Geriyiko Şemız was in his eighties.  But yet he was incredibly energetic.  He had greater stamina than Pşımef, who was at least fifteen years younger to him.  He neither  lamented over the dead nor took pride in achievements.  His only obsession was to uproot the Russian fortresses and strongholds in Caucasia.

            He had been in a state of constant move during the winter of 1839-1840, in which period he was seldom in his own house. Most of the time he had been shuttling between the north and the south.  No one could knew his whereabouts at a given time. 

            In fact all the leaders were in a state of flex at that time.  They had been lecturing the people to rise against enemy, each working in a specified area.  Şemız has been there like the rallying banner, rushing from one place to the other. 

            Havuduko Mansur and Şurukyiko Duğuj together razed to the ground the four fortresses , which General Radyef had proudly built between Anapa and the River Kuban.  Hacı Huzbek attacked Fort Abın.  Zaziyiko Mehmet encircled  Fort Şepsin, and the Abhaz leaders besieged Forts Vaye and Tuaps. 

            In Fort Tuaps there was a strong garrison equipped with a large number of guns.  The Ubıh and Abhaz leaders had marched on the fort with a seven thousand strong force. 

            The Caucasian army managed to scale the walls in no time.  A fierce hand to hand fight that ensued inside the fort lasted for several hours.  The gunpowder stock accidentally exploded in the mean time, killing approximately five hundred men from both sides.

            The fall of Fort Tuaps was a serious setback to the Russians.  Half of the twenty-five hundred strong garrison was sworded, and rest was taken prisoner. 

            As the news of triumph at one battles ground reached to other scenes of battle, the fighters were  ever more exuberated.  The onslaughts were  incessantly sustained.   The Forts Ardler, Marya and Nicholayev fell to the Adğe forces one after the other. 

            By the end of April 1840 the Adiğe forces had successfully hit all the designated targets.  All the fortresses the Russians had built during the last decade had been destroyed, with the exception of Fort Anapa and Genlincik. 

            Russia, nevertheless was capable of rebuilding what had been destroyed.  Early in summer the Russian Navy reappeared in the Caucasian waters.  The Russian army in Caucasia received an eighty-thousand strong reinforcement from Eastern Europe.  To begin with Fort Tuaps, all the fortresses were recaptured and rebuilt one after the other.

            Bastiko Pşımef had  not been stationary at Tsemez all that time.  At most of the instances he was in the company of Geriyiko Şemız.  He had regretted at the sight of the bloody battles, and rejoiced over the victories achieved. 

            The farsighted Basti estimated that the victories achieved would be short-lived.  He was not at all surprised to see the Russian returning.  He forecast that the situation would worsen. 

            Old Geriyiko was mad at the what followed.  He could not stand the recapture by the Russians of the strongholds liberated after so much of strife and at the cost of so many loss of life.  He was not prepared to consider the views expressed by Pşımef. 

            Once he shouted at Pşımef,

            -  Don’t mention about the God damn Russians to me!  Sort of the army of the Satan!  You kill a hundred, there come a hundred-thousand in their place!

            The year 1841 had been a desperate year, fraught with death, starvation, misery and fear of insecurity.

            By the end of the year the tide of devastation of the plague epidemic subsided. No one however, was yet willing to go out of his secure environment.  Neither the Russians came out of their forts, nor the local people left their villages and farms. 

            Bastiko Pşımef was taken ill in January 1842.  The people in Tsemez once again were scared of a possible epidemic.  As a precaution he was isolated.  Only his wife Şayze was allowed to enter his room.

            Geriyiko Şemız quelled the fear by visiting Pşımef. With is candid manners, and with his usual jokes he raised the spirit of the household. 

            Incidentally, old Geriyiko could not help teasing the famous Basti.  The two had visited a century old Trah together many years ago. With reference to the event Şemız asked Pşımef,

            -  Tell me!  Do the princes of Basti descent always die of plague? 

            Pşımef sadly smiled.  Moments later her replied:

            - For whole of my life I have envied you!  You are not perturbed even if it were the end of the world!

            Şemız maintained his joke saying, “Take it so!”, and did not neglect winking at the others in the room. 

            -  No one knows the Prince of Tsemez better than  I do.  When it suits him he would pretend indisposed.  He is fond of stewed chicken and lamb roast.  Feed him well!  He would be up again in a couple of days!

