Ere, where do you think youre going? asked the corporal manning it.
Along to the Ministry.
Not this way, youre not.
Why not?
Because I bloody say so, thats why not. And because Ive got this the corporal patted the butt of his rifleto back me up.
But Im only going to the Ministry!
Ard luck.
I work there.
Youll just have to work somewhere else.
But
The Egyptian looked around in bewilderment. Owen stepped forward.
I must get there at once, said the Egyptian. Ive got an important meeting!
Why dont you just go away? suggested the corporal.
Hallo, Mr Fahmy, said Owen. Can I help?
The Egyptian made a bemused gesture.
This is the Minister of the Interior, said Owen.
The corporal flinched.
Sorry, sir, he said, as much to Owen as to the Minister. Although Owen was not in uniformhe was, in fact, on secondment from the Indian Armythe corporal knew at once that he was an Army officer.
He needs to get to the Ministry, said Owen. Obviously.
The corporal looked troubled.
II know, sir, he said. The trouble is, Ive been instructed not to let anyone pass along this street. Orders, sir.
The sergeant, who had followed Owen along when he saw how things were going, intervened.
You go and fetch Captain Fenniman, he told the corporal. Ill look after things here.
Relieved, the corporal took himself off.
Sorry, sir, said the sergeant, including Fahmy in his sir. Would you mind waiting a minute?
Im as much in the dark as you, Owen said to Fahmy.
Fahmy shrugged.
The corporal came hurrying back with a young officer in tow.
Yes? he said sharply.
This is Mr Fahmy, Minister of the Interior, said Owen. The captain nodded politely. He wants to be allowed to get to the Ministry.
The captain hesitated.
I think he should, said Owen.
Fenniman made up his mind.
Very well, he said. Hawley, will you escort this gentleman through our blocks? Bennett, you stay here. Sorry to inconvenience you, he said to Fahmy. But youll understand that we have to take precautions.
The Egyptian shrugged again. As he went off with the sergeant he gave Owen a wry smile.
I dont understand why youve got to take precautions, said Owen.
Havent you heard? Theres been an attack on a senior member of the Administration. More are on the way, apparently.
Senior member of the Administration?
Apparently.
Fairclough?
I think thats his name.
Fairclough isnt a senior member of anything. Except possibly the bridge club.
Oh? Well, thats what I heard.
Theres been an attack, certainly. But why the hell all this? Owen indicated the barricades.
Guarding the Residency. The CG could be the next target.
This isnt your bright idea, is it?
It seems a good idea to me, said Fenniman defensively.
Its a stupid idea, said Owen.
Oh? And what exactly do you know about it, Mr?
Owen. The Mamur Zapt. Responsible for law and order in this bloody city. Which you are messing up.
Owen steamed back into the Residency. His friend Paul, the Consul-Generals personal aide, who had been secretarying the meeting, was still packing up. Owen told him about the barricades.
Jesus! said Paul. All we asked for was an extra couple of guards.
Owen told him about the Minister.
The bloody fools! Ill get on to him at once and apologize.
Cant you do something about the barricades?
You think theyre a bit de trop?
I bloody do.
They went back to Pauls office. Paul rang up the Commander-in-Chiefs office and asked to speak to one of his aides.
John? Is that you? Whats going on? Have you declared war or something?
Not as far as I know. We cant, anyway, because Im playing tennis this afternoon.
Whos responsible for putting these barricades all over the place?
Barricades?
Paul told him.
Sounds like Hardwicke to me. Want me to have a word with him?
Yes. I have a friend of yours here, an old foe from the tennis courts, who thinks they merely add to the already overwhelming difficulties of his life.
If hed only leave Zeinab alone, hed have a lot less difficulty in his life.
Ill tell him that. Oh, I think hes heard. Oh, and, John, one more thing: it would lessen the difficulties in my life if the Army stopped arresting Ministers of His Royal Highnesss Government.
That the barricades too? OK, Ill see what I can do. Ring you back.
Within a few moments he rang back.
