Zanıko Sefer Paşa’s death added to the withdrawal  of Muhammed Emin from active struggle had totally destroyed the steadfastness in western Caucasia.  Collaboration between regions ended, and each village was left on its own.

            Bastiko Osman deeply regretted to see the remorseful condition, which he described as catastrophic, unless remedied. 

            He was helpless.  He was not in a position to persuade even the ones close to himself. 

            Zanıko Karabatır declared that the upper hand the Russians had recently gained in the area was temporary, that he wouldn’t let the enemy trample upon his father’s grave, and that he would certainly liberate Anapa.  Bastiko Ahmet agreed with his brother-in-law, and seconded him on every issue.

            Bastiko Osman did his best to persuade his brother to see the approaching specter.  He reminded him, for example, the case of Georgia and the line of action adopted by the Georgians to be salvaged as an entity against the overwhelming invaders.  He argued,

            -  You must be aware, as much as I am, of  what our elders have told us. It is since ninety years now that we have been fighting the Russians.  What is the outcome? Hundreds of our villages have been destroyed, thousands of our people have been killed, and thousands have been displaced.  Unless we choose the path of peace, the present generation too shall have to meet the same fate. 

            Ahmet was determined to stick to Karabatır’s band-wagon.  He was not prepared to listen to any of  his brother’s suggestions. 

            Early in the spring season of  1860 the Russian navy mounted large scale landing operations at the Bay of Tsemez. The  well coordinated operations were practically impossible to be foiled .  In no time the marine force captured the beach and neighborhood; established a bridgehead at the ancient Fort of Soğucak, and dug trenches beyond the harbor. 

            The landing operations having been launched in total surprise, it met with little resistance.  During the following days Karabatır and Ahmet began to prepare to attack the enemy from an ambush at night.  Şeretluk  and Shanaş too joined the team. 

            Osman first dissuaded his cousin and then the others.  They gave up the project.

            The inhabitants of the villages in the neighborhood of Tsemez were very much familiar with Bastiko Osman.  They knew that he was a rational and credible person as his father Pşımef had been.  They supported him in the present instance.  They admitted that any unwise move would invite disastrous consequences. 

            The Russian naval commanders and Frontier Forces Command knew what sort of persons Zanıko Sefer and Bastiko Ahmet were.  The two were already on their blacklist.

            The two leaders, being conscious of the situation, decided to move out before a surprise round up.  Accompanied by their wives and children, they moved to the western Şapsığ region. 

            The two were unhappy with Osman for not subscribing to their line of action.  They left without a good-bye visit to him.

            The females and children, however, did otherwise.  While departing, they embraced one another for a long time and sobbed.

            Bastiko Osman was moved by the scene.  To avoid the pathetic sight, he locked himself in his room.  He could do nothing but pray.

            - O Almighty God! Grant us a safe future!

            The whole day he was at a loss what to do.  Towards the evening he felt the urge to think over what was going on.  There was no use of lamentation.  Something had to be done to avert a tragedy.

            He called on his cousin Shanaş, and invited Şeretluk to the house of the former. 

            Geriyiko Şeretluk, having followed the foot steps of his father, Geriyiko Şemız;  had earned great popularity in the recent years.  He had been putting up resistance against the Russian onslaught in the coastal strip. 

            It was the awareness of his responsibility towards the family that held them back from moving out in the  company of Karabatır and Ahmet.  At any cost the great Geriyiko family had to be safeguarded. 

            Şeretluk had lent an attentive ear to Basti Osman, when the latter told him that time had come to make peace with the Russians.  He was no more a restive person as he used to be.  Nevertheless he was not prepared to admit the despair. 

            There was another thing that the leading Geriyiko would not tolerate.  Bastiko Osman, being younger to him, was not in a position to  advise him, least guide him.

            Osman remorsefully smiled, and assured him that he never had meant to be disrespectful towards him. “The urgency of the situation urges me to speak out my mind.  What else could I have done?”, he said in defense. 

            Osman and Şeretluk argued till late hours that evening.  Finally they agreed to visit the Russian garrison. 

            There were two Russian deserters of Polish extraction in the employment of Şeretluk.  The Poles, having been associated with the Adiğes for the last ten years or so, were conversant in the Adiğe language.  They were supposed to serve as interpreters. 

            The next day they dressed up to the occasion and set out for the garrison.

            They slowly but  watchfully passed through the wooded area, and entered the open space overlooking the Bay of Tsemez. 

            The Russian soldiers on the beach mistook the small group as the advance guards of a larger group preparing for an assault. The ones inside  the trenches, poised to brace the supposed attack, opened alarm fire to alert the rest of the garrison. 

            Osman waved his hand to notify the benevolent intention of the party.  He was bemused.

            He asked one of the Poles to come along with him, leaving the rest of the party where they were.  The two slowly drove forward. 

