Carry On! A Story of the Fight for Bagdad

by Herbert Strang

  CHAPTER V

  SECRET SERVICE

  Behind the screen, Burnet had listened to the three officers'conversation with mixed feelings. On the one hand he had gained apiece of information which might be of importance and well worth hisrisky visit to Bagdad. On the other, he had placed himself in aposition which made it very doubtful whether he would be able to usethe information, or even to escape with his life. There was shortshrift for any spy.

  What could he do? Burckhardt, on the departure of his visitors, rangfor his servant, ordered him to prepare breakfast, and retired into hisbedroom to finish his interrupted toilet. The servant set the table.In a few minutes the German would be engaged with his meal, after whichhe would no doubt resume work at his desk. Burnet felt that if he didnot escape at once he would probably have no opportunity later. Theonly possible chance seemed to be to follow the servant as quietly aspossible when he should leave the room to fetch his master's food.What course would then be open to him he could not guess. He wasignorant of the plan of the house. All that he knew of it was thatsmall portion which he had passed through with Firouz Ali. The frontdoor opened into a small courtyard about which the house was built,with a verandah along the front of the house. Near the outer door, ona small square of carpet within the shade of the verandah, sat thedoorkeeper, cross-legged. To gain freedom Burnet would have to reachthe front undetected, cross or skirt the courtyard, and pass thedoorkeeper. It was so far fortunate that Burckhardt had followed theoriental custom in employing a native porter, instead of being guardedby a sentry as might have been expected. There was, it was clear, aback door, giving access no doubt to one of the narrow evil-smellinglanes which Bagdad, like every oriental city, has in plenty; but to goexploring in search of that was out of the question.

  The doorkeeper was the difficulty. Burnet wished that Firouz Ali hadnot been so ready with his explanation of his being unaccompanied bythe apprentice. The man would almost certainly be suspicious if theapprentice who, he supposed, had already left the house should come outof the front door so long after his master. Even if not suspicious, hemight detain Burnet for a chat on things in general, or to enquire thereason of the barber's anger, and during their talk the servant mightcome into the courtyard and see him. Burnet was taxing his wits forsome means of eluding the doorkeeper when the servant, having set thetable, went off to fetch the meal. For the moment there was but onething to be done: to escape from the room before either the man or themaster re-entered it.

  No sooner had the servant gone out, leaving the door open, than Burnetslipped from his hiding-place and followed him on tiptoe into thepassage. The servant had turned to the right, no doubt towards thekitchen. Burnet, waiting at the doorway until he had disappeared,hurried to the left towards the front door, paused until he had madesure that the doorkeeper on the far side of the courtyard had not seenhim, then slipped under the shade of the verandah behind a tall plantgrowing in a pot. He had noticed, under the verandah on the oppositeside, not far from the doorkeeper, a pile of packing-cases, in which heguessed that Burckhardt's antiquities had been transported. This pilewould form a securer shelter than the plant, which was in full view ofany one who might enter the courtyard from the street. Stealing roundthe verandah close to the wall, he got behind the cases; and breathinga little more freely, waited to consider his next move.

  He looked across the courtyard, and through the window of Burckhardt'sroom saw that officer, now in his military uniform, come from hisbedroom and seat himself at the table. The servant brought in a tray,poured out his master's coffee, then disappeared. Burckhardt propped abook against the water-jug, and divided his attention between that andhis breakfast. There was little to be feared from him.

  The doorkeeper remained on his mat. He was not even drowsy. Burnettried to think of something that would account for his presence, butfound nothing that would not involve such lengthy explanations as hewas anxious to avoid. If only something would take the doorkeeper awayfor a minute or so!--the wish had no sooner formed itself than an ideaoccurred to him. The cases and crates among which he was shelteringwere very insecurely stacked. A slight push would displace one of thetopmost. Its fall would probably bring the doorkeeper to the spot, notto replace it--that would not be his job, and an oriental servant isthe last man in the world to do more than he must--but to satisfy hiscuriosity and find a subject for conversation. Burnet might then dodgebehind the other cases towards the doorway, and with luck slip out.

  The plan was no sooner formed than acted on. A heavy crate, which aEuropean would have put at the base of the pile instead of at thesummit, toppled over on to the paving-stones with a crash and flyingsplinters. But the stolid doorkeeper only turned his head for aninstant. A crate had fallen: what was that to him? The noise,however, had an effect which Burnet had not reckoned on. Burckhardt,with his napkin round his neck and the coffee-pot in his hand, came tothe window. His servant appeared at the door.

  "What is that?" the latter called.

  "Have you no eyes, foolish one?" answered the doorkeeper withoutrising. "The crate lies where it fell."

  Here Burckhardt threw open the window and roared, with his mouth halffull:

  "Get up, you son of idleness, and set the crate back in its place, andtake care that it is secure. Shall I speak twice?"

