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  ’Idon’tlikeit,gentlemen,’hesaid。’IwouldratheryouhadmentionedanyothernameonGod’searth。Ihaven’tbeenlonginthiscity,butIhavebeenlongenoughtosizeupthevariouspoliticalbosses。Theyhaven’tmuchtothem。Ireckontheywouldn’tstandupagainstwhatwecouldshowthemintheU—nitedStates。ButIhavemettheFrauvonEinem,andthatlady’saverydifferentproposition。Themanthatwillunderstandherhasgottotakeabiggishsizeinhats。’

  ’Whoisshe?’Iasked。

  ’Why,thatisjustwhatIcan’ttellyou。ShewasagreatexcavatorofBabylonishandHittiteruins,andshemarriedadiplomatwhowenttoglorythreeyearsback。Itisn’twhatshehasbeen,butwhatsheis,andthat’samightycleverwoman。’

  Blenkiron’srespectdidnotdepressme。Ifeltasifatlastwehadgotourjobnarrowedtoadecentcompass,forIhadhatedcastingaboutinthedark。Iaskedwhereshelived。

  ’ThatIdon’tknow,’saidBlenkiron。’Youwon’tfindpeopleundulyanxioustogratifyyournaturalcuriosityaboutFrauvonEinem。’

  ’Icanfindthatout,’saidSandy。’That’stheadvantageofhavingapushlikemine。Meantime,I’vegottoclear,formyday’sworkisn’tfinished。Dick,youandPetermustgotobedatonce。’

  ’Why?’Iaskedinamazement。Sandyspokelikeamedicaladviser。

  ’BecauseIwantyourclothes—thethingsyou’vegotonnow。I’lltakethemoffwithmeandyou’llneverseethemagain。’

  ’You’veaqueertasteinsouvenirs,’Isaid。

  ’SayrathertheTurkishpolice。ThecurrentintheBosporusisprettystrong,andthesesadrelicsoftwomisguidedDutchmenwillbewasheduptomorrowaboutSeraglioPoint。InthisgameyoumustdropthecurtainneatandpatattheendofeachScene,ifyoudon’twanttroublelaterwiththemissingheirandthefamilylawyer。’

  CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

  IMoveinGoodSocietyIwalkedoutofthathousenextmorningwithBlenkiron’sarminmine,adifferentbeingfromthefriendlesscreaturewhohadlookedvainlythedaybeforeforsanctuary。Tobeginwith,Iwassplendidlydressed。Ihadanavy—bluesuitwithsquarepaddedshoulders,aneatblackbow—tie,shoeswithahumpatthetoe,andabrownbowler。

  OverthatIworeagreatcoatlinedwithwolffur。Ihadasmartmalaccacane,andoneofBlenkiron’scigarsinmymouth。Peterhadbeenmadetotrimhisbeard,and,dressedinunassumingpepper—and—salt,lookedwithhisdocileeyesandquietvoiceaveryrespectableservant。

  OldBlenkironhaddonethejobinstyle,for,ifyou’llbelieveit,hehadbroughttheclothesallthewayfromLondon。I

  realizednowwhyheandSandyhadbeenfossickinginmywardrobe。

  Peter’ssuithadbeenofSandy’sprocuring,anditwasnotthefitofmine。Ihadnodifficultyabouttheaccent。AnymanbroughtupinthecoloniescangethistongueroundAmerican,andI

  flatteredmyselfImadeaveryfairshapeatthelingooftheMiddleWest。

  Thewindhadgonetothesouthandthesnowwasmeltingfast。

  TherewasablueskyaboveAsia,andawaytothenorthmassesofwhiteclouddriftingovertheBlackSea。Whathadseemedthedaybeforethedingiestofcitiesnowtookonastrangebeauty,thebeautyofunexpectedhorizonsandtonguesofgreywaterwindingbelowcypress—studdedshores。Aman’stemperhasalottodowithhisappreciationofscenery。Ifeltafreemanoncemore,andcouldusemyeyes。

