Active nationalist movements went into ply in the Balkans  early in the nineteenth century.  An insurrection broke out  in Mora, in 1821.  It was mainly encouraged by the Greek orthodox clergy.  It culminated in the declaration the Principality of Greece under the aegis of the big powers of Europe in 1830.

            Then insurgencies followed in Serbia, Eflak and Boğdan.  Russian and the other European big powers were involved in those rebellions also. Subsequently, the Provinces of  Eflak(Wallachia) and Buğdan (Moldavia) were merged together to form Romania.  The Ottoman State conceded to recognize Serbia and Romania as self-governing principalities under Ottoman tutelage. 

            In Bulgaria, the clergy incessantly advocated  secession.  The Bulgarian popular leaders and intellectuals had organized into committees. They were continually active. 

            The potential leaders of  the impending Bulgarian rebellion had been preparing outside the country for a takeover. Some of the European powers, particularly Russia, provided the Bulgarian committees with money and weapons. 

            A number of like-minded groups were trained in insurgency warfare in such places as Bessarabia, Bucharest, Ibrail, Yerköyü and Eflak.  The trained guerrilla groups were subsequently joined forces with the rebel leader, Haji Dimitri.

            Haji Dimitri had served in the Ottoman army.  He had combat experience and was well versed in military organization.  While in the military service of the Ottomans, he had also been serving for the Russian intelligence. 

            The rebels organized virtually as a regular army, and adopted a national uniform and a national flag. 

            Notwithstanding the Russian instigation to start the insurgency immediately, and their promises of lavish support, Dimitri did not embark upon any large scale action forthwith.  For he was knew that the available strength of his small guerrilla bands could not be effective against the government forces.  Besides; Bulgaria was the arsenal of the Ottoman State.  The most powerful military units was deployed there.  More importantly, the majority of population in Bulgaria comprised of the Muslims, the “Circassian” refugees had to be reckoned with. 

            Nevertheless Dimitri had armed and trained his men in preparedness to an encounter with the government forces.  He first tried to achieve his aim politically.  He circulated two manifestoes; one addressed to the Ottoman Sultan, and the other to the peoples of Bulgaria. 

            The manifesto addressed to the Sultan, was delivered to the government authorities, while the one addressed to the public, in Bulgarian and Turkish languages, was circulated to the remotest parts of the country. 

            The manifesto to the Ottoman monarch was in the form of a petition, which humbly described the oppression suffered by the Bulgarians, and underlined their right to be independent like any other nationality.

            The version of the manifestoes, heralding rebellion, in the Ottoman language were rather complicated. The one addressed to the Sultan may be paraphrased in English as follows:

         “We are under unbearable condition today.  Those in charge of exercising law and order are usurping our rights.  We are degraded.  Our status is no better than the animals.  We are debased to the extents that we can be killed when they deem it necessary. 
“We do not believe that our rights could be restored the   intervention by foreign powers.  The ultimate power rests with Your Majesty.  We appeal you to grant the right for independence of the peoples of Bulgaria. This is out earnest solicitation. 
“The Bulgarian nation shall never stop demanding their right for independence.  It shall be perused to the end.”

           It is to be noted that the petition submitted to the Sultan begins with solicitation and concludes with  threat. 

            The manifesto addressed to the public stated,

            “ O brothers!  The time and the hour have arrived.  We invite all of you to join the independence movement.  By complying this let us prove to the world our being worthy of  independence.  Whoever adheres to our movement, his life, property  and chastity shall be under guarantee; irrespective in his religious affiliation (without distinction of his being a Christian or a Muslim).  Our objective is to remove a corrupt administration, and to install a government that would protect the rights of everyone... .”

            Haji Dimitri and his colleagues, who claimed to conduct their struggle through legitimate means, stayed underground.  They crossed Danube somewhere close to the town of Ziştovi.  Having delivered their manifestoes, went to the mountains, and engaged in recruiting supporters from all walks of life, and of different religious persuasions. 

