Page:Islam, Turkey, and Armenia, and How They Happened.djvu/110

104 sleeper fancied that he saw a tree sprouting from his own body, which grew rapidly in size and foliage till it covered with its branches the three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa. Beneath this tree four huge mountains raised their snowy tops, from the sides of which came four rivers, the Tigris, Euphrates, Danube and Nile. Through the avenues of the valleys were seen cities adorned with domes, towers and minarets; the crescent gleamed on every spire, and from every minaret was heard the voice of the muezzin, the Mohametan crier to worship, and these voices mingled with the notes of thousands of nightingales and other singing birds. Suddenly the branches and leaves of the tree assumed a glittering, sabre-like aspect, and moved by the breeze towards Constantinople. That capital of the world, placed at the junction of two seas and two continents, seemed like a precious diamond in a ring between two sapphires and emeralds. Osman was about to celebrate his marriage with the Byzantine city by placing the ring upon his finger when he awoke.

5. Janissaries, the Furious Turkish Soldiers. Owing to the decayed condition of the Byzantine (Greek) empire, the Turks marched westward, and beginning with Nicomedia, gradually enlarged their dominion. In the year 1354 they crossed the strait of Dardanelles and set foot upon the soil of Europe. This was the first invasion any Tartaric or Turkish sovereign gained over this continent, and was also a preparation for the capture of Constantinople. This occurred at the time of Sultan Orchan's reign.