It was Hardwicke. And Im sorry to say hes being difficult. He says the CG requested it.
All we requested was an extra guard. I sent the memo myself.
Hes digging his heels in. If the CG is changing his mind hes got to be told formally.
Ill send him a chitty.
That wont be enough. He wants a meeting.
A meeting! Ive got too many of those already.
With the CG.
Hell be lucky! The Old Mans off to the coast this afternoon.
He wont move without a meeting.
Oh, very well. Wed better have one, then. Ill fix it up. And as for you, boyo, Paul said to Owen, youre going to have to repay me for this. Richly.
The Army had erected barricades not just round the Residency but at other strategic points in the city. As Owen discovered when he returned to his office. These included the railway station.
Sheer bloody lunacy, Owen complained at the meeting the next day. Theres a Hadji due back from Mecca and theyll all be meeting him off the train and then processing back to his house.
Theyll just have to do without the processing this time, said the Brigadier grimly.
If you try and stop it, therell be a riot.
We know how to handle that.
Weve got enough on our plate without that, said Paul, chairing the meeting in the unavoidable absence of the Consul-General.
Brigadier Hardwicke, at the personal request of the Consul-General, relayed through Paul, had reluctantly agreed to remove the barricades around the Residency. He was digging his heels in, however, over the other barricades.
This is a particularly tense time in the city, Owen said. We dont want to do anything provocative.
If theyre shooting our people, said the Brigadier, we need to teach them a lesson they wont forget.
We need to teach the people who are doing the shooting, not the others. If we come down heavily on the others, all well do is drive them into supporting the extremists.
Youre soft, Owen, said the Brigadier.
Ive seen it in India, said Owen, who knew that the Brigadiers own service had been confined hitherto to the Home Counties. It didnt work there either.
The argument continued for some time. Eventually Paul, who had been following it with delight, pronounced the verdict on behalf of the Consul-General: the barricades were to come down.
You might as well confine the Army to barracks, said the Brigadier.
As a matter of fact, said Owen, who was in an unforgiving mood, that might be an excellent idea.
If thats what you want, said the Brigadier, rising from the table in a fury, then you can have it.
Do we need to go that far? asked Paul.
Yes, said Owen.
The Brigadier walked out. As he reached the door he paused and looked back over his shoulder.
Youd better be right, Owen, he said. Because if things go wrong now
Paul saw him out and then returned for his papers.
I would not ordinarily agree with the Brigadier, he said. However, on this particular point
Nikos brought the note in at once. It had been scribbled in haste and read: Am being followed. Have gone into Andalafts. Will stay there until you come. George Jullians.
Owen knew Jullians. He was a judge in the Mixed Courts, a calm, experienced man, unlikely to take alarm without cause.
Tell Abdul Kerim to come, he said, and send me two trackers.
Andalafts was in the Khan el Khalil, among the bazaars. It was a shop for connoisseurs. It had only a small stock of tourists brass and embroideries. Andalafts real interest was in old enamels, in Persian jewellery and lustre-ware and in old illuminated Korans.
When Owen went in he was talking quietly to Jullians at the back of his shop. They were fingering lovingly a fine old Persian box, set with large turquoises and used for containing a verse of the Koran.
Andalaft put it down and came to greet Owen.
The Mamur Zapt, he said. Im so glad youve come. I didnt know if my messenger would find you.
Jullians glanced at his watch. It didnt take you long, he said. They may still be there.
Youre definite, are you? asked Owen.
Jullians nodded. Pretty sure, he said. I think theyve done it before. Yesterday I had a strong sense of being followed and saw these two men. I saw them again today. I tried to shake them off but couldnt. So I dodged into Andalafts.
Mr Jullians often comes here, said Andalaft softly.
They may even know that, said Jullians. It depends on how long theyve been following me.
Andalaft looked at Owen.
We have another exit, he said. Mr Jullians could have left in safety.
Jullians shrugged. Theyd only catch me some other time, he said, perhaps when I was less prepared. I thought if I could get a message to you, you might be able to catch them. Thats really the only way, isnt it?
