Greenmantle

House of Su

Schenk got an ague, and by that evening was a blue and shivering wreck. He had done me well, and I reckoned I would stand by him. So I got his ship's papers, and the manifests of cargo, and undertook to see to the trans-shipment. It wasn't the first time I had tackle

e the railways give him the trucks he needed. There was a collection of hungry German transport officers always putting in their oars, and being infernally insol

t morning when I had got nearly

ged he was rather a swell. He came up to me and asked me very civilly in German for the way-bills. I gave him them and he looked carefu

I said. 'I can't do without th

e said, smilin

n its handling. The loading was practically finished when my gentleman returned. He handed me a neatl

d. 'Give me back the right se

like a dusky seraph, and held out hi

he said. 'It is

Turkey would pay for the lot to Germany: probably had already paid the bill: but she would pay double for the things not on th

way-bills. If you won't give me them, I will have every item out of the trucks and

fellow, and he looked m

' he said, again str

me, you infernal little haberdasher, I'll have

me. He began to curse and t

marched away, tearing up his typewritten sheets as I

the stuff delivered to the consignee at Constantinople ship-shape and Bristol-fashion. I told him it wasn't my habit to procee

y,' he said; 'but thi

Committee to receive the

wer. 'They are consigned to the Artillery co

to say to General von Oesterzee, and many to this fellow who

hip, and he is a bad enemy. All those damned Comitadjis are

n the road? No, thank you. I am going to see them safe a

h would have ravished my young Turk friend to hear. Looking back, it seems pretty ridiculous to have made all this fuss about guns which were going to be

you good men. They may hold you up all the same. I can't help you once you are past the frontier, but I'll send a wire

re's a wire for your Captain Schenk.' I sli

ed Schenk's telegram, which still reposed in my pocket. I took it out and opened it, meaning to wire it from the first station we stopped at. But I changed my mind when I read it. It was fr

heir proper owner. Peter couldn't understand me at all. He still hankered after a grand destruction of the lot somewhere down the railway. But then, this wasn't the line of Peter's profession, and his pride was not at stake. We had a mortally slow journey. It was bad enough in Bulgaria, but when we crossed the frontier at a place called Mustafa Pasha we struck the real

and were stretching our legs on the platform when I saw a familiar f

uck next our horse-box. I had been half expe

u can get back to Rustchuk,' he said. 'I ta

aldja?' I ask

' he said haughtily. 'Quick, o

a kid and know nothing. I hand over to G

cried, 'and will obey

said; 'but if you're the Government I could

to his men, who un

ve armed guards in this train who will take their orde

ery angry. 'I can order up

If you dare to come aboard I will shoot you. If you call in your regiment I will tell you what I'll do. I'll fir

and I had called it. He saw I mea

chance and rejected it. We shall meet again s

do to keep from running after him. I wan

had to wait about three hours while he was checking the stuff with the invoices, and then he gave me a receipt which I still possess. I told him about Rasta, and he agreed that I

he had to say, for it would have been something to get the inside view of Germany's Eastern campaign, but I did not dare to wait.

16th day of January, with only the clothes we

day, with a south-east wind blowing, and the streets were long troughs of mud. The first part I struck looked like a dingy colonial suburb-wooden houses and corrugated iron roofs, and endless dirty, sallow children. There was a cemetery, I remember, with Turks' caps stuck at the head of each grave. Then we got into narrow steep streets which descended to a kind of big canal. I saw what I took to be mosques and minarets, and they were about as impressive as factory chimneys. By and by we crossed a bridge, and pai

ithful dog, not saying a word, but clearly n

Cornelis?' he said suddenly, 'ever sinc

elegram had come to Chataldja. Then I thought it couldn't be that, for if von Oesterzee had

ery window broken. Sandy had said the left-hand side coming down, so it must be the right-hand side going up. We plunged into it, and it was the filthiest place of all. The wind whistled up i

then would come a greyish twilight where it opened out to the width of a decent lane. To find a house in that murk was no easy job, and by the time we had gone

asso above the door in queer amateur lettering. There was a lamp b

brought it, and I told him in German I wanted to speak to Mr Kuprasso. He paid no at

Zanzibar coast. I beckoned to him and he waddled forward, smiling oilily. Then I asked hi

o show this place to my friend. He has hea

istaken. I have

hanty at the back and many merry nights there. What was it you

embers that. But that was in the old happy days before war came. The pl

other look at it,' I said, and I slip

Prince, and I will do his will.' He clapped his hands and the negro

which was pitch dark and very unevenly paved. Then he unlocked a

of it. Some scraggy myrtles stood in broken pots, and nettles flourished in a corner. At one end was a wooden building like a dissenting

ilion,' Kuprass

eeling. 'What times I've seen there! Tell

thick lip

ere for their pleasure, and but last week we had the ballet of Mademoiselle Cici. The police approve-but not often, for this is no time for too much gai

d closer and sa

nie des Heu

oper tone of respect, though I

Signor wis

th of us. We're all

gelo Kuprasso and avoid the streets after nightfall. Stamboul is no safe place nowadays for quiet men.' I asked him to name a hotel, and he rattled off a l

e hadn't gone twenty yards before Peter drew very ne

owed close, Cornel

d see in the waning light a crowd of people who seemed to be moving towards us. I heard a high-pitc