HOW THE SPOOK TOOK US TREASURE-HUNTING AND WE
PHOTOGRAPHED THE TURKISH COMMANDANT
For the past fortnight Hill and I had known that a number of new
prisoners were coming to Yozgad—44 officers and 25 men. These were the
“Kastamouni Incorrigibles.” After the escape by Keeling, Tipton, Sweet,
and Bishop from Kastamouni in 1917, their comrades of Kastamouni Camp
had been badly “strafed.” The whole camp was moved to Changri, where it
was housed in the vilest conditions imaginable.[34] In despair a number
of officers gave the Turks their parole not to escape, in order to get
reasonable quarters. The Turks accepted the parole and sent these to
Gedos. Then Johnny Turk began to wonder why the rest would not give
parole, and very naturally concluded they must be intending to escape.
The safest place in Turkey for restless gentlemen of this description
was Yozgad, in the heart of Anatolia. So to Yozgad they were sent.
But at Yozgad the accommodation for prisoners was very limited. To make
room for all 44 incorrigibles the Turkish War Office decided to send 20
of the Yozgad officers to Afion Kara Hissar. As soon as this order
arrived, Moïse came across and told us about it. The Commandant wanted
the Spook to tell him which of the officers at present in Yozgad he
should send away. Here was a great opportunity. It would have been the
easiest thing in the world for us to send any twenty men we chose to
select. We were much tempted to despatch to Afion the score whom we
considered to be most vehemently opposed to all plans of escape. But we
held our hand. We advised Moïse that we thought it wiser not to trouble
the Spook with details, as the treasure business was sufficient worry at
present. The Spook had several times told us to do as much as possible
for ourselves.
Accordingly the camp was informed of the order in the usual way, but
when we heard the result we were rather sorry we had not exercised our
option. Moïse told us that the Commandant, in answer to enquiries, had
said that Yozgad camp was in every way preferable to Afion. (As a matter
of fact it was not.) In Yozgad, he said, food was cheaper, the climate
better and the housing much superior. Result: those officers who had at
first been tempted by the idea of a change refused to budge. Indeed,
practically nobody wanted to go, for what with the Hunt Club and the Ski
dinner speech, and one thing and another, Yozgad prospects looked
decidedly rosy for the summer. So, to a diapason of grousing by the
victims, the fiat went forth that the twenty junior officers should pack
up, and our Senior Officer did Hill and myself the honour of telling
Kiazim Bey that, as we were not only junior but also “the black sheep”
of the camp, it would be distinctly advisable to include us in the
twenty. (That “black sheep” phrase hurt a little—we had never done
anybody any harm—but it amused the Turks.) Kiazim, who wanted his
treasure, refused to move us. Amid much grumbling, the twenty made their
preparations for departure.
On the 26th March, at 6 p.m. Moïse brought the matter up in his
“report.” “I have some news for you, Sir,” he said to the board. “We
have got the order for twenty officers to leave for Afion. Their names
have been put down. You see we are trying to blow our own noses.” (Moïse
had got it into his head that this was an English idiom meaning to be
self-reliant.) “But perhaps you can give us some good suggestions as you
usually do. I told Colonel Maule we could not move the mediums when he
asked about them.”
“Quite right,” said the Spook, “that is all as I arranged it. But I want
one small addition. I want Maule to be told that the Superior would like
to be rid of these two officers, and that he would send them away if he
could, but he must await orders from Constantinople, to whom a report of
the trial has been sent.” (The report was dictated by the Spook and sent
to the Turkish War Office on the 18th March.[35]) “This will explain why
the Superior does not seize the opportunity to get rid of them. It will
also explain matters if Constantinople wires to send these two away, as
it may do. Do not be alarmed at that possibility. It will be all my
doing, and I know what I am doing.”
The object of this was to keep open the possibility of our travelling
with the Afion party for part of the way. We hoped that by the time they
were ready to start, Kiazim would have been persuaded by us that the
treasure could best be found by sending us to the Mediterranean coast.
