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Page 25 text:
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Aimee Dubue de Rivery Aimee Dubue de Rivery. Few people have heard the name; fewer history books contain the name. Aimee Dubue de Rivery was born on a Martinique sugar plantation near the plantation where Josephine Tascher de la Pagerie was born. Both girls were born in 1763. The parents of each were French of pure and noble birth. Aimee’s striking blond beauty was to raise her from a Martin¬ ique sugar plantation to the throne of Turkey. As children the two girls were very good friends. When Aimee was thirteen she was separated from Josephine and sent oif to France to complete her educ¬ ation in a convent at Nantes. For eight years she remained there, prevented from visiting her native island by the wars raging between France and Eng¬ land. But at last, in 1784, when Aimee was twenty-one, now an arrestingly beautiful young woman with pale gold hair, she started for home which she had not seen for so long a time. Aimee did not reach Martinique, nor did she ever see it again. Her ship was set upon by Algerian Corsairs, a fierce race of pirates which inhabited the Med¬ iterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean. Among the captives Aimee stood out at once; the Co rsair Captain, real¬ izing that he had found a rare prize, de¬ livered her over to the Dey of Algiers himself. The Dey happened to be under great obligation to the Turkish Sultan for money and munitions. In this beautiful Christian captive he saw a chance not only to pay back, but to win for himself new and special favours from the cap¬ ital. So Aimee was taken to the Sultan. The Sultan took one look at her—and his heart stood still. He had a score of wives already, but they were mostly un¬ tutored hour is. This girl could read and write. She had come from the great world. In fact, she was by far the most intelligent wife he had ever had. Aimee immediately became the Sult¬ an ' s favourite, and in due time bore him a blond son. She had long since given up hope of escape, all hope of ever seeing Martin¬ ique and Josephine again. Meanwhile Josephine was having a few adventures of her own. She had married Vicomte de Reauharnois and borne him two children. But during the French Revolution her husband went to the guillotine. Not long after, she marr¬ ied again, this time a wild young genius from Corsica named Napoleon Bona¬ parte, six years her junior. Her husband was winning one military victory after another for France, and as his wife she was receiving honour equally with him. But Aimee found herself even more occupied. Here the question of royal succession had arisen. She and her son Hahmoud, who was the third in line, were becoming involved in deadly intr¬ igues that seemed to be the natural ord¬ er of things in Turkish seraglios. The first and second Princes were sworn en¬ emies. and their respective mothers even more hostile. Each mother tried to pois¬ on her rival’s child, to undermine the other’s influence by fair means or foul. Aimee had the best wits of the three. Consequently she managed to keep her son away from the poison cups being handed around. The Sultan died in 1789, and Prince Selim, the rightful heir, succeeded to the throne. The mother of the second in Page Twenty
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Page 26 text:
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BLUE AND WHITE line succeeded in dethroning Prince Se¬ lim, and having Mustapha crowned. This angered a certain faction of Turks. They stormed the harem to murder Musta¬ pha and replace Selim. Meanwhile Mus- tapha’s mother was rushing assassins to slay both Selim and Hahmoud. Mah¬ moud escaped by way of the roof but Selim and Mustapha were killed. At last Aimee had command. Now the Hah¬ moud was Sultan she became his en¬ tire ministry. Because Aimee was French, Mahmoud threw all his political weight towards France in that counrty’s wars against the rest of Europe. French officers train¬ ed his army. French seamen manned his warships. French gunners drove off the British fleet from Constantinople. French fashions, French schools, the French language displaced existing Tur¬ kish ones. i This curious stiuation lasted until 1 1809. Then suddenly the dramatic news 1 came from Paris. Napoleon had divorced 3 Josephine! 0 Aimee became resentful. Napoleon would pay for this. Aimee had been a s secret ally who gloried in his glory. • ' Well, that was ended. All she had done d for him she would now do against him, r and revenge her cousin. In 1812 she e perceived, with a far-seeing vision that was inspired, that her opportunity to •e strike was at hand, al For some months Russia had been at n War with Turkey and had a major part e, of its army in Turkish territory. Nap- r- oleon chose this moment to make his d- celebrated march on Moscow. He offered e Mahmoud extravagant rewards in re- n- turn for even more vigorous action a- an gainst the Russians, is- Mahmoud promised nothing. But the he day Napoleon’s army left Dresden head- ul. ed for Russia, the Sultan signed a sec- ie. ret treaty of peace with the Czar giving er him everything for which he asked. The ng treaty released fifty thousand Russian veterans, who at once started north to ice cut the French lines of communication h e to Paris. : n Battle after battle was fought. Thou¬ sands of men perished on both sides. When at last Napoleon did reach Mos¬ cow, over two-thirds of his forces were gone. Moscow had been deserted and he cap¬ tured the deserted city. He had hardly made himself at home ready to spend the winter preparing for further con¬ quests in the spring when Moscow was set on fire by the Russians themselves. And now came the last, the final blow. On September 30, a messenger reached Napoleon’s headquarters with the dis¬ astrous news that fifty thousand Russ¬ ian holdiers, supposedly in Rumania, had appeared four hundred miles west of Moscow, cut the French supply line, and established themselves on the west bank of the Beresind River waiting. Why had the Turks, apparently his staunchest allies, played so treacherous¬ ly ? He never thought to look to Joseph¬ ine’s cousin Aimee for the answer. Aimee received no public official oth¬ er than her son, but through him she ruled Turkey. If the release of the Russian army w ' as Aimee’s strategy—and who can doubt it?—the move succeeded beyond her wildest hopes. One hundred thousand French sold¬ iers retreated from Moscow. The mer¬ est handful of Napoleon’s followers broke through at Beresina River. Nap¬ oleon himself escaped capture only by a fluke. Aimee—and Josephine—were aveng¬ ed. AMY WILLSON. A Rainy Day Puddles brown, and dripping leaves, Raindrops dancing everywhere, Water gushing over eaves, Bright umbrellas here and there. Diamonds of crystal bright Falling from the moody clouds, Ev’ry one a playful sprite Dropping on unguarded crowds. Suddenly the sun shines through The clouds, now rising high, And there, in all its promise true, Smiles a rainbow in the sky. LOIS JACKSON. Page Twenty-one
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