            The Russian soldiers, with their fingers on the triggers, had their eyes fixed on them. 

            Osman halted at a distance of about thirty paces from the trenches.  He asked the Pole to tell the Russians as to what had brought them there. 

            The alarm fire and its echo had caused all the troops along the coast line to stay on alert. 

            The Pole further approached the trenches and said that they had come with goodwill, and that three prominent leaders of  the people of Tsemez and the neighborhood wished to have a talk with the commanding officer.

            The soldiers, however, did not trust him.  They maintained looking at Osman and the Pole with suspicion.  The situation continued before a couple of young officers appeared in the forward trenches. 

            Finally a Captain came out of the trench.  He said, “What do you want?”

            The Pole replied that the man next to him was the leader of the area, and that he wanted to talk to the commanding officer.

            The Captain hesitated for a moment.  “Is that so?”,  he murmured.  As Osman dismounted and walked towards him, the Russian officer smiled in a rather confused state of mind, and responded “You are welcomed!”

            Basti reciprocated the Captain’s smile.  He said,

            -  We don’t want to fight any more.  We are here with goodwill.  If your commanding officer agrees to receives us,  we would like to talk with him.

            Osman looked back, and signaled to rest of the party to join him. The group was escorted by the Captain through the trenches down to the beach. 

            The Russian marines had built wooden barracks for the officers, and had pitched tents for themselves. 

            Col. Lazier, the Commanding Officer, received Osman and his party in front of this barrack.  He was delighted to know the purpose of their visit.  He offered them refreshments, and conversed with them for a long time. 

            Col. Lazer, was a person of good humor.  Everyone broke into laughter when he remarked, “While there is a chance to have a friendly talk, there is no sense in snarling at each other.”

            The Commander appreciated Basti Osman.  His attitude and his personality convinced the Colonel of his peaceful intention. Two days later Col. Lazer paid a return call at Osman’s house.

            Against all adverse probabilities he was tailed by a Company of  armed troops. 

            Bastiko Osman maintained a peaceful disposition.  The officers at the garrison appreciated his pragmatic approach, and favorably responded.  Soon afterwards a series of exchange of visits ensued. 

            In due course of time Şeretluk and Shanaş seemed justify Osman.  Nonetheless they hated to be friendly with the Russians.  The two decided to stay noncommittal for a while. 

            The Russian garrison in Tsemez had been busy in construction work all through the summer.  The there had been a constant shipment to material by sea to the Tsemez harbor.  In six months time they built a large settlement with a church and a market.

            On one of the rainy days of early autumn Osman, accompanied by Şeretluk and Shanaş, walked up to the heights overlooking the Bay.  Pointing at the construction site he remarked,

            -  You see; in a matter of few months they have built a new town.  How could we challenge the adversary with that much of a potential?

            Şeretluk and Shanaş were distressed.  For a while they gazed at the town the Russians had constructed, then glided their sight towards the skirts of the heights.  Their eyes stuck on to the ruins of the old Tsemez, which  appeared reconciled to its destiny, as its erstwhile owners had resigned to their own fate. 

            The trio painfully recollected the days of their boyhood.  The exhilerative period of independence and freedom were over now.  Tsemez had changed hands. 

                                                               O0O

            The Adiğe leaders, at the instance of Bastiko Osman, refrained from putting up opposition against the Russian activities.  Peace was restored in Tsemez and its neighborhood.  Both the sides have been careful so as to perpetuate the reconciliation. 

            The negotiations for a peaceful settlement in the Adegum region, preponderantly populated by the Natuhay¹  tribal people, also yielded good results.  With the demise of Zanıko Sefer Paşa, and the departure of his son Karabatır from the area, which had roughly coincided with the arrival of the Russians to the region, did help in defusing the tension. 
            For the Russians, now it was the turn of the Şapsığs to be “pacified”. 

            Earlier on several occasions the Russians had tried penetrating deep into the hinterland of the Şapsığ region along the rivers Abin, Shagoşe and Laba.  Each time they were thwarted, and made to suffer significant casualties. The fortresses the Russians had built along in the Abin Valley were destroyed. 

            The Şapsığs had not been seriously threatened that far.  They still were self-reassured, and seemed determined. 

            However, there were certain developments that they did neglected to take in to account. In the aftermath of the surrender of Imam Şamil, for one whole year the Russians had been busy in restructuring the administrative system of Daghistan and Çeçenistan.  Having done with the north-east, the Russian troops were now available to be deployed in west.  Concurrent with the landing operations in the Bay of Tsemez in spring of 1860, the Russians had started an overall offensive along the river Kuban.  Three Divisions, each fifteen thousand strong,  thrust forward.

            One of the Divisions marched in the direction of Adegum, bypassing the Natuhay.  The second camped at the confluence of the rivers IL and Kuban.  The third one moved on to the Şips Valley. 