There may be others, said Owen. Id like to catch them too.
OK, said Jullians. Well, Im ready.
Id like you to point them out to us. Perhaps we can use your back door? he said to Andalaft. Andalaft nodded. And thendo you feel up to walking on? he asked Jullians.
So that you can make sure? Jullians swallowed. Very well. Youre quite right. You cant arrest a man just on my word. Only
Dont worry. Ive got two trackers outside. Theyll stay close.
OK, said Jullians.
Abdul Kerim had come into the shop with Owen. He was good at this sort of thing, though not as good as the trackers. It took considerable expertise to follow someone in the city, especially in the crowded bazaar area. Owen sent him out to fetch the trackers to the back of the shop. They were waiting when Owen emerged with Jullians.
Jullians pointed out the two men. They were standing some way up the street, apparently deep in conversation. Owen, mindful of Nikoss comments, took a good look at them. There was little to distinguish them from hundreds of others. They were EgyptiansArab not Coptin their early twenties and wearing shirt and trousers. He tried to fix their faces in his memory but knew that the trackers would do it better.
OK now?
Jullians nodded and went back into the shop. He was pale but seemed determined. He probably had a strong sense of duty. You needed one to be a judge in Egypt.
A little later he must have emerged from the front entrance, for the two men looked up and began to move unobtrusively down the street. Even more unobtrusively the trackers fell in behind them.
Owen, waiting in a side street, looked for the guns as the two men went past. They would have to be in their shirts but the shirts were loose and he could not really tell.
He had been wondering how to use Abdul Kerim. He would like him to be pretty close, in case of accidents, but not so close as to constrict the trackers. The Khan el Khalil was crowded and they would have a difficult enough job as it was.
He himself kept well back. Provided they didnt know him, and there was no reason why they should (unless they had been the two who had followed him? Were they? He couldnt be sure), there was nothing to make Owen stand out. He was wearing a tarboosh, the pot-like hat with a tassel of the educated Egyptian, and with his dark Welsh colouring could easily be taken for a Levantine.
There was the doubt, though, about whether the two men knew his identity, so he kept well back. In any case this kind of thing was best left to the trackers.
He didnt find it very easy to leave it to them, however. He was taking a risk, a risk with Jullianss life. It was always open to him to pick the two men up. The fair-minded Jullians might object that it would be improper to charge merely on his say-so, but other judges might well think differently.
Besides, if the two men were out of the way, only temporarily, until the political crisis was over, that might be enough.
Well, it wouldnt really be enough. If they were terrorists, real or potential killers, they had to be got. Arresting on suspicion and then releasing wouldnt do.
Besides, there might be more of them.
Going through the crowded bazaars, Owen found it difficult to keep them in sight. Occasionally he lost them for a few moments. When he did, and when he saw them again, he was relieved to see that the trackers were always with them, back a little and always with people in between, but near enough.
Owen doubted whether an attack would be made in the bazaars. It would be easy to escape but interference was always likely. They would probably wait until Jullians reached the more open streets. Still, if they started moving up, the trackers would know what to do. They would intervene at once. Risk with Jullianss life was acceptable but only up to a point.
Jullians was leaving the bazaars now. The two men were still making no attempt to approach.
An arabeah came up alongside Jullians. Owen cursed and began to run forward. He hadnt allowed for this!
Somebody got out of the arabeah and embraced Jullians effusively. They began talking animatedly. They obviously knew each other.
Owen hastily stopped running and hoped he had not been noticed.
The two men had been taken by surprise too, for they stopped for a moment as if at a loss and then turned quickly into a nearby shop.
He didnt see the trackers at all.
He caught Abdul Kerims eye, however. Abdul Kerim was standing in a doorway. He nodded slowly.
Jullians was trying to walk on but his friend, a portly Egyptian, was stopping him. He was clearly trying to persuade Jullians to get into the arabeah with him. He insisted. Jullians declined. Jullians made as if to go, the Egyptian seized his arm. He began almost dragging him towards the arabeah.