Hashish: A Smuggler's Tale (25 page)

The reader has of course guessed what I meant to do. I wanted to go to the beach where my cases were buried and see if they were still safe. If so, I should try either to change them to another hiding-place or to take them on board. I skirted the coast, pretending to be searching for a suitable place to begin pearl fishing; we were already out of sight of Suez. At last the beach came in sight. My heart beat fit to burst as I took my telescope and swept it over the sands. All my men shared my emotion and all instinctively tried to hide it by singing more loudly than ever. I took the
boutre
in as far as I dared, and anchored in shallow water. I then noticed two men hiding under a rock. They got up as we approached. They were only a few yards from where our cargo was buried. Ali Omar nudged me and pointed out to sea, and I saw a sail making for the point where we were. I easily recognized the
boutre
that had so worried me the day of my arrival. I wondered if the two men were waiting for it. Decidedly, I must get my cases away. But first of all I must get rid of these two men. Already the very official-looking tarbooshes worn by my two guests had their effect, and the men were cautiously edging away towards the back of the dunes.

‘Look at those two Arabs’, I said to Spiro; ‘I don’t want them to go and spread the news that we are fishing for pearls.’

‘Don’t worry, my friend will say a few words to them, and I guarantee they won’t linger.’

But the unknown pair seemed to have good eyesight, and to have already recognized those on board, for they now broke into a run, and fled northwards.

‘If you are not afraid of the sun,’ I then said to my guests, ‘we’ll begin fishing on the reefs behind this promontory. I have already found interesting shells there and perhaps we shall be lucky again. You can go and watch the divers at work and see the whole process.’

Spiro and his two friends installed themselves in the stem of the boat I had borrowed, not forgetting their precious sunshade. We glided towards the reef, followed by the two Dankalis in the
pirogue
. They had their
mourailla
with them, through which they inspected the bed of the sea, and also a
harba
with which to harpoon dangerous beasts, and placed on their nose the
kartoum
, a pair of horn tweezers which they generally wore as a sort of pendant round their necks. Of course I had hidden in the
houri
the
bil-bils
containing the pearls, for use in case we didn’t find
any. Once we were round the point we could see nothing but the top of the
Fat-el-Rahman’s
mast rising above the spit of land. The divers intoned the
bismillah
commending their souls to God, then took immense breaths and dived.

There were
bil-bils
in plenty where we were, and very soon they had a large pile in the
pirogue
. They brought the
houri
alongside the boat, and one of the divers began opening the shells. This is always an exciting business, like a game of chance. To my great surprise, right at the beginning we found some very pretty baroque pearls; my guests were in the seventh heaven. Then one of the Dankalis opened one of the oysters prepared beforehand, and before I could stop him had squeezed the pulp and produced a superb round pearl. Spiro thought a miracle had happened.

‘Really, what a marvellous thing, I could never have believed that I would see such wonders with my own eyes. What is this pearl worth?’ And he rolled it lovingly in his fingers.

‘Ask your jeweller,’ I returned, smiling.

‘No, no, never; if you want to give a present, my friends must come first.’

‘Wait a bit,’ I returned, ‘we haven’t finished; perhaps we’ll find others.’

And we started fishing again. This time my spectators were thrilled; the gambling spirit had been aroused, and they were quite unconscious of the lapse of time. When the next lot were opened, we didn’t find much, and I saw the disappointment on their faces. I couldn’t leave off on this disappointment, so the divers were sent down a third time. I had resolved to sacrifice my other two pearls. The time passed like a flash for Spiro and his friends, but not for me; I kept anxious watch on the promontory which separated us from the
Fat-el-Rahman.
As soon as the cases were on board and securely stowed in the hold, Ali Omar was to appear on the crest and signal to me.