            Subsequent to the signing of a peace agreement in the Adegum region, a few of the popular leaders moved to the Şapsığ region.  As the fighting intensified, certain leaders in Tsemez and its neighborhood could not restrain themselves.  For instance,  Şeretluk and his group of fighters joined the resistance, without consulting Osman.

            Within a short time a formidable defense line, poised against the three Russian Divisions, was established.  The Adiğe forces were commanded by such prominent leaders as Hamtokyiko Alibi, Haktoş, Hacı Bram, Natho Ibrahim, Arman Beg, Tu Efendi and Hako. 

            The Russian forces included draftees from various nationalities. The Polish, Tatar, Cossack, Kalmuk and German elements had their own independent detachments, whose officers and NCOs were ethnic Russians.  The personal and officers of the artillery batteries too were ethnic Russians.  All the non-ethnic Russian components, excepting the Poles, shared common cultures.

            Hostilities went on through out the summer.  Most bloody battles were fought in the neighborhood of the rivers Şips, Sipsochur, Bogondur and Abın.  The Russian forces suffered heavy casualty and retreated  in the direction of the Kuban. 

            The Adiğes vacated several hundred villages exposed to the enemy threat. The displaced population took shelter in the areas covered with dense forests.  The dwellings and farms  they left behind were destroyed by the enemy. 

            The Russian command had not much to lose.  The manpower it had pushed forward to fight the Adiğes mostly were members of other nationalities conscripted by force. Therefore the ethnic Russian officers, without concern to loss of life, could afford to thrust forward or retreat, according to the whim of the commanding officer. 

            In the case of the Adiğes, the situation was different.  Every bit of their material and moral existence was under threat of being trampled and usurped.  They could not stand the sight of their timber built houses and their cultivation ready to be harvested being burnt to ashes.  They preferred death to disgraceful existence, and hence leaped bare handed to confront the enemy bearing rifles with fixed bayonets.

            While the Adiğes were putting up an all out struggle, the enemy concentrated on a definite set of targets or line front lines. Hence; while the former risked their lives, the letter could pull back when hard pressed. 

            Regrettably for the Adiğes; there were Caucasian mercenaries in the Russian army.  They came from the areas in the east, already occupied by the Russians earlier.  Inak, a Kabardey aristocrat, was the most notorious one among them. 

            The Kabardey prince Inak and the Georgian prince Grusinki were shot dead while crossing the river Sebum,  at the head of their own forces.   Both the princes had ignored the fact that while serving the Czar of Russia, they were condemning their own peoples to servitude.

            Bağratin, another Georgian prince, attacked an Adiğe village. Intoxicated by the act of savagery in a most heinous manner, dived in to the narrow streets,  and ordered to burn every dwelling and kill each living being they confronted.  Later on , however, he paid  for the  hideosity with his own life. Towards the end of the summer season the Russian Divisions pulled back to the Kuban line.  In the process, however, they left behind hundreds of villages in ruins and thousands of people without shelter.

            The Adiğes had put up an expected ferocity in resisting the Russian onslaught.  Nevertheless their irregular force, bereft of a united command and control,  fell short of achieving a decisive victory.  They did little but provoke the Czar’s armies. 

            The Russian High Command, subsequent to a situation assessment admitted  the setback, and attributed it to the inefficiency of General Philpsohn.  He was replaced by Yevdomikor. 

            Yevdomikor zealously took over his assignment.  He prepared an action plan as his predecessors had done, submitted it to St. Petersburg for approval. 

            Yevdomikor’s plan stipulated two-phased operations.

            Firstly he was going to establish military zones, each tightly isolated by a force of adequate strength.  Secondly he was to force the fugitives in the highlands and forests to move down to the banks of the river Kuban to be settled there. The fertile lands evacuated by the inhabitants were to be allotted to the Russian Mujiks and Cossacks to be colonized. 

            The plan, on paper, appeared to the High Command in order  and promising.  Time, however was to show how much practical it was.

            Yevdomikor went into action in the spring of 1861.  He stationed a twelve-thousand strong Division in the already capitulated Adegum region; and moved in three Divisions, thirty thousand strong in all,  between Adegum and the Abin Valley.  Then he sent out smaller units to hunt the “reculcitrants”. Yevdomikor intended to capture the people sheltered in the forests and mountains, and to condemn them to live in marshland along the river Kuban. 

            General Nikolay Ivanoviç, the Chief of Staff of General Yevdomikor, no less greedy then his chief, personally took part in the human hunt. 

            The Russians did achieve some success in the central sectors of the rivers Abın, Shagoşe and Pşız.  But when they reached the outskirts of  the dense forests, they were compelled to halt. 

            Czar Alexander II had decided to visit Crimea, Abhazya and Georgia in mid-summer.  In the meantime he intended to inspect the Kuban front.