From Yozgad to Angora was 120 miles, and transport was scarce. So we
intended to avail ourselves of the government carts provided for the
Afion party if Kiazim agreed to move us.
The Turks were now like children in the Hampton Court maze when a fog
has come down. They were properly lost in our labyrinth, and appealed to
the Spook to tell them what was happening. That capable and inventive
gentleman rose to the occasion, and gave them a resumé of the position.
The best chance of finding the treasure quickly, the Spook said, had
been when OOO had offered to point it out if we could prove our
friendship to him. The Pimple had spoiled that chance by his ignorance
of Armenian. Indeed, he had done worse than spoil it—he had thrown OOO
into active opposition, and though OOO himself was not much to be
feared, being a comparatively young and inexperienced spirit, a company
had now been formed to help him, which contained some of the best known
organizers in the spirit-world. (Amongst them was Napoleon Buonaparte.)
There remained, the Spook continued, three other plans for finding the
treasure. Of these the first was to find out everything from Yozgad
through the holders of the three clues—KKK, YYY and AAA. This again the
Pimple had nearly—though not quite—spoiled by inadvertently
strengthening the opposition. Fortunately KKK and YYY were dead, and as
they were keenly interested in helping to tear aside the partition
between this world and the next, our Spook had been able to persuade
them to assist in the search, and they were prepared, as scientific
investigators, to try and show themselves and make themselves heard to
the mediums. Success with them would depend on whether or not the
starvation diet had rendered the mediums sufficiently clairvoyant and
clairaudient. There remained the holder of the third clue—AAA. AAA being
still alive—we learned that he was a business man in Constantinople,
whose work frequently took him to Adalia, Tarsus, Alexandretta, and
Damascus—was likely to be our chief difficulty, because his mind must be
read by telepathy and he was so far away that his thought-waves would be
weak, so the opposition might succeed in blocking them. Still, we would
try, and must hope for success.
But, the Spook warned us, the trance-talk had pointed to the fact that
this plan would not succeed in its entirety, and that the treasure would
be found by one of two other plans which were being held in reserve.
Both these plans involved moving the mediums nearer to AAA—nearer, that
is to say, to Constantinople, Adalia, Tarsus, Alexandretta or Damascus,
according as AAA might be in one or the other.
“The details of these two plans,” said the Spook, “I do not want to tell
at present, because OOO has now got control over a medium in Yozgad[36];
and as you humans cannot control your thoughts it is unwise to tell you,
lest that medium and OOO succeed in reading the plan that is in your
minds. They could then interfere with it.”
To our delight, the Turks took the news that we might have to leave
Yozgad with the utmost nonchalance. They realized that the Spook was
doing his utmost to find the treasure without moving us, and in their
hearts they were pretty confident he would succeed. Therefore they
regarded the move as unlikely—and forgot all about it for the time
being, by reason of the other things we provided to occupy their
attention. For, having mentioned the move, we at once turned their
attention away from it by bringing forward KKK.
KKK proved to be a most friendly spirit. Speaking through our own Spook
he offered to conduct us next day to the spot where his clue was buried.
But he laid down certain conditions:
_Conditions laid down by KKK._ _Secret object of the conditions._
1. Only those who are present at 1. To get Kiazim out and enable us
the digging up of the clue will be to photograph him.
allowed to share in the treasure.
NOTE.—The Commandant kicked very
hard against this condition,
because he was afraid of being
seen in the company of the
mediums, but KKK was adamant and
Kiazim finally gave way.
2. The mediums are to be prepared 2. To enable me to pose the Turks
to carry out the treasure-test of for Hill to photograph them. If
the Head-hunting Waas. If that the first pose was unsuccessful,
fails, Jones is authorized to try the Red Karens’ test gave the
the secret Blood-test of the Red opportunity for a second pose.
Karens.
3. The Turks must not speak a 3. To prevent the Turks from
single word unless spoken to by drawing each other’s attention to
the mediums. any suspicious incident.
