’Comealongtothecommandant，myboy，’Isaid，andImarchedaway，tearinguphistypewrittensheetsasIwentandstrewingthembehindmelikeapaperchase。
Wehadafineoldracketinthecommandant’soffice。Isaiditwasmybusiness，asrepresentingtheGermanGovernment，toseethestuffdeliveredtotheconsigneeatConstantinopleship—shapeandBristol—fashion。Itoldhimitwasn’tmyhabittoproceedwithcookeddocuments。Hecouldn’tbutagreewithme，buttherewasthatwrathfulOrientalwithhisfaceasfixedasaBuddha。
’Iamsorry，RastaBey，’hesaid;’butthismanisintheright。’
’IhaveauthorityfromtheCommitteetoreceivethestores，’hesaidsullenly。
’Thosearenotmyinstructions，’wastheanswer。’TheyareconsignedtotheArtillerycommandantatChataldja，GeneralvonOesterzee。’
Themanshruggedhisshoulders。’Verywell。IwillhaveawordtosaytoGeneralvonOesterzee，andmanytothisfellowwhofloutstheCommittee。’Andhestrodeawaylikeanimpudentboy。
Theharassedcommandantgrinned。’You’veoffendedhisLordship，andheisabadenemy。AllthosedamnedComitadjisare。YouwouldbewelladvisednottogoontoConstantinople。’
’Andhavethatblighterintheredhatlootthetrucksontheroad？No，thankyou。IamgoingtoseethemsafeatChataldja，orwhatevertheycalltheartillerydepot。’
Isaidagooddealmore，butthatisanabbreviatedtranslationofmyremarks。Mywordfor’blighter’was_trottel，butIusedsomeotherexpressionswhichwouldhaveravishedmyYoungTurkfriendtohear。Lookingback，itseemsprettyridiculoustohavemadeallthisfussaboutgunswhichweregoingtobeusedagainstmyownpeople。ButIdidn’tseethatatthetime。Myprofessionalpridewasupinarms，andIcouldn’tbeartohaveahandinacrookeddeal。
’Well’，Iadviseyoutogoarmed，’saidthecommandant。’Youwillhaveaguardforthetrucks，ofcourse，andIwillpickyougoodmen。Theymayholdyouupallthesame。Ican’thelpyouonceyouarepastthefrontier，butI’llsendawiretoOesterzeeandhe’llmaketroubleifanythinggoeswrong。IstillthinkyouwouldhavebeenwisertohumourRastaBey。’
AsIwasleavinghegavemeatelegram。’Here’sawireforyourCaptainSchenk。’IslippedtheenvelopeinmypocketandwentOut。
Schenkwasprettysick，soIleftanoteforhim。Atoneo’clockI
gotthetrainstarted，withacoupleofGermanLandwehrineachtruckandPeterandIinahorse—box。PresentlyIrememberedSchenk’stelegram，whichstillreposedinmypocket。Itookitoutandopenedit，meaningtowireitfromthefirststationwestoppedat。ButIchangedmymindwhenIreadit。ItwasfromsomeofficialatRegensburg，askinghimtoputunderarrestandsendbackbythefirstboatamancalledBrandt，whowasbelievedtohavecomeaboardatAbsthafenonthe30thofDecember。
IwhistledandshowedittoPeter。ThesoonerwewereatConstantinoplethebetter，andIprayedwewouldgettherebeforethefellowwhosentthiswirerepeateditandgotthecommandanttosendonthemessageandhaveusheldupatChataldja。Formybackhadfairlygotstiffenedaboutthesemunitions，andIwasgoingtotakeanyrisktoseethemsafelydeliveredtotheirproperowner。
Petercouldn’tunderstandmeatall。Hestillhankeredafteragranddestructionofthelotsomewheredowntherailway。Butthen，thiswasn’tthelineofPeter’sprofession，andhispridewasnotatstake。
Wehadamortallyslowjourney。ItwasbadenoughinBulgaria，butwhenwecrossedthefrontierataplacecalledMustafaPashawestrucktherealsupinenessoftheEast。HappilyIfoundaGermanofficertherewhohadsomenotionofhustling，and，afterall，itwashisinteresttogetthestuffmoved。Itwasthemorningofthe16th，afterPeterandIhadbeenlivinglikepigsonblackbreadandcondemnedtinstuff，thatwecameinsightofablueseaonourrighthandandknewwecouldn’tbeveryfarfromtheend。