            As the news reached Caucasia, tension there relatively relaxed.  General Yevdomikor and his officers corps concentrated on measures to prevent any unpleasant incidents during the Czar’s visit.  They stopped the engagement, and pulled back the troops to their earlier positions. 

            In fact the pull back was not their own decision.  The High Command in St. Petersburg had ordered the do so. 

                                                               O0O

            Bastiko Osman was uneasy despite the lull in the coast. A partial peace was not enough to put him at ease.  The fierce fight going on in the hinterland naturally worried him.

            The main wing of the Basti Family lived in the Psıfabe Valley, which now happened to be in the middle of the area engulfed in fighting.  Osman was worried about the fate of his relatives and friends. 

            His cousin Şeretluk, who had joined the resistance in the Şapsığ region, has been visiting home off and on for the last one year.  The inconsistent and often contradictory news brought by him were far from appeasing Osman.  Şeretluk had not gone beyond the river Abın; hence he had little chance to know much about the Bastis in the Psıfabe Valley. 81

            Osman occasionally either visited Col. Lazer at his office or invited him to his own house.   When visiting the garrison he was accompanied by his cousin Shanaş.  He always feared lest the Colonel should inquire the whereabouts of Şeretluk, his other cousin. 

            One  morning in early May of 1861, two Russian soldiers turned up in the Basti district to inform Osman that the Garrison Commander wanted to he see him.

            Osman was very much worried.  “God willing there is nothing wrong!”, he murmured by himself.  To gain time, he ushered the soldiers in to the guest house, and asked his elder son Kadir and pşılı Kundey to serve breakfast to the soldiers.

            In the meantime he sent an errand to Shanaş to ask him to come over with his horse saddled. 

            Not long before Shanaş, accompanied by one of the two Poles in his service, drove in through the main gate of the Basti district.  The other Pole had gone away in the company of Şeretluk. 

            Shanaş’s left leg had been disabled due to a wound he had received in a recent fighting.  He dismounted at the door of the guest house, and walked lamely towards Osman, who was nervously waiting for his arrival.  “What is going on?”, he asked. 

            Osman, in a muffled tone assured him that there was nothing to be worried about.  He said,

            -  Col. Lazer has wished to see me.  As the invitation happens to come at such an early hour of the day, I presume there must be something important to be discussed.  So I wanted you to be with me. 
            Osman suspected that the issue on the agenda could be Şeretluk’s whereabouts; and that the Russian Colonel must have possibly discovered  that Şeretluk and his men had joined the resistance.  He inferred, “In that event bad days could be expected to follow.”

            In the meantime Pşilı Kundey had saddled two horses, one for his master and the other for himself; and the soldiers had finished the breakfast.  All of them set out for the garrison together. 

            Along the way Osman kept on whipping his horse nervously.  However, he relaxed on entering the Colonel’s quarter; for he found Col. Lazer and his subordinates gathered there unusually in a jolly mood.

            Col. Lazer stood up; welcomed Osman politely, and showed him a place to sit.  He tenderly touched his shoulder to manifest friendliness. 

            Returning to his own seat Col. Lazer broached the subject in a self-assured tone. 

            -  Osman, I wouldn’t like to keep you in suspense for long. His Majesty the Czar would be in Caucasia in two months from now.  Isn’t it a wonderful news?

            Osman was at a loss what to say.  For a moment he looked at the Commander, somewhat confused.  “Is that so?”, he replied full of surprise. 

            The Colonel was still standing.  He was afraid his words didn’t carry the impact he expected.  He attributed it to the inefficiency of the Polish interpreter.  He dismissed the Pole, called in his own interpreter, an young Adiğe Sergeant in the Russian Army.

            He was son of an Adiğe family, carried away to the north of Kuban as  prisoners of war in the aftermath of one of the battles.  He had his schooling in Taman, and later was absorbed in to the Russian Army.  For the last one year he has been serving as personal interpreter to Col. Lazer. 

            Col. Lazer, with his index finger touching the Sergeant’s nose, said in a threatening manner, “Translate my words exactly, Okay!”

            He turned to Osman, and continued:

            -  I can see that you didn’t understand what I said. I repeat.  Our Czar is the best man on earth.  He is peace loving.  He has proved it by granting freedom to all the slaves in his emipire, including those in Caucasia. Wouldn’t you like to meet such a great person, and talk to him? 

            Basti Osman’s mind was all the more confused.  He couldn’t comprehend it.  Just by way of affecting having understood his words, Osman lightly nodded in affirmative, and smiled.

            The Commander knotted his eyebrows, adopting a more serious stance.  He went on,

            -  Go to your friends and convey  them the news.  Get ready! When the Czar arrives in Taman, go and meet him.  Tell him you wanted peace!  I guess he wouldn’t turn down your request. 

