Part 15 (2/2)

At that I fairly roared 'If you try to bribe me, you infernal little haberdasher, I'll have you off that horse and chuck you in the river'

He no longer an to curse and threaten, but I cut hi to the co up his typewritten sheets as I went and strewing them behind me like a paper chase

We had a fine old racket in the co the Gernee at Constantinople shi+p-shape and Bristol-fashi+on I told him it wasn't my habit to proceed with cooked docuree with me, but there was that wrathful Oriental with his face as fixed as a Buddha

'I aht' 'I have authority from the Committee to receive the stores,' he said sullenly

'Those are not ned to the Artillery commandant at Chataldja, General von Oesterzee'

The ed his shoulders 'Very well I will have a word to say to General von Oesterzee, and many to this felloho flouts the Committee' And he strode away like an irinned 'You've offended his Lordshi+p, and he is a bad enemy All those dao on to Constantinople' 'And have that blighter in the red hat loot the trucks on the road? No, thank you I a to see them safe at Chataldja, or whatever they call the artillery depot'

I said a good deal more, but that is an abbreviated translation of hter' was trottel, but I used so Turk friend to hear Looking back, it seeuns which were going to be used against my own people But I didn't see that at the time My professional pride was up in arms, and I couldn't bear to have a hand in a crooked deal

'Well, I advise you to go aruard for the trucks, of course, and I will pick 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 to Oesterzee and he'llI still think you would have been wiser to huram 'Here's a wire for your Captain Schenk' I slipped the envelope in my pocket and went Out

Schenk was pretty sick, so I left a note for hiot the train started, with a couple of German Landwehr in each truck and Peter and I in a horse-box Presently I reram, which still reposed into wire it froed ensburg, asking him to put under arrest and send back by the first boat a man called Brandt, as believed to have come aboard at Absthafen on the 30th of December

I whistled and showed it to Peter The sooner ere at Constantinople the better, and I prayed ould get there before the felloho sent this wire repeated it and got the coe and have us held up at Chataldja For ot stiffened about theseto take any risk to see them safely delivered to their proper owner Peter couldn't understand rand 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 aria, but e crossed the frontier at a place called Mustafa Pasha we struck the real supineness of the East Happily I found a Ger, and, after all, it was his interest to get the stuffof the 16th, after Peter and I had been living like pigs on black bread and condeht hand and knee couldn't be very far from the end

It was jolly near the end in another sense We stopped at a station and were stretching our legs on the platfor It was Rasta, with half a dozen Turkish gendarmes

I called Peter, and we clambered into the truck next our horse-box I had been half expecting soered up and addressed us 'You can get back to Rustchuk,' he said 'I take over from you here Hand me the papers'

'Is this Chataldja?' I asked innocently

'It is the end of your affair,' he said haughtily 'Quick, or it will be the worse for you'

'Now, look here,I hand over to General von Oesterzee and to no one else'

'You are in Turkey,' he cried, 'and will obey the Turkish Governh,' I said; 'but if you're the Government I could make a better one with a bib and a rattle'

He said so their rifles

'Please don't begin shooting,' I said 'There are twelve aruards in this train ill take their orders from me Besides, I andvery angry 'I can order up a regiment in five minutes'