4. Mediums are to wear black. 4. We had black water-proof capes.
Hill found the folds useful for
concealing the camera.
5. Mediums are not to be touched 5. To ensure that Hill should not
at any time after KKK has be interfered with when using the
appeared. camera.
6. Mediums must hold hands when 6. To enable us to signal to one
following KKK. another without the Turks seeing
it.
7. One, or both, of the mediums 7. To enable Hill to get away from
may collapse under the strain. If the rest of us for the half-dozen
they do, leave them quite alone. paces at which he was prepared to
Do not touch them, or speak to take the photograph, and to keep
them, or even _think_ of them the attention of the Turks off
without orders. Leave them alone Hill.
and they will recover.
8. All to carry sticks and 8. The articles were mostly
waterbottles. Cook to carry a pick _camouflage_, but some (the bread
and spade under his coat. Moïse to and water in particular), were
carry the following articles intended to form a precedent for
carefully hidden about his person: the time when the Spook would
scissors, knife, adze, arrange our final escape.
waterbottle, matches, fire-wood,
rags soaked in kerosine, bread,
and a clean white handkerchief.
9. “Obedience! Obedience! 9. A general precaution.
Obedience!”
“The clue,” the Spook warned us, “was very clever. The casual person on
opening it would think he had found nothing and throw it down where he
found it. If the finder happened to look further, he would find
something to cause him surprise and a puzzle to make him talk. When 000
buried the treasure he hoped if this happened the talk would reach the
ears of his heir. Therefore, do not be disappointed when at first you
find nothing but an emblem of death. Go on looking carefully. The clue
itself will puzzle you, but what one man can invent another man can
understand.”
That night Hill gave me a final exhibition of his extraordinary palming,
and I went to bed with renewed confidence in his skill. Tomorrow would
settle our hash one way or another—we would get that photograph or be
found out and take the consequences, whatever they might be.
To our disgust the 27th March turned out a dull, misty day, with some
rain, quite hopeless for photography. The Spook informed the Pimple that
KKK would find it difficult to appear in mist, as he was pretty misty
himself to human eyes, even under the best conditions, and advised
postponement. The Pimple cordially agreed that it would be practically
impossible to see a spook on such a day.
Next day, the 28th March, was overcast and stormy, with rain and a high
wind which would prevent Hill from managing his cloak properly, and we
again postponed by mutual consent.
At 9 a.m. on 29th March, Moïse came to us in some excitement. There was
trouble afoot. The Commandant and the Cook—the Major of Turkish
Artillery and his orderly—had “quarrelled”! The Commandant had ordered
the Cook to go to Angora (120 miles away) “to fetch some stores.” At
first he had ordered him to go today, and then postponed until tomorrow:
the Cook had seen through the motive of this order. He knew that Kiazim
wanted to prevent him from attending the digging up of the first clue,
in order to make him forfeit his share in the treasure. So the Cook had
flatly refused to go—had mutinied! If Kiazim dared to punish him, he
would “blow the gaff” about the treasure-hunt.
The Cook was a man—and won. Kiazim gave way.
I find a note in my diary. It reads: “Considering that, as yet, nothing
has been found, things are pretty warm.” The diary goes on:
_“30th March._—Another bad day. Hail and sleet. The starvation diet has
brought our belts in a couple of inches, and makes us feel very floppy
and weak, but otherwise we are all right. Our pulses jump from 56 to 84,
with extraordinary variations.”
We decided that next day, be it wet or fine, we must find the first
clue. The 31st March promised well. The sun shone brightly and there was
little wind. The Pimple was summoned, and the Spook made him repeat his
instructions for the search, in order to make sure that he thoroughly
understood everything; then orders were issued for the Commandant and
the Cook to be ready at noon. While Moïse was away instructing his two
confederates, Hill and I secretly semaphored to Matthews in Posh Castle.
We warned him that Kiazim was joining us in a treasure-hunt, and told
him to watch South hill, and get a few of our friends to do the same.