  Thatstreetwasajumbleofeverynationalityonearth。TherewereTurkishregularsintheirqueerconicalkhakihelmets,andwild—lookinglevieswhohadnokinwithEurope。ThereweresquadsofGermansinflatforage—caps,staringvacantlyatnovelsights,andquicktosaluteanyofficerontheside—walk。Turksinclosedcarriagespassed,andTurksongoodArabhorses,andTurkswholookedasiftheyhadcomeoutoftheArk。Butitwastherabblethatcaughttheeye—verywild,pinched,miserablerabble。Ineverinmylifesawsuchswarmsofbeggars,andyouwalkeddownthatstreettotheaccompanimentofentreatiesforalmsinallthetonguesoftheTowerofBabel。BlenkironandIbehavedasifwewereinterestedtourists。Wewouldstopandlaughatonefellowandgiveapennytoasecond,passingcommentsinhigh—pitchedWesternvoices。

  Wewentintoacafeandhadacupofcoffee。Abeggarcameinandaskedalms。HithertoBlenkiron’spursehadbeenclosed,butnowhetookoutsomesmallnickelsandplankedfivedownonthetable。Themancrieddownblessingsandpickedupthree。Blenkironveryswiftlyswepttheothertwointohispocket。

  Thatseemedtomequeer,andIremarkedthatIhadneverbeforeseenabeggarwhogavechange。Blenkironsaidnothing,andpresentlywemovedonandcametotheharbour—side。

  Therewereanumberofsmalltugsmooredalongside,andoneortwobiggercraft—fruitboats,Ijudged,whichusedtoplyintheAegean。Theylookedprettywellmoth—eatenfromdisuse。Westoppedatoneofthemandwatchedafellowinabluenightcapsplicingropes。Heraisedhiseyesonceandlookedatus,andthenkeptonwithhisbusiness。

  Blenkironaskedhimwherehecamefrom,butheshookhishead,notunderstandingthetongue。ATurkishpolicemancameupandstaredatussuspiciously,tillBlenkironopenedhiscoat,asifbyaccident,anddisplayedatinysquareofribbon,atwhichhesaluted。

  Failingtomakeconversationwiththesailor,Blenkironflunghimthreeofhisblackcigars。

  ’Iguessyoucansmoke,friend,ifyoucan’ttalk,’hesaid。

  Themanturnedandcaughtthethreeneatlyintheair。Thentomyamazementhetossedoneofthemback。

  Thedonorregardeditquizzicallyasitlayonthepavement。

  ’Thatboy’saconnoisseuroftobacco,’hesaid。AswemovedawayI

  sawtheTurkishpolicemanpickitupandputitinsidehiscap。

  Wereturnedbythelongstreetonthecrestofthehill。Therewasamansellingorangesonatray,andBlenkironstoppedtolookatthem。

  Inoticedthatthemanshuffledfifteenintoacluster。Blenkironfelttheoranges,asiftoseethattheyweresound,andpushedtwoaside。

  Themaninstantlyrestoredthemtothegroup,neverraisinghiseyes。

  ’Thisain’tthetimeofyeartobuyfruit,’saidBlenkironaswepassedon。’Thoseorangesarerottenasmedlars。’

  WewerealmostonourowndoorstepbeforeIguessedthemeaningofthebusiness。

  ’Isyourmorning’sworkfinished?’Isaid。

  ’Ourmorning’swalk?’heaskedinnocently。

  ’Isaid\"work\"。’

  Hesmiledblandly。’Ireckonedyou’dtumbletoit。Why,yes,exceptthatI’vesomefiguringstilltodo。GivemehalfanhourandI’llbeatyourservice,Major。’

  Thatafternoon,afterPeterhadcookedawonderfullygoodluncheon,Ihadaheart—to—hearttalkwithBlenkiron。

  ’Mybusinessistogetnoos,’hesaid;’andbeforeIstartonastuntImakeconsiderablepreparations。AllthetimeinLondonwhenIwasyelpingattheBritishGovernment,IwasbusywithSirWalterarrangingthingsahead。Weusedtomeetinqueerplacesandatallhoursofthenight。IfixedupalotofconnectionsinthiscitybeforeIarrived,andespeciallyanoosservicewithyourForeignOfficebywayofRumaniaandRussia。InadayortwoIguessourfriendswillknowallaboutourdiscoveries。’