Itwasjollyneartheendinanothersense。WestoppedatastationandwerestretchingourlegsontheplatformwhenIsawafamiliarfigureapproaching。ItwasRasta，withhalfadozenTurkishgendarmes。
IcalledPeter，andweclamberedintothetrucknextourhorse—
box。Ihadbeenhalfexpectingsomemovelikethisandhadmadeaplan。
TheTurkswaggeredupandaddressedus。’YoucangetbacktoRustchuk，’hesaid。’Itakeoverfromyouhere。Handmethepapers。’
’IsthisChataldja？’Iaskedinnocently。
’Itistheendofyouraffair，’hesaidhaughtily。’Quick，oritwillbetheworseforyou。’
’Now，lookhere，myson，’Isaid;’you’reakidandknownothing。
IhandovertoGeneralvonOesterzeeandtonooneelse。’
’YouareinTurkey，’hecried，’andwillobeytheTurkishGovernment。’
’I’llobeytheGovernmentrightenough，’Isaid;’butifyou’retheGovernmentIcouldmakeabetteronewithabibandarattle。’
Hesaidsomethingtohismen，whounslungtheirrifles。
’Pleasedon’tbeginshooting，’Isaid。’Therearetwelvearmedguardsinthistrainwhowilltaketheirordersfromme。Besides，I
andmyfriendcanshootabit。’
’Fool！’hecried，gettingveryangry。’Icanorderuparegimentinfiveminutes。’
’Maybeyoucan，’Isaid;’butobservethesituation。Iamsittingonenoughtoluoltoblowupthiscountryside。IfyoudaretocomeaboardIwillshootyou。IfyoucallinyourregimentIwilltellyouwhatI’lldo。I’llfirethisstuff，andIreckonthey’llbepickingupthebitsofyouandyourregimentofftheGallipoliPeninsula。’
Hehadputupabluff—apoorone—andIhadcalledit。HesawImeantwhatIsaid，andbecamesilken。
’Good—bye，Sir，’hesaid。’Youhavehadafairchanceandrejectedit。Weshallmeetagainsoon，andyouwillbesorryforyourinsolence。’
HestruttedawayanditwasallIcoulddotokeepfromrunningafterhim。Iwantedtolayhimovermykneeandspankhim。
WegotsafelytoChataldja，andwerereceivedbyvonOesterzeelikelong—lostbrothers。Hewastheregulargunner—officer，notthinkingaboutanythingexcepthisgunsandshells。Ihadtowaitaboutthreehourswhilehewascheckingthestuffwiththeinvoices，andthenhegavemeareceiptwhichIstillpossess。ItoldhimaboutRasta，andheagreedthatIhaddoneright。Itdidn’tmakehimasmadasIexpected，because，yousee，hegothisstuffsafeinanycase。ItwasonlythatthewretchedTurkshadtopaytwiceforthelotofit。
HegavePeterandmeluncheon，andwasaltogetherverycivilandinclinedtotalkaboutthewar。Iwouldhavelikedtohearwhathehadtosay，foritwouldhavebeensomethingtogettheinsideviewofGermany’sEasterncampaign，butIdidnotdaretowait。
AnymomenttheremightarriveanincriminatingwirefromRustchuk。
Finallyhelentusacartotakeusthefewmilestothecity。
Soitcameaboutthatatfivepastthreeonthe16thdayofJanuary，withonlytheclotheswestoodupin，PeterandIenteredConstantinople。
Iwasinconsiderablespirits，forIhadgotthefinallapsuccessfullyover，andIwaslookingforwardmadlytomeetingmyfriends;but，allthesame，thefirstsightwasamightydisappointment。Idon’tquiteknowwhatIhadexpected—asortoffairylandEasterncity，allwhitemarbleandbluewater，andstatelyTurksinsurplices，andveiledhouris，androsesandnightingales，andsomesortofstringbanddiscoursingsweetmusic。Ihadforgottenthatwinterisprettymuchthesameeverywhere。Itwasadrizzlingday，withasouth—
eastwindblowing，andthestreetswerelongtroughsofmud。ThefirstpartIstrucklookedlikeadingycolonialsuburb—woodenhousesandcorrugatedironroofs，andendlessdirty，sallowchildren。
