第8章

’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。