  AtthatIopenedmyeyesverywide。

  ’Why,yes。YouBritishershaven’tanynotionhowwide—awakeyourIntelligenceServiceis。Ireckonit’seasythebestofallthebelligerents。Younevertalkedaboutitinpeacetime,andyoushunnedthetheatricalwaysoftheTeuton。Butyouhadthewireslaidgoodandsure。Icalculatethereisn’tmuchthathappensinanycorneroftheearththatyoudon’tknowwithintwenty—fourhours。

  Idon’tsayyourhighbrowsusethenooswell。Idon’ttakemuchstockinyourpoliticalpush。They’realotofsilver—tongues,nodoubt,butitain’toratorythatiswantedinthisracket。TheWilliamJenningsBryanstuntlanguishesinwar—time。Politicsislikeachicken—coop,andthoseinsidegettobehaveasiftheirlittlerunwerealltheworld。Butifthepoliticiansmakemistakesitisn’tfromlackofgoodinstructiontoguidetheirsteps。IfIhadabigpropositiontohandleandcouldhavemypickofhelpersI’dplumpfortheIntelligenceDepartmentoftheBritishAdmiralty。Yes,Sir,ItakeoffmyhattoyourGovernmentsleuths。’

  ’Didtheyprovideyouwithready—madespieshere?’Iaskedinastonishment。

  ’Why,no,’hesaid。’Buttheygavemethekey,andIcouldmakemyownarrangements。InGermanyIburiedmyselfdeepinthelocalatmosphereandneverpeepedout。Thatwasmygame,forI

  waslookingforsomethinginGermanyitself,anddidn’twantanyforeigncross—bearings。Asyouknow,Ifailedwhereyousucceeded。

  ButsosoonasIcrossedtheDanubeIsetaboutopeningupmylinesofcommunication,andIhadn’tbeentwodaysinthismetropolisbeforeIhadgotmytelephoneexchangebuzzing。SometimeI’llexplainthethingtoyou,forit’saprettylittlebusiness。I’vegotthecutestcypher……No,itain’tmyinvention。It’syourGovernment’s。Anyone,babe,imbecile,ordotard,cancarrymymessages—yousawsomeofthemtoday—butittakessomemindtosetthepiece,andittakesalotoffiguringatmyendtoworkouttheresults。Somedayyoushallhearitall,forIguessitwouldpleaseyou。’

  ’Howdoyouuseit?’Iasked。

  ’Well,Igetearlynoosofwhatisgoingoninthiscabbage—patch。

  LikewiseIgetauthenticnoosoftherestofEurope,andIcansendamessagetoMrX。inPetrogradandMrY。inLondon,or,ifI

  wish,toMrZ。inNooYork。What’sthematterwiththatforapost—office?I’mthebestinformedmaninConstantinople,foroldGeneralLimanonlyhearsoneside,andmostlyliesatthat,andEnverprefersnottolistenatall。Also,Icouldgivethempointsonwhatishappeningattheirverydoor,forourfriendSandyisabigbossinthebest—runcrowdofmountebanksthateverfiddledsecretsoutofmen’shearts。WithouttheirhelpIwouldn’thavecutmuchiceinthiscity。’

  ’Iwantyoutotellmeonething,Blenkiron,’Isaid。’I’vebeenplayingapartforthepastmonth,anditwearsmynervestotatters。

  Isthisjobverytiring,forifitis,IdoubtImaybuckleup。’

  Helookedthoughtful。’Ican’tcallourbusinessanabsoluterest—

  cureanytime。You’vegottokeepyoureyesskinned,andthere’salwaystheriskofthelittlepacketofdynamitegoingoffunexpected。