            The situation was not as simple as Şemız had prescribed.  The miserable plight of his people had  consumed Pşımef.  His lungs emitted weak rattles, and continually discharged phlegm.  On the fifth day of his confinement to bed, he asked his wife to call in every one in the household to his bedside. 

            Natho Melah and Koce Eşav were the first to appear.  Others stepped in one by one.  The elders stood nearer to him while the younger ones lined up in the doorway.  Şayze was the only female present in the room. 

            Pşımef gesticulated with his finger to his wife, meaning that he wished to sit up.  Natho Melah and Koce Eşav preceded Şayze to rush to help him sit up and to support his back with pillows. 

            Old Basti was too feeble.  He could hardly breathe. 

            For a while he gazed at those sitting in the room, and then he slowly began to speak,

            -  I am not going to tell you anything new.  I just wanted to see you once again! 

            Nogay Ali Mirza held Pşımef at high esteem.  He too had grown very old, and sentimental.  He could hardly suppress his emotion.  His eyes were full with tears. 

            Pşımef had detected the state of the old Nogay.  He cast a cheerful smile at him.

            -  Ali Mirza!  The world is a place you stay in transit.  The Russians, who had displaced you from your homeland and  today intend doing the same to us, too shall pass away from this world! 

            Most of those present could not help smiling.  Ali Mirza, while wiping his eyes with his corny hands,  cursed the Russians.

            Pşımef continued,

            -  The people adopt a way of life according to their intellect and the knowledge they have acquired.  Not only the Adiğes, but also all other tribes of Caucasia as I perceive, are and shall remain victims of their isolation. Unfortunately, it is impossible to make them understand it.  I do not think even after the painful experience of being enslaved by the Russians they would understand it. 

            He waved his hand, and went on,

            -  It is a rather deep issue!  Actually I wish to tell are a few brief and simple things!  For the sake of continuity of our race I feel the urge to tell you that .... 

            He briefly paused to rest, and went on. 

            -  I do not think that our people are immune of the Russian menace. Personally I am hopeless. One day the Russians will dominate here as they did in Crimea and Georgia.  They will be ruling on us using crude force. Nevertheless let me remind they are no different than a herd of swine.  Ultimately they would have to yield before our traditions, provided that we preserve our traditional characteristics!

            He looked down pensively for a few moments, and then went on  in a remorseful manner,

            -  I had come to the coast with some other hops and aspirations!  I do not regret, however.  For I sat by a window that is open to the world.  I witnessed and experienced things that a mortal could seldom have seen in a life time.   Together with you, we traced out the path to a new life in here.  We endeavored to serve our people. 

            He looked at Natho Melah and Koce Eşav. 

            -  You know; far away in the Psıfabe Valley, there live our relatives.  Our main and powerful strains exist there.  Let not our youth and children here forget them! 

            Natho Melah smiled in a gloomy mood, and interjected,

            -  Bastiko!  For God’s sake, what are you talking!  You talk as if you are going to part with us.  Just hold on.  We are going to have a lot of time to live happily together! 

            Pşımef gravely shook his head, and remarked,

            -  God willing!  I wish it were so! 

            The Prince of Tsemez was virtually conducting a farewell ceremoney.  He asked the elders to stay to have the meals with together with him. 

            He was not able to eat, though.  Reclined against the pillows, he watched the male members of his colony clustered around two wooden service plates. Affecting being in good shape, he occasionally broached new subjects to make the diners to talk about. 

            Pşımef survived for another week, partially conscious. He could respond his visitors in a single word, mostly irrelevant, which suggested a hopeless prognoses.

            One midnight his condition deteriorated.  Only Şayze was in attendance.  A suffocating rattle out of his lungs turned out to be the beginning of his end.  In an extremely feeble voice he called his wife,

            -  Goşe!¹  The original Basti Settlement at the base of the valley had been the creation of my mother.  The present one is the result of your endeavors.  May God reward you!  You have always kept my household tidy and bonded.  From now on also be their Grandma, and keep them together!

                                                               O0O

            In the course the past eighty-five years if his life Geriyiko Şemız had come face to face with death on  numerous occasions; and had dispatched hundreds of youthful volunteers to their martyrdom.  Never had he been disheartened.  He had lived through the last decade same as in his youthful days.  He had been constantly on the move, which instead of wearing him out, had rendered him stronger.  Though an octogenarian, he was still healthy and vigorous.

