“Impossible!” said the Governor of Kirk Kilise. He and his staff insisted that it couldn’t be done. They all agreed that it was wise to say no. They then asked, politely, why I wanted to go near the Bulgarian border. I explained that I didn’t want to take the same route back and wanted to see more of the country. I could see that they thought I was lying. Although they didn’t say it out loud, they clearly thought I was a spy. They believed I had been sent by the British Government, which they thought was too friendly with Bulgaria and not enough with Turkey, to secretly gather information about the revolution.
Warnings and Concerns
The Turks were very polite, bowing to me and assuring me they would do everything they could to help. But, still, they insisted it was impossible. They warned me that there were dangerous Bulgarian brigands in the area. These brigands were very wicked people. I said I was willing to take my chances. The Turks then told me that just the previous week, the brigands had captured a Greek merchant and were likely torturing him, maybe gouging out his eyes or cutting off his ears. Despite their warnings, I was still determined to go Natural History Museum.
No Roads, No Way
The Turks shrugged and told me that no one in Kirk Kilise knew the way. I pointed out that Turkish soldiers speak good Turkish and could ask for directions. But they said there were no proper roads. I suggested we could follow the mountain paths. They told me the horses couldn’t climb the steep mountain passes. “Then we will walk and lead the horses,” I said. The Turks sighed and seemed to accept my decision, though they remained unconvinced.
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