            Osman grasped the situation only after the last words of the Colonel.  Nevertheless it was too difficult to do what he told him.  It seemed to him impossible to bring together the Adiğe leaders, who had lost the spirit of unity. 

            Osman attempted to let the Colonel know that he was not in a position of authority; but he couldn’t.  For the Colonel interrupted him with his lecture on the virtues of peace and reconciliation of the warring peoples.  He cited examples to make himself understood, and emphasized that the Circassians stand to earn nothing by prolonging the war because of their vainglory. 

            Col. Lazer’s words were indeed impressive.  Osman couldn’t tell him, “No, I cant do what you want me to do!”  To the contrary he promised him to do whatever he could. 

            The Garrison  Commander  entertained Osman and Shanaş at lunch, and had a long chat with them.  They speculated as to the place where the Czar would receive the Caucasians. 

            Reports suggested that the Czar would set out on his tour of Caucasia from Crimea. Most probably he would inspect the Russian forces in Taman.  They agreed that Taman should be the best place to meet him. 

            Colonel Lazer reminded Osman that he would like to communicate Osman’s firm plan on the matter to his superiors; and that he would appreciate if Osman completed his preparations and let the Colonel know about his plans before the Czar’s departure for Taman.

            Osman returned home burdened with a very heavy responsibility.  That night he could not sleep at all. 

            His wife detected his trouble.  Upon her inquiry he readily narrated her all that had transpired at the garrison the day  before. 

            Skurin, unlike her sisters, was highly perceptive and outspoken.  “The Russian is damn right!”, she remarked, and went on,

            -  There could be no better chance!  Inform everybody about the situation.  It is no fault of yours.  If no one else is prepared to join you, go by yourself, and meet the Czar.  Tell him “we are fed up with the war”.

            Osman was uneasy; for it was the first time he shouldered a public responsibility.  He was scared lest he should mess up the affair.  He was not sure where  and how to begin. 

            Incidentally Şeretluk turned up.  It highly delighted Osman.  He rushed to his cousin’s house, briefed him on the situation.

            Şeretluk had been a man of prodigious strength and stature like his father.  The war and other stresses, however,  had exhausted him.  He was a bit haunched in the back.  He listened to Osman in a pensive mood.  With a faint voice he responded, “I think it could be arranged!”

            Şeretluk, once a jolly and agile person, had been tempered down to meekness.  He went on,

            -  We have got to stop somewhere.  All the roads and passes are in the control of the Russian troops now.  Hundreds of villages and farms have been destroyed.  The people have retreated to the highlands in a miserable plight.  Their condition is awful.  It cant be described by words!

            Şeretluk assured Osman that he would discharge any obligation due to him.  He would  try to persuade leading members of the Great Indar Family.  If need be he would tour all the regions of western Caucasia to invite the popular leaders to meet the Czar. 

            Osman didn’t wish to appear before the Czar as a representative of a restricted area.  He urged that all the Adiğe people should know what was being done.  He proposed measures he deemed necessary to communicate the mission as broadly as possible. 

            Both Shanaş and Şeretluk were agreed to Osman’s opinion.  The trio decided to convey the message to the people in the neighborhood themselves, and to sent errands to distant places. 

            Within three days forty emissaries were readied to go to twenty different destinations.  Before their departure, they were properly briefed as the sensitivity of the mission warranted.

            The young emissaries, in teams of two, within a short period of time covered the whole of Adiğey. While a set  of the twenty teams visited the Abzeh and Ubih settlements, the next  combed the pastures of the same regions.  The teams proceeding to the east traversed the whole of the Şapsığ region, and went as far as the Karaçay-Balkar, Kaberdey and Osset regions.  In a matter of a  fortnight the emissaries returned, bearing messages of positive response. 

            Osman was very pleased to see the mission accomplished.  In a comfortable mood of having discharged the obligation he had  shouldered, he set out for the garrison. Şeretluk and Shanaş accompanied him.

            Col. Lazer accorded them a warm welcome.  When informed of the situation, his pleasure knew no bound.  The peace, which could not be attained by force fire-arms, seemed to him at hand by means of kind words. If that could be realized, it would earn him great fame; he envisioned. 

            The Garrison Commander dispatched Captain Leoni,  his aid de camp, to Anapa. 

            The Commanding Officer of Fort Anapa, Col. Feliks, could not believe his ears as listened to the narration of the Captain   from Tsemez.  He jumped from his seat.   He got hold of his shoulders and shook him, as he said, “What are you talking about?  It is an unbelievable miracle!” he exclaimed.  Then he began walking round in his room, murmuring by himself, out of joy. 

            From then on developments unfolded in rapid succession.

            General Yevdomikof, Commander of the Kuban and the Right Flank, took charge of the situation.  He devised plans as to the mode of the projected meeting. He issued orders to all the  commanders at Fort Anapa and along the front lines.  He declared all military operations  suspended. 

