‘I myself have consented to the Chimrints wearing turbans, and I regard their actions in the right light, and therefore I repeat that thou hast nothing to fear. Come to me with the man by whom I am sending thee this letter. He is faithful to me and is not the slave of thy enemies, but is the friend of a man who enjoys the special favour of the Government.’
Further on Klügenau again tried to persuade Hadji Murád to come over to him.
‘I did not believe him,’ said Hadji Murád when Lóris-Mélikov had finished reading, ‘and did not go to Klügenau. The chief thing for me was to revenge myself on Akhmet Khan, and that I could not do through the Russians. Then Akhmet Khan surrounded Tselméss and wanted to take me or kill me. I had too few men and could not drive him off, and just then came an envoy with a letter from Shamil promising to help me to defeat and kill Akhmet Khan and making me ruler over the whole of Avaria. I considered the matter for a long time and then went over to Shamil, and from that time I have fought the Russians continually.’
Here Hadji Murád related all his military exploits, of which there were very many and some of which were already familiar to Lóris-Mélikov. All his campaigns and raids had been remarkable for the extraordinary rapidity of his movements and the boldness of his attacks, which were always crowned with success.
‘There never was any friendship between me and Shamil,’ said Hadji Murád at the end of his story, ‘but he feared me and needed me. But it so happened that I was asked who should be Imám after Shamil, and I replied: “He will be Imám whose sword is sharpest!”
‘This was told to Shamil and he wanted to get rid of me. He sent me into Tabasarán. I went, and captured a thousand sheep and three hundred horses, but he said I had not done the right thing and dismissed me from being
‘I will tell him,’ said Lóris-Mélikov.
‘Take pains, try hard!… What is mine is thine, only help me with the prince! I am tied up and the end of the rope is in Shamil’s hands,’ said Hadji Murád concluding his story.
XIV
ON the 20th of December Vorontsóv wrote to Chernyshóv, the Minister of War. The letter was in French:
‘I did not write to you by the last post, dear Prince, as I wished first to decide what we should do with Hadji Murád, and for the last two or three days I have not been feeling quite well.
‘In my last letter I informed you of Hadji Murád’s arrival here. He reached Tiflis on the 8th, and next day I made his acquaintance, and during the following seven or eight days have spoken to him and considered what use we can make of him in the future, and especially what we are to do with him at present, for he is much concerned about the fate of his family, and with every appearance of perfect frankness says that while they are in Shamil’s hands he is paralysed and cannot render us any service or show his gratitude for the friendly reception and forgiveness we have extended to him.