  Butasthesethingsgo,Iratethisstuntaseasy。We’veonlygottobenatural。Wewearournaturalclothes,andtalkEnglish,andsportaTeddyRooseveltsmile,andthereisn’tanycallfortheatricaltalent。WhereI’vefoundthejobtightwaswhenIhadgottobenatural,andmynaturalnesswasthesamebrandasthatofeverybodyroundabout,andallthetimeIhadtodounnaturalthings。Itisn’teasytobegoingdowntowntobusinessandtakingcocktailswithMrCarlRosenheim,andnexthourbeingengagedtryingtoblowMrRosenheim’sfriendssky—high。Anditisn’teasytokeepupapartwhichiscleanoutsideyourordinarylife。I’venevertriedthat。

  Mylinehasalwaysbeentokeepmynormalpersonality。Butyouhave,Major,andIguessyoufounditwearing。’

  ’Wearing’samildword,’Isaid。’ButIwanttoknowanotherthing。Itseemstomethatthelineyou’vepickedisasgoodascouldbe。Butit’sacast—ironline。Itcommitsusprettydeepanditwon’tbeasimplejobtodropit。’

  ’Why,that’sjustthepointIwascomingto,’hesaid。’Iwasgoingtoputyouwiseaboutthatverything。WhenIstartedoutI

  figuredonsomesituationlikethis。IarguedthatunlessIhadaveryclearpartwithabigbluffinitIwouldn’tgettheconfidenceswhichIneeded。We’vegottobeattheheartoftheshow,takingarealhandandnotjustlookingon。SoIsettledIwouldbeabigengineer—therewasatimewhenthereweren’tmanybiggerintheUnited’StatesthanJohnS。Blenkiron。ItalkedlargeaboutwhatmightbedoneinMesopotamiainthewayofwashingtheBritishdowntheriver。Well,thattalkcaughton。Theyknewofmyreputationasanhydraulicexpert,andtheyweretickledtodeathtoropemein。ItoldthemIwantedahelper,andItoldthemaboutmyfriendRichardHanau,asgoodaGermanaseversuppedsauerkraut,whowascomingthroughRussiaandRumaniaasabenevolentneutral;butwhenhegottoConstantinoplewoulddrophisneutralityanddoublehisbenevolence。TheygotreportsonyoubywirefromtheStates—I

  arrangedthatbeforeIleftLondon。Soyou’regoingtobewelcomedandtakentotheirbosomsjustlikeJohnS。was。We’vebothgotjobswecanholddown,andnowyou’reintheseprettyclothesyou’rethedeadringerofthebrightestkindofAmericanengineer……Butwecan’tgobackonourtracks。IfwewantedtoleaveforConstanzanextweekthey’dbeverypolite,butthey’dneverletus。We’vegottogoonwiththisadventureandnoseourwaydownintoMesopotamia,hopingthatourluckwillhold……Godknowshowwewillgetoutofit;butit’snogoodgoingouttomeettrouble。AsIobservedbefore,I

  believeinanall—wiseandbeneficentProvidence,butyou’vegottogivehimachance。’

  Iamboundtoconfesstheprospectstaggeredme。Wemightbeletinforfighting—andworsethanfighting—againstourownside。

  Iwonderedifitwouldn’tbebettertomakeaboltforit,andsaidSO。

  Heshookhishead。’Ireckonnot。Inthefirstplacewehaven’tfinishedourinquiries。We’vegotGreenmantlelocatedrightenough,thankstoyou,butwestillknowmightylittleaboutthatholyman。

  inthesecondplaceitwon’tbeasbadasyouthink。Thisshowlackscohesion,Sir。Itisnotgoingtolastforever。IcalculatethatbeforeyouandIstrikethesiteofthegardenthatAdamandEvefrequentedtherewillbeaqueerturnofaffairs。Anyhow,it’sgoodenoughtogambleon。’

  ThenhegotsomesheetsofpaperanddrewmeaplanofthedispositionsoftheTurkishforces。Ihadnonotionhewassuchaclosestudentofwar,forhisexpositionwasasgoodasastafflecture。Hemadeoutthatthesituationwasnonetoobrightanywhere。