            More than one hundred well trained militants were dispatched all over the land to conduct propaganda for the   movement and seeking support for the rebellion.  They were supposed to tour the whole region, without distention of nationality.  They, however, had little confidence in the Turks; but hoped to persuade the non-Turkish Muslims. 

            Developments, however, did not unfold as they had anticipated.   Such Muslim entities as the Tatars, Pomaks, and “Circassians”  persistantly refused to support the movement; rather they opposed it. 

            The Bulgarians, however, were greatly impressed by the activities of the militants.   A large number of ethnic Bulgarians took to the mountains, and joined the militants. 

            Haji Dimitri based his guerrilla force in the Bulgar Mountains, which run through the middle of Bulgaria, dividing the land into the northern and southern parts.  He was familiar with the nature of the area.  He began pressing the Ottoman fortification at the  Şipka and Hain mountain passes.

            A major part of the insurgents were active in the Deliorman Region, where they cut off the roads leading to the north from Varna.    They readily achieved their objective; for the area was covered with very dense forests.  They greatly terrorized the population by raiding the Turkish and Muslim villages, and through disrupting civilian transportation.

            The County Officer of Tırnova, having read the rebel manifestoes, was understandably disturbed.  For Tirnova was located at the junction of the roads connecting the two major hotbeds of the rebellion.  His area of jurisdiction was bound to be seriously effected, he assessed. 

            He alerted all the villages of the County, including those in the  upstream valleys of the Yantra Basin.    He formed counter-propaganda teams to operate in the Bulgarian villages. 

             Osman, immediately after receiving the County Officer’s message, invited the elders of the neighboring villages for a meeting.  They agreed on a series of measures to be taken to meet the exigencies.

            Each of the Adiğe villages was supposed to be responsible for the defense of its own borders.  Besides; a strike force, composed of cavalry and infantry units, was to be organized collectively with the participation of all the villages, under the command of Havuduko Bislan.

            Havukuko Bislan originally belonged to the Edegum Region, and had been tempered in the battles.  His survivial to this day was by a mere chance. 

            He knew what was to be done.  Accompanied with Sinan Naur, Yeftale Hamız and Hun Gazi, he toured the Adiğe villages one by one.  He personally selected his cavalry men.  Within a short time he set up an artillery unit.  In consultation with the elders of individual villages, he also formed an infantry unit for each village, and assigned it to guard its own village. 

            Hamız, with the concurrence of Osman, saw to it that the latter’s son Kadir and his own son Degu join the cavalry unit.

            In the meantime Mithat Paşa, the Ottoman Governor for Bulgaria, had been appointed as the Chairman of the State Council.  He was replaced by Mehmet Sabri Paşa, who was formerly the Governor of the Danube Region. 

            The new  Governor, though a sober person and a man of integrity; was not agile enough to cope with the emergency situation.  He erroneously he assessed that the tumult could be suppressed only by deployment of military forces. 

            In the aftermath of the attack by the Bulgarian rebel gangs at the “Circassian” villages in the Deliorman Region, the incidents assumed a different dimension.  The Adiğe refugees took up arms and rushed to hunt down the “bandits”. 

            The commander of the Adiğe strike force were experienced fighters who had lived through the Caucasian war. They raided the Bulgarian villages to compel the rebels to come out to the open from their hideout in side the forests.  They pillaged the Bulgarians.  The affair virtually turned to an Adiğe-Bulgarian feud. 

            A rebel group, which threatened the Varna-Şumnu road, attempted to approach the Yantra Valley through Popovo.  The Adiğe cavalry force, commanded by Havuduko Bislan, encountered the rebels at the outskirts of the forests. 

            The Bulgarian rebels were mostly on foot.  Shielding behind the trees, they released volley of shots at the Adiğes.   The Adiğes at the fore jumped down from their horses, the one at the rear moved to the enemy flanks and hit hard.  There was a brief but very fierce engagement. 

