“This was indeed a terrible and hellish night—an inconceivable catastrophe. Dracula’s ten thousand sentinels gathered their forces and attacked what they believed to be the location of Mehmed II’s tent, then continued to press onward, slaughtering and crushing sleeping Turks beneath their armor-clad horses. But Dracula was mistaken about one thing. The route he followed crossed the tents of Grand Viziers Mahmut Pisa and Ishak Pisa, not Mehmed II; and Turkish soldiers were not the type of people who would easily succumb to the terror of a raid. Enraged by Dracula’s audacity but also ashamed that they showed sufficient carelessness to be targeted by a raid, such Turkish beys as Morea Governor Ömer Bey, the son of Turhan Bey; Ahmet Bey, the son of Evranus; Ali Bey, the son of Köse Mihal; Iskender Bey, the son of Malkoç Bey; and Ali Bey of the Köse Mihal Bey family stood against the enemy with drawn swords, feeling no need to wear their armor. In the dark of night, an unprecedented, epic battle erupted and lasted until morning. It was not easy to finish Dracula’s ten thousand armored sentinels who had sworn to kill and be killed. As the sun rose, the Impaler Voivode’s ten thousand heroes fell lifeless to the ground. However, there was almost always a Turk lying near each one. Let me tell you this: the monster Dracula was not among those bodies; he broke his oath to his comrades in arms as he always did, left his devoted company, and ran away.
“Although he was cunning, Dracula was not courageous, selfless, nor a true hero willing to die for his honor. I will give you one more example to illustrate his bloody and insidious nature:
“Mehmed II sent this man a group of envoys to offer rapprochement. This group was made up of three Turkish beys. When the envoys approached Dracula’s hall door, the guards told them to uncover their heads and remove their turbans. These Turks, our brave fathers who bequeathed this country to us with their blood, their swords, and their unwavering heads as a source of eternal pride and sacred value…”
As he spoke these words, Doctor Resuhî Bey lifted his beautiful, courageous head, covered with white hair, which expressed his sober fortitude, and his hands trembled. His wide face and forehead, which always looked a little pale, now became red and flushed with the fire of national pride. We all listened with a sense of awe and peace, like a prophet receiving a divine revelation.
Except for Turan and Özdemir Beys; these beautiful and heroic specimens of Turkishness stood up, unable to help themselves. I will never forget the state of these two young Turks for the rest of my life. Two figures, two faces, and two expressions that the most renowned sculptors would not be able to chance upon for years!
Doctor Resuhî Bey continued:
“Yes, our brave fathers could not believe the request made by the Impaler Voivode’s commander of the guard when they heard it. Their faces filled with anger, but one of them kept his composure and said:
“ ‘Look, this request of yours is unfair on three grounds. First, we are Turkish, and the representatives of the Turkish Hakan; your master is the Hakan’s vassal. That is why we cannot uncover our heads. Second, uncovering one’s head is not an act of respect for Turks. There are gestures that are equivalent; we know them and we will do what is required of us. Third, above all we are ambassadors, and it would be wrong to force us to do something. Go and tell this to your master…’
“At that moment, a second and younger envoy interrupted:
“ ‘Look; does your master not know that we do not uncover our heads even in the presence of our sultan; indeed that we even enter the presence of Allah with our heads covered? Envoys who are subjects of our Hakan will not uncover their heads!’
“Dracula was, of course, listening to this argument at the door from inside. In fact, he had arranged it. He knew well that Turks would never uncover their heads in his presence. After listening to the argument for some time, he asked for his private guard and instructed him to admit the Turkish envoys as they were. The three envoys with covered heads entered. With the smile of a venomous snake, a viper, upon his face, Dracula sat upon his divan. When the Turks reached the middle of the hall, he roared:
“ ‘Uncover your heads!’
“Unsurprisingly, the three envoys did not heed this order, and they refused. My friends, then a horrifying scene unfolded that has never before been witnessed in history. This scene was not merely horrifying. It also illustrated the Turkish fortitude and Turkish national honor and dignity, and it had a quality brighter than the stars of the universe and higher than the seven layers of the skies.
“Dracula, the Wallachian prince, and our present enemy of four and a half centuries, who has crawled to us through the passages of time, screamed like a hyena:
“ ‘If,’ he said, ‘these Turks love their turbans so much, then nail them to their heads!’
“This was no empty threat. At that moment, guards stepped forward and seized the Turkish men. A group of executioners with one-and-a-half-span-long barge spikes and iron mallets entered the room. Dracula rose, approached the head of the envoy group, and repeated:
“ ‘Remove your turban!’
