THE COMING STORM
Two hours' hard riding brought Frank and his party, in the dusk of
evening, to a large village on the edge of the plain of Erzerum. There
was little or no danger of further molestation; in populous places an
attack on a well-known English merchant might entail disagreeable
consequences, since the authorities would be almost forced to take
action; all the same, Frank wished that he could have completed his
journey without pause. But that being impossible, he put up at a
respectable khan or inn, where he persuaded the innkeeper, by means of
excess payment, to agree to keep his door closed against any travellers
who might arrive subsequently. Frank preferred not to have to spend the
night under the same roof as Wonckhaus, who could not be far behind him
on the road.
His forethought bore fruit. Soon after he had retired to rest, with his
head pillowed on his precious carpet, there was a loud banging on the
door, and a rough voice bawled for the khanji. That amiable hosteller
at first feigned sleep, but the pretence could not be long kept up
through a din that might have roused the fabled sleepers of Ephesus. He
got up, cursing, and moved to the door.
"Remember our bargain," Frank called through the partition dividing his
select guest-chamber from the common room of the inn.
The man mumbled something in answer, and Frank, wondering whether his
promise 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 a
camel-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 and
expostulations from the guests in the common room, among whose voices
Ali's was raised the loudest. When the clamour had died down, the voice
of the man outside could be heard again.
"Wallahy! May Allah cast his blight upon the khan and the khanji, upon
your religion and your affairs, upon your wife and children and kinsmen
and 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, much
less a rogue. Get you gone, and split the ears of Khanji Muhammad
yonder; his khan is the place for rogues."
"What say you, O vile khanji? Know you that here is no rogue, but a
noble Alman effendi of great size and weight, whose money-bags are
brimming over like a cup overfull! Open then, khanji, without more
display of ignorance and folly."
"It is easy to lie in the dark. What know I of an Alman effendi? Of
his nobility I say nothing; but if he be of great size and weight as you
say, mashallah! there is no room for him here. Let him begone with his
money-bags to Khanji Muhammad; he is very poor and needy, whereas I am
in no straits, praise to Allah! Get you gone, you with the voice of a
camel, and let me return to my sleep. Ahi!"
A stream of imprecations burst from the lips of Abdi, dying down in the
distance as he departed with Wonckhaus and his party towards the khan of
Muhammad 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 bring
what it will."
"Alhamdolillah!" the innkeeper piously ejaculated as he returned to his
couch.
His guests settled themselves to slumber and were not disturbed for the
rest of the night.
Frank's first act on reaching Erzerum in the afternoon of the next day
was to lock up the carpet securely in his strong room. The warehouse was
an annexe at the back of the dwelling-house. This was a substantial
building of stone, backing on a hillside, with a flat roof covered, like
the most of the better houses in the town, with green turf. It had a
large arched door, but small windows, hardly bigger than portholes,
filled, however, with glass, and not with oiled paper, which the natives
commonly used. Mr. Forester had made the interior comfortable in an
English fashion. The stone floors were strewn with Persian rugs; on the
white-washed walls hung a few engravings, together with hunting
trophies. The furniture was of English make.
As he passed through the office on his way to the strong room, Frank
noticed on the desk a letter, in his father's handwriting. The carpet
having been safely stowed away, he returned, put the letter in his
pocket, and hurried out into the street: there was something to be done
that brooked no delay, for Wonckhaus had arrived before him. He hastened
down the street, which crossed a valley between his house and the
Government buildings on the hill opposite, and made his way to the
quarters of the military governor, with whom, after the long delay usual
in the East, he was accorded an interview.
"I have come to lodge a complaint against Herr Wonckhaus and the Kurd
Abdi," he said, when the preliminary courtesies had been exchanged. He
related the incidents on the road. The Turkish governor listened to him
coldly.