            The news of Pşımef’s death was conveyed to his brother-in-law, Geriyiko Ali, first. 

            Ali asked the rest of the procedures be left to him to take care of.  He immediately sent out an errand to Batmazyiko. Early in the morning he called on his cousin.  He woke up Geriyiko Şemız to inform him of the situation. 

            Geriyiko Şemız, rubbing his eyes, simply remarked, “Is that so?”.  He did not seem  jolted by the news; as if he had been expecting it.  Meanwhile he did not ignore cutting a joke. 

            -  The Prince of Tsemez once gain out did us.  He is ahead of us on the way to Paradise. 

            Şemız obliquely gazed at his cousin.  He was conscious of Ali’s annoyance over his ill-timed joke.

            -  Don’t mind my remark about Basti!  He was the wisest of all the Thamates on the coast.  Let us hold on his funeral until all his friends are informed. 

            Batmazyiko and Geriyiko Ali sent out mounted errands to all directions.

            Şemız, on the contrary, was not in a rush.  He went to the mosque for the morning prayer. Though pretended at ease, for the first time he felt death very close to himself. During the prayer he took his place right behind the Imam in all earnestness. 
 

            After the prayer he returned home, accompanied by the village clerics and a few Thamates. He offered breakfast to the visitors.  In the course of the breakfast he delivered the news of Pşımef’s demise. They discussed the rituals as deemed necessary according to the religion and the traditions.  Then all together they went to the  Basti district. 

            Şemız saw to it that Pşımef’s body was removed to a cooler room with no fire on.  He stayed with the clerics as they recited the Holy Qur’an. He carried a rosary in hand, and a black woolen cloak over his shoulders.  He retained his composure for two days.  He returned home as the guests for the funeral ceremoney began to arrive. 

            Indaryiko Nogay and Daziyiko Şupaş were among the first to arrive.  Then followed Havuduko Mansur, Kalabatuko Hatuk and Şurukyiko Duğuj.  Kadı Hacı Mehmet and Kadı Hacı Ismail were accompanied by Kambur Djefs.  Zaziyiko Mehmet arrived on the final day. 

            There were so many arrivals that it was practically impossible to accommodate all of them at the Kutak village for the night.  Therefore the guests were spread out to the villages and districts in the neighborhood. 

            On the fourth day, that is the day of funeral, Kutak was totally packed up.  Several thousand people had gathered to offer their homage to the famous Basti on his way to eternity. 

            It was a very cold day.  Everyone had pulled on his woolen head-gear and  cloak.    The covered space having been occupied by the early arrivals, most of the community had to stay in the open space.  Their horses were tied to trees and bushes around at random.

            The Basti district was quiet, though mournful. For  Şayze had warned all the young women and girls not to cry aloud or make any disturbing noise. However, with the arrival at the house of a group of men to remove the coffin to the mosque, the sedate atmosphere suddenly ended.  Pşımef’s daughters could not stand.  Their heart rendering cry overwhelmed the atmosphere.²

            There was only one mosque in Kutak.  It  was built on a fairly large open space in the center of the village.  Yet some difficulty was experienced in finding room for all the people attending the funeral. 

            The Funeral Prayer was led by Kadı Hacı Mehmet.

            The aged Kadı quietly recited a suplication.  Then gazed at the congragation. He made an attempt to speak; but being heavily overwhelmed by emotion, he felt as if a node had blocked his throat. He coughed a few times to clear his throat. Finally he managed to supress the tide in his heart.  He began speaking with difficulty:

            - At the time when Pşımef moved to Tsemez,  I was in Istanbul.  I came to know him on my return to Caucasia. May be some of you here do not know that he was not the first Basti to have lived in the coast.  There happened to be a Basti in Tsemez long time ago.  According to the narration of my elders, he was a much respected person. 

            Hacı Mehmet paused for a moment to ponder.

            - Pşımef’s father, Lasmar,  had participated in the defense of Anapa fifty years ago.  He was martyred in that battle.  Did you know that?  He had gone to Anapa as a member of Imam Mansur’s force.  Furthermore; according to what our elders have told us, Lasmar was a strong and  gigantic person. He was burried under the riuns of the fort.  May God bless his soul! 

