the complete writings-3-第34章

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nd　Kapronka。　　Taking　from　these　a　couple　of　thousand　prisoners；　mostly　women　and　children；　Earl　Moyses　marched　north　to　Weisenberg　（Alba　Julia）；　and　camped　near　the　palace　of　Prince　Sigismund。

When　Sigismund　Battori　came　out　to　view　his　army　he　was　made　acquainted　with　the　signal　services　of　Smith　at　〃Olumpagh；　Stowell…　Weisenberg；　and　Regall；〃　and　rewarded　him　by　conferring　upon　him；　according　to　the　law　ofarms；　a　shield　of　arms　with　〃three　Turks'　heads。〃　　This　was　granted　by　a　letter…patent；　in　Latin；　which　is　dated　at　〃Lipswick；　in　Misenland；　December　9；　1603〃　It　recites　that　Smith　was　taken　captive　by　the　Turks　in　Wallachia　November　18；　1602；　that　he　escaped　and　rejoined　his　fellow…soldiers。　　This　patent；　therefore；　was　not　given　at　Alba　Julia；　nor　until　Prince　Sigismund　had　finally　left　his　country；　and　when　the　Emperor　was；　in　fact；　the　Prince　of　Transylvania。　　Sigismund　styles　himself；　by　the　grace　of　God；　Duke　of　Transylvania；　etc。　　Appended　to　this　patent；　as　published　in　Smith's　〃True　Travels；〃　is　a　certificate　by　William　Segar；　knight　of　the　garter　and　principal　king　of　arms　of　England；　that　he　had　seen　this　patent　and　had　recorded　a　copy　of　it　in　the　office　of　the　Herald　of　Armes。　　This　certificate　is　dated　August　19；　1625；　the　year　after　the　publication　of　the　General　Historie。〃

Smith　says　that　Prince　Sigismund　also　gave　him　his　picture　in　gold；　and　granted　him　an　annual　pension　of　three　hundred　ducats。　　This　promise　of　a　pension　was　perhaps　the　most　unsubstantial　portion　of　his　reward；　for　Sigismund　himself　became　a　pensioner　shortly　after　the　events　last　narrated。

The　last　mention　of　Sigismund　by　Smith　is　after　his　escape　from　captivity　in　Tartaria；　when　this　mirror　of　virtues　had　abdicated。　Smith　visited　him　at　〃Lipswicke　in　Misenland；〃　and　the　Prince　〃gave　him　his　Passe；　intimating　the　service　he　had　done；　and　the　honors　he　had　received；　with　fifteen　hundred　ducats　of　gold　to　repair　his　losses。〃　　The　〃Passe〃　was　doubtless　the　〃Patent〃　before　introduced；　and　we　hear　no　word　of　the　annual　pension。

Affairs　in　Transylvania　did　not　mend　even　after　the　capture　of　Regall；　and　of　the　three　Turks'　heads；　and　the　destruction　of　so　many　villages。　　This　fruitful　and　strong　country　was　the　prey　of　faction；　and　became　little　better　than　a　desert　under　the　ravages　of　the　contending　armies。　　The　Emperor　Rudolph　at　last　determined　to　conquer　the　country　for　himself；　and　sent　Busca　again　with　a　large　army。　Sigismund　finding　himself　poorly　supported；　treated　again　with　the　Emperor　and　agreed　to　retire　to　Silicia　on　a　pension。　　But　the　Earl　Moyses；　seeing　no　prospect　of　regaining　his　patrimony；　and　determining　not　to　be　under　subjection　to　the　Germans；　led　his　troops　against　Busca；　was　defeated；　and　fled　to　join　the　Turks。　　Upon　this　desertion　the　Prince　delivered　up　all　he　had　to　Busca　and　retired　to　Prague。　　Smith　himself　continued　with　the　imperial　party；　in　the　regiment　of　Earl　Meldritch。　　About　this　time　the　Sultan　sent　one　Jeremy　to　be　vaivode　of　Wallachia；　whose　tyranny　caused　the　people　to　rise　against　him；　and　he　fled　into　Moldavia。　　Busca　proclaimed　Lord　Rodoll　vaivode　in　his　stead。　　But　Jeremy　assembled　an　army　of　forty　thousand　Turks；　Tartars；　and　Moldavians；　and　retired　into　Wallachia。　Smith　took　active　part　in　Rodoll's　campaign　to　recover　Wallachia；　and　narrates　the　savage　war　that　ensued。　　When　the　armies　were　encamped　near　each　other　at　Raza　and　Argish；　Rodoll　cut　off　the　heads　of　parties　he　captured　going　to　the　Turkish　camp；　and　threw　them　into　the　enemy's　trenches。　　Jeremy　retorted　by　skinning　alive　the　Christian　parties　he　captured；　hung　their　skins　upon　poles；　and　their　carcasses　and　heads　on　stakes　by　them。　　In　the　first　battle　Rodoll　was　successful　and　established　himself　in　Wallachia；　but　Jeremy　rallied　and　began　ravaging　the　country。　　Earl　Meldritch　was　sent　against　him；　but　the　Turks'　force　was　much　superior；　and　the　Christians　were　caught　in　a　trap。　　In　order　to　reach　Rodoll；　who　was　at　Rottenton；　Meldritch　with　his　small　army　was　obliged　to　cut　his　way　through　the　solid　body　of　the　enemy。　　A　device　of　Smith's　assisted　him。　　He　covered　two　or　three　hundred　trunksprobably　small　branches　of　treeswith　wild…fire。　　These　fixed　upon　the　heads　of　lances　and　set　on　fire　when　the　troops　charged　in　the　night；　so　terrified　the　horses　of　the　Turks　that　they　fled　in　dismay。　Meldritch　was　for　a　moment　victorious；　but　when　within　three　leagues　of　Rottenton　he　was　overpowered　by　forty　thousand　Turks；　and　the　last　desperate　fight　followed；　in　which　nearly　all　the　friends　of　the　Prince　were　slain；　and　Smith　himself　was　left　for　dead　on　the　field。

