newform;atfirsttheyhadpaidattentiontowhodidwhatandhowhebehaved,
and now they inquired about who thought what and how he expressed his opinions. The number of gendarmes in the surrounding villages along the
frontierwasgraduallyincreased.AspecialInformationOfficer,amanfromthe
Lika,arrivedatthelocalheadquarters.Thepolicearrestedandfinedyouthsfor
imprudent declarations or for singing prohibited Serbian songs. Suspected
foreigners were deported; and differences of opinion led to arguments and
quarrelsamongthecitizensthemselves.
Withtheintroductionoftherailwaytravellingbecamequickerandthetransport
ofgoodseasier,andsomehowataboutthesametimeeventstooquickenedtheir
pace.Thetownspeopledidnotnoticethis,forthequickeningwasgradualandall
of them were involved in it. They became accustomed to sensations; exciting
newswasnolongersomethingrareandunusualbutaneverydayfoodandareal
need. The whole of life seemed to be hastening somewhere, suddenly speeded
up,asafreshetquickensitspacebeforeitbreaksintorapids,rushesoversteep
rocksandbecomesacascade.
Onlyfouryearshadpassedsincethearrivalofthefirsttraininthetownwhen,
one October morning, a huge white proclamation was posted on
the kapia, beneaththeplaquewiththeTurkishinscription.Itwasputupbythe
municipalofficialDrago.Atfirstonlytheidlersandchildrengatheredroundit
andthen,later,therestofthecitizens.Thosewhoknewhowtoreaddeciphered
the proclamation, spelling it out and halting at the foreign expressions and
unfamiliarphrasing.The otherslistenedin silenceandwith downcasteyesand
afterlisteningforawhiledispersedwithoutlookingup,strokingtheirbeardsand
moustachesasiftobrushawaywordswhichhadneverbeenspoken.
AfterthenoonprayerAlihodjatoocame,placingabaracrosshisshopfrontasa
sign that the shop was closed. This time the proclamation was not written in
Turkish also, so that the hodja could not read it. A boy was reading the proclamationaloud,quitemechanically,asifatschool.
'PROCLAMATIONtothePeopleofBosniaandHerzegovina.
"We,FranzJoseph,EmperorofAustria,KingofBohemia etc. andApo-apo-apo-
stolic King of Hungary, to the inhabitants of Bosnia and Herzegovina: When a
gen-gener-generationagoOurArmiescrossedthefrontiersofYourlands....'
Alihodjafelthisrighteartinglingbeneathhiswhiteturbanand,asifithadbeen
the day before, his quarrel with Karamanli flashed before his eyes, the outrage
then committed on him, the red cross which swam before his eyes filled with
tears, while the Austrian soldier carefully extracted the nail, and the white placardwiththeproclamationthenaddressedtothepeople.
Theyouthwenton:
'Anass-ass-assurancewasthengivenYouthattheyhadnotcomeasenemiesbut
asYourfriendswiththeavowedintentionofrootingoutalltheevilswhichhad
foryearsop-op-oppressedYou.
'ThatwordgiventoYouinthatcrit-criticalmoment...'
Everyoneshoutedattheinexpertreaderwho,blushingandembarrassed,slipped
awayintothecrowd.Inhisplacecamesomeunknownmaninaleatherjacket,
who seemed as if he were only waiting for his chance, who began to read
quicklyandfluentlyasifitwereaprayerthathealreadyknewbyheart.
'That word given to You in that critical moment has been honestly kept. Our
Governmenthasalwaysseriouslyconcerneditselfandworkedtomaintainpeace
andorder,toleadYourFatherlandtowardsahappierfuture.