            He paused; looked down, and in a grave tone he went on,

            -  As far Pşımef is concerned; you know him well.  He was a worrier, and  as much he was a man of intellect. If we had lent ear to what he had in mind, he probably could have led us to salvation.  Personally I still believe in the acuracy of his ideas and in his honesty of purpose. 

            Kadı Hacı Mehmet raised his hands, with his plams open.  For some length of time he recited a suplication in whisper, then called the congregation to recite “El-Fatiha”³.  So ended the initial part of the funeral. 

            Pşımef’s coffin was carried on top of the shoulders from the mosque to the grave-yard, a pretty long distance.  The crowd was so big that the procession could hardly advance. 

            That vexed Geriyiko Şemiz.  He rushed to the foreground to help the bearers of the coffin to proceed, shouting, “clear the way!”

            The village of Kutak had been desrtroyed during the Russian invasion of Tsemez.  It was rebuilt at a different location under Şemız’s auspices.  As a result the new grave-yard also had changed place. 

            Pşımef’s body was burried at the new grave-yard,  next to the latest burial. 

            The congragation did not disperse immediately.  The fighters under Pşımef’s command, in particular, stayed at the side of his grave for a long while.  The breaved comrades-in-arm silently shed their tears. 

                                                  O0O

            Şayze was panicked as Pşımef’s funeral was over and the community dispersed; though she had managed  retaining her composure throughout the distressing moments that far. As she became more and more conscious of her husband’s absence, her bereavement enhanced.

            Şayze belonged to a crowded household, where everyone held her in high esteem.  More importantly: she belonged to the Indar Clan.  The Indars swayed over the area from Pşat to the vicinity of Anapa.  Her elder-brother Geriyiko Ali and her cousin Şemız were the leading personalities of the region.  But yet a dark shadow of fear had settled down deep in her heart. 

            What made her anxious was the uncertain future.  Pşımef had been a source of assurance not only to his family, but also to everybody in the neighborhood.  His sedate look, his patience, his lucid words inspired hope and encouragement. He was a beacon that illuminated the unkown darkness of the future.

            Her cousin Şemız and her brother Ali each was a war heroes in his own right;  each was like the undefeatable heroes that occurred  in the legends. They were famous for the sharpness of their swords and the force of their blows.  Nevertheless both had always been dependent on Pşımef’s wisdom.

            Şemız enjoyed puclicly teasing Pşımef.  At times he affected ignoring him.  He did though retract often when in need of his councel.  He would sit, and listen to him. 

            Şayze had been aware of what had been going on.  She had observed without involvement the petty frictions in the world of the males, which seldom came to the surface.

            There had been an incessant rivalry for aristocratic predominance amongst the Çipako-Indars, Abbats, Kalabatukos and Zanikos.  All the time one had been trying to twist the other’s arm on a minor pretext.  Each of the clans had been overwelmed by superiority complex and greed, one spoiling what the  other tried to accomplish.  They were never able to rally around a common idea. 

            Pşımef was not a self-seeking person.  That was an attribute which had made him distict from the rest.  His heart was open to everyone.  He had no ulterior motive.  He confided with the nobles as well as with the Tokovs.  He liked sharing his joy and sorrow with the ones around himself. 

            His most ardent wish had been to put an end to the strife among the leaders, and to realize a unified system of administration.These had been his main preoccupation during the last three decades of his life.  Alas!  He could not persuade anyone. 

            Şayze, in due course of time, defeated her apprehensions.  She had the opportunity to contemplate on what her husband had wanted to accomplish.  She resolved to keep her boys in line with their father’s aspiration, and she would support them in the same persuation to the end of her life. 

            Ahmet was like his maternal uncle.  Though apparently sedate, yet no one could be sure when he would erupt. When outraged or provoked, he was apt to  resort to use of force.

            Osman was unlike his elder brother.  He was a composed, sedate and determined person.  He had little appetite for adventures and acts of dubious consequences. He seemed well on his way to become the man of his  family, and a competant and honest trades-man. 

            Şayze was confident that her younger son would heed his mother’s councel.  Notwithstanding any pressures to be brought to bear up on him, he would not alter his course. 

            These provided her with enough satisfaction.  She hopefully looked forward to the future!⁴

                                               O0O

                                           THE END