform and unite the people of Caucasia” had alarmed the Russians.  Consequently they unleashed a propaganda campaign to tarnish the Imam’s image.

              Notwithstanding all sorts of adverse propaganda, his popularity   increased without interruption.  The Russian alarm turned to fright.  The Russian High Command decided on  immediate action to stop the Imam’s further consolidation.

              A formidable task force composed of artillery batteries, rifled infantry, and cavalry, commanded by Colonel Pierri was dispatched to the Aldı village.  It was ordered to destroy Mansur together with his entire paraphernalia.

              Imam Mansur had never been in a battle, let alone commanding a force in the battle.  Initially he manifested hesitation in confronting the enemy.  He behaved so not because of lack of courage; but because of fear of committing a mistake that would cost the lives of his followers.

              Among the disciples of Mansur there were experienced men who had been fighting the Russians for many years.  They confronted Col. Pierri’s forces outside the village.  The vanguard of  Mansur’s forces included his elder brother.  The initial clash was very fierce one.

              Mansur was watching the battle on top of a hill.  At the sight of his brother rolling down his horse, Mansur lost restraint.  He mounted his horse and ordered his reserves to charge the enemy.

              The Çeçens, beholding the Imam fighting  at the forefront,  were highly excited; and with great fervor and courage they attacked the enemy.  The greater part of the Russian troops, including Col. Pierri himself and his unit commander were killed.  The Russians were routed.

              The arrow had been  released from the bow.  There was no use to stay confined to the Aldı Village.  Now that  the zeal of his community had reached to the zenith,  it ought to be used; he reasoned.

              Imam Mansur attacked the forts of Mozdok and Viladikafkas at  times when the Russians did not at all anticipate it. He selected targets far apart  from one another; destroyed the settlements around Fort Kızlar, which had been very well fortified; drove away the Russian troops in the open north of the River Terek; and causwed havoc by striking at the Russian colonial settlements.
 

              During 1786 Masur acted with restraint.  He attacked a small part of the Kabardey region, and routed the Russian troops there commanded by Col. Nagi.

              This feat of the Imam’s forces caused a great fervor in the whole of Caucasia.

              With the instigation of the Russians the lower classes in Kaberdey revolted.  The incident seriously disrupted administration in the effected area.  The people there had began to reconcile themselves with Russian domination.  But with the timely intervention by Imam Mansur the disruptive trend  came to an end.

              The impact of the new leader on unity of the peoples of Caucasia was reckoned with approved.  People from the Şapsığ region joined forces with him. Emissaries from places as far as the coast visited his headquarters to invite him to the west.

              Imam Mansur was well aware that there was a firm class stratification in eastern and central Caucasia.  He was also conscious that the Khans and the Kabardey Princes would neither voluntarily cooperate with him, nor would sincerely accept his leadership.

              As a matter of fact the nobles were not involved in his fight against the Russians.  They merely watched the Imam’s campaigns.  The Khans  of the Avars believed that they would preserve their own interests by observing peace with the Russians.

              In contrast the volunteers, who had joined forces with him, and had been complying with his orders at the risk of their life, belonged to the lower class.

              On the basis of his experience, Imam Mansur decided to move to western Caucasia, where class distinction was relatively less severe.    He did not however,  immediately disclose his intentionto his camp followers.  He sufficed contending that everyone was equal before God, in an attempt  to gain tim.

              His imagination had been continuously active.  He kept on searching for an appropriate location suitable for consolidation of his ideals, and fit to be the capital of a “United Caucasia”.

              Towards the end of the 17th century the movement for institutionalization of  the religion, which had been started by Hoca Ishak Abuk, came to fruition in the Kabardey region.  Coordination in the functions of the mosque and the school was achieved.  Early in the 18th century courts of justice, which passed judgment according to  Islamic canon, were established.

              Kazanuko Jabağ, an advisor to Princes Kayatuko Aslanbek and Hatutujuko Missot,  broadened the dimensions of  co-relation of traditions with the religion.  Thanks to his tolerant and democratic outlook that major impediments could be surmounted.

              Western Caucasia, in a confused state in terms of religion, had practically merged with the east.

              Islam had been introduced in the Taman region and on the islands in the Strait of Kerç, areas which had been strongly under the influence of the Crimean in the past.  It was from there that Islam  was introduced to the Kemguy, Beleney and Kabardey in sequence.

