’Evenso。Hewasagoodmanandmywife’scousin，andnowI
havenoengineer。OnlyafoolofaboyfromHamburg。Ihavejustcomefromwiringtomyownersforafreshman，butevenifhecomesbythequickesttrainhewillscarcelyovertakeusbeforeViennaorevenBuda。’
Isawlightatlast。
’Wewillgotogether，’Isaid，’andcancelthatwire。Forbehold，HerrCaptain，Iamanengineer，andwillgladlykeepaneyeonyourboilerstillwegettoRustchuk。’
Helookedatmedoubtfully。
’Iamspeakingtruth，’Isaid。’BeforethewarIwasanengineerinDamaraland。Miningwasmybranch，butIhadagoodgeneraltraining，andIknowenoughtorunariver—boat。Havenofear。I
promiseyouIwillearnmypassage。’
Hisfacecleared，andhelookedwhathewas，anhonest，good—
humouredNorthGermanseaman。
’CometheninGod’sname，’hecried，’andwewillmakeabargain。Iwillletthetelegraphsleep。IrequireauthorityfromtheGovernmenttotakeapassenger，butIneednonetoengageanewengineer。’
Hesentoneofthehandsbacktothevillagetocancelhiswire。
IntenminutesIfoundmyselfonboard，andtenminuteslaterwewereoutinmid—streamandourtowswerelumberingintoline。
Coffeewasbeingmadereadyinthecabin，andwhileIwaitedforitIpickedupthecaptain’sbinocularsandscannedtheplaceIhadleft。
Isawsomecuriousthings。OnthefirstroadIhadstruckonleavingthecottagethereweremenonbicyclesmovingrapidly。
Theyseemedtowearuniform。Onthenextparallelroad，theonethatranthroughthevillage，Icouldseeothers。Inoticed，too，thatseveralfiguresappearedtobebeatingtheinterveningfields。
Stumm’scordonhadgotbusyatlast，andIthankedmystarsthatnotoneofthevillagershadseenme。Ihadnotgotawaymuchtoosoon，forinanotherhalf—hourhewouldhavehadme。
CHAPTERNINE
TheReturnoftheStragglerBeforeIturnedinthateveningIhaddonesomegoodhours’workintheengine—room。Theboatwasoil—fired，andinveryfairorder，somydutiesdidnotlookasiftheywouldbeheavy。Therewasnobodywhocouldbeproperlycalledanengineer;only，besidesthefurnace—men，acoupleofladsfromHamburgwhohadbeenayearagoapprenticesinaship—buildingyard。Theywerecivilfellows，bothofthemconsumptive，whodidwhatItoldthemandsaidlittle。Bybedtime，ifyouhadseenmeinmybluejumper，apairofcarpetslippers，andaflatcap—allthepropertyofthedeceasedWalter—youwouldhaveswornIhadbeenbredtothefiringofriver—boats，whereasIhadacquiredmostofmyknowledgeononerundowntheZambesi，whentheproperengineergotdrunkandfelloverboardamongthecrocodiles。
Thecaptain—theycalledhimSchenk—wasoutofhisbearingsinthejob。HewasaFrisianandafirst—classdeep—waterseaman，but，sinceheknewtheRhinedelta，andbecausetheGermanmercantilemarinewaslaidontheicetilltheendofwar，theyhadturnedhimontothisshow。Hewasboredbythebusiness，anddidn’tunderstanditverywell。Theriverchartspuzzledhim，andthoughitwasprettyplaingoingforhundredsofmiles，yethewasinaperpetualfidgetaboutthepilotage。YoucouldseethathewouldhavebeenfarmoreinhiselementsmellinghiswaythroughtheshoalsoftheEmsmouth，orbeatingagainstanortheasterintheshallowBaltic。Hehadsixbargesintow，buttheheavyfloodoftheDanubemadeitaneasyjobexceptwhenitcametogoingslow。