“The heroic Turkish bey to whom these words were addressed displayed, in spite of his restraint, a sad smile which drove Dracula mad. Then he screamed:
“ ‘Strike!’
“Two newly forged nails, held at his right and left temples, were driven into that unwavering head with strokes of the mallets, producing rose-colored fountains of blood that graced the Turkish bey’s turban. Then, my friends, the first of these three Turks—the names of whom history, unfortunately, did not entrust to our hearts—fell upon both knees like a glorious, faithful minaret that wanes after finishing its sacred and noble life, instead of turning upside-down in a storm, and fulfilled his final duty to the Turkish nation.”
At this point in his speech Doctor Resuhî Bey, this great scholar and teacher, this unique person, this pinnacle of science, enlightenment, and the nation suddenly grew silent. He appeared lost in the glorious history of his country, forgetful of our present situation. He sat down in the chair near him, thrilled and exhausted. We all felt as though he was not with us. He was four and a half centuries away, in the year 366 of the Hegira calendar, and he was with that Turkish bey onto whose head Dracula nailed his turban. No, he was not with him; he was in his soul, in his pain, and in his sorrow—but also in his pride and glory. And this patriotism gripped us all and spirited us away to that mecca of national pride, that miracle of honor, and made us kneel down before it.
I can say that the peace and silent awe that filled the room have not been greater or more sublime in any temple of any religion since the dawn of religion itself.
As though searching for the sharp knives they used against Greeks, Turan and Özdemir Beys looked about them and suddenly said:
“And then?”
Doctor Resuhî Bey rose from his chair and said:
“Gentlemen, why do you ask what happened next? Is there any need to elucidate? The two remaining envoys were Turks as well. Obviously they were given the same ultimatum. They replied bravely as Turks, and one after another, spikes nailed through their brains—brains that were sources of ideals and valor—they died; or rather, they were reborn to live forever. My friends, even though it has nothing to do with our business here, I wish to tell you something. The essence of this unprecedented, legendary event—akin to Roman bravery, and which would make Rome’s own Gaius Mucius Scaevola kneel in respect—did not stem from religious faith, which is considered the most powerful of feelings. These three Turkish men who made up the group of envoys knew very well that there is one condition in our religious principles: if your enemy takes you prisoner, and you will not change your religion or will not comply with their demands, and it is certain that they will kill you, then you may appear to submit to this coercion, provided that you keep your moral opinion secret. However, the case before us was not as serious or fundamental as changing a religion; it was merely uncovering one’s head, which has no logical or religious significance. But if that is so, then why did these three brave Turks not attempt to take advantage their religion’s leniency? Because national pride and the Turkish honor were on the line. Who could doubt the future of nations that hold an unwavering faith in their pride, honor, and nationality? The thing we call ‘the ideal’ is this faith that we wish to inspire in our youth. It is that faith of national pride that transcended the borders of this monster Dracula’s lands, whose undead form we will fight; and it is that faith that made it possible for us to pass through the country of the Teutons, considered the most warlike race and still feared by the world, and allowed the Turkish front lines to see the icy and misty Baltic Sea.”
At these words, which sent a thrill through us, Doctor Resuhî Bey suddenly stopped. There were beads of sweat at his temples. He returned to his senses with a motion that looked as though he were attempting to wake from a deep sleep, and he said:
“I think I became overly excited. My intention was to explain the goals of the mission ahead of us and the characteristics of the creature. Yes, the enemy before us is a calculating creature, as I have said. We must determine the method of attack and plan our battle accordingly. We know from the notes in our friend Azmi Bey’s journal that fifty crates were prepared in Dracula’s castle in Transylvania and delivered by a shipping company to properties that Dracula has purchased by mail. This soil is the fortress of the vampire. In these graves he will lay immobile during the day. These shelters will now be found in different places throughout Istanbul. And aside from the mansion bought through another company, we know of only one of these places. We must capture this monster in one of these graves during daylight, as we did with Sadan, and destroy him. Or, even if we cannot find him, we must make the soil unusable so that we may capture him in the evening or at night in his own form, wandering with nowhere to go. Is it not strange, my friends? We shall prevent a monster, who centuries ago did not tire of drinking Turkish blood, from drinking Turkish blood in Istanbul; and we shall destroy him who could not be destroyed by the armies of any nation. Who would believe it? My God, is it even possible to believe it?”
The doctor ended his speech with those words, which he said almost to himself. Then he turned his aides and said:
“Gentlemen, get to work!”