              The position of the new religion, however,  had been relatively weaker in the territories of Şapsığ, Abzeh, Ubih, Karaçay and Abazin.  The teachings of  Christian missionaries and the pagan  traditions⁹  had been  in force in those areas. Of late, however, the people in these areas also began to convert to Islam in large numbers.  As a result of the constructive endeavors  of Ferah Ali Paşa the new religion was welcomed.  Within a period of three years it spread as far as the Abzeh Pastures and the Upper Hodz Valley.

              The news on these development highly elated Basti Bram.  For his long standing dreams was materializing; the people had been well underway in unifying under the banner of the new religion.

              He recalled Ahmet Sena advising him patience for “everything had an opportune time to come through”.   He smiled by himself, as he murmured, “Sena was absolutely right!”

              He was all the more confounded by the “episode of Imam Mansur”.  He was excited to the extent that he feared his  heart would not stand it.

              A Çeçen Muslim preacher had claimed that  God ordained him to reform and unify the peoples of Caucasia; had taken up arms and begun fighting the Russians to liberate the occupied territories.  To Bram those were incredible  events; were miraculous phenomena.

              The excitement ejected Brams out of his seclusion. He resumed strolling in the Basti courtyard and in the streets of Çığızaç, his head up right and his steps confidently firm, reminiscent of  his youthful days.  He was quiescent, however.  For it was too early to disclose what he had in mind.  t had uet to be matured.

              Finally he decided to act.

              As the first step he called a family meeting of the Bastis.  He sent out  an errand to Çemko inviting Lasmar to come down to Çığızaç.  All the Basti elders  and the middle aged  male members of the family got together at dinner one day.

              After the meal Basti Bram narrated the recent developments in the east and the west, and noted that those had been momentous events.  He paused before speaking out what actually he had in mind, as if he was scared of  possible objections.  He resumed speaking in a vibrating tone:

              -  I believe that very significant events are going to take place soon.   I suggest that the Bastis should not isolate themselves from what would be happening! Let us confer together as to what we could do.  I want that every thing be first discussed within the family.

              Bram inquiringly glanced at the audience.

              Basti Şorkan was absent.  Of late his movements had slowed down, and he seldom spoke.  He seemed to have relegated his place to his own son, Lasmar.  Tubal and Kasay played novice in the presence of Bram.  Şereg and Kanşav would not talk on matters beyond their competence.

              The middle aged Bastis, irrespective of their individual characteristics, reckoned Lasmar as their leader.  Aslan and Smayl each  cast an oblique glance at him.

              At family meetings, such as the present one, Lasmar usually acted as the spokesman of those in  his age group.  He was conscious that all eyes were focused on him, and that he was obliged to speak out his mind.  His mouth was slightly open, and his lower lip dangling.

              His appearance at that moment was reminiscent of Basti Takir’s, who had been killed in the war. Whenever  confronted with a subject not of his liking he too avoided commenting,  and quietly looked down.

              Bram, having glanced at everyone present, finally fixed his eyes on Lasmar, as the rest of the audience did.  In a muffled tone he shouted,

              -  Why are you silent?  Speak out your mind!

              Lasmar’s back was slightly hunched, and the contours on his face had deepened . Upon his uncle’s shouting he suddenly gathered himself,  placed his hands on his knees, lightly coughed, and said,

              -  Earlier we had been involved in certain irrelevant matters.  As a result we untimely lost uncle Takir and Genar.  I think it would be better if we waited a little more.

              Lasmar paused, moving his head and his hands.  He went on,

              -  Nevertheless, you are the boss.  We will do whatever you deem necessary.

              Bram was incensed.  He did not say anything for quite a long while, his eyes fixed on Lasmar.

              Yes,  He had toured the villages in the Psıfabe Valley, and had stirred up the people.  He had sent Takir, his own elder brother; and Genar, his own son to the battle.  Now, after many years since, he was being criticized by the middle aged Basti generation on the same account.

              With a grave tone her turned to the elders.

              -  Do you follow what the younger generation Bastis are saying?  The way they  are talking  suggests  how they would be representing us after our death!

              No one responded Bram.  All eyes were cast down.

              The aged Basti shaking his head lightly, went on speaking.  He kept his gaze on the audience, searching for the impact of his words on them.

              -  You must have heard about the activities of Imam Mansur as much as I have.   He has come out of his village and attacked the Russian forts  in  the territories of the Lezgi and in Kabardey; destroyed the Cossack settlements in the Mezdegu Plains.  Presently he is in the Minor Kabardey.  I am told that he would be moving to the west next spring.  Most probably he would be passing through the Psifabe Valley.

              Bram paused, took a deep breath, raised his right fist, and hit it on his knee.

              -  Couldn’t he comfortably stay at his own village?

              Again he paused, longer than before.  He gazed at his audience one by one.