'AndWe,toOurgreatjoy,darefreelytosay:theseedwhichhasbeensownin
thefurrowsofthesoilsopreparedhasproducedarichharvest.Youtoomustfeel
thosefactsasablessing;thatinplaceofviolenceandtyrannyhavecomeorder
andsecurity,thatworkandlifehavedevelopedcontinuously,thattheennobling
influenceofitsworkhasmultipliedopportunitiesforcultureandthatunderthe
protection of a regular administration every man may enjoy the fruits of his
labours.
'ItisthesolemndutyofallofUstocontinuealongthisway.
'HavingthisaimconstantlybeforeOureyes,Weholdthatthetimehascometo
givetheinhabitantsofthesetwolandsafreshproofofOurfaithintheirpolitical
maturity.InordertoraiseBosniaandHerzegovinatoahigherlevelofpolitical
life.Wehavedecidedtograntconstitutionalinstitutions—suchaswillanswerto
theirpresentconditionsandtheircommoninterests—toboththeselandsandto
give in this manner a legal basis for the representation of their wishes and
interests.
'Let Your voices also be heard when in the future decisions will be made
touchingtheaffairsofYourcountrywhichwillhavehave,asithashaduptill
now,itsseparateadministration.
'Butthefirstnecessaryconditionfortheintroductionofthisnationalconstitution
is the clear and indubitable definition of the legal position of both these lands.
Starting from this principle and bearing in mind those bonds which in olden
timesexistedbetweenOurgloriouspredecessorsontheThroneofHungaryand
theselands.WeextendOurrightsofsovereigntyoverBosniaandHerzegovina
andWedesirethattheselandsaccepttheorderofsuccessionwhichisvalidfor
OurHouse.
'Thustheinhabitantsofbothlandswillbecomeparticipatorsinallthesebenefits
whichwillassurethemthelastingconsolidationofthosebondswhich,uptothe
present, have linked them to Us. The new state of affairs will be the guarantee
thatcultureandprosperitywillcontinuetofindasurehomeinYourcountry.
'BosniansandHerzegovinians!
'Among the countless cares which surround Our Throne, that which We shall
haveforYourmaterialandmoralprosperitywillnotbetheleast.Thesupreme
conceptionoftheequalityofallbeforethelaw,theparticipationinthemakingof
laws and the administration of the country, an equal protection afforded to all
faiths, languages and national characteristics —all these supreme benefits You
willenjoyinfullmeasure.
'The freedom of the individual and the good of the community will be the
guidingstarofOurGovernmentforboththeselands....'
With mouth half open and head lowered, Alihodja listened to these words, for
themostpartunfamiliarorunknowntohim,andeventhosewordswhichwere
notofthemselvesunfamiliarbecameinthatcontextinsomemannerqueerand
incomprehensible.'Seed...sowninthefurrowsofthesoilsoprepared...first
andnecessaryconditionfortheintroductionofthislocalconstitution;clearand
indubitabledefinitionoflegalposition...guidingstarofOurGovernment!'Yes,
those were the 'Imperial words' once again! Each one of them opened before
the hodja's innervisionnowsomedistant,extraordinaryanddangeroushorizon,
nowsomesortofcurt
ainwhichfell,blackandleaden,justbeforehiseyes.So,
firstonethingandthentheother;eitherhesawnothingorhesawsomethingthat
he did not understand and which presaged no good. In this life nothing is
impossible and every wonder possible. It could even happen that a man might
listencarefullyandyetunderstandnothingindetailwhileatthesametime,when
allthosedetailsweretakentogether,hecouldrealizecompletelyandunderstand
perfectly!Thatseed,thatstar,thosecaresaboutthethrone;allthosethingsmight
justaswellhavebeeninsomeforeignlanguage,yetnonethelessthe hodja, or
so it seemed to him, could understand what they were intended to mean and
what they wished to convey. These Emperors had for the past thirty years shoutedacrossthelandsandcitiesandovertheheadsofthepeoples;yetevery
wordineveryproclamationofeveryEmperorwaspregnantwithmeaning.For
these countries were broken into fragments and in these countries heads rolled
becauseofthesewords.Sotheyspokeof'seed...stars...caresofthethrone'lest
provincesand,withthem,livingmenandtheirhabitationspassedfromhandto
hand like small change; that a well-intentioned true-believing man could no
longerfindpeaceonthisearth,nomorethanhecouldfindthelittleheneeded
for this short life; that his position and his goods changed independently of
himselfandcontrarytohiswishesandhisbestintentions.