  ThetroopsreleasedfromGallipoliwantedalotofrefitment,andwouldbeslowinreachingtheTranscaucasianfrontier,wheretheRussianswerethreatening。TheArmyofSyriawasprettynearlyarabbleunderthelunaticDjemal。Therewasn’tthefoggiestchanceofaseriousinvasionofEgyptbeingundertaken。OnlyinMesopotamiadidthingslookfairlycheerful,owingtotheblundersofBritishstrategy。’Andyoumaytakeitfromme,’hesaid,’thatiftheoldTurkmobilizedatotalofamillionmen,hehaslost40percentofthemalready。AndifI’manythingofaprophethe’sgoingprettysoontolosemore。’

  Hetoreupthepapersandenlargedonpolitics。’IreckonI’vegotthemeasureoftheYoungTurksandtheirpreciousCommittee。

  Thoseboysaren’tanygood。Enver’sbrightenough,andforsurehe’sgotsand。He’llstickoutafightlikeaVermontgame—chicken,buthelacksthelargervision,Sir。Hedoesn’tunderstandtheintricaciesofthejobnomorethanasucking—child,sotheGermansplaywithhim,tillhistempergoesandhebuckslikeamule。Talaatisasulkydogwhowantstobattermankindwithaclub。Boththeseboyswouldhavemadegoodcow—punchersintheolddays,andtheymighthavegotalivingoutWestasthegun—menofaLabourUnion。They’reabouttheclassofJesseJamesorBilltheKid,exceptingthatthey’recollege—rearedandcanpatterlanguages。Buttheyhaven’ttheorganizingpowertomanagetheIrishvoteinawardelection。Theironenotionistogetbusywiththeirfirearms,andpeoplearegettingtiredoftheBlackHandstunt。TheirholdonthecountryisjusttheholdthatamanwithaBrowninghasoveracrowdwithwalking—sticks。ThecoolerheadsintheCommitteearegrowingshyofthem,andanoldfoxlikeDavidislyinglowtillhistimecomes。Nowitdoesn’twantarguingthatagangofthatkindhasgottohangclosetogetherortheymayhangseparately。They’vegotnogripontheordinaryTurk,barringthefactthattheyareactiveandheissleepy,andthatthey’vegottheirgunsloaded。’

  ’WhatabouttheGermanshere?’Iasked。

  Blenkironlaughed。’Itisnosortofahappyfamily。ButtheYoungTurksknowthatwithouttheGermanboostthey’llbestrunguplikeHaman,andtheGermanscan’taffordtoneglectanally。ConsiderwhatwouldhappenifTurkeygotsickofthegameandmadeaseparatepeace。TheroadwouldbeopenforRussiatotheAegean。FerdyofBulgariawouldtakehisdepreciatedgoodstotheothermarket,andnotwasteadaythinkingaboutit。You’dhaveRumaniacominginontheAllies’side。ThingswouldlookprettyblackforthatcontroloftheNearEastonwhichGermanyhasbankedherwinnings。Kaisersaysthat’sgottobepreventedatallcosts,buthowisitgoingtobedone?’

  Blenkiron’sfacehadbecomeverysolemnagain。’Itwon’tbedoneunlessGermany’sgotatrumpcardtoplay。Hergame’smightynearbust,butit’sstillgotachance。Andthatchanceisawomanandanoldman。IreckonourlandladyhasabiggerbrainthanEnverandLiman。She’stherealbossoftheshow。WhenI

  camehere,Ireportedtoher,andpresentlyyou’vegottodothesame。Iamcuriousastohowshe’llstrikeyou,forI’mfreetoadmitthatsheimpressedmeconsiderable。’

  ’Itlooksasifourjobwerealongwayfromtheend,’Isaid。

  ’It’sscarcelybegun,’saidBlenkiron。

  Thattalkdidalottocheermyspirits,forIrealizedthatitwasthebiggestofbiggamewewerehuntingthistime。I’maneconomicalsoul,andifI’mgoingtobehangedIwantagoodstakeformyneck。

  Thenbegansomevariedexperiences。Iusedtowakeupinthemorning,wonderingwhereIshouldbeatnight,andyetquitepleasedattheuncertainty。Greenmantlebecameasortofmythwithme。SomehowIcouldn’tfixanyideainmyheadofwhathewaslike。ThenearestIgotwasapictureofanoldmaninaturbancomingoutofabottleinacloudofsmoke,whichIrememberedfromachild’seditionofthe_Arabian_Nights。Butifhewasdim,theladywasdimmer。