  Burnet, keeping out of view, saw the doorkeeper rise slowly and movetowards the crate. The servant returned into the house, no doubtfearing that he might be called upon to lend a hand. But Burckhardtremained at the window to see that his command was carried out. Burnetwas in despair. He could dodge the doorkeeper, but it was impossibleto reach the door unnoticed while Burckhardt stood looking on. But theGerman, seeing that the man was stirring, went back, presumably to fillhis cup, or to replace the coffee-pot on the table. Burnet seized thelucky moment. He slipped along behind the pile, threw a hasty glancetowards the house, and knowing that the doorkeeper's back was nowturned to him, darted through the open doorway into the street.

  Firouz Ali uttered a fervent "Mashallah!" when Burnet, a few minuteslater, walked into his shop, then empty.

  "Verily a leaden weight is lifted from my heart, Aga," he said. "Itwas bowed down with the fear that you were in the hands of the enemy.Tell me by what device you escaped out of the net."

  Burnet explained.

  "It was well done," said the barber, "and surely good fortune attendsyou. But give heed to the words of one who has learnt wisdom. Let twothoughts go before one action. What need to hide in the very chamberof the foe? Am I a child? Could you not trust me to bring us bothsafely away? Such foolishness leads you into dangers that might beavoided: moreover, it might have brought my own head into peril, forhas not a sword hung over it by a hair these many years? Nay, more: mylife must end some day: such is the fate of all; but I would not thatit should end before my eyes have seen the glory for which I havestriven since I was a beardless youth."

  "What you say is quite right, my old friend," said Burnet. "I wasrash, and I am sorry for it. But after all, if I had not hidden Ishould not have learned what I did."

  "What was that?" asked the barber eagerly.

  "The Germans are joining hands with that rogue Halil to attack Rejebson of Hussein. I have not told you yet--I have not had time--that Imet Rejeb on my way here, and was able to do him a trifling service.Halil's men were even then hunting him."

  "Mashallah! What you did for him was well done, for Rejeb is as apillar in the temple of our freedom. If any harm befalls him, not onlywill a heavy blow be dealt against the faithful who would throw off theTurkish yoke, but the safety of your own countrymen between the riversyonder will be put in jeopardy. There are tribes in the desert, nowfriendly to you, or at least wavering, which would turn to the enemyfrom very fear if Rejeb fell; and then your people would be harassed byconstant raids, and their task, heavy enough, would be doubly hard.And I may tell you now that the dervish Hezar, when he left the city oflate, set forth to learn how stan
d the minds of the tribes borderingthe Euphrates towards you. Of him I have heard nothing: he is in thehands of Allah!"

  The conversation was here interrupted by the entrance of a customer;indeed, it was not resumed until the time of the midday siesta checkedthe stream of customers who came to Firouz Ali for his professionalattentions and almost as much for the flow of chat which he poured out.Burnet admired the unfailing tact with which the barber suited his talkto the tastes and interests of his various patrons. He remarked, too,how cleverly his friend, knowing that his stay in Bagdad must be brief,prepared his customers for another change of assistants.

  "Wallahi! Mahmoud was a hunchback," he said to one, "but he waslearning his craft: whereas this poor thing, my nephew, fresh from hisbenighted village, will never make a barber, even though he live to theage of the patriarchs. His tongue is slow, an ill thing in barbers;moreover, he is clumsy as a camel: did he not this very morning fillthe mouth of a German effendi with soap, to my everlasting shame? No,he must find other work for his unruly hands."

  Burnet listened to all this with secret amusement, and laughed heartilywhen, in a leisure moment, Firouz Ali apologised for hisuncomplimentary remarks.

  "My friend, I enjoyed them," he said. "Besides, you are quite right.I am conscious that I never should make a satisfactory barber."

  It was not until the end of the day that they were thoroughly atleisure to discuss the course of action which Burnet ought to follow asthe result of what he had learnt. Firouz Ali decided to send amessenger to warn Rejeb of his impending danger: the same man wouldalso try to penetrate to the British lines with a message from Burnetgiving the same information. Meanwhile Burnet himself, in pursuance ofthe object that had brought him to Bagdad, would remain at any rate fora few days to pick up any information he could regarding the enemy'smovements and plans. With this purpose it would be necessary to findopportunities of visiting different parts of the city. The barberpointed out that it was no longer easy, as in the past, to perambulatethe city without exciting suspicion. The old laxity had disappearedwhen the Germans assumed control. Discipline was now rigorous in thearmy, and the civil administration had been militarised. Burnet wasnot likely to learn more about the Turkish arrangements than Firouz Alicould tell him. His reply to this was that he wanted not only to knowthe numbers and constitution of the military forces, the extent oftheir supplies and so on; in addition, for the purpose he had in view,he must learn by personal observation exactly where the storehouseswere situated.

  During the next few days the two men spent a good many hours in goingabout the city and its neighbourhood. For these excursions they chosethe middle part of the day, when people in authority were resting, andthe shop could be left most safely. They were always prepared with astory.

  While talking matters over with Firouz Ali, and combating theobjections he raised on the score of prudence, Burnet had a happythought. Why should not the barber make capital of his summons toBurckhardt? Let him announce through his agents that during the middlepart of the day, when people of consideration were resting, and few orno customers came to the shop, the barber who had had the honour ofattending upon Bukkad Bey would visit at their own lodgings any whowere at leisure to be refreshed with a shampoo, to have their nailstrimmed, or their hair improved by the application of his famous lotion.

