That short February day was indeed an eventful one, both for the rival
investigators, and for the whole Hebrew race.
Almost at that same hour when Sir Felix Challas left his London mansion
so hurriedly, and in such fear, “Red Mullet” was being conducted up a
long, wood-built, unpainted corridor where the uncarpeted floor was full
of holes and the broken windows were patched, to a small shabby little
reception-room--the waiting-room of the Sublime Porte, or Government
Offices at Constantinople.
A Turkish servant in a dingy red fez, handed him the usual formal cup of
black coffee and cigarette, and he was left alone to await his audience
with the Grand Vizier of his Imperial Majesty, the Sultan.
It was not the first time in the course of his adventurous career that
he had had audience at the Sublime Porte. He knew the shabbiness and
the decay of that great shed-like building, its lack of order, its
seedy-looking officials, and its altogether incongruous appearance as
the centre of the administration of a great empire.
Smoking the cigarette, he stood gazing thoughtfully out upon the rubbish
heap in the courtyard below. Beyond, lay Pera, and the blue Bosphorus.
The room, with its bare walls, faded Oriental carpet, rickety
writing-table and few shabby chairs, was the apartment where the
Ambassadors of the Powers awaited audience of the Grand Vizier, or of
his Excellency, Tewfik Pasha, his Majesty’s Minister for Foreign
Affairs. A contrast indeed to the fairylike glories of the palace of
Yildiz.
Five minutes later, the tall, red-moustached Englishman was conducted to
a private room, shabby as was all at the Sublime Porte, where, at a
table, sat a benevolent white-bearded old gentleman in frock-coat and
fez, the Grand Vizier of the Sultan.
The high official greeted him in French, and having motioned him to a
chair on the opposite side of the table, said:
“I am greatly obliged to you, M’sieur Mullet. I have read with intense
interest the document you gave me yesterday, and last evening I placed
the matter before his Majesty, my sovereign, at the Palace. As you are
aware, his Majesty is always tolerant of other religions that are not
our Faith, and has ever been most lenient towards the Hebrew race. This
discovery, and your statement that certain persons hostile to the Jewish
religion are in search of the supposed sacred relics, have both
interested him, and he has commanded me to tell you that inquiries have
been made by telegraph in Jerusalem. It appears that a certain
Englishman named James Jannaway is staying at the Park Hotel, and is in
treaty with the owners of two plots of land at the base of the Mount of
Offence, one belonging to Poulios, a Greek, and the other to a certain
Hadj Ben Hassan, an Arab. The Governor of Jerusalem reports that the
price is fixed, and only the contracts remain to be drawn.”
“The man Jannaway, your Excellency, is the agent of Sir Felix Challas,”
declared Mullet.
“As you yourself have been when you have visited Constantinople to
obtain concessions from us on previous occasions, M’sieur!” remarked the
wily Turkish official. “Why have you betrayed your employer?”
“For reasons which I have already explained in the document I handed to
you. Your Excellency has always been extremely good to me personally,
and I deemed it but my duty to inform you of the secret excavations
about to take place in Jerusalem.”
“You have no ulterior motive--eh?” asked the old man, fixing his eyes
keenly upon him.
“None whatever, your Excellency. On the contrary, I shall be the
loser.”
The Grand Vizier stroked his beard for a few moments in thoughtful
silence. Then he said:
“His Majesty never fails to repay generously any service rendered him.
I may as well tell you he considers the rendering of this information a
very valuable service. It might easily have happened that the most
sacred relics of the Hebrews could have been taken from our country in
secret by enemies of the Jews, a circumstance which would have caused
his Majesty the utmost annoyance and anger.”
“Your Excellency has already satisfied yourself that I have told the
truth, I hope?”
“Certainly; during the night I have had several long telegrams from the
Governor of Jerusalem, all of which bear out your allegation of a secret
attempt about to be made to excavate in the Mount of Offence.”
“And what action will the Ottoman Government take?” asked “Red Mullet,”
eagerly.
“His Majesty has already taken action,” was the Grand Vizier’s reply.
“This morning he signed an irade which I placed before him, prohibiting
the sale of any of the land of the Mount of Offence to any foreigner,
and forbidding any excavations or any investigation whatsoever being
made there.”
“Red Mullet” was silent. The situation was an unexpected one. Such an
irade would prevent Griffin and Diamond--the rightful holders of the
secret--from taking any action, or making any investigation! By
successfully opposing Challas, he had unfortunately also opposed
Professor Griffin!
“Is not that--well--well, just a little in opposition to his Majesty’s
well-known policy of progress? The Imperial irade forbids any
investigation whatever, I take it?”
“It forbids every investigation, of whatever nature,” slowly replied the
white-bearded mouthpiece of the Sultan. “Besides, there is a Jewish
cemetery in close proximity; we will not have that desecrated, by either
archaeologists or treasure-hunters.”
“Then the secret cipher elucidated by Professor Griffin is to remain an
unsolved problem?” Mullet said in a tone of great disappointment.
“For the present, yes,” was the old gentleman’s response. “There are
many difficulties. Suppose the sacred relics were really discovered, to
whom would they belong?”
“To the Hebrew race--and permit me to express the opinion, your
Excellency, that they should be searched for, and given over to the
Jews.”
“I am not yet in a position to advise his Majesty upon that point. For
the present, investigation and excavation are absolutely prohibited.
But, rest assured, that no one is more alive to the importance of
Professor Griffin’s discovery than his Majesty himself. Indeed, he
wishes for an exact transcript of this extraordinary record in your
Bible.”
“That investigation by the anti-Semitic group should be prohibited, I
am, of course, much gratified, your Excellency. But I do hope sincerely
that one day his Majesty will allow the right of research to the
rightful holders of the secret--who, as I have stated, are the
discoverer, Professor Griffin, and his friends.”
“Including yourself, M’sieur Mullet--eh?”
“Yes, including myself, your Excellency,” laughed the red-moustached
man. “I would most humbly petition his Majesty, through you, to grant
to me the concession to search after the truth, if his Majesty ever
grants one.”
“For the present, rest assured, Mr Mullet, that no permission will be
given to any one. There are many eventualities to be considered, as
well as international complications. But if any concession be granted
in the future, his Majesty will certainly accord it to you, in
consideration of the important and timely information which you have so
generously furnished to us.”
“Then we need not fear the success of our enemies,” laughed the tall
Englishman, with much gratification.
“Certainly not,” answered the venerable old gentleman with a smile.
“See here,” and he pointed to an open telegram before him, “this is the
last despatch from the Governor of Jerusalem, an hour ago. By my orders
the Mount of the Offence is surrounded by a cordon of military, who have
instructions to allow no one to pass. I have taken this precaution in
case the affair gets into the press, and the spot is visited by great
crowds, as it well may be. So,” laughed the Grand Vizier, “you have
to-day given your friend, M’sieur Jannaway, a rather unpleasant
surprise, I should fancy.”