Thereweretwomenoneachbarge，whocameaboardeverymorningtodrawrations。Thatwasafunnybusiness，forweneverlaytoifwecouldhelpit。Therewasadinghybelongingtoeachbarge，andthemenusedtorowtothenextandgetaliftinthatbarge’sdinghy，andsoforth。Sixmenwouldappearinthedinghyofthebargenearestusandcarryoffsuppliesfortherest。ThemenweremostlyFrisians，slow—spoken，sandy—hairedlads，verylikethebreedyoustrikeontheEssexcoast。
ItwasthefactthatSchenkwasreallyadeep—watersailor，andsoanovicetothejob，thatmademegetonwithhim。Hewasagoodfellowandquitewillingtotakeahint，sobeforeIhadbeentwenty—
fourhoursonboardhewastellingmeallhisdifficulties，andIwasdoingmybesttocheerhim。Anddifficultiescamethick，becausethenextnightwasNewYear’sEve。
IknewthatthatnightwasaseasonofgaietyinScotland，butScotlandwasn’tinitwiththeFatherland。EvenSchenk，thoughhewasinchargeofvaluablestoresandwasvoyagingagainsttime，wasquiteclearthatthemenmusthavepermissionforsomekindofbeano。justbeforedarknesswecameabreastafair—sizedtown，whosenameIneverdiscovered，anddecidedtolietoforthenight。
Thearrangementwasthatonemanshouldbeleftonguardineachbarge，andtheothergetfourhours’leaveashore。Thenhewouldreturnandrelievehisfriend，whoshouldproceedtodothesamething。Iforesawthattherewouldbesomefunwhenthefirstbatchreturned，butIdidnotdaretoprotest。IwasdesperatelyanxioustogetpasttheAustrianfrontier，forIhadahalf—notionwemightbesearchedthere，butSchenktookhis_SylvesterabendbusinesssoseriouslythatIwouldhaveriskedarowifIhadtriedtoargue。
TheupshotwaswhatIexpected。Wegotthefirstbatchaboardaboutmidnight，blindtotheworld，andtheothersstraggledinatallhoursnextmorning。Istucktotheboatforobviousreasons，butnextdayitbecametooserious，andIhadtogoashorewiththecaptaintotryandroundupthestragglers。Wegotthemallinbuttwo，andIaminclinedtothinkthesetwohadnevermeanttocomeback。IfIhadasoftjoblikeariver—boatIshouldn’tbeinclinedtorunawayinthemiddleofGermanywiththecertaintythatmybestfatewouldbetobescoopedupforthetrenches，butyourFrisianhasnomoreimaginationthanahaddock。Theabsenteeswerebothwatchmenfromthebarges，andIfancythemonotonyofthelifehadgotontheirnerves。
Thecaptainwasinaragingtemper，forhewasshort—handedtobeginwith。Hewouldhavestartedapress—gang，buttherewasnosuperfluityofmeninthattownship:nothingbutboysandgrandfathers。
AsIwashelpingtorunthetripIwasprettyannoyedalso，andIsluiceddownthedrunkardswithicyDanubewater，usingalltheworstlanguageIknewinDutchandGerman。Itwasarawmorning，andasweragedthroughtheriver—sidestreetsIrememberIheardthedrycrackleofwildgeesegoingoverhead，andwishedI
couldgetashotatthem。Itoldonefellow—hewasthemosttroublesome—thathewasadisgracetoagreatEmpire，andwasonlyfittofightwiththefilthyEnglish。
’GodinHeaven！’saidthecaptain，’wecandelaynolonger。Wemustmakeshiftthebestwecan。Icanspareonemanfromthedeckhands，andyoumustgiveuponefromtheengine—room。’
Thatwasarranged，andweweretearingbackrathershortinthewindwhenIespiedafiguresittingonabenchbesidethebooking—