             According to the General’s plan the Caucasian delegations would assemble in Anapa, from where they would be taken to Kerç on board of a warship.  The Czar was expected in Crimea sometimes in the first week of July.  The ones to be granted the Czar’s audience were supposed to leave for Taman before that date. 

            Basti Osman,  being intimated on General Yevdomikof’s plan, promptly communicated the information to all the local leaders concerned. 

            The news about the Czar’s impending visit to Caucasia caused a great sensation all over the country.  Under the impact of the unexpected development the war stricken distressed population were given to all sorts of wishful thinking. 

            Towards the end of the month of June the Adegum area and the Anapa Bazaar were filled with popular representatives.  The main crowd though comprised of those who had come there to satisfy their curiosity.

            The prevalent atmosphere was one of a cease-fire.  It appeared as if an armistice agreement had been signed. The bazaar set up in the outskirts of Anapa was filled by Caucasians.  The people from nearby places had brought with them varieties of commodities, which they intended to trade against merchandise they needed.  Local textile, honey-wax, hide, horn, domestic animals and similar items were in demand. 

            Russian, Armenian and Tatar merchants were extremely happy over the surprise development. 

            Zanıko Karabatır and Basti Ahmet returned to Adegum soon after they got the news. 

            Karabatir, assessing the situation secure enough, once again settled down in his farm at the Vestagoy Valley.  He soon assumed his erstwhile position, hosted the popular leaders from far away places, and discussed with them the recent developments. 

            Zanıko Karabatır and Basti Ahmet having made a return to the scene, Basti Osman, in a sense, was pushed aside.  It was he who had initiated the developments; but others had picked it up and claimed the credit.  Nevertheless Osman raised no objection. He honored his own brother Ahmet as well as Zanıko Karabatır.  He did not mind staying in the background.  Indeed he was not the sort of man fit for the job.  He had little experience in public affairs.  He had always been concerned with his private business. 

            At the meeting held at Zanıko Karabatır’s farm-house a delegation comprising of one-hundred and fifty members was elected. 

            The representatives from the Abzeh region included   Daruk, son of the famous leader Hacı Tlam, as well as Meretyiko Alimet and Gujyiko Beçmız.  Grandük Berzeg also was there at the head of a ten-man delegation from Ubih. The princes of Bjeduğ, Jane and Hatko formed a signle group.  The Şapsığs were represented by two representatives from each valley. 

            Bastiko Osman son of Pşımef, Geriyiko Şeretluk son of Şemız, and Geriyiko Shaneş son of Ali Bey were to represent  Tsemez. 

            Zanıko Karabatır intended to assume over all leadership of the body of representatives.  It was apparent from the way he maneuvered  the affair.

            The Abzeh leaders, Daruk and Meretiko Ailmet, did not approve Karabatır’s maneuvering.  They claimed that it was their right to perform as the spokesman of the community.  For, under the leadership of Mohammed Emin, they had opened the path of negotiations for peace with the Czar.  They left the Zanıko Farm in protest.  The Ubih leader, Grandük Berzeg followed the suit. 

            Nevertheless no one departed the limits of Anapa.  Every one was curious about the Czar.  They were keen to see him.  Few were concerned about the outcome of the discussions to take place.

            Osman was unhappy with the lack of harmony.  The situation  suggested that diverse opinions would be expressed in the presence of the emperor of Russia. 

            Under the impulse of this concern Osman called on Hasan Hoca, son kadı Hacı Ismail, in Adegum.

            In his boyhood Osman had seen Hacı Ismail on a number of occasions.  He had not, however,  met with his son, though. He knew, nevertheless, that Hasan Hoca was a popular local holy man. 

            Osman broached the subject of the projected meeting with the Czar.  He told him that the representatives were not in accord; and on that account he was very much worried about the consequences.  He requested him to join the peace endeavor, and assume the responsibility of  the spokesman of the community. 

            Hasan Hoca was already aware of the situation.  He promised Osman to comply with his request, provided all the leaders agreed. Nevertheless, he had certain misgivings too, which he disclosed to Osman in the following words:

            -  To this day we have failed to act in harmony. We have failed to unite. Unlike other peoples, we could not build a state of our own.  God Almighty penalized us. We people are not even conscious of it yet. 

            Hasan Hoca looked down in a pensive mood.  He was silent for some time.  As if talking in sleep, he said:

            -  God Almighty has ordained means to correct the peoples who defy His commandments.  To some He sent prophets, and to some He ordained destruction and misery.  I guess He has condemned  us to the tyranny of the Czar and his gang.

            For the last seventy or eighty years we have been  groaning under their ruthless aggression of the armies of the Czar.  No matter how severe our sufferings, we still persist with the wrongs and  misdeeds that had earned us our present plight.