              -  Of course he could!  But he is a patriot!  His conscience is not at ease.  He could not tolerate what the Russians have been doing.  He has faith in the integrity of Caucasia, and in the fact the people of this country have achieved unity in religion and culture.  He considered everyone of them as his own brother, his relative. To him the suffering of one ought to be shared by all the community.  How a person whose heart is so full could stay inert?  He couldn’t remain aloof.  He took up arms and set off.

              He pointed his hand at Lasmar.  He went on with a tinge of  sarcasm in his tone.

              -  Nevertheless we lack interest to understand him.  Here, our grand Basti says: “Let us wait; let the enemy knock at out door; then we would do what is deemed necessary!”

              One could see the sweat gathered on Lasmar’s temple.  He was embarrassed being targeted.  Avoiding his uncle’s eyes he replied,

              -  You got me wrong.  I meant to say that let us not be taking the initiative, let us not be the one to act first; that is all!

              Bram in a determined and strong tone replied.

              -  No!  The Basti can never be somewhere in the middle, and never at the rear.  They would always march at the fore.  Let no Basti forget it!

              There was a pin-drop-silence in the room.  No one dared to raise his head and look at the old Basti.

              Bram was tired.  The tension that had overwhelmed his soul taxed his heart too much.  He looked to his sides, with no interest to go on talking.  He stood up, his knees shaking.  Every one else in the room followed him.

              He took a couple of steps towards the door.  Then he halted and stared  for a few seconds at the floor.  His composure reflected his troubled soul.  In a low but firm tone he uttered his last words:

              -I am going to hold a meeting with the village elders tomorrow.  I want you all be present!

              It was not what he actually wanted to say.  He meant to say,

              -  Should Imam Mansur happen to move to the west through the Psıfabe Valley, we shall join him.  Should we avoid doing so, we shall repent to death in the future.

              Bram relaxed.  He moved forward without looking back, without waiting for a response to his words.  The other elders also came out of the room  after him.

              As the elders distanced, Lasmar  sent off the boys who had been serving the meal.  Aslan, Hamit, Smayl and Berduk were left with him in the room.

              He seated himself at the corner vacated by Bram a little while ago.  He asked his cousins to be seated, and began talking extempore.

              -  Uncle still lives in the old days.  The Bastis are no longer  managed single handed by one person.  Everybody knows it; we have been divided into five separate families so that each be able to act the way it wished.  I can understand why uncle does not see this fact.

              Aslan, folding his knees, leaned towards Lasmar;  and with a muffled tone admonished him.  “What are you saying?”, he shouted; anxiously looked towards the door to be sure that there was  no undesirable listener.  He lowered his tone, and went on:

              -  Let no one else hear what you said just now!  Otherwise the people would conclude that the Bastis do not respect each other’s opinion.  We would be disgraced in the eyes of the people of the village and the valley.

              Lasmar turned his head towards the fireplace.  He murmured a few unintelligible words.

              The five Basti men debated for several hours.

              Lasmar was against the Bastis taking lead in any new venture.  He repeated time and again his contention to the effect that it would be better to wait and see, and act as developments undolded.

              The other four contended otherwise.  They advocated respect respect for the elders, and  stressed that, be it what it may, the command of the elders had to be complied with.

              Lasmar did not admit to the last minute that he was mistaken and defeated.  He left the room in rage and in fast paces.  Though it was quite a late hour of the night, he did not stay in Çığızaç for the night.  He rode off to Çemko.
 
 
 

O0O
 
 
 
 

              Lasmar pondered all along the way to Çemko.  He talked by himself.

              His elders had time and again narrated him stories about the achievements and the conduct of the grand Basti Dadu, and his uncles Bram and Takir.  He was quite familier with Genar’s affair.  He could not, however, understand them.

              What those gentlemen had been after?  Why they had been involved in the incidents far away outside the Psıfabe Valley.   Why after all his uncle  Bram was still in pursuit of vague imaginations?  There were questions to which he could not find plausible answers.

              Lasmar didn’t wish himself be involved in any  incidents outside the village.  He considered it impertinent and dangerous on the part of the whole Basti Family as well.

              Actually he was not less courageous  than any of the Bastis. In fact was more aggressive and agile than most of them.  He would not hesitate fighting against anything that would undermine the Basti image.

              No doubt there he had reasons that made him contend the way he did:

              Lasmar socially existed in a rather secluded environment.  He was devoid of enlightenment and experience required to direct the masses.  He did not have any chance to develop such attribute either.  His intellect was not that bright either.

              Therefore; like anyone with inadequate experience, and not with much to say, Lasmar had been shy to show up in the foreground.  He was scared of committing mistakes in public.