officeonthepier。Itwasaslimfigure，inanoldsuitofkhaki:somecast—offdudswhichhadlonglostthesemblanceofauniform。Ithadagentleface，andwassmokingpeacefully，lookingoutupontheriverandtheboatsandusnoisyfellowswithmeekphilosophicaleyes。IfIhadseenGeneralFrenchsittingthereandlookinglikenothingonearthIcouldn’thavebeenmoresurprised。
Themanstaredatmewithoutrecognition。Hewaswaitingforhiscue。
IspokerapidlyinSesutu，forIwasafraidthecaptainmightknowDutch。
’Wherehaveyoucomefrom？’Iasked。
’Theyshutmeupin_tronk，’saidPeter，’andIranaway。Iamtired，Cornelis，andwanttocontinuethejourneybyboat。’
’RememberyouhaveworkedformeinAfrica，’Isaid。’YouarejusthomefromDamaraland。YouareaGermanwhohaslivedthirtyyearsawayfromhome。Youcantendafurnaceandhaveworkedinmines。’
ThenIspoketothecaptain。
’Hereisafellowwhousedtobeinmyemploy，CaptainSchenk。
It’salmightyluckwe’vestruckhim。He’sold，andnotverystronginthehead，butI’llgobailhe’sagoodworker。Hesayshe’llcomewithusandIcanusehimintheengine—room。’
’Standup，’saidtheCaptain。
Peterstoodup，lightandslimandwiryasaleopard。Asailordoesnotjudgemenbygirthandweight。
’He’lldo，’saidSchenk，andthenextminutehewasreadjustinghiscrewsandgivingthestrayedrevellerstheroughsideofhistongue。Asitchanced，Icouldn’tkeepPeterwithme，buthadtosendhimtooneofthebarges，andIhadtimefornomorethanfivewordswithhim，whenItoldhimtoholdhistongueandliveuptohisreputationasahalf—wit。Thataccursed_Sylvesterabendhadplayedhavocwiththewholeoutfit，andthecaptainandIwerewearymenbeforewegotthingsstraight。
Inonewayitturnedoutwell。ThatafternoonwepassedthefrontierandIneverknewittillIsawamaninastrangeuniformcomeaboard，whocopiedsomefiguresonaschedule，andbroughtusamail。Withmydirtyfaceandgeneralairofabsorptioninduty，Imusthavebeenanunsuspiciousfigure。Hetookdownthenamesofthemeninthebarges，andPeter’snamewasgivenasitappearedontheship’sroll—AntonBlum。
’Youmustfeelitstrange，HerrBrandt，’saidthecaptain，’tobescrutinizedbyapoliceman，youwhogiveorders，Idoubtnot，tomanypolicemen。’
Ishruggedmyshoulders。’Itismyprofession。Itismybusinesstogounrecognizedoftenbymyownservants。’IcouldseethatI
wasbecomingratherafigureinthecaptain’seyes。HelikedthewayIkeptthemenuptotheirwork，forIhadn’tbeenanigger—driverfornothing。
LateonthatSundaynightwepassedthroughagreatcitywhichthecaptaintoldmewasVienna。Itseemedtolastformilesandmiles，andtobeasbrightlylitasacircus。Afterthat，wewereinbigplainsandtheairgrewperishingcold。Peterhadcomeaboardonceforhisrations，butusuallyheleftittohispartner，forhewaslyingverylow。Butonemorning—Ithinkitwasthe5thofJanuary，whenwehadpassedBudaandweremovingthroughgreatsoddenflatsjustsprinkledwithsnow—thecaptaintookitintohisheadtogetmetooverhaulthebargeloads。Armedwithamightytype—
writtenlist，Imadeatourofthebarges，beginningwiththehindmost。
Therewasafineoldstockofdeadlyweapons—mostlymachine—gunsandsomefield—pieces，andenoughshellstoblowuptheGallipolipeninsula。Allkindsofshellwerethere，fromthebig14—inchcrumpstoriflegrenadesandtrench—mortars。Itmademefairlysicktoseeallthesegoodthingspreparingforourownfellows，andIwonderedwhetherIwouldnotbedoingmybestserviceifIengineeredabigexplosion。HappilyIhadthecommonsensetoremembermyjobandmydutyandtosticktoit。