  SometimesIthoughtofherasafatoldGermancrone,sometimesasaharsh—featuredwomanlikeaschoolmistresswiththinlipsandeyeglasses。ButIhadtofittheEastintothepicture,soImadeheryoungandgaveheratouchofthelanguidhouriinaveil。IwasalwayswantingtopumpBlenkirononthesubject,butheshutuplikearat—trap。Hewaslookingforbadtroubleinthatdirection,andwasdisinclinedtospeakaboutitbeforehand。

  Weledapeacefulexistence。OurservantsweretwoofSandy’slot,forBlenkironhadveryrightlyclearedouttheTurkishcaretakers,andtheyworkedlikebeaversunderPeter’seye,tillIreflectedIhadneverbeensowelllookedafterinmylife。IwalkedaboutthecitywithBlenkiron,keepingmyeyesopen,andspeakingverycivil。

  ThethirdnightwewerebiddentodinneratMoellendorff’s,soweputonourbestclothesandsetoutinanancientcab。Blenkironhadfetchedadresssuitofmine,fromwhichmyowntailor’slabelhadbeencutandaNewYorkonesubstituted。

  GeneralLimanandMetternichtheAmbassadorhadgoneupthelinetoNishtomeettheKaiser,whowastouringinthoseparts,soMoellendorffwasthebiggestGermaninthecity。Hewasathin,foxy—facedfellow,cleverishbutmonstrouslyvain,andhewasnotverypopulareitherwiththeGermansortheTurks。Hewaspolitetobothofus,butIamboundtosaythatIgotabadfrightwhenI

  enteredtheroom,forthefirstmanIsawwasGaudian。

  IdoubtifhewouldhaverecognizedmeevenintheclothesIhadworninStumm’scompany,forhiseyesightwaswretched。Asitwas,Irannoriskindress—clothes,withmyhairbrushedbackandafineAmericanaccent。Ipaidhimhighcomplimentsasafellowengineer,andtranslatedpartofaverytechnicalconversationbetweenhimandBlenkiron。Gaudianwasinuniform,andIlikedthelookofhishonestfacebetterthanever。

  ButthegreateventwasthesightofEnver。HewasaslimfellowofRasta’sbuild,veryfoppishandpreciseinhisdress,withasmoothovalfacelikeagirl’s,andratherfinestraightblackeyebrows。

  HespokeperfectGerman,andhadthebestkindofmanners,neitherpertnoroverbearing。Hehadapleasanttrick,too,ofappealingallroundthetableforconfirmation,andsobringingeverybodyintothetalk。Notthathespokeagreatdeal,butallhesaidwasgoodsense,andhehadasmilingwayofsayingit。OnceortwiceherancountertoMoellendorff,andIcouldseetherewasnolovelostbetweenthesetwo。Ididn’tthinkIwantedhimasafriend—hewastoocold—bloodedandartificial;andIwasprettycertainthatIdidn’twantthosesteadyblackeyesasanenemy。Butitwasnogooddenyinghisquality。Thelittlefellowwasallcoldcourage,likethefinepolishedbluesteelofasword。

  IfancyIwasratherasuccessatthatdinner。ForonethingI

  couldspeakGerman,andsohadapullonBlenkiron。ForanotherI

  wasinagoodtemper,andreallyenjoyedputtingmybackintomypart。Theytalkedveryhigh—flownstuffaboutwhattheyhaddoneandweregoingtodo,andEnverwasgreatonGallipoli。IrememberhesaidthathecouldhavedestroyedthewholeBritishArmyifithadn’tbeenforsomebody’scoldfeet—atwhichMoellendorfflookeddaggers。TheyweresobitteraboutBritainandallherworksthatIgatheredtheyweregettingprettypanicky,andthatmademeasjollyasasandboy。I’mafraidIwasnotfreefrombitternessmyselfonthatsubject。IsaidthingsaboutmyowncountrythatIsometimeswakeinthenightandsweattothinkof。

