defying and confounding European statesmanship.

The first thing we hear of this young Othman is that he fell in love. The
beautiful "moon-faced" maiden was the daughter of a learned Doctor of
Laws, who scorned the idea of giving his daughter to this obscure young
person.

But Othman had a dream, which changed all that. He dreamed that a full
moon came from the doctor's breast and sank into his own. Immediately a
great outspreading tree arose from his loins, and over it hung a crescent
moon. Suddenly a great wind came and dashed the Crescent over against the
Cross and the Crown of Constantine, and broke it into pieces.

So the moon-faced maiden was given to Othman just one hundred and seventy
years before the Crescent did break the Crown of Constantine in pieces.

Etrogruhl's clan grew apace; and so did his territory: the one by
accessions from other wandering Turkish tribes, and the other by extending
it by force as he had a chance. Then the Sultan of Iconium died, and his
land and authority were divided among ten states, of which Etrogruhl's was
one. So now he was an independent ruler with none to call him to account.

In the mean time his son Othman had developed great ability as a warrior
and as a leader. He had met the armies of the Byzantine Emperor, and had
defeated them, and had captured fortresses and cities. And the Emperor
from the roof of his palace at Constantinople had seen across the
Bosphorus the smoke of his burning towns and villages. So when his father
died and Othman came into his inheritance, he found himself the ruler of a
powerful and inspiring state, and the Ottoman Empire had commenced its
extraordinary career of conquest.