Peterwasinthemiddleoftheconvoy，andIfoundhimprettyunhappy，principallythroughnotbeingallowedtosmoke。Hiscompanionwasanox—eyedlad，whomIorderedtothelook—outwhilePeterandIwentoverthelists。
’Cornelis，myoldfriend，’hesaid，’therearesomeprettytoyshere。WithaspannerandacoupleofclearhoursIcouldmakethesemaximsaboutasdeadlyasbicycles。Whatdoyousaytoatry？’
’I’veconsideredthat，’Isaid，’butitwon’tdo。We’reonabiggerbusinessthanwreckingmunitionconvoys。Iwanttoknowhowyougothere。’
HesmiledwiththatextraordinarySunday—schooldocilityofhis。
’Itwasverysimple，Cornelis。Iwasfoolishinthecafe—buttheyhavetoldyouofthat。YouseeIwasangryanddidnotreflect。
Theyhadseparatedus，andIcouldseewouldtreatmeasdirt。
Therefore，mybadtempercameout，for，asIhavetoldyou，IdonotlikeGermans。’
PetergazedlovinglyatthelittlebleakfarmswhichdottedtheHungarianplain。
’AllnightIlayin_tronkwithnofood。Inthemorningtheyfedme，andtookmehundredsofmilesinatraintoaplacewhichI
thinkiscalledNeuburg。Itwasagreatprison，fullofEnglishofficers……Iaskedmyselfmanytimesonthejourneywhatwasthereasonofthistreatment，forIcouldseenosenseinit。Iftheywantedtopunishmeforinsultingthemtheyhadthechancetosendmeofftothetrenches。Noonecouldhaveobjected。IftheythoughtmeuselesstheycouldhaveturnedmebacktoHolland。I
couldnothavestoppedthem。ButtheytreatedmeasifIwereadangerousman，whereasalltheirconducthithertohadshownthattheythoughtmeafool。Icouldnotunderstandit。
’ButIhadnotbeenonenightinthatNeuburgplacebeforeI
thoughtofthereason。Theywantedtokeepmeunderobservationasacheckuponyou，Cornelis。Ifigureditoutthisway。Theyhadgivenyousomeveryimportantworkwhichrequiredthemtoletyouintosomebigsecret。Sofar，good。Theyevidentlythoughtmuchofyou，evenyonStummman，thoughhewasasrudeasabuffalo。Buttheydidnotknowyoufully，andtheywantedtocheckonyou。ThatchecktheyfoundinPeterPienaar。Peterwasafool，andiftherewasanythingtoblab，soonerorlaterPeterwouldblabit。Thentheywouldstretchoutalongarmandnipyoushort，whereveryouwere。
ThereforetheymustkeepoldPeterundertheireye。’
’Thatsoundslikelyenough，’Isaid。
’ItwasGod’struth，’saidPeter。’AndwhenitwasallcleartomeIsettledthatImustescape。PartlybecauseIamafreemananddonotliketobeinprison，butmostlybecauseIwasnotsureofmyself。Somedaymytemperwouldgoagain，andImightsayfoolishthingsforwhichCorneliswouldsuffer。SoitwasverycertainthatImustescape。
’Now，Cornelis，Inoticedprettysoonthatthereweretwokindsamongtheprisoners。Thereweretherealprisoners，mostlyEnglishandFrench，andtherewerehumbugs。Thehumbugsweretreated，apparently，liketheothers，butnotreally，asIsoonperceived。
TherewasonemanwhopassedasanEnglishofficer，anotherasaFrenchCanadian，andtheotherscalledthemselvesRussians。Noneofthehonestmensuspectedthem，buttheywerethereasspiestohatchplotsforescapeandgetthepoordevilscaughtintheact，andtowormoutconfidenceswhichmightbeofvalue。ThatistheGermannotionofgoodbusiness。IamnotaBritishsoldiertothinkallmenaregentlemen。Iknowthatamongstmentherearedesperate_skellums，soIsoonpickedupthisgame。Itmademeveryangry，butitwasagoodthingformyplan。ImademyresolutiontoescapethedayIarrivedatNeuburg，andonChristmasDayIhadaplanmade。’