            The Bulgars, retreated, having suffered heavy a casualty. The Adiğe side too suffered some losses-  thirty dead and an equal number wounded.  Degu and Kadir also were killed at the same battle. 

            As word of their death reached Bastibabl it caused a real havoc there. Skurun was extremely tormented.  She cried and convulsed.  “We came here in an attempt to escape from  the war; but new are again caught up. God damn the war!”, she cursed. 

            Degu’s mother was a sober lady.  She cried, but at the same time tried to console Skurun. 

            The women cried till their voice became hoarse.  The wailing went on in phases for several days.

            The Bulgarian rebellion was about to escalate to a total chaos.  No one knew what the other was up to.  The Adiğes in the Tırnova area were completely absorbed in the fighting. 

            Havuduko Bislan and Yeftale Hamız swore to avenge the death of their sons.  They decided to organize together a force to chase the bandits. 

            Yeftale Hamız was so much shaken by the loss of his son and nephew that he had virtually lost his reasoning.  He rebuked the wailing women.    “It is nothing. Many more amongst us will die,” he shouted. 

            Hamız and Bislan were not the only ones who were out of their mind.  Whole of the  Adiğe villages in the Yantra Valley had been stirred.  The people were mad at the Bulgars.  They were set to destroy whatever belonged to the Bulgarians. 

            Basti Osman, notwithstanding the loss of his son, was calm.  His countenance reflected the determined expression of one who knew what ought to be done.   He dissuaded Hamız and Bislan with much difficulty. 

            He called another meeting of the elders of the   Adiğe villages in the area.

            A meeting, open for all, was held  at the Bastihabl Mosque, the only place to accommodate so many people. 

            Osman had planned the proceedings in advance.  The opening address was to be delivered by Hun Şeril, the Bastihabl Prayer Leader, or the Imam.  That way the people could be better convinced, Osman calculated. 

            The aged Imam was esteemed by everybody.  Through his sermons on the fundamental principles of Islam, he had been delivering for so many years, he had established his proficiency in the faith.  Also he had managed to reserve impartiality in all sorts of daily controversies in his community. 

            Most importantly, he was aware of the Adiğe character.  He was an eyewitness of the past distresses suffered by his people.  He had lived through together with them the good and the bad days. 

            When everybody took his seat, Hun Şeril climbed the rostrum.  After gazing at the audience for a few moments, he began his speech. 

            -  I have closely witnessed the last fifty years of the Russian-Adiğe War.  In the course of the war our people was motivated by their passion rather than their reasoning.  They preferred divisiveness to unity.  They took daringness as essential for success.  That was why thousand-and-one kinds of disasters have befallen upon us. 

            He halted, and  gazed at the elders sitting in the front row.  Instead of reprimanding any specific persons, he chose to cite examples from the past events.  To him that was the most appropriate way to handle the situation.

            -  Once we debated whether to make peace with the enemy or  go on fighting him.  Today also we are at a cross-road.  This time we can not afford to make mistakes.  We ought to find together the correct way. 

            He was very careful in selecting the appropriate words, so as not to assume the responsibility of the consequences of the line of action to be decided. He went on,

            -  To direct to people is much more difficult than advising them.  Amongst you there are persons who know the daily life better than myself.  Listen to them.  I pray for the prosperity and happiness of my people.  It is for you to accomplish the rest. 

            Hun Şeril raised his hands to mark the conclusion of his speech.  He said “Amen!”  He recited a longish supplication in Arabic and Adiğe combined.  He announce, “Fatiha!” and remained silent for a couple of minutes. 