Therewasacemetery，Iremember，withTurks’capsstuckattheheadofeachgrave。Thenwegotintonarrowsteepstreetswhichdescendedtoakindofbigcanal。IsawwhatItooktobemosquesandminarets，andtheywereaboutasimpressiveasfactorychimneys。
Byandbywecrossedabridge，andpaidapennyfortheprivilege。IfIhadknownitwasthefamousGoldenHornIwouldhavelookedatitwithmoreinterest，butIsawnothingsavealotofmoth—eatenbargesandsomequeerlittleboatslikegondolas。Thenwecameintobusierstreets，whereramshacklecabsdrawnbyleanhorsessplutteredthroughthemud。IsawoneoldfellowwholookedlikemynotionofaTurk，butmostofthepopulationhadtheappearanceofLondonold—clothesmen。Allbutthesoldiers，TurkandGerman，whoseemedwell—set—upfellows。
Peterhadpaddledalongatmysidelikeafaithfuldog，notsayingaword，butclearlynotapprovingofthiswetanddirtymetropolis。
’Doyouknowthatwearebeingfollowed，Cornelis？’hesaidsuddenly，’eversincewecameintothisevil—smellingdorp。’
Peterwasinfallibleinathinglikethat。Thenewsscaredmebadly，forIfearedthatthetelegramhadcometoChataldja。ThenI
thoughtitcouldn’tbethat，forifvonOesterzeehadwantedmehewouldn’thavetakenthetroubletostalkme。ItwasmorelikelymyfriendRasta。
IfoundtheferryofRatchikbyaskingasoldierandaGermansailortheretoldmewheretheKurdishBazaarwas。Hepointedupasteepstreetwhichranpastahighblockofwarehouseswitheverywindowbroken。Sandyhadsaidtheleft—handsidecomingdown，soitmustbetheright—handsidegoingup。Weplungedintoit，anditwasthefilthiestplaceofall。Thewindwhistledupitandstirredthegarbage。Itseemeddenselyinhabited，foratallthedoorsthereweregroupsofpeoplesquatting，withtheirheadscovered，thoughscarcelyawindowshowedintheblankwalls。
Thestreetcorkscrewedendlessly。Sometimesitseemedtostop;
thenitfoundaholeintheopposingmasonryandedgeditswayin。
Oftenitwasalmostpitchdark;thenwouldcomeagreyishtwilightwhereitopenedouttothewidthofadecentlane。Tofindahouseinthatmurkwasnoeasyjob，andbythetimewehadgoneaquarterofamileIbegantofearwehadmissedit。Itwasnogoodaskinganyofthecrowdwemet。Theydidn’tlookasiftheyunderstoodanycivilizedtongue。
Atlastwestumbledonit—atumble—downcoffeehouse，withA。Kuprassoabovethedoorinqueeramateurlettering。Therewasalampburninginside，andtwoorthreemensmokingatsmallwoodentables。
Weorderedcoffee，thickblackstuffliketreacle，whichPeteranathematized。Anegrobroughtit，andItoldhiminGermanI
wantedtospeaktoMrKuprasso。Hepaidnoattention，soI
shoutedlouderathim，andthenoisebroughtamanoutofthebackparts。
Hewasafat，oldishfellowwithalongnose，veryliketheGreektradersyouseeontheZanzibarcoast。Ibeckonedtohimandhewaddledforward，smilingoilily。ThenIaskedhimwhathewouldtake，andhereplied，inveryhaltingGerman，thathewouldhaveasirop。
’YouareMrKuprasso，’Isaid。’Iwantedtoshowthisplacetomyfriend。Hehasheardofyourgarden—houseandthefunthere。’
’TheSignorismistaken。Ihavenogarden—house。’
’Rot，’Isaid;’I’vebeenherebefore，myboy。Irecallyourshantyatthebackandmanymerrynightsthere。Whatwasityoucalledit？
Oh，Iremember—theGarden—HouseofSulimantheRed。’
Heputhisfingertohislipandlookedincrediblysly。’TheSignorremembersthat。Butthatwasintheoldhappydaysbeforewarcame。Theplaceislongsinceshut。Thepeopleherearetoopoortodanceandsing。’
’AllthesameIwouldliketohaveanotherlookatit，’Isaid，andIslippedanEnglishsovereignintohishand。
Heglancedatitinsurpriseandhismannerchanged。’TheSignorisaPrince，andIwilldohiswill。’Heclappedhishandsandthenegroappeared，andathisnodtookhisplacebehindalittleside—counter。