’Peter，you’reanoldmarvel。Doyoumeantosayyouwerequitecertainofgettingawaywheneveryouwanted？’
’Quitecertain，Cornelis。Yousee，Ihavebeenwickedinmytimeandknowsomethingabouttheinsideofprisons。Youmaybuildthemlikegreatcastles，ortheymaybelikeabackveld_tronk，onlymudandcorrugatediron，butthereisalwaysakeyandamanwhokeepsit，andthatmancanbebested。IknewIcouldgetaway，butI
didnotthinkitwouldbesoeasy。Thatwasduetothebogusprisoners，myfriends，thespies。
’Imadegreatpalswiththem。OnChristmasnightwewereveryjollytogether。IthinkIspottedeveryoneofthemthefirstday。I
braggedaboutmypastandallIhaddone，andItoldthemIwasgoingtoescape。Theybackedmeupandpromisedtohelp。NextmorningIhadaplan。Intheafternoon，justafterdinner，Ihadtogotothecommandant’sroom。Theytreatedmealittledifferentlyfromtheothers，forIwasnotaprisonerofwar，andIwenttheretobeaskedquestionsandtobecursedasastupidDutchman。
Therewasnostrictguardkeptthere，fortheplacewasonthesecondfloor，anddistantbymanyyardsfromanystaircase。Inthecorridoroutsidethecommandant’sroomtherewasawindowwhichhadnobars，andfourfeetfromthewindowthelimbofagreattree。Amanmightreachthatlimb，andifhewereactiveasamonkeymightdescendtotheground。BeyondthatIknewnothing，butIamagoodclimber，Cornelis。
’Itoldtheothersofmyplan。Theysaiditwasgood，butnooneofferedtocomewithme。Theywereverynoble;theydeclaredthattheschemewasmineandIshouldhavethefruitofit，forifmorethanonetried，detectionwascertain。Iagreedandthankedthem—
thankedthemwithtearsinmyeyes。Thenoneofthemverysecretlyproducedamap。Weplannedoutmyroad，forIwasgoingstraighttoHolland。Itwasalongroad，andIhadnomoney，fortheyhadtakenallmysovereignswhenIwasarrested，buttheypromisedtogetasubscriptionupamongthemselvestostartme。AgainIwepttearsofgratitude。ThiswasonSunday，thedayafterChristmas，andIsettledtomaketheattemptontheWednesdayafternoon。
’Now，Cornelis，whenthelieutenanttookustoseetheBritishprisoners，youremember，hetoldusmanythingsaboutthewaysofprisons。Hetoldushowtheylovedtocatchamanintheactofescape，sothattheycouldusehimharshlywithaclearconscience。I
thoughtofthat，andcalculatedthatnowmyfriendswouldhavetoldeverythingtothecommandant，andthattheywouldbewaitingtobottlemeontheWednesday。TillthenIreckonedIwouldbeslacklyguarded，fortheywouldlookonmeassafeinthenet……
’SoIwentoutofthewindownextday。ItwastheMondayafternoon……’
’Thatwasaboldstroke，’Isaidadmiringly。
’Theplanwasbold，butitwasnotskilful，’saidPetermodestly。’I
hadnomoneybeyondsevenmarks，andIhadbutonestickofchocolate。Ihadnoovercoat，anditwassnowinghard。Further，I
couldnotgetdownthetree，whichhadatrunkassmoothandbranchlessasabluegum。ForalittleIthoughtIshouldbecompelledtogivein，andIwasnothappy。
’ButIhadleisure，forIdidnotthinkIwouldbemissedbeforenightfall，andgiventimeamancandomostthings。ByandbyI