"I take a note of what you say, effendim," he said; "but you must know
that Wonckhaus Effendi has already preferred a charge against you--that
you blocked up the road with rocks, so that it was impassable. That, you
are aware, is a serious offence. No one but a military officer in the
exercise of his duty is permitted to block a road."
"As I have already explained, excellency," said Frank patiently, "I
merely completed what Herr Wonckhaus had begun. His design was obvious:
the steps I took were taken solely for the purpose of safeguarding my
merchandise."
"It is told me that you threatened him with violence."
"I said that if he threw down any more stones--committing, as you
remarked, 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 zaptiehs
for your protection on your journey. The matter cannot rest here. I
must submit it to the governor of the province; it may have to be
referred ultimately to Stamboul. Meanwhile, I must order you to keep the
peace with Wonckhaus Effendi, who has felt it necessary to ask for
protection."
Seeing that no satisfaction would be derived from further parley, Frank
took his leave and set off for home. He was somewhat surprised at the
coolness of his reception. The military governor had only recently
taken up office in the town; his predecessor had been a close personal
friend of Mr. Forester, and Frank had assumed, almost as a matter of
course, that the new official would be a man of the same stamp and
equally well disposed. It was clear, however, from this his first
official interview, that the governor was unwilling to hear both sides
of a case and come to a just decision, or that he was ready to exercise
partiality on the side of Wonckhaus. Frank was not troubled about the
ultimate issue. The reference of the matter to the provincial governor,
and possibly to the authorities at Constantinople, would postpone any
decision for months, perhaps years. Meanwhile he would put all the facts
before his father, who would know, better than he, how to deal with
them.
Thinking of his father reminded him of the letter in his pocket. He
took it out, tore open the envelope, and read:
MY DEAR FRANK,
A serious storm is brewing in Europe. Austria has sent an ultimatum to
Serbia that on the face of it means war. Serbia can't accept its terms
without losing her independence, and Russia will certainly support her.
That will as certainly cause Germany to move; then France is bound by
the terms of her alliance with Russia to come in. Unless something very
suddenly intervenes, all Europe will be in a blaze, possibly before you
receive this. In the opinion of certain important people here the whole
thing is a put-up job on the part of Germany, who is backing Austria
with the deliberate intention of forcing a war before Russia has
reorganized her army. There is great excitement here. German agents
have been active for a long time, but the general opinion is that Turkey
will keep out of it. She had enough of war two years ago, and her
finances are now at the lowest ebb. Still, one can never be sure how
far the Germans may succeed in duping or bribing the Turks. In my
belief, everything depends on whether we shall be drawn in. Grey will
work hard for peace; he may succeed as he has done before; but if he
fails I can't see any possibility of our keeping out of it. France will
be knocked out in a month if the German fleet gets to work; and we can't
stand 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 for
Egypt; and certain firebrands here are silly enough in their
self-conceit to play Germany's game and ruin their country. I hope for
the 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 hope
to return soon. Keep your eye closely on events: our consul will have
the latest or all but the latest news; and if affairs look serious, I
shall come to Erzerum, close down and bring away the stock. We should
be all right here for a time, at any rate; and if the worst does happen
it will be easier to shape our course here than in your wilds. Meanwhile
hold 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 thought
indeed. He knew that, so complicated were the relations of the European
Powers, the outbreak of war between any two of them might easily involve
the others, and bring about that vast and universal struggle which had
often been talked about, and as often dismissed as improbable if not
impossible. To a rational person it seemed sheer madness that Europe
should be plunged into strife over the affairs of one little Balkan
nation: was it possible that the prophets who had foretold just such a
cataclysm would prove to be right after all? And what of Britain? Frank
had unbounded faith in the British navy, but would Britain be able to
limit herself to the exercise of sea-power? Yet how could she take an
effective 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 his
door, smoking a big pipe. The German smiled and seemed to be about to
address him; but apparently he changed his mind. Frank paid no
attention to him, but passed into his own house and sat down to his
evening meal with a preoccupied air.