’Followme，’hesaid，andledusthroughalong，noisomepassage，whichwaspitchdarkandveryunevenlypaved。Thenheunlockedadoorandwithaswirlthewindcaughtitandblewitbackonus。
Wewerelookingintoameanlittleyard，withononesideahighcurvingwall，evidentlyofgreatage，withbushesgrowinginthecracksofit。Somescraggymyrtlesstoodinbrokenpots，andnettlesflourishedinacorner。Atoneendwasawoodenbuildinglikeadissentingchapel，butpaintedadingyscarlet。Itswindowsandskylightswereblackwithdirt，anditsdoor，tiedupwithrope，flappedinthewind。
’BeholdthePavilion，’Kuprassosaidproudly。
’Thatistheoldplace，’Iobservedwithfeeling。’WhattimesI’veseenthere！Tellme，MrKuprasso，doyoueveropenitnow？’
Heputhisthicklipstomyear。
’IftheSignorwillbesilentIwilltellhim。Itissometimesopen—
notoften。Menmustamusethemselveseveninwar。SomeoftheGermanofficerscomeherefortheirpleasure，andbutlastweekwehadtheballetofMademoiselleCici。Thepoliceapprove—butnotoften，forthisisnotimefortoomuchgaiety。Iwilltellyouasecret。Tomorrowafternoontherewillbedancing—wonderfuldancing！Onlyafewofmypatronsknow。Who，thinkyou，willbehere？’
Hebenthisheadcloserandsaidinawhisper—
’TheCompagniedesHeuresRoses。’
’Oh，indeed，’Isaidwithapropertoneofrespect，thoughI
hadn’tanotionwhathemeant。
’WilltheSignorwishtocome？’
’Sure，’Isaid。’Bothofus。We’reallfortherosyhours。’
’Thenthefourthhouraftermidday。Walkstraightthroughthecafeandonewillbetheretounlockthedoor。Youarenew—comershere？
TaketheadviceofAngeloKuprassoandavoidthestreetsafternightfall。
Stamboulisnosafeplacenowadaysforquietmen。’
Iaskedhimtonameahotel，andherattledoffalistfromwhichIchoseonethatsoundedmodestandinkeepingwithourget—up。Itwasnotfaroff，onlyahundredyardstotherightatthetopofthehill。
Whenwelefthisdoorthenighthadbeguntodrop。Wehadn’tgonetwentyyardsbeforePeterdrewveryneartomeandkeptturninghisheadlikeahuntedstag。
’Wearebeingfollowedclose，Cornelis，’hesaidcalmly。
Anothertenyardsandwewereatacross—roads，wherealittle_placefacedabiggishmosque。Icouldseeinthewaninglightacrowdofpeoplewhoseemedtobemovingtowardsus。Iheardahigh—pitchedvoicecryoutajabberofexcitedwords，anditseemedtomethatIhadheardthevoicebefore。
CHAPTERELEVEN
TheCompanionsoftheRosyHoursWebattledtoacorner，whereajutofbuildingstoodoutintothestreet。Itwasouronlychancetoprotectourbacks，tostandupwiththeribofstonebetweenus。Itwasonlytheworkofseconds。Oneinstantweweregropingoursolitarywayinthedarkness，thenextwewerepinnedagainstawallwithathroatymobsurgingroundus。
Ittookmeamomentortwotorealizethatwewereattacked。
Everymanhasonespecialfunkinthebackofhishead，andminewastobethequarryofanangrycrowd。Ihatedthethoughtofit—
themess，theblindstruggle，thesenseofunleashedpassionsdifferentfromthoseofanysingleblackguard。Itwasadarkworldtome，andIdon’tlikedarkness。ButinmynightmaresIhadneverimaginedanythingjustlikethis。Thenarrow，fetidstreet，withtheicywindsfanningthefilth，theunknowntongue，thehoarsesavagemurmur，andmyutterignoranceastowhatitmightallbeabout，mademecoldinthepitofmystomach。
’We’vegotitintheneckthistime，oldman，’IsaidtoPeter，whohadoutthepistolthecommandantatRustchukhadgivenhim。
Thesepistolswereouronlyweapons。Thecrowdsawthemandhungback，butiftheychosetorushusitwasn’tmuchofabarriertwopistolswouldmake。
