Greenmantle

on is P

big country house in Hampshire where I had come to convalesce after Loos, and Sandy, who was in the same case,

be a blighted brass-hat, coming it heavy over the hard-working regimental off

han to hammer a lot of raw stuff into good soldiers. I had succeeded pretty well, and there was no prouder man on earth than Richard Hannay when he took his Lennox Highlanders over the parapets on that glorious and bloody 25th day of September. Loos was no picnic, and we ha

ard to being in at the finish with Brother Boche. But this message jerked my thoughts on to a new road. There might be other things in the war than st

ten train,' I announced; 'I'l

He's got a very nice taste in

ll right now. If I wire for you, will yo

you a corps. If so be as you come down tonight, be a go

s bearings and broken out into all manner of badges and uniforms which did not fit in with my notion of it. One felt the war more in its streets than in the field, or rather one

not keep me waiting long. But when his secretary took me to his room

ches, like that of a man who gets too little fresh air. His hair was much greyer and very thin about the temples, and there were lines of o

' he told his secretary. When the young man had gone h

ging himself into a chair beside th

self. It's a comfortless, bloody business. But we've got the measure of the old Boche

he asked. He seemed to have fo

glory, though. I want to do the best I can, but I wish to heaven

t about the forward observation post at the Lo

the job, but I had to do it to prevent my subalterns going to glory. They were a lot of fire-eating you

was still

ck Stone would have gathered you in at our last merry meeting. I would question it as litt

dissatisfied with m

y, if you escape a stray bullet, you will no doubt be a Brigadier. It is a wonderful war for

d. 'I am certainly not

octors had dug out the shrapnel

it again?

ive on the racket and eat

he fire, his eyes staring abstractedly

rt of a job, but because you want to help England. How if you could help her better than by commanding a battalion-or a brigade-or, if it comes to that, a division? How if there is a thing which you alone can do? Not some embusque business in an office, but a thing compared to whic

ncomfortably. Sir Walter was not

,' I said, 'and

you decline. You will be acting as I should act myself-as any sane man would. I would not press you for worlds. If you wish it, I will not even make th

e and put me

y before the guns fire. Le

from his chain, and took a piece of paper from a drawe

hat your travels have no

ring a shooting tr

e been following the p

some pals in the Mesopotamia show, and of course I'm keen to know what is go

tion for ten minutes I will sup

ld me just how and why and when Turkey had left the rails. I heard about her grievances over our seizure of her ironclads, of the mischief the coming of the G

arms. You will inquire again how, since Turkey is primarily a religious power, Islam has played so small a part in it all. The Sheikh-ul-Islam is neglected, and though the Kaiser proclaims a Holy War and calls himself Hadji Mohammed Guilliamo, and says the Hohenzolle

le. But in the provinces, where Islam is strong, there would be trouble. Many of us counted on that. But we have been disappointed. The Syrian army is as fanatical as the hordes of the Mahdi. The Senussi have taken a hand in t

and distinct. I could hear the rain dripping from the eave

lanation, Hannay

ng than we thought,' I said. 'I fancy religion is

e jehad that old Von der Goltz prophesied. But I believe that stupid old man with

erman officers in pickelhaubes. I fancy you can't manufacture Holy Wars out of Krup

something which would cast over the whole ugly mechanism of German war the glamour of the old torrential raids which crumpled the Byzantine Empire and shook the walls of Vienna? Islam is a fighting creed, and the mullah s

ell let loose in thos

ad. Beyond Persia, r

itions. How much do

hs in North Africa, sailors on the Black Sea coasters, sheep-skinned Mongols, Hindu fakirs, Greek traders in the Gulf, as well as respectable Consuls who use cyphers. They tell the same story. The East is

spoke of for me is

That is the crazy an

till the campaign in German South West Africa was over. I know a man who could pass as an Arab, but do you think they would send him to the East? They left him in my battalion-a lucky thing for me, for he saved my life at Loos. I know the fashion, but isn't this just carrying it

nd the people and the language. But the first thing you would require in him would be that he had a nose for finding gold and knew his business. That is the position now. I

big map of Eur

in Europe. It may be in Constantinople, or in Thrace. It may be farther west. But it is moving eastwards. If you are in time you may cut into its march to Co

o details and no instructions. Obviously y

u would be bey

e me a f

et what help you like. You can follow any plan you fancy, an

say it is important. Tel

ng as we are in the dark it works unchecked and we may be too late. The war must be won or lost in Europe. Yes; but if the East blaze

of deadly peril shrouding me like a garment. Looking out on the bleak weather I shivered. It was too grim a business, too inhuman for flesh and blood. But Sir Walter had called it a matter of life and death, and I had told him that I was out to serve my country. He could not give me orders, but was I not under orders-higher orders tha

round to speak I meant to refuse. But my answer was Yes, and I

ds with me and his e

ty is!-If so, I shall be haunted with regrets, but you will never repent. Have no fe

-paper. On it were written three wo

dle. They have told us of the star rising in the West, but they could give us no details. All but one-the best of them. He had been working between Mosul and the Persian frontier as a muleteer, and had been south into the Bakhtiari hills. He found out something, but his enemies knew that he knew and he was pursued. Three months ago, just before Kut, he staggered into Delamain's camp with t

and placed it i

llow! What was h

of the window. 'His name,' he said at last, 'was Har