  Gaudiangotontotheuseofwaterpowerinwar,andthatgavemeachance。

  ’Inmycountry,’Isaid,’whenwewanttogetridofamountainwewashitaway。There’snothingonearththatwillstandagainstwater。Now,speakingwithallrespect,gentlemen,andasanabsolutenoviceinthemilitaryart,IsometimesaskwhythisGod—givenweaponisn’tmoreusedinthepresentwar。Ihaven’tbeentoanyofthefronts,butI’vestudiedthemsomefrommapsandthenewspapers。

  TakeyourGermanpositioninFlanders,whereyou’vegotthehighground。IfIwereaBritishgeneralIreckonIwouldverysoonmakeitnosortofposition。’

  Moellendorffasked,’How?’

  ’Why,I’dwashitaway。Washawaythefourteenfeetofsoildowntothestone。There’saheapofcoalpitsbehindtheBritishfrontwheretheycouldgeneratepower,andIjudgethere’samplewatersupplyfromtheriversandcanals。I’dguaranteetowashyouawayintwenty—fourhours—yes,inspiteofallyourbigguns。ItbeatsmewhytheBritishhaven’tgotontothisnotion。Theyusedtohavesomebrightengineers。’

  Enverwasonthepointlikeaknife,farquickerthanGaudian。

  Hecross—examinedmeinawaythatshowedheknewhowtoapproachatechnicalsubject,thoughhemightn’thavemuchtechnicalknowledge。HewasjustgivingmeasketchofthefloodinginMesopotamiawhenanaide—de—campbroughtinachitwhichfetchedhimtohisfeet。

  ’Ihavegossipedlongenough,’hesaid。’Mykindhost,Imustleaveyou。Gentlemenall,myapologiesandfarewells。’

  Beforeheleftheaskedmynameandwroteitdown。’Thisisanunhealthycityforstrangers,MrHanau,’hesaidinverygoodEnglish。’Ihavesomesmallpowerofprotectingafriend,andwhatIhaveisatyourdisposal。’Thiswiththecondescensionofakingpromisinghisfavourtoasubject。

  Thelittlefellowamusedmetremendously,andratherimpressedmetoo。IsaidsotoGaudianafterhehadleft,butthatdecentsouldidn’tagree。

  ’Idonotlovehim,’hesaid。’Weareallies—yes;butfriends—no。

  HeisnotruesonofIslam,whichisanoblefaithanddespisesliarsandboastersandbetrayersoftheirsalt。’

  ThatwastheverdictofonehonestmanonthisrulerinIsrael。

  ThenextnightIgotanotherfromBlenkirononagreaterthanEnver。

  Hehadbeenoutaloneandhadcomebackprettylate,withhisfacegreyanddrawnwithpain。Thefoodweate—notatallbadofitskind—andthecoldeastwindplayedhavocwithhisdyspepsia。I

  canseehimyet,boilingmilkonaspirit—lamp,whilePeterworkedataPrimusstovetogethimahot—waterbottle。Hewasusinghorridlanguageabouthisinside。

  ’myGod,Major,ifIwereyouwithasoundstomachI’dfairlyconquertheworld。Asitis,I’vegottodomyworkwithhalfmymind,whiletheotherhalfisdwellinginmyintestines。I’mlikethechildintheBiblethathadafoxgnawingatitsvitals。’

  Hegothismilkboilingandbegantosipit。

  ’I’vebeentoseeourprettylandlady,’hesaid。’ShesentformeandIhobbledoffwithagripfullofplans,forshe’smightysetonMesopotamy。’

  ’AnythingaboutGreenmantle?’Iaskedeagerly。

  ’Why,no,butIhavereachedoneconclusion。Iopinethatthehaplessprophethasnosortoftimewiththatlady。IopinethathewillsoonwishhimselfinParadise。ForifAlmightyGodevercreatedafemaledevilit’sMadamevonEinem。’