foundabranchwhichledbeyondtheouterwalloftheyardandhungabovetheriver。ThisIfollowed，andthendroppedfromitintothestream。Itwasadropofsomeyards，andthewaterwasveryswift，sothatInearlydrowned。IwouldratherswimtheLimpopo，Cornelis，amongallthecrocodilesthanthaticyriver。
YetImanagedtoreachtheshoreandgetmybreathlyinginthebushes……
’Afterthatitwasplaingoing，thoughIwasverycold。IknewthatIwouldbesoughtonthenorthernroads，asIhadtoldmyfriends，fornoonecoulddreamofanignorantDutchmangoingsouthawayfromhiskinsfolk。ButIhadlearnedenoughfromthemaptoknowthatourroadlaysouth—east，andIhadmarkedthisbigriver。’
’Didyouhopetopickmeup？’Iasked。
’No，Cornelis。Ithoughtyouwouldbetravellinginfirst—classcarriageswhileIshouldbeploddingonfoot。ButIwassetongettingtotheplaceyouspokeof（howdoyoucallit？ConstantNople？），whereourbigbusinesslay。IthoughtImightbeintimeforthat。’
’You’reanoldTrojan，Peter，’Isaid;’butgoon。Howdidyougettothatlanding—stagewhereIfoundyou？’
’Itwasahardjourney，’hesaidmeditatively。’Itwasnoteasytogetbeyondthebarbed—wireentanglementswhichsurroundedNeuburg—
yes，evenacrosstheriver。ButintimeIreachedthewoodsandwassafe，forIdidnotthinkanyGermancouldequalmeinwildcountry。Thebestofthem，eventheirforesters，arebutbabesinveldcraftcomparedwithsuchasme……Mytroublescameonlyfromhungerandcold。ThenImetaPeruviansmouse，andsoldhimmyclothesandboughtfromhimthese。[PetermeantaPolish—Jewpedlar。]Ididnotwanttopartwithmyown，whichwerebetter，buthegavemetenmarksonthedeal。AfterthatIwentintoavillageandateheavily。’
’Wereyoupursued？’Iasked。
’Idonotthinkso。Theyhadgonenorth，asIexpected，andwerelookingformeattherailwaystationswhichmyfriendshadmarkedforme。Iwalkedhappilyandputaboldfaceonit。IfIsawamanorwomanlookatmesuspiciouslyIwentuptothematonceandtalked。Itoldasadtale，andallbelievedit。IwasapoorDutchmantravellinghomeonfoottoseeadyingmother，andIhadbeentoldthatbytheDanubeIshouldfindthemainrailwaytotakemetoHolland。Therewerekindpeoplewhogavemefood，andonewomangavemehalfamark，andwishedmeGodspeed……ThenonthelastdayoftheyearIcametotheriverandfoundmanydrunkards。’
’Wasthatwhenyouresolvedtogetononeoftheriver—boats？’
’_Ja，Cornelis。AssoonasIheardoftheboatsIsawwheremychancelay。ButyoumighthaveknockedmeoverwithastrawwhenIsawyoucomeonshore。Thatwasgoodfortune，myfriend……IhavebeenthinkingmuchabouttheGermans，andIwilltellyouthetruth。Itisonlyboldnessthatcanbafflethem。Theyareamostdiligentpeople。Theywillthinkofalllikelydifficulties，butnotofallpossibleones。Theyhavenotmuchimagination。Theyarelikesteamengineswhichmustkeeptopreparedtracks。Theretheywillhuntanymandown，butlethimtrekforopencountryandtheywillbeataloss。Thereforeboldness，myfriend;foreverboldness。Rememberasanationtheywearspectacles，whichmeansthattheyarealwayspeering。’
Peterbrokeofftogloatoverthewedgesofgeeseandthestringsofwildswansthatwerealwayswingingacrossthoseplains。Histalehadbuckedmeupwonderfully。Ourluckhadheldbeyondallbelief，andIhadakindofhopeinthebusinessnowwhichhadbeenwantingbefore。Thatafternoon，too，Igotanotherfillip。