            Osman was highly satisfied with the result of his meeting with Hasan Hoca. From there he went to the Zanıko Farm, where he narrated to Karabatır and his brother Ahmet the discussions he had with Hasan Hoca.  He told them,

            -  You know there has been a disagreement on the question of leadership of the delegation.  Measures ought to be taken to avert a mishap in audience of the Czar.  I think no one would object if some one like Hasan Hoca were to act as our spokesman before the Czar. 

            Zanıko Sefer welcomed Osman’s proposal.  “That seems to be the best solution”, he commented. 

            In the meantime Col. Feliks, Commander of Fort Anapa, had made necessary preparations for the passage of the Caucasian delegation to Taman.  The one-hundred-and-fifty  member delegation was shepherded by Col. Feliks to Fort Taman on board of a large ship.

            Czar Alexander II had not yet arrived in Crimea.  The Caucasian delegation was accommodated in two military barracks, specially whitewashed and redecorated for the purpose. 

            No effort was spared to oblige the representatives.  They were fed from a special kitchen that appealed their taste.  Some of the delegates were bored by waiting.  Grandük of Ubih and Daruk of Abzeh began talking about returning home. 

            Hasan Hoca was happy with his lot.  Occasionally he strolled outside the fort, and offered prayer at the mosque in the Muslim district.  Being conversant in Crimean Turkish, he conveniently mixed up with the local community.  More than once he addressed the congregation at the mosque. 

            The congregation included a few Adiğes.  The Hotkoys, in particular, maintained their presence in Anapa. 

            Finally word about the arrival of the Czar in Crimea reach Taman. 

            A great sensation prevailed in  the area.  The euphoric outburst  touched the Caucasian delegates too.  They got together, and talked preparatory to the  reception in honor of the Czar. 

            Two days later there appeared a big steam-ship off shore Taman.  It was escorted by three warships. 

            The Adiğe delegates were invited to the pompous reception ceremony at the Taman Garrison Head quarters, especially with the intent of impressing them. 
            The Czar was in a spectacular uniform,  rich in decorations. The area resounded with the sound of martial music. 

            Czar Alexander did not find it fit to have a special meeting with the Adiğe delegation.  After inspecting the Guard of Honor, he asked the delegation if the had any representation.  Hasan Hoca, who stood at the fore, stepped forward a few paces.  The Czar’s Aids de Camp hurried to gesticulate not to come any closer. 

            The Tatar assigned to interpret for him also took his place in the meantime. He was very good in Adiğe language.

            Hasan Hoca was excited.  He hesitated a moment, and addressed the Czar.

            -  Your Majesty! May God bless you!  Our ancestors lived on this soil for thousands of years.  We Adiğes have opened our eyes on this land.  That is why we have been so stubbornly resisting your armies. 

            Hasan Hoca paused a moment, breathed a deep breath. He continued.

            -  Nevertheless we have realized that it is impossible for us to stand against your might.  We want the war between us be terminated.  We wish peace be restored between us.

            The Czar, having listened to the interpreter, gazed at Hasan Hoca and the delegates behind him.  He seemed as if asking “Are they the ones who blocked the way of my armies?”

            “I also want peace!”, replied the Czar.  He continued,

            -  But I have two conditions.  Firstly; you must immediately surrender your weapons to the Russian military authorities.  Secondly, you shall live not in the highlands, but in the places I show you. 

            Hasan Hoca was dumbfounded. 

            Abzeh Daruk moved two steps forward to indicate that he had something to say. 

            Abzeh Daruk and Meretiko Alimet had accompanied Muhammed Emin in his visit to St. Petersburg.  They had been admitted to the audience of the Czar, had had talks with him and his cabinet ministers, and had been warmly received. 

            Today, however, the Czar was in a different mood. With eyebrows knotted, he manifested an unfriendly disposition.  He gazed at the Caucasians with a disdainful expression.

            Daruk lost patience.  He made a sharp rebuff. 

            -  We are here not to beg mercy.  We have come here to talk peace on equal terms.  Nobody would be able to disarm us or force us out of our land so long as we are alive. 

            Czar Alexander murmured, “These people have not yet come to sense!” He demanded the  generals present there to go ahead with the war in at most ferocity to score a decisive victory in a short  time.

            He uttered his last words in a subdued tone to be heard only by those very close to him.  Meanwhile his eyes scrutinized  the Adiğe delegates, Abzeh Daruk in particular. 

            The Czar and his staff fast distanced themselves from the group in a scornful manner.

            The Adiğe delegation returned from Taman with diverse feelings.  Abzeh Daruk, Meretiko Alimet, Gujyiko Beçmez and the Ubih leader Grandük Berzeg had been highly agitated.  On the way they exchanged highfalutin ideas. 

            Zanıko Karabatır were stunned.   They were equally incensed; but were aware that not much was left to be done to save the situation.