            Basti Osman stood up to assume the charge of the meeting.  His hands clasped together over his belly, he stood to the right of the rostrum.  He gazed at the audience with sorrowful smile on his countenance.  “May God bless you for having complied with my invitation to attend the present meeting!”  he said, and began his speech:

            - I am sure that those amongst us over the age of forty very well know, as the Imam has stated, that the adversities we have been the suffering were the result of our own doing.  Our predecessors never had acted in  unison.  Everyone of them,  playing the boss, didn’t listen to the advice of the other one.  Each went his own way.  What happened in the end?  We were exiled; banished from  the homeland. 

            He briefly paused, and went on,

            -Havuduko Bislan and Yeftale Hamız are intent to go to the highland to avenge the murder of their sons.  But mind you; it is not our job.  If the bandits attack us, we shall defend ourselves. It wouldn’t be proper for us to involve any further.  The Sultan’s armies are after the rebels.  The Government would do whatever was needful. 

            Osman gazed at the audience for a while, and continued,

            -  If we are to exist in this land, we have to put up well with everyone, be he a Turk or a Bulgar.  Enmity and quarrel would take us nowhere.  That we should know better than anyone else.  We have been fighting  the Russians for one hundred years.  Instead of talking peace with them, we have preferred to burying half of our population into their graves. 

            Osman and Hamız lived within the same premises; but haven’t been talking  to each other for one whole week.  They had quarreled for latter, notwithstanding his advanced age, insisted to go to the mountains to avenge his son.

            Yeftale Hamız protested Basti Osman forthwith. He said,

            -  We are told that the Governor Paşa and the military commanders have appealed the people for help to suppress the rebellion.  The Adiğes in the north have taken up arms, and have set out to hunt the bandits. How about that?

            Osman also had hear the word; but had kept it to himself.  He nervously breathed a deep breath.  He said,

            -  We have not been asked to render any assistance. Should the Government require us to perform any obligation, we would do the needful; otherwise any further involvement would bring us trouble. 

           Hamız did not insist.  He sat quiet, bowing his head.  If Osman were not his sister’s husband, he would not have been so lenient towards him. 

            Osman toned down his voice, as he concluded his address in a counseling manner.

            -  We live in a land the secrets of which we don’t know yet.  We have got our wives and children with us. Let us not involve in acts not obligatory to us.  For God’s sake be patient. 

            Osman stepped back.  Immediately Havuduko Bislan came up.  He smiled as he said, “I am not going to talk long.”  He went on

            -  Basti is right.  We needn’t play too clever.  Let us determine together as to how we should behave from now on. 

            Havuduko’s suggestion prompted a heated debate in which several persons participated.  They arrived at a common understanding on the following points:

            Point one: The borders of the three Adiğe villages should be patrolled, day and nigh;  before the unrest  is over. 

            Point Two:  The Bulgarian villages along the Yantra Stream should not be harassed; unless they are involved in adverse activities. 

            Point Three:  The Adiğes should not go out of their villages in pursuit of the bandits; unless otherwise required of them by the official authorities in Tırnova. 

            The elders from other villages were hosted overnight at Bastihabl in groups of three to five persons. 

            Osman had Havoduko Bislan with him, and  Bjafe Musa and Koce Neov had one guest each, as the proceeded towards Basti’s place. 

            Back at the Basti quarters, they straight went up into the guest house, and engaged in chatting about the topics of the day. 

            Osman and Hamız both were in distress; for each had recently lost one son. As yet they have  not been in speaking terms for one week due to a severe argument of a few days ago.  The occasion prompted them to resume speaking to one another. 

                                                           O0O

            The measures taken by the Governor did not prove much effective.  The regular army and Gendarme could not deal a decisive blow on the rebels, who employed the hit and run tactic of the guerrilla warfare.  Hence there were no serious direct confrontation of the Army and the insurgents. 

            The Bulgarian rebels ware familiar with the terrain.  At the very sight of the military, the rebels disappeared into the depth of the forests.  They continually changed place, and   generally attacked at night time.