Icameondeckforabreathofairandfounditprettycoldaftertheheatoftheengine—room。SoIcalledtooneofthedeckhandstofetchmeupmycloakfromthecabin—thesameIhadboughtthatfirstmorningintheGreifvillage。
_’Der_grune_mantel？’themanshoutedup，andIcried，’Yes’。Butthewordsseemedtoechoinmyears，andlongafterhehadgivenmethegarmentIstoodstaringabstractedlyoverthebulwarks。
Histonehadawakenedachordofmemory，or，tobeaccurate，theyhadgivenemphasistowhatbeforehadbeenonlyblurredandvague。ForhehadspokenthewordswhichStummhadutteredbehindhishandtoGaudian。Ihadheardsomethinglike’Uhnmantl，’
andcouldmakenothingofit。NowIwasascertainofthosewordsasofmyownexistence。Theyhadbeen’_Grune_mantel’。_Grune_mantel，whateveritmightbe，wasthenamewhichStummhadnotmeantmetohear，whichwassometalismanforthetaskIhadproposed，andwhichwasconnectedinsomewaywiththemysteriousvonEinem。
Thisdiscoveryputmeinhighfettle。Itoldmyselfthat，consideringthedifficulties，Ihadmanagedtofindoutawonderfulamountinaveryfewdays。Itonlyshowswhatamancandowiththeslenderestevidenceifhekeepschewingandchewingonit……
TwomorningslaterwelayalongsidethequaysatBelgrade，andItooktheopportunityofstretchingmylegs。Peterhadcomeashoreforasmoke，andwewanderedamongthebatteredriversidestreets，andlookedatthebrokenarchesofthegreatrailwaybridgewhichtheGermanswereworkingatlikebeavers。Therewasabigtemporarypontoonaffairtotaketherailwayacross，butIcalculatedthatthemainbridgewouldbereadyinsideamonth。Itwasaclear，cold，blueday，andasonelookedsouthonesawridgeafterridgeofsnowyhills。Theupperstreetsofthecitywerestillfairlywhole，andtherewereshopsopenwherefoodcouldbegot。I
rememberhearingEnglishspoken，andseeingsomeRedCrossnursesinthecustodyofAustriansoldierscomingfromtherailwaystation。
Itwouldhavedonemealotofgoodtohavehadawordwiththem。Ithoughtofthegallantpeoplewhosecapitalthishadbeen，howthreetimestheyhadflungtheAustriansbackovertheDanube，andthenhadonlybeenbeatenbytheblacktreacheryoftheirso—calledallies。SomehowthatmorninginBelgradegavebothPeterandmeanewpurposeinourtask。Itwasourbusinesstoputaspokeinthewheelofthismonstrousbloodyjuggernautthatwascrushingthelifeoutofthelittleheroicnations。
Wewerejustgettingreadytocastoffwhenadistinguishedpartyarrivedatthequay。Therewereallkindsofuniforms—German，Austrian，andBulgarian，andamidthemonestoutgentlemaninafurcoatandablackfelthat。Theywatchedthebargesup—anchor，andbeforewebegantojerkintolineIcouldheartheirconversation。
ThefurcoatwastalkingEnglish。
’Ireckonthat’sprettygoodnoos，General，’itsaid;’iftheEnglishhaverunawayfromGally—polywecanusethesenooconsignmentsforthebiggergame。Iguessitwon’tbelongbeforeweseetheBritishlionmovingoutofEgyptwithsorepaws。’
Theyalllaughed。’Theprivilegeofthatspectaclemaysoonbeours，’wasthereply。
Ididnotpaymuchattentiontothetalk;indeedIdidnotrealizetillweekslaterthatthatwasthefirsttidingsofthegreatevacuationofCapeHelles。WhatrejoicedmewasthesightofBlenkiron，asblandasabarberamongthoseswells。Hereweretwoofthemissionarieswithinreasonabledistanceoftheirgoal。
