Frank Forester: A Story of the Dardanelles Page 4

  CHAPTER IV

  THE COMING STORM

  Two hours' hard riding brought Frank and his party, in the dusk ofevening, to a large village on the edge of the plain of Erzerum. Therewas little or no danger of further molestation; in populous places anattack on a well-known English merchant might entail disagreeableconsequences, since the authorities would be almost forced to takeaction; all the same, Frank wished that he could have completed hisjourney without pause. But that being impossible, he put up at arespectable khan or inn, where he persuaded the innkeeper, by means ofexcess payment, to agree to keep his door closed against any travellerswho might arrive subsequently. Frank preferred not to have to spend thenight under the same roof as Wonckhaus, who could not be far behind himon the road.

  His forethought bore fruit. Soon after he had retired to rest, with hishead pillowed on his precious carpet, there was a loud banging on thedoor, and a rough voice bawled for the khanji. That amiable hostellerat first feigned sleep, but the pretence could not be long kept upthrough a din that might have roused the fabled sleepers of Ephesus. Hegot up, cursing, and moved to the door.

  "Remember our bargain," Frank called through the partition dividing hisselect guest-chamber from the common room of the inn.

  The man mumbled something in answer, and Frank, wondering whether hispromise would hold out against the importunity of the newcomers,listened anxiously to the colloquy that ensued at the door.

  "O khanji!" bawled the voice outside.

  "Ahi!" was the sleepy response.

  "O khanji!"

  "What is it I hear?"

  "Are you Khanji Abdullah?"

  "Ahi!"--a sleepy drawl that meant nothing.

  "A curse on the deaf one!"

  "Am I deaf, or to be cursed, or do I hear the ugly voice of acamel-driver?" asked the innkeeper artlessly.

  "Where is Khanji Abdullah?"

  "Who?"

  "Khanji Abdullah-ah-ah!" yelled the voice, prolonging the name.

  "Why do you wake honest sleepers, you dog of a dogson?"

  "_I_ wake folk? _I_ wake folk? Have _I_ the voice of an old dromedary?Have _I_ the voice----"

  Here the speaker's shrill tones were drowned by a chorus of curses andexpostulations from the guests in the common room, among whose voicesAli's was raised the loudest. When the clamour had died down, the voiceof the man outside could be heard again.

  "Wallahy! May Allah cast his blight upon the khan and the khanji, uponyour religion and your affairs, upon your wife and children and kinsmenand cattle."

  "What is this outcry and cursing, O son of a camel?"

  "Open your door for honest travellers in the night."

  "Wallahy! My house is full; there is not room for one honest man, muchless a rogue. Get you gone, and split the ears of Khanji Muhammadyonder; his khan is the place for rogues."

  "What say you, O vile khanji? Know you that here is no rogue, but anoble Alman effendi of great size and weight, whose money-bags arebrimming over like a cup overfull! Open then, khanji, without moredisplay of ignorance and folly."

  "It is easy to lie in the dark. What know I of an Alman effendi? Ofhis nobility I say nothing; but if he be of great size and weight as yousay, mashallah! there is no room for him here. Let him begone with hismoney-bags to Khanji Muhammad; he is very poor and needy, whereas I amin no straits, praise to Allah! Get you gone, you with the voice of acamel, and let me return to my sleep. Ahi!"

  A stream of imprecations burst from the lips of Abdi, dying down in thedistance as he departed with Wonckhaus and his party towards the khan ofMuhammad at the other end of the village.

  "Was it not well done, and worthy of large bakshish?" said Abdullah,through the door of Frank's room.

  "It was well done, khanji," replied Prank, "and the morning will bringwhat it will."

  "Alhamdolillah!" the innkeeper piously ejaculated as he returned to hiscouch.

  His guests settled themselves to slumber and were not disturbed for therest of the night.

  Frank's first act on reaching Erzerum in the afternoon of the next daywas to lock up the carpet securely in his strong room. The warehouse wasan annexe at the back of the dwelling-house. This was a substantialbuilding of stone, backing on a hillside, with a flat roof covered, likethe most of the better houses in the town, with green turf. It had alarge arched door, but small windows, hardly bigger than portholes,filled, however, with glass, and not with oiled paper, which the nativescommonly used. Mr. Forester had made the interior comfortable in anEnglish fashion. The stone floors were strewn with Persian rugs; on thewhite-washed walls hung a few engravings, together with huntingtrophies. The furniture was of English make.

  As he passed through the office on his way to the strong room, Franknoticed on the desk a letter, in his father's handwriting. The carpethaving been safely stowed away, he returned, put the letter in hispocket, and hurried out into the street: there was something to be donethat brooked no delay, for Wonckhaus had arrived before him. He hasteneddown the street, which crossed a valley between his house and theGovernment buildings on the hill opposite, and made his way to thequarters of the military governor, with whom, after the long delay usualin the East, he was accorded an interview.