            According to the Central Government in Istanbul, Bulgaria was the most sensitive place in the European sector.  For it was close to the seat of the empire, and the communication lines of Ottoman forces leading to the west traversed Bulgaria. 

            Further delay in suppressing the rebellion could lead to more serious problems.  The Western powers, which had supported the secessionist movements in Greece, Serbia and Romania, could turn their attention to Bulgaria as well.  Russia, in particular, had been on the look out to any opportunity to start a trouble there. 

            Mithat Paşa, the Chairman of the Council of State, who earlier had served as the Governor of the Danube Region,  was familiar with Bulgaria. 

            The Ottoman Sultan dispatched Mithat Paşa with extra-ordinary powers to Bulgaria.  He was empowered to set up special tribunals to penalize the culprits. 

            Directives were issued in advance to the relevant military commanders and civil service authorities to the effect that the Paşa had been  invested with all the powers of the state in the area.

            Mithat Paşa set up his Headquarters in Tırnova.  He gathered all military commanders and civil service authorities there for a meeting.  Assessed the information made available to him; and in consultation with his staff officers, he charted out an action plan. 

            Firstly the areas with concentration of   rebels were to be pinpointed.  The specially trained Regiments, mainly Cavalry,  were to be rapidly deployed there. 

            The Paşa was briefed, among other matters, on the performance of the Adiğe refugees in moping up the rebels in the Deliorman Region, to a great extent.  A Paşa from Ruscuk recommended that the Adiğe refugees be used in the operations against the rebels in the Balkan Mountain. 

            Mithat Paşa had been the Governor of the Danube Region during 1864-1865. He had been concerned with the Caucasian  Migration, and since has been familiar with the Adiğes.  He had noticed the difficulties involved in discipline the refugees to the required level.  Nevertheless the proposal was adopted. 

            Within a short time the forces were mobilized.  The Deliorman Region was surrounded by the military.  The dense forests and plateaus were left to the “Circassians” to be taken care of. 

            The Balkan mountain ranges extended to the east and the west for several hundred kilometers.  The area being so expansive, moping up of the rebels clean was not an easy job.  Here too the “Circassians” were to be deployed. 

            A Captain and two Sergeants in command of a Company were assigned to mobilize the “Circassians” in the Yantra Basin.  The small task force directly went to Bastihabl, and looked up for Basti Osman. 

            The development pleased Yeftale Hamiz more than anyone else. 

            The Captain and his aids were ushered into the guest house.  Having listened what the Captain had to say, Hamız gazed at Osman, smiling meaningfully, and remarked,

            -  Basti! Here comes the assignment you have been waiting for.

            Osman did not respond.  The despondency that compressed his heart was reflected on his face.  He turned to the young Captain, and told him that the village people were prepared to comply with the orders. 

            Osman, in a gloomy mood, narrated to the Captain their confrontation with the Bulgarian insurgents about a month ago.  He let it be known that they had lost thirty lives, and more than that had been wounded; and that they had been awaiting an opportunity to avenge their loss. 

            His last words came as a surprise to even Yeftale Hamız.  Osman, in fact, had said so with the intent to impress the Captain.  He concluded,

            - Captain! You needn’t wait here to raise the men.  We will form a  cavalry force of sufficient strength , and be in Tırnova within shortest time possible. 

            The Captain and his men stayed overnight in Bastihabl.  Osman’s determined stance had assured him.  He didn’t deem it necessary to tour the other villages.  They returned to Tırnova the next day. 

            Osman had been motivated to act as he did by the attitude of Yeftale Hamız and Havuduko Bislan.  If the two were to be let to take up the cudgels, they would attempt throwing  the Adiğe males to the last man into the battle. That would have caused an undesirable argument in the presence of the Captain.  Osman’s  amenable response, in a sense, was meant to preempt the two zealots.

