CHAPTER XIV.
The career of Scanderbeg, or Castriot, as the Albanians love to calltheir great national hero, makes one of the most illustrious pages inhistory, whether we look for the display of personal courage, astutegeneralship, or loftiest patriotism. His military renown, already sowide-spread as the commander of the Turks, became universal throughthe almost incredible skill with which, for many years, his handful ofpatriots held the mountains of Albania against the countless armies ofthe Sultan. His superlative devotion to his country, was maintainedwith such sacrifices as few men have ever rendered to the holiestcause. He resisted the bribes of riches, power and splendor withwhich the Sultan, baffled by his arms, attempted to seduce his honor.These things went far to atone for the treachery of his defection fromthe Turkish service.
Upon his arrival in Albania, the citadel of Croia was given into hishands by the commandant, who was either unsuspicious of the falseorder that was sealed by the now dead hand of the Sultan's secretary,or who had found that the wily Albanians had already access to itsgates. Sfetigrade and other prominent fortresses fell rapidly, won bystrategy or by the valorous assault of the patriots. The Albanians hadbeen almost instantaneously transformed into an invincible army by theelectric thrill which the coming of Castriot had sent everywhere, fromthe borders of Macedonia to the western sea; and by the skill withwhich that great captain organized his bands of Epirots and Dibrians.An army of forty thousand Turks was at one time divided by hismasterly movements, and slain in detail. A second army met a similarfate. The great Sultan himself attempted the capture of this Arnaout"wild beast," as he had learned to call him. One hundred and fiftythousand men, supplied from the far-reaches of Asia where the Ottomanmade most of his levies, swarmed like a plague of locusts through thevalleys of Epirus. By sheer momentum of numbers they pressed their wayup to the fortress of Sfetigrade.
The defence of this place is one of the most heroic in the annals ofwar or patriotism. As the glacier melts at the touch of the warm earthin the Alpine valleys so the mighty army of Amurath dissolved in bloodas it touched the beleaguered walls. At the same time Scanderbeg,adopting some new expedient in every attack, made his almost nightlyraids through the centre of the Turkish host, like a panther throughthe folds of the sheep, until Amurath cried in sheer vexation amongthe generals, "Will none of you save us from the fury of that wildbeast?" The incessant slaughter that broke the bewildered silence ofthe generals was the only response.
Thus passed some six years since the time when our story opens; yearswhich, had they stood by themselves, and not been followed by fifteenyears more of equal prowess, would have won for Scanderbeg theunstinted praise of that distinguished writer who enrolls him amongthe seven greatest uncrowned men of the world's history.[46]
During these years Castriot had studied with closest scrutiny thecharacter of his nephew, Amesa. His natural discernment, aided by hislong observation of human duplicity while among the Turks--and, indeedby his own experience, as for many years he had masked his owndiscontent and ultimate purpose--gave him a power of estimating menwhich may be called a moral clairvoyance. He discovered that in hisnephew which led him to credit the story of Kabilovitsch--as theforester Arnaud was still called, although some more than suspectedhis identity. The chief saw clearly that Amesa's loyalty would belimited by his selfish interests. Those interests now led him to mostfaithful and apparently patriotic devotion. Besides, the loss oralienation of so influential a young voivode, involving a schism inthe house of the Castriots, might be fatal to the Albanian cause. Thegeneral, therefore, fed the ambition of his relative, giving himhonorable command, for which he was well fitted by reason of bothcourage and genius. Nor did Amesa disappoint this confidence. Hissword was among the sharpest and his deeds most daring. The peasantsoldiers often said that Amesa was not unworthy the blood of theCastriots. To Sultan Amurath's proposal of peace on condition ofScanderbeg's simple recognition of the Ottoman's nominal suzerainty,allowing him to retain the full actual possession of all his ancestralholdings, Amesa's voice joined with that of Moses Goleme and the otherallied nobles in commending the refusal of their chief.
Amesa's courage and zeal seemed at times to pass the control of hisjudgment. Thus, in a sharp battle with the Turks, during the temporaryabsence of Castriot, who was resisting an encroachment of theVenetians on the neighboring country of Montenegro, the fiery youngvoivode was seized with such blind ferocity that he knew not where hewas. He had engaged a group of his own countrymen, apparently notdiscerning his mistake until he had unhorsed one of them, whom he wason the point of sabering, when his arm was caught by a comrade. Theendangered man was Kabilovitsch, who saw that there was a method inAmesa's madness which it behoved him to note.
It was evident to Kabilovitsch not only that he was recognized byAmesa, but also that the young voivode was more than suspicious of theformer forester's knowledge of the affair by which the magnificentestate of De Streeses had passed into his hands. The good man'ssolicitude was intense through fear that Amesa had become aware of theescape of the child heir, and might discover some clue to herwhereabouts. Several times Milosch had visited the camp inquiring forKabilovitsch; and Constantine had made frequent journeys carryingtidings of Morsinia's welfare. Had neither of these been spied upon?Did no one ever pass the little hamlet where she was in covert whorecognized in the now daily developing womanly features the likenessof her mother, Mara De Streeses?
A little after this assault of Amesa upon Kabilovitsch, came newswhich startled the latter. To understand this the reader mustpenetrate a wild mountainous district a double score of miles from thecamp of Castriot.
FOOTNOTE:
[46] Sir William Temple.