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CHAPTER XIV.
Entering Sivas—A city of past greatness—An Armenian migration—
Seljiik colleges— Sivas and Kussian wars—Road and railway centre
—The Crooked Bridge—The difficulties of a Vali— Forty banished
pashas — British military consuls - American mission — Armenian
Monastery of St Nishan — The Armenian Bishop of Sivas — The
Bishop's tradition of Timur.
At Soyutlu in the morning I had misgivings, for the
sun rose into a slit of cold green sky between distant
mountain-ridge and a canopy of angry cloud. Such
a bar of jade -green sky is called a sign of snow
in these parts, and snow was about, sure enough,
for as I left the khan a few vagrant flakes came
drifting down. So I had come to snow at last
after all this fine weather ! If only it would hold
off till I had covered a hundred and fifty miles more,
how well I should be pleased ! That stage would
carry me to Kaisariyeh, into country where winter
was always less severe ; but it was also the stage
where snow might be deepest and most dangerous.
After enjoying fine weather so long I seemed to
have been caught by winter just when escape came
into view.
The morning cleared somewhat as I went, and
snow held off, but I found new interest in anything
that could be thought a weather token. I watched
the clouds as I had never watched clouds before.
They seemed too high for snow. And when a lark
went up singing blithely, I saw in it an omen of
clear days to continue.