            The ones who regretted most over the failure of the mission were Bastiko Osman, Hasan Hoca and the two delegates from Hatkoy.

            Col. Feliks, the Commander of Fort Anapa equally regretted the setback.  On board of the ship, for a while he sat with the latter group, and expressed his dismay.  He remarked,

            -  The Czar was at your door-step.  You missed a golden opportunity.

            Hasan Hoca replied the complaint:

            -   But you have never been helpful either.  You are already familiar with we people.  It is not the first time you experience our hardheadedness.  You very well reckon that not all the delegates think like Abzeh Daruk. 

            The commander sadly smiled. A colonel could not express his view, unless asked for, in the presence of the emperor.  He couldn’t admit it to Hasan Hoca, though.  It was simply impossible.  He sufficed by remarking, “You are right.”

            The delegates dispersed as soon as they disembarked at the Anapa harbor,  and immediately set out homewards.  No one felt the urge to discuss the ramifications of their encounter with the Czar.

                                                               O0O

            The western Caucasian delegates were far from being a congenial group of people with a set of understanding and common plans for the future.  Besides, because of their  ingnorance in diplomacy, their meeting with the Czar ended in a fiasco.

            Notwithstanding this fact, the Czar and his aids were somewhat worried.  The  regional representatives, presenting a semblance of unity, had suggested to the Russians that the Caucasians had achieved amity among them.  And a unified Adiğe delegation could cause them serious problems. 

            It was with this impulse that the Czar ordered his commanders to take urgent measures.. Particularly, General Yevdemikof, the Commander of the western front, was ordered to act immediately. 

            Yevdemikof  drafted a plan to isolate the Abzehs from the Şapsığs and Bjeduğs, thereby opening a corridor that would partition the western Caucasia.  General Tisoski and Col. Graskof were assigned to command the operations. 

            The Russian forces earmarked for the said operations marched upstream of the Psıfabe and Shagoşe rivers. 

            The villages in the downstream basin of the two rivers were vacated, as the Russian army advanced.  The population took shelter in the woods and forests,  while giving the enemy the impression that they were retreating to the highlands. 

            At Şelaleler (the Waterfalls) the Russian forces suddenly found themselces surrounded by the Şapsığ and Abzeh warriors, isolating the cavalry and Artillery  units from one another. 

            The Russian army, cut off in to smaller segments, suffered heavy causalities.  It was forced to retreat in disorder. 

            Yevdemikof was extremely bitter over the setback.  In June 1862 he mounted another offensive in the same area.  He got a bridge built on the Shagoşe river.  Nevertheless the Russian army had a very hart time during the winter.

            Due to the thaw and incessant spring rainfall, the river flooded.  As a result the bridge across Shagoşe was swept away, and the link between the troops camping astride the river was cut off.

            The Abzeh and Şapsığ warriors, taking advantage of the situation, mounted a surprise offensive. The Russian army was once again thwarted. 

            Nevertheless General Yevdemikof had made it a matter honor to crush the resistance in the Shagoşe area.  He received reinforcements   and sustained the pressure throughout the summer. 

            Czar Alexander had abolished slavery in the year 1861. He had directed the landless peasants, the serfs and the former slaves  to try their lot in Caucasia.  Within a short period thousands of the mujiks² swarmed in to the area, crossed the river Kuban under military protection, and began settling down on the fertile Kuban Basin. 

            Yevdemikof attempted to secure the rear of his forces by promoting the colonization of the downstream basin of the Shagoşe and Pasıfabe rivers by the Cossacks and the Mujiks. 

            To scare away the local population, the Russian army ruthlessly destroyed the Şapsığ and Abzeh villages they seized.  The Adiğes equally retaliated the Russian barbarity.  Through night attacks, the Adiğes destroyed the newly built Russian settlements, and put to the sword any one they confronted.

            The summer of 1862 passed under conditions of such a fierce struggle. 

            Indeed this represented the desperate final convulsions of the resistance fading out.  Gradually, the large scale actions were replaced by uncoordinated  resistance conducted by smaller groups. 

            In the aftermath of the surrender of Imam Şamil,  the Russian troops had been diverted to the west.  Western Caucasia, therefore was completely encircled.  From all direction the Russian troops were making headway to the Caucasian hinterland. 

            Indeed it was not a war; it was an all out Russian genocide to exterminate the Adiğe people.  Their villages were being burnt down, the population was being massacred and displaced. 

            Czar Alexander must have foreseen a quick victory; for he replaced Prince Briatinski with Grand Duke Michail as the Governor General of Caucasia. 

            The Czar designed to immediately go ahead with what he had contemplated to carry out in the post-war period.  These included the punishment of the “war criminals”, and mass deportation of the indegenous population. 

¹An Adiğe tribe.
²Landless Russian peasants, the serfs.