Rasta’svoicehadstopped。Hehaddonehiswork，andhadretiredtothebackground。Therewereshoutsfromthecrowd—
’_Alleman’andaword’_Khafiyeh’constantlyrepeated。Ididn’tknowwhatitmeantatthetime，butnowIknowthattheywereafterusbecausewewereBochesandspies。TherewasnolovelostbetweentheConstantinoplescumandtheirnewmasters。ItseemedanironicalendforPeterandmetobedoneinbecausewewereBoches。Anddoneinweshouldbe。IhadheardoftheEastasagoodplaceforpeopletodisappearin;therewerenoinquisitivenewspapersorincorruptiblepolice。
IwishedtoHeavenIhadawordofTurkish。ButImademyvoiceheardforasecondinapauseofthedin，andshoutedthatwewereGermansailorswhohadbroughtdownbiggunsforTurkey，andweregoinghomenextday。Iaskedthemwhatthedeviltheythoughtwehaddone？Idon’tknowifanyfellowthereunderstoodGerman;anyhow，itonlybroughtapandemoniumofcriesinwhichthatominousword_Khafiyehwaspredominant。
ThenPeterfiredovertheirheads。Hehadto，forachapwaspawingathisthroat。Theanswerwasaclatterofbulletsonthewallaboveus。Itlookedasiftheymeanttotakeusalive，andthatIwasveryclearshouldnothappen。Betterabloodyendinastreetscrapthanthetendermerciesofthatbandboxbravo。
Idon’tquiteknowwhathappenednext。ApressdrovedownatmeandIfired。Someonesquealed，andIlookedthenextmomenttobestrangled。Andthen，suddenly，thescrimmageceased，andtherewasawaveringsplashoflightinthatpitofdarkness。
Ineverwentthroughmanyworseminutesthanthese。WhenI
hadbeenhuntedinthepastweekstherehadbeenmysteryenough，butnoimmediateperiltoface。WhenIhadbeenupagainstareal，urgent，physicalrisk，likeLoos，thedangeratanyratehadbeenclear。Oneknewwhatonewasinfor。ButherewasathreatI
couldn’tputanameto，anditwasn’tinthefuture，butpressinghardatourthroats。
AndyetIcouldn’tfeelitwasquitereal。Thepatterofthepistolbulletsagainstthewall，likesomanycrackers，thefacesfeltratherthanseeninthedark，theclamourwhichtomewaspuregibberish，hadallthemadnessofanightmare。OnlyPeter，cursingsteadilyinDutchbymyside，wasreal。Andthenthelightcame，andmadethescenemoreeerie！
Itcamefromoneortwotorchescarriedbywildfellowswithlongstaveswhodrovetheirwayintotheheartofthemob。Theflickeringglareranupthesteepwallsandmademonstrousshadows。
Thewindswungtheflameintolongstreamers，dyingawayinafanofsparks。
Andnowanewwordwasheardinthecrowd。Itwas_Chinganeh，shoutednotinangerbutinfear。
AtfirstIcouldnotseethenewcomers。Theywerehiddeninthedeepdarknessundertheircanopyoflight，fortheywereholdingtheirtorcheshighatthefullstretchoftheirarms。Theywereshouting，too，wildshrillcriesendingsometimesinagushofrapidspeech。Theirwordsdidnotseemtobedirectedagainstus，butagainstthecrowd。Asuddenhopecametomethatforsomeunknownreasontheywereonourside。
Thepresswasnolongerheavyagainstus。ItwasthinningrapidlyandIcouldhearthescuffleasmenmadeoffdownthesidestreets。
MyfirstnotionwasthattheseweretheTurkishpolice。ButI
changedmymindwhentheleadercameoutintoapatchoflight。
Hecarriednotorch，butalongstavewithwhichhebelabouredtheheadsofthosewhoweretootightlypackedtoflee。
Itwasthemosteldritchapparitionyoucanconceive。Atallmandressedinskins，withbarelegsandsandal—shodfeet。Awispofscarletclothclungtohisshoulders，and，drawnoverhisheaddownclosetohiseyes，wasaskull—capofsomekindofpeltwiththetailwavingbehindit。Hecaperedlikeawildanimal，keepingupastrangehighmonotonethatfairlygavemethecreeps。