The Dankalis had been diving for an hour and a half, when at last I saw Ali Omar waving from the top of the promontory, and I heaved a mighty sigh of relief. I called up the divers with the
bil-bils
they had amassed, into which they slipped the two containing the pearls. The two Egyptians were burning with impatience, like two gamblers waiting for the last hand to be dealt. What an explosion of joy when the other two pearls appeared!

‘What a pretty ring this will make! What a magnificent tie-pin! What an original souvenir – pearls one has fished oneself!’

I can safely say that never had I presented pearls with more cordial goodwill. When we got back to the
boutre
it was nearly sunset. A wink from Ali Omar and the satisfied air of all my men told me that everything had been carried out as per programme, and that my eight cases were now in the hold under our feet. I was the only one who noticed that the skin of my Somalis’ shoulders had been scraped, and that Abdi was wearing a bloodstained rag around one foot. As they did not have the
houri,
they had carried the cases on board on their shoulders, having taken the
boutre
as far inshore as her draught would permit.

We opened tins of food and gaily drank our champagne, and our return was marked by a general contentment; everybody was delighted with the excursion. It was after midnight when I anchored in the old place in front of the Health Office quay. I was now in a position to resume my discussions with Stavro. He could search every beach on the coast, and much good might it do him.

I wasn’t easy in my mind all the same, for my situation was rather like that of a man compelled to smoke while comfortably seated on a powder barrel. I decided to take Stavro’s advice, and not deliver the goods in small quantities. The least accident might bring about a catastrophe. I should go that very evening and try to make some new bargain for my cargo. I was in a strong position now; I could afford to wait.

When I reached his house, only his sister-in-law was there; he was absent, and I didn’t believe a word of the explanations given me for his sudden departure. I didn’t insist, but one thing did strike me as queer, and that was that Djebeli also had disappeared. Ali Omar searched for him in all the Arab cafés, but in vain. I should have to resign myself to waiting; there was nothing else to do.

Three days went idly past. I began to be a little anxious. Really, it was too peculiar that Stavro should choose this moment, when he was on the

point of concluding a most profitable deal, for making this mysterious voyage. My sailors had been lavishly tipped by my guests on Sunday, and the money burned holes in their pockets, so they launched themselves enthusiastically into a life of pleasure. They adored the cinema, which they now saw for the first time, and all the little side-shows in the streets. I managed with difficulty to prevent Kadigeta from yielding to the blandishments of an Armenian dentist who wanted to pull out two splendid canines in order to replace them by two teeth of glittering gold. Abdi found nothing better to do than to have a molar extracted by a charlatan dressed in magnificent embroideries. His tooth had been perfectly sound but he was charmed by the shimmering costume of the operator. He was very proud of this exploit, and never tired of recounting it.

Next day all except Abdi looked ill and depressed, and nobody seemed to want to go ashore. What had happened? Abdi alone was in perfect good humour, and was singing his song while pretending to smoke his beloved coco-nut pipe. Probably their money was all done. I finally got at the truth. Abdi, with a paternal smile, brought up to me Firan the cabin-boy, who had been lying for twenty-four hours in the fo’c’sle like a poisoned rat. His comrades had thought it was time to make a man of him, and all had gone into a distant quarter where for a few sous sailors could buy the illusions of love. They had all come back in a fine state, all except Abdi, who had been having his tooth pulled during this time. Luckily, there wasn’t much harm done; a little disinfectant was all that was needed. At heart I was glad this had happened to give the crew an idea of the dangers and temptations which beset a sailor ashore.

At last Djebeli reappeared. I saw him fishing placidly from the end of a quay. He had come to tell me that Stavro expected me to dinner at his house that evening. In the big room where the bark and icon stood opposite each other, the round table was set for two. The black-handkerchiefed sister-in-law made me sit down, and Stavro arrived a minute after. He was freshly shaved and wore a white shirt, but he unbuttoned his waistcoat and his faithful woollen girdle reappeared, covering his ample stomach.

‘Well, what news?’ he asked with a jovial air.