Alihodja listened and he had continually the impression that these words were
the same words of thirty years ago; he felt the same leaden heaviness in his
breast,thesamemessagethattheTurkishtimeswereendedandthat'theTurkish
candlewasburnedout',butthatitwasnecessarytorepeatthemfortheywould
notunderstandorrealizethem,butdeceivedthemselvesandpretendedtoknow
nothingofthem.
'YouwillthereforeshowYourselvesworthyoftheconfidenceplacedinYou,so
that the noble harmony existing between ruler and people, that most precious
gageofallstateprogress,willalwaysaccompanyOurcommonlabours.
'GiveninourRoyalandCapitalCityofBudapes
FranzJoseph.'
The man in the leather jacket suddenly ceased reading and shouted
unexpectedly:
'LongliveHisMajestytheEmperor!'
'Longlife,'shoutedtallFerhat,themunicipallamplighter,asifbyorder.
Alltheothersdispersedatthesamemomentinsilence.
Before dark that day the great white proclamation was torn down and thrown
intotheDrina.ThenextdaysomeSerbianyouthswerearrestedonsuspicionand
a fresh copy of the white proclamation was put up on the kapia and a local gendarmepostedtheretoguardit.
Wheneveragovernmentfeelstheneedofpromisingpeaceandprosperitytoits
citizens by means of a proclamation, it is time to be on guard and expect the
opposite.TowardstheendofOctober,thearmybegantoarrive,notonlybytrain butalsoalongtheolddesertedroad.Asithaddonethirtyyearsbefore,itcame
downthesteepslopefromSarajevoandcrossedthebridgeintothetown,with
arms and commissariat. There were units of all kinds except cavalry. All the
barracks were full. They camped under canvas. Fresh units were continually
arriving, stayed a few days in the town and were then posted to the villages
along the Serbian frontier. The soldiers were mainly reservists, of various
nationalities,withplentyofmoney.Theymadetheirminorpersonalpurchasesin
theshopsandboughtfruitandsweetmeatsatthestreet-corners.Pricesleapt.Hay
and oats completely disappeared. Fortifications began to be built on the hills
surroundingthetown.Andonthebridgeitselfaverystrangetaskbegan.Inthe
middleofthebridge,justbeyondthe kapia asonecamefromthetowntogoto
theleftbankoftheDrina,workmenspeciallybroughtforthejobbegantodrilla
hole about a yard square in one of the piers. The spot where they worked was
concealedunderagreentent,frombeneathwhichcontinualhammeringcouldbe
heardastheywentdeeperanddeeper.Thestoneexcavatedwasatoncethrown
over the parapet into the river. But however much the work was concealed, it
wassoonknowninthetownthatthebridgewasbeingmined,thatistosaythata
deep opening was being dug through one of the piers, right to the foundations,
andthatexplosiveswouldbeplacedinitincasewarbrokeoutanditwasfound
necessarytodestroythebridge.Longironladdersleddownintotheopeningand
wheneverythingwasfinishedanironmanholecoverwasplacedoverit.Within
afewdaysthiscovercouldnolongerbedistinguishedfromthestonesanddust.
Carts passed over it, horses trotted by, and the townsmen hurried on their
businesswithoutgivingathoughttothemineandtheexplosivesbeneath.Only
the children on their way to school halted for a moment at this spot, tapped
inquisitivelyatthatironcover,tryingtoguesswhatwasbeneathit.Theymade
whatanexplosivewas,whatitdidandwhetheritcouldeverdestroysogreata
building.