For the spot where Hill had buried the first clue, two months ago, was
carefully chosen so as to be in full view of the camp, and we hoped our
friends would be able to recognize the Commandant at the distance. Their
recognition would be subsidiary evidence, should the photograph fail.
At noon we met in the graveyard, outside the town. (There is nothing
like an appropriate background for a spook-chase.) Hill and I held
hands, and after a while went into a trance, and simultaneously saw KKK
sitting on a gravestone. We chatted with him, the Turks listening
eagerly, and then followed his lead up the hill. The procedure was very
similar to the revolver-hunt of six months before. About half-way up the
hill, in order to test the Turks, we both “collapsed” together. Our
friends obeyed instructions. They turned their backs on us and sat down,
carefully refraining from even a glance in our direction. We groaned,
and moaned, and made weird noises to see if they would turn round, but
they paid no attention. All was well, so we “recovered” and went on.
Unfortunately, the weather was again our worst enemy. The promise of the
morning had not been fulfilled; the sun was now hidden behind a heavy
bank of cloud which grew momentarily darker. A slight drizzle began to
fall.
“Can’t snap ’em in this,” Hill whispered; “keep ’em still.”
I squeezed his hand to show I understood. A moment later Hill signalled
that we had reached the spot, and “collapsed.” I left him where he fell,
staggered six paces to the left as arranged, and called loudly to the
Turks that the Spook was demanding the Waa test. They hurried past Hill
without a glance at him and took up the positions I assigned, the
Commandant on my right, and the Cook and Interpreter on my left. I began
building the fire, carrying on an animated conversation with the Spook
as I did so, and to my consternation plainly heard the click of Hill’s
camera. He had taken the first photo before I was quite ready. Hastily I
put a match to the fire, and stood up.
“Watch the fire!” I cried. “For your lives do not move an eyelid. Be
still, and watch the fire for a little bird.”
Then I stretched my hands above my head and began the incantation,
speaking loudly to drown the noise of the shutter. My arrangement with
Hill was that I should go on reciting Welsh poetry until he got on his
feet, which would be the signal that the camera was safely back in his
pocket. I heard a second click while I was still in the middle of the
first verse of _“Bugeilio’r Gwenith Gwyn”_ and then I heard nothing
more. I seemed to go on reciting for ages, and wondered what was up, and
why the third click was so long in coming. I had finished a favourite
Welsh lullaby and was plunging desperately into a Burmese serenade by
way of variety when I noticed Hill was on his feet, standing quietly
behind the Pimple. He gave an almost imperceptible nod as he caught my
eye, and I broke off.
“The bird!” I shouted.
“The bird!” yelled Hill.
We both pointed to a neighbouring stone, and the Turks, who had remained
motionless throughout the incantation, were galvanized into life again.
Curiously enough, nobody had noticed the bird except Hill and myself!
_We_ had both distinctly seen it settle close beside the stone before it
disappeared into thin air.
The Cook began to dig where we said the bird had settled. He dug with
such vehemence that he broke his spade. Nothing daunted he fell to with
the adze, and in due course he brought to light a tin can, about four
inches long, carefully soldered at the ends and somewhat rusted.
“Spread the clean white handkerchief.” The Turks fully understood that
it was not I who spoke, but the Spook through me.
Moïse obeyed.
“Now open the receptacle and empty it on to the handkerchief.”
As Moïse was forcing off the lid of the tin with his knife, Hill and I
drank in the scene. The Commandant’s dark eyes were ablaze in a face as
pale as death. The Cook, all wet with the sweat of his digging, bending
forward with a hand on either knee, looked like savage greed
personified. The Pimple could hardly master the excited trembling of his
hands. His knife slipped and he cut himself.
“Ha!” said the Spook, “that is good! Blood is drawn, and now no more
need be shed.”
The lid came off, and the Pimple shook out into the handkerchief—a
little heap of ashes.