‘Nothing much,’ I answered, ‘except that I was getting a bit tired of waiting and was seriously thinking of going away.’

‘Why be in such a hurry? It appears that you had a wonderful time on
Sunday. I have just seen Spiro at the barber’s and he told me all about it, and showed me the pearl he had fished himself. He has been telling the whole town. Not bad for a start; my congratulations.’

The fat woman brought in a steaming tureen, the good old family tureen of white china with a pewter ladle, and we sat down opposite each other. The women, according to the old Oriental usage, ate apart, after they had served the men. In Stavro’s house all the old traditions were respected. His nieces were cloistered like nuns; they only went out once a week, and that was to go with their mother to church. No men ever entered the house; my presence was quite exceptional.

There were two decanters of Samian wine on the table, one of them representing a woman with a dress adorned with flowers, and the other a similar figure with dress strewn with fruits – Spring and Autumn, no doubt. Stavro poured out the golden wine, and laughed at me the while with his little grey eyes. If I hadn’t had my hashish safe in my hold I should have thought he had managed to play a good joke on me.

‘What has become of Abdi?’ he asked, for he had a special liking for Abdi.

‘He is on board with the others, who are all ill.’ And I recounted their unfortunate escapade.

‘All the better, all the better,’ he said sententiously. ‘That will oblige them to keep quiet, for it’s a bad thing to let them loiter in the Arab cafés. I know they are very faithful to you, but there are people who have got things out of them without their suspecting it. Too much has already been said about your Sunday’s excursion. I have heard various things – oh, nothing precise, but for anyone who is in the game, more than enough. It’s time that was stopped. Well, have you decided to sell me the lot?’

‘Yes, certainly, but I must have half the money in advance.’

‘Still harping on that idea? Of course you are easier in your mind now.’

‘I never was anxious.’

‘Well, after all, I agree with you; you are right to ask it. I like men who can look out for themselves.’

We had now reached the cheese, and were savouring an immense slice of Roquefort. The wine in the allegorical decanters had reached a low
level, though Stavro drank nothing but water. I felt that I had better go slow, for my head was beginning to swim a little.

‘I’ve just got back from Cairo,’ went on Stavro. ‘I went about our business, and I am going to introduce you to a man who will buy the lot. He belongs to Petros Caramanos’ country, and the farm you went to belongs to him. He allowed his tenant to sell you the four hundred
okes
just to see what you would do with it.’

‘Yes, I know,’ I replied; ‘they telegraphed to him.’

‘Ah, you knew that?’ said Stavro, surprised.

‘Yes, I knew,’ I replied, with a Mona Lisa smile which was intended to convey to him that I knew lots of other things as well.

‘It was only natural, since he was the owner of the hashish,’ said Stavro. ‘In any case, he would soon have crushed you if you had tried to dispose of it except to us. But he finds what you have done absolutely extraordinary, and he wants to meet you and become your friend. I think it is to your own interest to name him a reasonable price in order to get rid of your whole cargo at once.’

Though the generous wine had instilled a blissful contentment into my veins, I still knew what I was doing. I was interested to have at long last the explanation of the telegram sent from Steno. It was to announce me to the ‘King’; these people were perfectly organized and I was in their hands. They had allowed me to act up till now, while keeping watch on my movements, and now that I was so deeply involved that there could be no backing out, they had only to dictate their conditions. If they had found my cases, the whole question would have been settled. They had been sure that if they let me come they could easily lay hands on my cargo, knowing I had no choice but to bury it in the sand. But they had not found it, so I could still fence. Did Stavro suspect it was back on board my
boutre?
I did not think so, for his vague allusions and ambiguous remarks were all bluff. If he really had known, he had only to say so openly, and I should have had to give in. No, he thought that I had merely changed the cases to another place. I had to play the game warily. Stavro and his associates were not rascals; they had tried to take all advantages over me, but that was good warfare, and I had retorted by defending myself with some success. Now we could treat on equal terms.