  Hesippedalittlemoremilkwithagraveface。

  ’Thatisn’tmyduodenaldyspepsia,Major。It’stheverdictofaripeexperience,forIhaveacoolandpenetratingjudgement,evenifI’veaderangedstomach。AndIgiveitasmyconsideredconclusionthatthatwoman’smadandbad—butprincipallybad。’

  CHAPTERFOURTEEN

  TheLadyoftheMantillaSincethatfirstnightIhadneverclappedeyesonSandy。Hehadgonecleanoutoftheworld,andBlenkironandIwaitedanxiouslyforawordofnews。Ourownbusinesswasingoodtrim,forwewerepresentlygoingeasttowardsMesopotamia,butunlesswelearnedmoreaboutGreenmantleourjourneywouldbeagrotesquefailure。AndlearnaboutGreenmantlewecouldnot,fornobodybywordordeedsuggestedhisexistence,anditwasimpossibleofcourseforustoaskquestions。OuronlyhopewasSandy,forwhatwewantedtoknowwastheprophet’swhereaboutsandhisplans。I

  suggestedtoBlenkironthatwemightdomoretocultivateFrauvonEinem,butheshuthisjawlikearat—trap。

  ’There’snothingdoingforusinthatquarter,’hesaid。

  ’That’sthemostdangerouswomanonearth;andifshegotanykindofnotionthatwewerewiseaboutherpetschemesIreckonyouandIwouldverysoonbeintheBosporus。’

  Thiswasallverywell;butwhatwasgoingtohappenifthetwoofuswerebundledofftoBaghdadwithinstructionstowashawaytheBritish?Ourtimewasgettingprettyshort,andIdoubtedifwecouldspinoutmorethanthreedaysmoreinConstantinople。IfeltjustasIhadfeltwithStummthatlastnightwhenIwasabouttobepackedofftoCairoandsawnowayofavoidingit。EvenBlenkironwasgettinganxious。HeplayedPatienceincessantly,andwasdisinclinedtotalk。Itriedtofindoutsomethingfromtheservants,buttheyeitherknewnothingorwouldn’tspeak—theformer,Ithink。I

  keptmyeyeslifting,too,asIwalkedaboutthestreets,buttherewasnosignanywhereoftheskincoatsortheweirdstringedinstruments。ThewholeCompanyoftheRosyHoursseemedtohavemeltedintotheair,andIbegantowonderiftheyhadeverexisted。

  Anxietymademerestless,andrestlessnessmademewantexercise。

  Itwasnogoodwalkingaboutthecity。Theweatherhadbecomefoulagain,andIwassickofthesmellsandthesqualorandtheflea—

  bittencrowds。SoBlenkironandIgothorses,Turkishcavalrymountswithheadsliketrees,andwentoutthroughthesuburbsintotheopencountry。

  Itwasagreydrizzlingafternoon,withthebeginningsofaseafogwhichhidtheAsiaticshoresofthestraits。Itwasn’teasytofindopengroundforagallop,fortherewereendlesssmallpatchesofcultivationandthegardensofcountryhouses。Wekeptonthehighlandabovethesea,andwhenwereachedabitofdownlandcameonsquadsofTurkishsoldiersdiggingtrenches。Wheneverweletthehorsesgowehadtopullupsharpforadiggingpartyorastretchofbarbedwire。Coilsofthebeastlythingwerelyinglooseeverywhere,andBlenkironnearlytookanastytossoverone。Thenwewerealwaysbeingstoppedbysentriesandhavingtoshowourpasses。Stilltheridedidusgoodandshookupourlivers,andbythetimeweturnedforhomeIwasfeelingmorelikeawhiteman。

  Wejoggedbackintheshortwintertwilight,pastthewoodedgroundsofwhitevillas,heldupeveryfewminutesbytransport—

  wagonsandcompaniesofsoldiers。Therainhadcomeoninrealearnest,anditwastwoverybedraggledhorsementhatcrawledalongthemuddylanes。Aswepassedonevilla,shutinbyahighwhitewall,apleasantsmellofwoodsmokewaswaftedtowardsus,whichmademesickfortheburningveld。Myear,too,caughtthetwangingofazither,whichsomehowremindedmeoftheafternooninKuprasso’sgarden—house。

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