of the High Porta is such that, if necessary, it is possible to make anchors of silver, ropes of silk scarves, and sails of satin and velvet. Ask me for whatever is missing on any of the ships, and you will get it.’
At these words, says the chronicler, the admiral fell on his knees before the vizier, his hand outstretched, he touched his forehead and palms to the ground and said, ‘I knew that you were the only one who could build the new navy.’
Both Pamuk and I concluded together that this is a real example of a story with a moral to it. Both sides in the conflict allowed their vanity to overwhelm them: the Turks before the battle, and the Europeans after it. And both sides, each in their own way, paid with historical consequences for that weakness. No matter how skilfully and quickly they diluted, diminished and hid those consequences – and however praiseworthy their efforts – they still had to pay the price.
As the Ottoman army’s conquest went forward, the words of the Grand Vizier proved to be absolutely correct. The business of war in that insignificant Auxiliary Unit turned out to be not only quite important, but so much so that the army would not have succeeded without it. There were so many places where they had to get through swamplands or to bridge rivers, reinforce levees, build non-existent ramparts or strengthen existing ones, along with trenches to be dug or filled in. Without the various inventions and quick-thinking of the members of this unit, it was not possible to conquer high barriers or knock down walls. There were all sorts and sizes of apparatuses, tools, ladders, platforms, cannons, self-winding weapons with ammunition of stone, metal balls and incendiary materials, strange carts and battering rams for knocking fortress doors down and myriad other weapons of which Bajica had never heard, much less did he know what they were used for. Yet, above all, it turned out that the soldiers in these units actually showed exceptional courage as well, because they were often sent ahead of the battle troops, and sometimes covered the rear during retreats. They were never left by themselves, of course; they were protected by the other units, but these ‘thinkers’ went after the enemy with equal fervour and bravery.
This was also Bajica’s first impression of Sinan, who constantly gathered information from the other apprentices and craftsmen, giving ideas and applying them immediately if possible, and at the same time going into battle at times, more to defend his companions or their inventions than to attack. When it was necessary, he was quick in offering his thoughts and quick to act, but he was mellow and peaceable when at rest and in conversation with Mehmed. Mehmed in turn, questioned him about his memories of Belgrade from five years ago, about his plans, about his hometown, his family and his background. Sinan’s stability pleased him because it was a quality he lacked (and not just because he was so much younger). And Sinan had an explanation for this certainty of his., since he had been brought up in a village inhabited by purely Greek Orthodox Christians, but which was set in the middle of an Anatolian region with an Ottoman population. Even though he was born on that soil, it did not free him from the destiny that also happened to Bajica, who had been brought in from a conquered land. Even though he belonged to the Ottomans by the very fact that he lived within the empire, he was taken from home by force, just like one of the infidels. So judgment was passed on the background of his blood, not the land.
At one moment, Sinan thought that, as he was evaluating young Mehmed, he was using the same measure of blood and (former) religion, but he quickly changed his mind: of course this had some influence on a deeper consideration of a possible new friendship, but it was not the crucial thing. Above all, he liked the candour that Bajica showed toward him from the very beginning. Understandably, in the chaos of war the young man had come across someone who had experience in battle, in fear and sadness, but also in living with the issues of an unstable background of body and soul. It was thus natural that this insecure and confused young man should stick close by him. Then again, it was clear to Sinan that this confusion was caused by the chaos that the conquest brought with itself, and that it was not one of Mehmed’s normal qualities. To a great degree war is, among other things, made up of sounds; from the reports of guns, the thunder of cannons, the chopping of trees and meat with sharp blades, battle cries, death wails, the clattering of horses’ hooves, the pounding of drums, gentle pipe notes and brassy trumpet sounds, rarely those of a song, the barked orders of the commanders and the quiet prayers to the Almighty in solitude. Mixed in with this are the sounds of nature: rain pouring down or a thunderstorm, the popping of a campfire and the roar of wildfire, the babbling of brooks, the rumbling of bridges and ships on flooded rivers and the waves of the sea. Defeat shatters these sounds, and victory raises them into a harmonious melody.
Still, sounds could not be the deciding factor in a friendship.
The essence of attraction between people evaded clear explanation.
Finding himself more and more often near Sinan, Bajica began to take the difficulties of the conquest more easily. He met ever more people who had lived through his current fate before him, and who managed to survive its difficulties by carrying out their duties. Now they seemed to him to be quite at peace with themselves. On the march toward Osijek he saw hundreds if not thousands of Cherahors and Armatoles, and they had a calming effect on him. Government under the Cherahors seemed to be completely stable even though it was composed exclusively from military units formed of the local population from the frontier provinces of the Ottoman Empire. All of them Christians, most of them were craftsmen of all sorts: masons, carpenters, blacksmiths. They were the indispensable and the most important. All the others were in the support lines. But altogether, they actually maintained the army. In addition, work was also done by the inhabitants of the surrounding villages, but also by the Ottoman soldiers when it was necessary. Most of the work included the building and repair of fortifications, bridges and roads, but also logging, clearing swamps, digging trenches and the transportation of military supplies. The Cherahors were paid and given tax breaks, although they were brought in by command, almost by force. Bajica found it strange that he occasionally heard Serbian being spoken without any kind of reserve or attempt to hide it.
He was further comforted when he got to meet a few of the military commanders. Among them were those who had kept their Serbian names and religion, and all that went with those characteristics, and there were also others who had been converted.
One of the leaders of the Armatoles, Christian units that were mainly left behind to man conquered strategic places, was the river fleet commander Petar Ovčarević. With his attitude, courage and lack of hesitation, he left a powerful impression on Bajica. Bajica knew about his position in the defence of Belgrade from the Turks in 1521, his retreat when all hope had been lost, and that he had later received an invitation from his former enemy, the Sultan himself, to personally gather up the disbanded river fleet and to be their commander in service to Suleiman. Long before including him in this conquest five years later, the Sultan had honoured him by sending him the invitation and permission to move to Belgrade with his river fleet, and he had even named the part of town where they settled after him – the Ovčar-oglu mahala (district). Ovčarević explained to Bajica and Sinan without hesitation that he felt completely justified by the whole undertaking: he was hired for money and privileges, he was still a Serb by background, religion and name, and he was participating in, as he said, ‘safeguarding Belgrade, momentarily besieged, but always Serbian’. Bajica interpreted his courage in saying this to be bravery on the sailor’s part: the Sultan and the Grand Vizier might have laughed at his impudence, but they did not argue with his right to think that way. Above all, they admired his proven daily heroism, which was more important to them than his bravado. After all, thousands of Serbs who had placed themselves in the service of the Ottoman Empire listened to him. It made no difference if that was temporary, forced shrewdness or some other calculation. He was a man who maintained his oath to the Empire on his word alone. That is why they respected his other words as well.
It was also here that Bajica met the sons of the famous Jahja-pasha from the Jahjapašić family: Bali-bey, Ahmed-bey and Gazi Mehmed-pasha. All three of them were known as