  "But what will it profit?" asked Firouz Ali, not seeing the drift ofthe suggestion. "If I am thus employed, how can I accompany you inyour goings to and fro, and accompany you I must, for your own safety?"

  "My friend, we may thus account for our presence in any part of thecity at unusual hours, armed with our brushes and bottles. And as forthose who would avail themselves of your services, what easier than toexplain to a man in one quarter that when he wanted you, you were busyin another?"

  The plan, as further explained, was one after Firouz Ali's own heart,and next morning it was put in operation. It succeeded admirably. Fora day or two the barber, always accompanied by his apprentice, spentthe early afternoon in practising his craft here and there in the city;then, having taken care that his new activities should be talked about,he dropped them, and led Burnet to the quarters he was anxious to see.He was sometimes stopped and questioned, but his explanation was alwaysready, with his apparatus for credentials.

  After each excursion Burnet, on his return to the barber's house, tookfrom its place of concealment between the soles of one of his shoes aplan of Bagdad, placed over it a sheet of semi-transparent paper suchas is commonly used in the country, and marked upon it a small dot overthe spot at which some military establishment was situated. In thecourse of a few days this paper, which would have appeared to theuninitiated merely a blank sheet with a number of scattered andapparently meaningless dots, was in reality a compendium of importantdiscoveries.

  One day, when they were out on their usual errand, Burnet's wish todiscover the exact position of certain ammunition barges that lay inthe river led them to venture farther than was prudent. They werestopped and questioned by a sentry more than usually alert. FirouzAli's glib explanations for once did not satisfy the man, perhaps eagerfor promotion, and they were marched to the guard-room. At the momentnone but private soldiers were there, one or two of whom knew thebarber, and were quick to inform their comrade that he had made amistake. While they were discussing the point, there entered thenon-commissioned officer whom Firouz Ali had been shampooing at thetime of Burnet's arrival at the shop some days before.

  "Ahi! What is this?" he cried, in surprise.

  "Mashallah! Here is one who knows the truth of things," exclaimed thebarber, before the sentry could begin. "This excellent servant of thePadishah did but his duty, beyond doubt, but you, being a man inauthority, will be able to content him. Who can bear witness betterthan you that I am Firouz Ali, the barber of Bagdad, the maker of sweetscents and famous lotions? Is it not known far and wide that theillustrious Bukkad Bey has entrusted to me his noble chin? And was Inot honoured in bedewing your own matchless locks with mysweet-savoured essences? And lo, chancing to pass this way, andremembering your witty sayings and all that you told me, I did butthink to pay my respects, and perchance to behold with my own eyes yourmanifold labours in the service of our father the Padishah. And now,wallahi! we are taken, myself and my poor nephew--we are taken, I say,as common malefactors. Woe is me! Shall it be said that Firouz Ali, aman of no little renown----"

  "Stay," interrupted the sergeant, clearly flattered at being coupledwith Bukkad Bey; "this is very true. That you are Firouz Ali thebarber I know, and that you have shaved Bukkad Bey and shampooed me;but who is this? Surely it is the kelakji who came into your shop thatmorning. Wherefore then is he in your company, his raiment changed?"

  "Wallahi! Do not I ask myself that question twenty times a day? Thisyouth, effendi, that came to me that unlucky day--woe is me that Ishould call him nephew! Behold him, the poor witless loon who ran awayfrom his village and sought fortune vainly in many crafts, and havingfailed in them all for want of wit, he came to me for help, and I couldnot believe he was my own brother's son, so much had he grown. Ahi!As his stature increases, so does his mind decrease; he will never be abarber, for all my instruction; and he is fit for nothing better thanto carry my pots and perchance to stir a lather. Wallahi! My poorbrother!"

  "By the Beard, it is a sore affliction for your family," said thesergeant, looking pityingly at Burnet, who stood with half-open mouthand as silly an expression as he could assume. Quite unsuspicious, herated the sentry for his stupidity in arresting a citizen sowell-reputed as Firouz Ali, and ordered the prisoners to be released,at the same time warning the barber against indiscretions in the future.

  "Verily it is a lesson," said Firouz Ali, after profusely thanking theman. "I will offend no more. And here, effendi, is a bottle of myfamous lotion--a small token of my gratitude, but in truth what can aman give better than his best?"

  When they had been escorted beyond the military quarters Firouz Aliuttered
a heart-felt invocation of the Prophet.

  "It is time for you to go, Aga," he added earnestly. "That sentry hasmore wits than the ass-head who commands him. Did you not perceive hissulkiness, and the sparkle of some thought in his eye? Of a truth hewas not satisfied, and he may even yet bring harm upon you."

  "I am inclined to agree with you, my friend," said Burnet, "and themore readily because I doubt whether it is worth while my staying anylonger. And I must keep my appointment with my countryman at the_tell_; there may be delays; I had better start at once."

  "We will talk of it this night when the shop is closed. You must notgo as you came: ahi! it needs that I work my wits once more for yourbehoof. What would I not do for the son of my protector and friend!"