Mackey – Encyclopedia Of Freemasonry Vol. 1

THE HETAIRIA 155Bucharest, together with his officers and soldiers, and theirheads were sent to Constantinople .540 . Georgakis' Death.-Georgakis and Farmakis, thebravest and truest leaders of the insurgents, remained .They were determined not to entrust their lives either toAustrian protection or Turkish pity, and therefore againmade their way into Moldavia . Georgakis, who was ill,had to be carried on a litter . During the long and painfulmarch the number of his followers was reduced to threehundred and fifty. The peasants everywhere betrayed tothe Turks in pursuit every one of his movements, and evenbefore reaching the Moldavian frontier he was surroundedon all sides . Moreover, he was imprudent enough to takerefuge in a cul-de-sac, by fortifying the monastery of Sekko,which, with but one outlet, is situate in a deep gorge .However, on the 17th September, he successfully drove backthe first attack of the Turkish vanguard, and his confidenceincreased. He was, moreover, induced by a treacherousletter of the Greek bishop, Romanos, not to allow thetreasures of the monastery to fall into Turkish hands, toprolong his stay . This decision proved fatal to the remnantof the Hetairia . On the loth September, four thousandTurks, led by Roumanian peasants on hitherto unknownpaths, made their appearance in the rear of the monastery,traversing the Greek lines of defence, and cutting off thedefenders of the monastery, placed at the entrance of thegorge, from their comrades . Farmakis threw himself intothe main building of the monastery, while Georgakis, witheleven companions, took refuge in the bell-tower. TheTurks set fire to piles of wood close to it . "I shall diein the flames ; fly, if you choose, I open you the door ! " theintrepid chief exclaimed ; at the same time he threw downthe door, flung a firebrand into the powder-stores, and inthis way buried the Turks who had forced their way in, andten of his companions, in the ruins . Only one of the Greeksescaped, as if by a miracle .541 . Farmakis' Death .-Farmakis held the monastery foreleven days longer, after which time his ammunition andstores of food were exhausted. On the 4th October heagreed to a favourable capitulation, which the Pasha ofBraila and the Austrian Consul (!) guaranteed . The besiegedwere promised an honourable free marching off withtheir arms . But in the night, before the conclusion of thetreaty, thirty-three of Farmakis' soldiers-two hundred altogether-madetheir escape, because they did not trust the