Iwassuddenlyawarethatthecrowdhadgone。Beforeuswasonlythisfigureandhishalf—dozencompanions，somecarryingtorchesandallwearingclothesofskin。Butonlytheonewhoseemedtobetheirleaderworetheskull—cap;theresthadbareheadsandlongtangledhair。
Thefellowwasshoutinggibberishatme。Hiseyeswereglassy，likeamanwhosmokeshemp，andhislegswereneverstillforasecond。Youwouldthinksuchafigurenobetterthanamountebank，andyettherewasnothingcomicinit。Fearfulandsinisteranduncannyitwas;andIwantedtodoanythingbutlaugh。
Asheshoutedhekeptpointingwithhisstaveupthestreetwhichclimbedthehillside。
’Hemeansustomove，’saidPeter。’ForGod’ssakeletusgetawayfromthiswitch—doctor。’
Icouldn’tmakesenseofit，butonethingwasclear。ThesemaniacshaddeliveredusforthemomentfromRastaandhisfriends。
ThenIdidadashedsillything。Ipulledoutasovereignandofferedittotheleader。Ihadsomekindofnotionofshowinggratitude，andasIhadnowordsIhadtoshowitbydeed。
Hebroughthisstickdownonmywristandsentthecoinspinninginthegutter。Hiseyesblazed，andhemadehisweaponsingroundmyhead。Hecursedme—oh，Icouldtellcursingwellenough，thoughIdidn’tfollowaword;andhecriedtohisfollowersandtheycursedmetoo。Ihadofferedhimamortalinsultandstirredupaworsehornet’snestthanRasta’spush。
PeterandI，withacommonimpulse，tooktoourheels。Wewerenotlookingforanytroublewithdemoniacs。Upthesteep，narrowlaneweranwiththatbedlamitecrowdatourheels。Thetorchesseemedtohavegoneout，fortheplacewasblackaspitch，andwetumbledoverheapsofoffalandsplashedthroughrunningdrains。
Themenwereclosebehindus，andmorethanonceIfeltastickonmyshoulder。Butfearlentuswings，andsuddenlybeforeuswasablazeoflightandwesawthedebouchmentofourstreetinamainthoroughfare。Theotherssawit，too，fortheyslackenedoff。justbeforewereachedthelightwestoppedandlookedround。Therewasnosoundorsightbehindusinthedarklanewhichdippedtotheharbour。
’Thisisaqueercountry，Cornelis，’saidPeter，feelinghislimbsforbruises。’Toomanythingshappenintooshortatime。Iambreathless。’
Thebigstreetwehadstruckseemedtorunalongthecrestofthehill。Therewerelampsinit，andcrawlingcabs，andquitecivilized—
lookingshops。WesoonfoundthehoteltowhichKuprassohaddirectedus，abigplaceinacourtyardwithaverytumble—down—
lookingportico，andgreensun—shutterswhichrattleddrearilyinthewinter’swind。Itproved，asIhadfeared，tobepackedtothedoor，mostlywithGermanofficers。WithsometroubleIgotaninterviewwiththeproprietor，theusualGreek，andtoldhimthatwehadbeensenttherebyMrKuprasso。Thatdidn’taffecthimintheleast，andwewouldhavebeenshotintothestreetifIhadn’trememberedaboutStumm’spass。
SoIexplainedthatwehadcomefromGermanywithmunitionsandonlywantedroomsforonenight。Ishowedhimthepassandblusteredagooddeal，tillhebecamecivilandsaidhewoulddothebesthecouldforus。
Thatbestwasprettypoor。PeterandIweredoubledupinasmallroomwhichcontainedtwocamp—bedsandlittleelse，andhadbrokenwindowsthroughwhichthewindwhistled。WehadaWretcheddinnerofstringymutton，boiledwithvegetables，andawhitecheesestrongenoughtoraisethedead。ButIgotabottleofwhisky，forwhichIpaidasovereign，andwemanagedtolightthestoveinourroom，fastentheshutters，andwarmourheartswithabrewoftoddy。Afterthatwewenttobedandsleptlikelogsfortwelvehours。OntheroadfromRustchukwehadhaduneasyslumbers。
Iwokenextmorningand，lookingoutfromthebrokenwindow，sawthatitwassnowing。WithalotoftroubleIgotholdofaservantandmadehimbringussomeofthetreaclyTurkishcoffee。
