’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。