On　this　bloody　field　over　thirty　thousand　lay　headless；　armless；　legless；　all　cut　and　mangled；　who　gave　knowledge　to　the　world　how　dear　the　Turk　paid　for　his　conquest　of　Transylvania　and　Wallachiaa　conquest　that　might　have　been　averted　if　the　three　Christian　armies　had　been　joined　against　the　〃cruel　devouring　Turk。〃　　Among　the　slain　were　many　Englishmen；　adventurers　like　the　valiant　Captain　whom　Smith　names；　men　who　〃left　there　their　bodies　in　testimony　of　their　minds。〃　And　there；　〃Smith　among　the　slaughtered　dead　bodies；　and　many　a　gasping　soule　with　toils　and　wounds　lay　groaning　among　the　rest；　till　being　found　by　the　Pillagers　he　was　able　to　live；　and　perceiving　by　his　armor　and　habit；　his　ransome　might　be　better　than　his　death；　they　led　him　prisoner　with　many　others。〃　　The　captives　were　taken　to　Axopolis　and　all　sold　as　slaves。　　Smith　was　bought　by　Bashaw　Bogall；　who　forwarded　him　by　way　of　Adrianople　to　Constantinople；　to　be　a　slave　to　his　mistress。　　So　chained　by　the　necks　in　gangs　of　twenty　they　marched　to　the　city　of　Constantine；　where　Smith　was　delivered　over　to　the　mistress　of　the　Bashaw；　the　young　Charatza　Tragabigzanda。




III

CAPTIVITY　AND　WANDERING

Our　hero　never　stirs　without　encountering　a　romantic　adventure。　Noble　ladies　nearly　always　take　pity　on　good…looking　captains；　and　Smith　was　far　from　ill…favored。　　The　charming　Charatza　delighted　to　talk　with　her　slave；　for　she　could　speak　Italian；　and　would　feign　herself　too　sick　to　go　to　the　bath；　or　to　accompany　the　other　women　when　they　went　to　weep　over　the　graves；　as　their　custom　is　once　a　week；　in　order　to　stay　at　home　to　hear　from　Smith　how　it　was　that　Bogall　took　him　prisoner；　as　the　Bashaw　had　written　her；　and　whether　Smith　was　a　Bohemian　lord　conquered　by　the　Bashaw's　own　hand；　whose　ransom　could　adorn　her　with　the　glory　of　her　lover's　conquests。　Great　must　have　been　her　disgust　with　Bogall　when　she　heard　that　he　had　not　captured　this　handsome　prisoner；　but　had　bought　him　in　the　slave…market　at　Axopolis。　　Her　compassion　for　her　slave　increased；　and　the　hero　thought　he　saw　in　her　eyes　a　tender　interest。　　But　she　had　no　use　for　such　a　slave；　and　fearing　her　mother　would　sell　him；　she　sent　him　to　her　brother；　the　Tymor　Bashaw　of　Nalbrits　in　the　country　of　Cambria；　a　province　of　Tartaria　（wherever　that　may　be）。　If　all　had　gone　on　as　Smith　believed　the　kind　lady　intended；　he　might　have　been　a　great　Bashaw　and　a　mighty　man　in　the　Ottoman　Empire；　and　we　might　never　have　heard　of　Pocahontas。　　In　sending　him　to　her　brother；　it　was　her　intention；　for　she　told　him　so；　that　he　should　only　sojourn　in　Nalbrits　long　enough　to　learn　the　language；　and　what　it　was　to　be　a　Turk；　till　time　made　her　master　of　herself。　　Smith　himself　does　not　dissent　from　this　plan　to　metamorphose　him　into　a　Turk　and　the　husband　of　the　beautiful　Charatza　Tragabigzanda。　　He　had　no　doubt　that　he　was　commended　to　the　kindest　treatment　by　her　brother；　but　Tymor　〃diverted　all　this　to　the　worst　of　cruelty。〃　Within　an　hour　of　his　arrival；　he　was　stripped　naked；　his　head　and　face　shaved　as　smooth　as　his　hand；　a　ring　of　iron；　with　a　long　stake　bowed　like　a　sickle；　riveted　to　his　neck；　and　he　was　scantily　clad　in　goat's　skin。　　There　were　many　other　slaves；　but　Smith　being　the　last；　was　treated　like　a　dog；　and　made　the　slave　of　slaves。

The　geographer　is　not　able　to　follow　Captain　Smith　to　Nalbrits。　Perhaps　Smith　himself　would　have　been　puzzled　to　make　a　map　of　his　own　career　after　he　left　Varna　and　passed　the　Black　Sea　and　came　through　the　straits　of　Niger　into　the　Sea　Disbacca；　by　some　called　the　Lake　Moetis；　and　then　sailed　some　days　u