Among the grown-ups, only Alihodja prowled around and gazed sombrely and
suspiciouslybothatthegreententwhiletheworkwasgoingonandattheiron
coverwhichremainedonthebridgeafterithadbeenfinished.Helistenedtoall
thatwassaidorwhispered;thataholeasdeepasawellhadbeenmadeinthat
pierandexplosivesplacedinit,andthatitwasconnectedbyanelectricalleadto
thebanksothatthecommandantcouldatanytimeofthedayornightdestroy
thebridgerightinthemiddleasthoughitweremadeofsugarandnotofstone.
The hodja listened,shookhishead,thoughtitoverbydaywhenheretiredtohis
'coffin'andbynightinbedwhenheshouldhavebeenasleep;nowhebelieved, now he rejected such an idea as mad and godless, but he worried about it
continually so that even in his sleep the onetime mutevelis of Mehmed Pasha's vakuf appeared before him and asked him severely what all this was and what weretheydoingtothebridge.Heturnedhistroublesoverandoverinhismind.
He did not want to ask anyone in the market, considering that for a long time
pasttherehadbeennoonewithwhomasensiblemancouldconsultorconverse
reasonably,sinceallthepeoplehadeitherlosttheirsensesandtheirreputations
orwerejustasembitteredandconfusedashehimselfwas.
Nonetheless,hesoonfoundanopportunitytolearnmoreaboutit.Oneofthe
Branković begs from Crnče, Muhamed, who had done his army service in
Vienna,hadstayedthereasalong-servicemanandbeenpromotedtosergeant-
major(hewasthegrandsonofthatShemsibegwhoaftertheoccupationhadshut
himself up in Crnče and died of sorrow, and who was still quoted by the older
T
urks as an unattainable example of moral grandeur and logic). Muhamed-beg
hadthatyearcomehomeonleave.Hewasabigtallmanofreddishcomplexion,
dressedinanimpeccabledark-blueuniformwithyellowrank-badges,redpiping
andlittlesilverstarsonhislapel,withwhitekid-glovesonhishandsandredfez
onhishead.Courteous,smiling,irreproachablycleanandneat,hewalkedinthe
marketplace, his long sword tapping gently on the cobbles, greeting everyone
amiablyandconfidentlylikeamanwhohaseatenthebreadoftheEmperor,who
hasnodoubtofhisownimportanceoranyreasontobeafraidofothers.
WhenthisMuhamed-begcametohisshop,askedabouthishealthandsatdown
to drink a cup of coffee, Alihodja took the opportunity of asking him, as an
'imperialman'wholivedfarfromthetown,foranexplanationofthecaresthat
oppressed him. He told him what the trouble was, what had been done on the
bridge and what they were saying in the town, and asked him if such a thing
werepossibleandwhethertheycouldplanthedestructionofabequestofsuch
universalbenefitasthisone.
As soon as he had heard what was in question, the sergeant-major suddenly
became serious. His broad smile disappeared and his ruddy clean-shaven face
took on a wooden expression as if he were on parade at the moment of the
command: attention. He was silent for a moment as if in indecision and then
repliedinasortofhushedvoice.
'There is something in all you say. But if you really want my advice, then it is best not to inquire about this or speak of it, for it comes under the head of
militarypreparedness,officialsecretsandsoforthandsoon.'
The hodja hatedallthenewexpressionsandespeciallythat'andsoforthandso
on'.Itwasnotonlythatthewordsgratedonhisears,buthefeltclearlythat,in
thespeechofthesestrangers,ittooktheplaceofanunspokentruthandthatall
thathadbeensaidbeforemeantnothingatall.
'IntheNameofGod,don'tstuffmeupwiththeir..."andsoforthandsoon",but
tellmeandexplain,ifyoucan,whattheyaredoingtothebridge.Therecanbe
no secret about that. In any case what sort of a secret is that, if even the