              Nevertheless he was healthy, and possessed an impressive formidable physique.  He was good in using all sorts of arms.

              The sky was clear. Thousands of stars twinkled.

              Lasmar reached Çemko pondering on what had been discussed in Çığızaç, and making assessments on them.  At the entrance of the farm he sensed someone standing there.  It was Pşılı Şavay waiting for him.

              The dogs in Şavay’s company had smelt Lasmar, had heard the sound of the hoof of his horse. They received him emitting friendly sound, and  waving their tails.

              Şavay’s father Şardan, the aged caretaker of the farm, being too old to attend to the routine farm work, had let him take over his responsibilities.  Now Şavay was the number one aid of Lasmar.

              Lasmar dismounted,  handed over the reins to Şavay, and lightly stroke his Adiğe whip on one of the dogs moving in front of him, waving its tail.  He slowly walked to his house.

              Şavay could at any moment tell Lasmar’s mood looking at his manners. He would wait forLasmar to speak first.

              The young Pşılı watched Lasmar for a few seconds;   and as he proceeded towards his house without speaking a word, Şavay wished him good night, and turned to his right towards the stables.

              The children were asleep.  Goşemıd was knitting a pair of socks under the dim light of oil lamp,  her ears turned to the door.  She quickly picked up the sound of her husband’s foot steps.  She immediately got up and opened the door for him.

              Lasmar entered the room, and while sitting down, just to have said something, he casually asked his wife if the children had been sleeping,.

              Goşemıd had given birth to five, of which two survived.  Their son Pşımef and daughter Nefıj were in their early adolescence.

              Goşemıd simply replied, “Yes!” and simultaneously moved her head in affirmative.  She did not sit down.  She inquiringly gazed at her husband.

              -  Would you like to eat something?, she asked.

              Lasmar, his eyes turned to the fireplace, moved his head up, meaning “no”.  He did not speak.

              Lasmar momentarily thought of his children.  When himself out of Çemko he missed Nefıj most.  He was fond of her.  Pşımef was determined and vigorous as like his mother.  The Basti Pride must also have had something to do with his temperament.

              He was an over-weight baby at his birth.

              The ladies helping  Goşemıd at the time of delivery had been impressed by his large, round, and sparkling eyes.

              Gigi had lifted him up and declared aloud,

              -  Let everybody know that this Basti is named “Pşımef”¹⁰  !

              Gigi had been nostalgic of the Dadu era.  She missed someone who would restore the power of the Great Basti Family.  The bright face of the baby had suggested her that he would be  the person she had been looking for.

              The younger generation Basti females had informed Lasmar of Gigi’s prophecy.  He had been proud of it, though he never openly admitted so.

              In compliance with the dictates of the tradition, as any Adiğe would do, he always had to keep a certain distance between himself and his children.  He would not manifest any form of affection towards them except a detached smile.

              Nefıj, yet a child herself, was aware of the rigid traditional compulsion.  She stayed away from her own father.  On occasion, overwhelmed by childish emotion, she would sit beside him to be caressed.  At best Lasmar would respond her by lightly smiling at her, and would rarely caress her head provided there was no one around to behold.

Goşemıd, having noticed her husband lost in thought, left the room.  She whiled away sometime in the kitchen.  To her dismay she found him not stirred since she had left him.  He was still looking at the ashes in the fireplace.

              The young lady hanged the lamps, which she had brought from the kitchen, next to the exiting ones.  She place one quilt each on the two sofas  along the opposit walls.  The she sat on the sofa to the left.

              Goşemid had a fine physique.  She was pretty.  Her looks and her facial lines manifested her determined and authoritarian nature.  She would not rush, and would not show  excessive excitement.  She talked in brief and precise sentences, without hesitation.

Lazmar was sometimes troubled by the attributes of his wife. In such instances he was inadvertently irritated, and attempted to cover up his own deficiencies.

              At the moment he was conscious that Goşemid’s eyes were over him.  It made him uneasy.

              Goşemıd indeed was gazing at her husband.  She was convinced that he would not speak unless she spoke first.   Since their wedding he had been generally behaving so.

              Most of the time it had been herself to begin the conversation.  She would smile trying to cheer him up, would ask questions, would suggest the topic, and  induced her husband to talk; not as a spouse, but as an elder of him.

              This time too she did likewise.  She asked,

              -  Basti!  Did something go wrong in Çığızaç?

              She attempted to pose affectionate and lovable.  She, however could not totally cover up the 
firm determination inherent in her nature; for she slightly frowned,  her eyes sparkled.