            Osman was right in his estimate.  Havuduko proposed raising fifty cavalrymen from each village.  He opposed the idea.  “Who do you think would defend the village in the event of an attack when you are away?  He retorted, and presented his definite attitude as follows:

            -  Twenty-five men from each village would be enough  .  You may raise an equal number from the villages on the plain.

            The elders present at the meeting having approved Osman’s argument, Havuduko yielded.  Hamız had been reticent since the last meeting. 

            About a year after the setting up of the three Adiğe villages in the upstream Yanta Basin, namely Bastihabl, Sinanhabl and Havudukuhabl; there had came a group of Abzeh refugees to the Yantra Valley.  They had settled down, widely apart, on the meadows to the left banks of the stream. By referring to “the villages on the plain”, Osman meant the Abzeh villages. 

            Bislan and Hamız raised a hundred-and-fifty strong cavalry force from the villages in the upstream Yantra Basin, including the Abzeh villages.  Within one week the men were ready to move out.  They went to Tırnova, and reported to the Garrison Commander there. 

            By them Mithat Paşa had  gone to Ruscuk for inspection of the northern regions.  He contemplated to command the operations there personally;  because to him the Romanian frontier region was of great importance. 

            Before setting out, the Governor General had issued stern orders to the operational commanding officers that they should complete the campaign with one month. 

            A significant number of volunteers from among the “Circassians” refugees in Niğbolu, Belene, Ziştovi and Pelevne had assembled in Tırnova.  When the operations commenced, none of the groups were prepared to be subordinated to any of the regular military units. The “Circassian” volunteers  tended to act independently in order not to miss the chance of claiming the handsome prize promised to whosoever captured Haji Dimitri dead or alive. 

            Havuduko Bislan and Yeftale Hamız too followed the pattern of the other groups of “Circassian” volunteers. 

            The “Circassian” volunteers initially pillaged the Bulgar villages at the skirts of the mountains,   hostaged hand-picked able bodied Bulgars, and forced them climb the mountains in front of them.  “You know  the rebel hideouts.  Guide us there!” they demanded, and threatened they would be murdered if the rebels were not to be found. 

            Indeed the rebels and the villagers had been maintaining a close contact.  The villagers provided the rebels with food and water, and helped them in communication.

            The threat by the “Circassians” worked. The rebel hideouts were soon discovered, thanks to the hostage guides. 

            As some of the volunteer groups acted in a rash, engagement started prematurely. 

             The “Circassian” groups, who climbed the mountain, also included the men commanded by Bislan and Hamız, who restrained their men, and held them back, pending the arrival of the regular troops at the scene. 

            The rebels, having realized that only the “Circassians” were involved in the attack, were not perturbed much.  Instead of giving a pitched battle, they spread out into the forest to mount an offensive action.  The “Circassian” leaders, experienced in highland confrontations, resorted to an affected rout, while deploying their men to the flanks.  In the meantime they tried to gain time by means of rifle fires. 

            The valley where the engagement took place, opened up to the north. It suited the Circassian’s plan. 

            The Bulgarian insurgents swallowed the bait; split into two columns to strike at the Circaasian flanks.  The Circassians, on the other hand, continued their apparent retreat, and climbed the steeps, leaving the brunt of the insurgents’ strike to the regular troops.  Actually the Circassians intended to reach to the rear of rebels. 

            In the meantime the troops had reached the upper section of the valley.  A few young officers, who had mixed up with the Circassian volunteers, reported the situation to their command post, and recommended that northern approaches be closed. 

            The insurgents were totally encircled.  They resisted for a long time.  Their maneuverability having been seriously curtailed, they grew desperate; and at dusk time they  surrendered in batches.

            Small scale resistance, however,  persisted  along the creeks at the uppers parts of the valley.  The Circassians killed several Bulgarians due to the latter defiance, and   before the troops reached to the scene, they had already divided the booty among themselves. 

            The hotbeds of the rebels on the Balkan Mountains were thus wipeout.  Nevertheless hunt for  the rebels continued for several days more.  Even after the withdrawal of the regular troops, from the highland, the Circassian volunteers remained active in the area, leaving no stone unturned in pursuit of any surviving insurgents.

