The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1917-04-26
NOUREDDIN BEY'SS SACRIFICE



cutioner raised his blade. Then
rushed in between, and. on my knees,
begged the Sultan, by memory Of my
service, to spare the Christians life.
"The Sultan looked at me sternly.
You. too, are a Christian dog?' he
asked. And I weeping, denied it, but
pleaded for my friends life as the
greatest gift that my lord could be-
stow on me.
"The Sultan waved the executioner
away and turned to me. Then he
said, smiling bitterly, yours shall be
the hand that shall strike this dogs
head from his body. Choose now,
either strike him or die with him
Then my friend, raising his calm
eyes to mine, said: Strike, friend,
and fear nothing. For I shall die
in virtue and my own salvation is
sure; but if you die-who knows?'
And IL smote his head from his
shoulders as he had hidden me-"
The recollection seemed to agitate
the ambassador even now, for his
voice shook with emotion in the tell
ign Of it. Then Emmanuel said:
Perhaps somewhere on earth he
is living, now Monsieur"
The other made gesture Of hope
lessness.
"How should know him?" he
asked. would fate bring us to-
gether?"
Perhaps" answered Emmanuel
Perhaps you will yet meet. He may
be born to you as son, or come in
some guise hard to pierce, yet posi-
BILE, if you watch keenly."
Noueddin Bey smiled and shook
himself, as though to shake away the
weakness that had overcome him.
Perhaps" he answered, in a tone
that indicated his desire to dismiss
the subject.
"And yet" continued Emmanuel,
there is this danger-this terrible
danger. If you do not take care your
story may repeat itself. 1t is a way
things have. You know the wheel
that has once made a rut is apt to
traverse it again; after that it Is still
more likely to do so as the rut grows
deeper Then it requires intelligence
and foresight to avoid the rut. So
there are ruts in the soul, Monsieur.
Beware that you do not kill your dear
est friend in this life, too, for next
time it will be doubly hard"
That ended the strange conversa-
ton. Half an hour later the ambas-
sador took his leave. On the next
Friday Emmanuel sailed for Calais,
en- route for Greece, and soon after
1 was called back to America. l hard
ly hoped to meet the Doctor again for
years to come. He, knew, was I'M
likely to revisit America, and Greece
was the last country in the world that
I thought was likely to visit.
How strange are the changes of
circumstances! Less than eight
months afterward the Balkan war
broke out and l WAS asked to lend
my services to the Red Cross expedi-
ton organized in America to serve
with the Greek army. We sailed from
New York for the Piraeus and fol-
lowed the victorious Hellenic armies
northward toward Salonica. There
learned that DR.. Emmanuel was In
charge of the Greek Red Cross serv-
ice at little town not twenty miles
westward of my own station. The
Greeks were holding large force OF
Turks at bay, and the constant fight
ing required the unremitting atten-
ton and care of the Red Cross medi-
cal arm.
took the opportunity to pay visit
to Immanuel's headquarters. I found
the Red Cross station, but the Doctor
was not there. He had ridden out
the day before, was told, aft a
skirmish, to treat the wounded, both
Greek and Turkish, who lay here and
and stretcher bearers with wagons
had accompanied him. Upon the field
was a small, badly organized Turkish
Red Crescent band Of half-trained
doctors from the school at CONSTANT
nople. His work done, DR.. Immanuel
had volunteered to enter the Turkish
camp with this organization in order
to render aid to some wounded men
there. He had not returned.
This was likely to be my only
chance of meeting my old friend and
SO / resolved to enter the Turkish
camp Also In war time a physician
is immune against injury: even half
civilized foes respect his profession.
l anticipated no difficulty, for / wore
the Red Cross bandage upon my arm,
and actually found none. The Turk
ish outposts-surly, ill-favored fellows
though they were-understood my po-
sition and took me to their command
er. / waited perhaps two minutes at
his headquarters; then there strobe
out, lingering my card, no less a per-
son than rIoureddin Bey himself.
Our meeting was not really strange,
for upon the outbreak of the war he
had been recalled by his government
to take active service in the held.
But at the time it overwhelmed me
with amazement, and I had sudden
sense of impending tragedy, as though
fate had brought US three together
again to officiate at some dreadful
drama.
General Noureddin Bey knew me at
once and was hardly less surprised.
But the first glance at his face con-
vinced me that my fears were we'll
founded.
Doctor Immanuel?" I asked, and
explained hastily the purpose OF my
mission.