“The emblem of death, as promised,” said the Spook, “Is the tin empty?”
The Pimple looked inside, thrust in his fingers and felt carefully
round.
“There is nothing,” he said.
“Then if that is all,” said the Spook, “you may throw it away.”
Moïse threw the tin down the hillside. All the light died out of
Kiazim’s eyes, the unhappy Cook opened his mouth to say something, but
remembered the orders for silence in time, and stood with his mouth
agape. Moïse was on the verge of tears.
“Ha! ha! ha!” said the Spook. “I _said_ a casual person would throw it
away! Cook! Are you more careful than Moïse?”
_“Evvet!”_ (Yes) said the Cook, shutting his mouth like a rat-trap. Once
more he was all eagerness.
“Then examine it, Cook!”
The Cook ran down the hill, picked up the tin, and after a short
examination discovered that it contained a false bottom. But he was
still under the ban of silence. The pantomime he went through in trying
to convey his discovery to the others was almost too much for our
solemnity. He poked a dirty finger alternately into the Commandant’s
side and into the tin, dancing round him the while so that poor Kiazim,
who did not understand what he had found, must have thought the fellow
stark, staring mad. The Pimple pranced about beside the Cook, trying
vainly to see into the tin. He told us afterwards that he thought the
Spook had “materialized” a clue at the last moment and put it into the
tin. Hill and I would have given a month’s pay for freedom to laugh. He
signalled to me to cut the performance short, lest he should give way.
“Take your scissors,” cried the Spook, “and open it.”
The Pimple hewed at the tin with his very blunt scissors. In his
excitement he cut himself again—to the delight of the Spook—but finally
got the false bottom opened. It concealed a Turkish gold lira, wrapped
in paper, and the inner layer of paper bore a circle of beautifully
written Armenian characters arranged clockwise.
“Now you may talk,” said the Spook.
And talk those Turks did—all together and across each other. For five
minutes they made as much noise as a rookery in nesting-time. The
Commandant shook hands with each of us several times over. The Pimple
was ecstatic. The Cook gave me the fright of my life by trying to kiss
me, which made Hill choke suddenly and turn his back. A little way down
the hill a group of Yozgad inhabitants were watching in open-mouthed
astonishment. The Spook came to the rescue and ordered us all home.
On the way back the Cook, who was a native of Yozgad, informed us that
we were undoubtedly on the track of the right treasure, and OOO must be
the man we thought, because the spot on which the first clue was found
was on the land of the deceased Armenian whose wealth we were seeking.
Here was another coincidence!
The Spook’s last instructions before he bade us good-bye were for the
safety of the mediums. He warned us that OOO would probably make an
attempt on our lives that evening. No one, not even the Commandant
himself, was to be allowed to enter between dark and dawn, lest OOO
should “control” the visitor into murdering us. We were to be left
absolutely alone, so that our Spook might watch over us without any
distraction.
Kiazim Bey rose to the occasion. He doubled the sentries round our
house. He even prohibited the nightly visit of the _Onbashi_ for
roll-call.
Thus we secured a quiet evening, safe from interruption. Had Kiazim been
able to see into our house about 10 p.m. he might have wondered what was
afoot. Hill was locked up inside a cupboard in a well-darkened room. I
was in the room we usually occupied, pacing up and down in an agony of
impatience and doubt, and ready to intercept any unlikely visitor. Much
depended on the next few minutes.
At length Hill came out. He carried in his hand a roll of
newly-developed V.P. Kodak films, and without saying anything held it up
between me and the light. I saw three excellent pictures of the
treasure-hunt.
“They are a bit over-exposed,” Hill grumbled—he is never wholly
satisfied with his own performances—“I gave them too long.”
Maybe! But it says something for the nerve of the man that he had held
the camera without a quiver for three _time_ exposures under those
conditions. I could see nothing wrong with the negatives. They were
everything I desired, and Bimbashi Kiazim Bey, Commandant of Yozgad, was
clearly recognizable in each.
At last we had our proof.