            The Circassian group commanded by Havuduku Bislan did not suffer any significant casualty; two killed and ten wounded. 

            Hun Gazi’s son, Sefer, was among the wounded, who were promptly carried to the field hospital for treatment. 

            Hun Sefer, being Basti Osman’s son-in-law, received special treatment of the commander of his unit, Yeftale Hamız.  Hamız stayed with him while being transported to Tırnova along with the rest of the wounded. 

            Sefer’s wound proved fatal.  He died at the Tırnova Military Hospital.

            Bastihabl was once again a scene of mourning when his coffin was brought to the village.  The females of the Hun Family cried in shriek.  The whole space resounded with crying. 

            Skurun was sitting inert like a statue.  She did not cry may be the tradition did not approve it, or may be she was cold to the man who had kidnapped her daughter. 

                                                 O0O

            The rebels operating in the Deliorman and Dobruca regions were eliminated, and their leaders were captured. 

            Mithat Paşa held two Tribunals, one in Tırnova and the other in Ruscuk.  He did not ignore advising the Judges not to let the cases be procrastinated. 

            The culprits were prosecuted rapidly.  Executions were carried out immediately by handing. 

            Mithat Paşa had worried lest the incidents get out of control, causing a political crisis.  But yet the foreign consulates in Köstence and Varna had already initiated diplomatic action.  The Russian and British Consuls in particular, oddly enough, had demanded permission to send observers to the Tribunals.  They advocated that a general amnesty would be more helpful than the prosecutions.

            Mithat Paşa, in order to avert the Consulates being provoked by a terse response, told them that, amnesty being a prerogative of the Sultan,  he would communicate their appeal to the Royal Court. 

            When all was over, the diplomatic appeals were considered and a general amnesty relevant to the Bulgarian rebellion  was declared by the Sublime Porte.  It stipulated  pardon for offenses involuntarily committed under pressure. 

            The story did not end there.  European press made a topic of the Bulgarian rebellion and its consequences, alleged that the Turks had committed genocide there. 

            Meanwhile the Circassians, involved in suppressing the rebellion, became the topic of the day.  There was no end to the press reports alleging that they had killed innocent Bulgarians, and had pillages many Bulgarian villages. 

            Russia sent a diplomatic note to the Sublime Porte on the pretext of the rebellion in Bulgaria, demanding that the Circassians be withdrawn from the Danube Basin in the west and the Kars Province in the east, to somewhere in the  hinterland. 

            During the Caucasian war for independence, the Czar’s Government had been engaged in a relentless propaganda against the Circassians, presenting them as a savage and barbarous people. 

            The Circassians appearing on the press in connection with the rebellion in Bulgaria, once again, served Russia’s purpose very well. The Russian Ambassadors, diplomatists and writers   mobilized to unleash a widespread propaganda in tarnishing the image of the Caucasian refugees, and  hammering home the need for “throwing  the Circassians out the  Europe territories”.

            Ironically;  a cross-section of the Ottoman Turkish intellectuals were also swayed away by the Russian propaganda.  Mithat Paşa was castigated in the Turkish press for allegedly having treated the Bulgarians too harshly. 

            It was argued that his harsh treatment had been counter productive, and that it had earned the Muslims and Turks in Bulgaria the enmity of the Bulgarian people. 

            There was indeed an element of truth in what were said and written then.  But there was also no denying to the fact that Mithat Paşa was convinced that the rebellion could not be quenched through solacing, and therefore had used all means at his disposal without mercy.  Only then he had been able to restore law and order. 

            The  Bulgarian nationalists, so suppressed, yielded and went underground until an opportune time for resurgence.  They were not to stay idle in the meantime, however.  In the event, they sowed the seeds of dissension among the various ethnic and religious groups.