CHAPTERTEN
TheGarden—HouseofSulimantheRedWereachedRustchukonJanuary10th，butbynomeanslandedonthatday。Somethinghadgonewrongwiththeunloadingarrangements，ormorelikelywiththerailwaybehindthem，andwewerekeptswingingalldaywelloutintheturbidriver。OnthetopofthisCaptainSchenkgotanague，andbythateveningwasablueandshiveringwreck。Hehaddonemewell，andIreckonedIwouldstandbyhim。SoIgothisship’spapers，andthemanifestsofcargo，andundertooktoseetothetrans—shipment。Itwasn’tthefirsttimeIhadtackledthatkindofbusiness，andIhadn’tmuchtolearnaboutsteamcranes。I
toldhimIwasgoingontoConstantinopleandwouldtakePeterwithme，andhewasagreeable。HewouldhavetowaitatRustchuktogethisreturncargo，andcouldeasilyinspanafreshengineer。
Iworkedaboutthehardesttwenty—fourhoursofmylifegettingthestuffashore。ThelandingofficerwasaBulgarian，quiteacompetentmanifhecouldhavemadetherailwaysgivehimthetrucksheneeded。TherewasacollectionofhungryGermantransportofficersalwaysputtingintheiroars，andbeinginfernallyinsolenttoeverybody。Itookthehighandmightylinewiththem;and，asIhadtheBulgariancommandantonmyside，afterabouttwohours’blasphemygotthemquieted。
ButthebigtroublecamethenextmorningwhenIhadgotnearlyallthestuffaboardthetrucks。
AyoungofficerinwhatItooktobeaTurkishuniformrodeupwithanaide—de—camp。InoticedtheGermanguardssalutinghim，soIjudgedhewasratheraswell。HecameuptomeandaskedmeverycivillyinGermanfortheway—bills。Igavehimthemandhelookedcarefullythroughthem，markingcertainitemswithabluepencil。Thenhecoollyhandedthemtohisaide—de—campandspoketohiminTurkish。
’Lookhere，Iwanttheseback，’Isaid。’Ican’tdowithoutthem，andwe’venotimetowaste。’
’Presently，’hesaid，smiling，andwentoff。
Isaidnothing，reflectingthatthestuffwasfortheTurksandtheynaturallyhadtohavesomesayinitshandling。Theloadingwaspracticallyfinishedwhenmygentlemanreturned。Hehandedmeaneatlytypednewsetofway—bills。Oneglanceatthemshowedthatsomeofthebigitemshadbeenleftout。
’Here，thiswon’tdo，’Icried。’Givemebacktherightset。Thisthing’snogoodtome。’
Foranswerhewinkedgently，smiledlikeaduskyseraph，andheldouthishand。InitIsawarollofmoney。
’Foryourself，’hesaid。’Itistheusualcustom。’
Itwasthefirsttimeanyonehadevertriedtobribeme，anditmademeboiluplikeageyser。Isawhisgameclearlyenough。
TurkeywouldpayforthelottoGermany:probablyhadalreadypaidthebill:butshewouldpaydoubleforthethingsnotontheway—bills，andpaytothisfellowandhisfriends。ThisstruckmeasrathersteepevenforOrientalmethodsofdoingbusiness。
’Nowlookhere，Sir，’Isaid，’Idon’tstirfromthisplacetillIgetthecorrectway—bills。Ifyouwon’tgivemethem，Iwillhaveeveryitemoutofthetrucksandmakeanewlist。ButacorrectlistIhave，orthestuffstaysheretillDoomsday。’
Hewasaslim，foppishfellow，andhelookedmorepuzzledthanangry。
’Iofferyouenough，’hesaid，againstretchingouthishand。
AtthatIfairlyroared。’Ifyoutrytobribeme，youinfernallittlehaberdasher，I’llhaveyouoffthathorseandchuckyouintheriver。’
Henolongermisunderstoodme。Hebegantocurseandthreaten，butIcuthimshort。