  "I have come to lodge a complaint against Herr Wonckhaus and the KurdAbdi," he said, when the preliminary courtesies had been exchanged. Herelated the incidents on the road. The Turkish governor listened to himcoldly.

  "I take a note of what you say, effendim," he said; "but you must knowthat Wonckhaus Effendi has already preferred a charge against you--thatyou blocked up the road with rocks, so that it was impassable. That, youare aware, is a serious offence. No one but a military officer in theexercise of his duty is permitted to block a road."

  "As I have already explained, excellency," said Frank patiently, "Imerely completed what Herr Wonckhaus had begun. His design was obvious:the steps I took were taken solely for the purpose of safeguarding mymerchandise."

  "It is told me that you threatened him with violence."

  "I said that if he threw down any more stones--committing, as youremarked, excellency, a serious offence--I would throw him after them.That, I submit, was perfectly justifiable in the circumstances."

  "I will not argue with you, effendim. You ought to have engaged zaptiehsfor your protection on your journey. The matter cannot rest here. Imust submit it to the governor of the province; it may have to bereferred ultimately to Stamboul. Meanwhile, I must order you to keep thepeace with Wonckhaus Effendi, who has felt it necessary to ask forprotection."

  Seeing that no satisfaction would be derived from further parley, Franktook his leave and set off for home. He was somewhat surprised at thecoolness of his reception. The military governor had only recentlytaken up office in the town; his predecessor had been a close personalfriend of Mr. Forester, and Frank had assumed, almost as a matter ofcourse, that the new official would be a man of the same stamp andequally well disposed. It was clear, however, from this his firstofficial interview, that the governor was unwilling to hear both sidesof a case and come to a just decision, or that he was ready to exercisepartiality on the side of Wonckhaus. Frank was not troubled about theultimate issue. The reference of the matter to the provincial governor,and possibly to the authorities at Constantinople, would postpone anydecision for months, perhaps years. Meanwhile he would put all the factsbefore his father, who would know, better than he, how to deal withthem.

  Thinking of his father reminded him of the letter in his pocket. Hetook it out, tore open the envelope, and read:

  MY DEAR FRANK,

  A serious storm is brewing in Europe. Austria has sent an ultimatum toSerbia that on the face of it means war. Serbia can't accept its termswithout losing her independence, and Russia will certainly support her.That will as certainly cause Germany to move; then France is bound bythe terms of her alliance with Russia to come in. Unless something verysuddenly intervenes, all E
urope will be in a blaze, possibly before youreceive this. In the opinion of certain important people here the wholething is a put-up job on the part of Germany, who is backing Austriawith the deliberate intention of forcing a war before Russia hasreorganized her army. There is great excitement here. German agentshave been active for a long time, but the general opinion is that Turkeywill keep out of it. She had enough of war two years ago, and herfinances are now at the lowest ebb. Still, one can never be sure howfar the Germans may succeed in duping or bribing the Turks. In mybelief, everything depends on whether we shall be drawn in. Grey willwork hard for peace; he may succeed as he has done before; but if hefails I can't see any possibility of our keeping out of it. France willbe knocked out in a month if the German fleet gets to work; and we can'tstand by and look on at such a catastrophe. Well, if we do come in,Germany will move heaven and earth to induce the Turks to make a bid forEgypt; and certain firebrands here are silly enough in theirself-conceit to play Germany's game and ruin their country. I hope forthe best, but you must be ready to clear out at a moment's notice.Unluckily I have an urgent call to London; am starting at once, but hopeto return soon. Keep your eye closely on events: our consul will havethe latest or all but the latest news; and if affairs look serious, Ishall come to Erzerum, close down and bring away the stock. We shouldbe all right here for a time, at any rate; and if the worst does happenit will be easier to shape our course here than in your wilds. Meanwhilehold on, and be circumspect.

  P.S. Just as well to keep your eye on H. W.

  Frank replaced the letter in his pocket. Here was food for thoughtindeed. He knew that, so complicated were the relations of the EuropeanPowers, the outbreak of war between any two of them might easily involvethe others, and bring about that vast and universal struggle which hadoften been talked about, and as often dismissed as improbable if notimpossible. To a rational person it seemed sheer madness that Europeshould be plunged into strife over the affairs of one little Balkannation: was it possible that the prophets who had foretold just such acataclysm would prove to be right after all? And what of Britain? Frankhad unbounded faith in the British navy, but would Britain be able tolimit herself to the exercise of sea-power? Yet how could she take aneffective part in land warfare with her small army?

  Pondering these questions, Frank arrived at his house almost unawares.He was roused from his reverie by the sight of Wonckhaus standing at hisdoor, smoking a big pipe. The German smiled and seemed to be about toaddress him; but apparently he changed his mind. Frank paid noattention to him, but passed into his own house and sat down to hisevening meal with a preoccupied air.