Wewerebothinprettylowspirits。’Europeisapoorcoldplace，’
saidPeter，’notworthfightingfor。Thereisonlyonewhiteman’sland，andthatisSouthAfrica。’AtthetimeIheartilyagreedwithhim。
Irememberthat，sittingontheedgeofmybed，Itookstockofourposition。Itwasnotverycheering。Weseemedtohavebeenamassingenemiesatafuriouspace。Firstofall，therewasRasta，whomIhadinsultedandwhowouldn’tforgetitinahurry。HehadhiscrowdofTurkishriff—raffandwasboundtogetussoonerorlater。Thentherewasthemaniacintheskinhat。Hedidn’tlikeRasta，andImadeaguessthatheandhisweirdfriendswereofsomepartyhostiletotheYoungTurks。But，ontheotherhand，hedidn’tlikeus，andtherewouldbebadtroublethenexttimewemethim。Finally，therewasStummandtheGermanGovernment。ItcouldonlybeamatterofhoursatthebestbeforehegottheRustchukauthoritiesonourtrail。ItwouldbeeasytotraceusfromChataldja，andoncetheyhaduswewereabsolutelydone。Therewasabigblack_dossieragainstus，whichbynoconceivablepieceofluckcouldbeupset。
itwasverycleartomethat，unlesswecouldfindsanctuaryandshedallourvariouspursuersduringthisday，weshouldbedoneinforgoodandall。Butwhereonearthwerewetofindsanctuary？
Wehadneitherofusawordofthelanguage，andtherewasnowayIcouldseeoftakingonnewcharacters。Forthatwewantedfriendsandhelp，andIcouldthinkofnoneanywhere。Somewhere，tobesure，therewasBlenkiron，buthowcouldwegetintouchwithhim？AsforSandy，Ihadprettywellgivenhimup。Ialwaysthoughthisenterprisethecraziestofthelotandboundtofail。HewasprobablysomewhereinAsiaMinor，andamonthortwolaterwouldgettoConstantinopleandhearinsomepot—housetheyarnofthetwowretchedDutchmenwhohaddisappearedsosoonfrommen’ssight。
ThatrendezvousatKuprasso’swasnogood。Itwouldhavebeenallrightifwehadgothereunsuspected，andcouldhavegoneonquietlyfrequentingtheplacetillBlenkironpickedusup。Buttodothatwewantedleisureandsecrecy，andherewewerewithapackofhoundsatourheels。Theplacewashorriblydangerousalready。
IfweshowedourselvesthereweshouldbegatheredinbyRasta，orbytheGermanmilitarypolice，orbythemadmanintheskincap。Itwasastarkimpossibilitytohangaboutontheoff—chanceofmeetingBlenkiron。
Ireflectedwithsomebitternessthatthiswasthe17thdayofJanuary，thedayofourassignation。IhadhadhighhopesallthewaydowntheDanubeofmeetingwithBlenkiron—forIknewhewouldbeintime—ofgivinghimtheinformationIhadhadthegoodfortunetocollect，ofpiecingittogetherwithwhathehadfoundout，andofgettingthewholestorywhichSirWalterhungeredfor。Afterthat，Ithoughtitwouldn’tbehardtogetawaybyRumania，andtogethomethroughRussia。IhadhopedtobebackwithmybattalioninFebruary，havingdoneasgoodabitofworkasanybodyinthewar。Asitwas，itlookedasifmyinformationwoulddiewithme，unlessIcouldfindBlenkironbeforetheevening。
ItalkedthethingoverwithPeter，andheagreedthatwewerefairlyupagainstit。WedecidedtogotoKuprasso’sthatafternoon，andtotrusttoluckfortherest。Itwouldn’tdotowanderaboutthestreets，sowesattightinourroomallmorning，andswoppedoldhuntingyarnstokeepourmindsfromthebeastlypresent。Wegotsomefoodatmidday—coldmuttonandthesamecheese，andfinishedourwhisky。ThenIpaidthebill，forIdidn’tdaretostaythereanothernight。Abouthalf—pastthreewewentintothestreet，withoutthefoggiestnotionwherewewouldfindournextquarters。
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