The Silk Tree (29 page)

Taking just one character from each line she showed how a delicate shading of understanding was built up by a coalescing of the individual meanings of its elements. Then she used the same character several times in company with others. In each case the totality of what was derived had a subtle difference.

Where each Greek word was fixed and immutable in meaning, in Chinese it was a much more supple process. If in Greek there was no exact word for an intended meaning then it was too bad, the conceit could not be put across. In this language, however, something could be built up in order to match the precise requirement of what was intended; there was the possibility of an infinite variation.

It was a revelation.

In the predawn chill the two holy men waited by Meng Hsiang, already harnessed and loaded.

‘So how’s it going for you?’ Marius said.

‘What do you mean?’

‘You can’t fool this old soldier!’ he sniggered. ‘Although how you’re going to get the old biddy out of the way …’

‘You bastard, Marius. That’s not how it is at all!’

‘Oh? So you’re hanging about just in case she needs a fan or something.’

‘No!’

‘I’ve seen how she looks at you! She’s out to make a monkey of you, Nico, take it from me – I know women, and this one’s bad news.’

‘You’re jealous! That’s what it is, you’re jealous!’

‘Look at her – she’s a fucking high-born and there’s no way she’s for you. She’s just playing around with who’s available!’

Nicander went rigid. ‘She’s an honourable, intelligent lady. She knows literature and the arts and—’

‘Hah! All right – tell me what you’re talking about all this time.’

‘Why, the history and geography of Greece and Rome, the—’

‘I’ll bet you everything I have … that she tries every time to get personal – embarrassing, like. That’s what women do when they want to throw you off
guard, get things started down the track they want. Am I right?’

Breathing hard, Nicander kept himself in check. ‘I don’t think I want to continue this conversation. She’s asked me for help and I’m giving it to her, and that’s an end to it.’

Marius threw off a harsh laugh and busied himself with Meng Hsiao.

Su came slowly down the line with his crew on his inspection, grunting a few words to them in the pale light of the morning before passing on.

‘Good morning, sirs!’ Ying Mei said gaily as she approached. ‘You look a little out of sorts, Ah Wu. You are well, I hope?’

‘My teacher!’ she said to Nicander and gave a decorous courtly bow.

He blushed but hid it by returning the courtesy.

She touched his hand. ‘I am going to have my next lesson today, aren’t I?’ she asked softly.

‘Yes, of course,’ Nicander said uncomfortably, feeling Marius’s gaze on him. ‘Lesson two.’

‘Then I’d better be ready. What will we—’

Before she could finish someone asked brusquely, ‘Are you the holy man Ni?’

He hadn’t noticed the group of monks coming up, the ones who had joined at Turfan and who had until now kept to themselves.

‘I am.’

The man speaking was in traditional Buddhist garb but around his neck were many strings of beads and ornate hangings. His features were hard and ruthless.

He made an elaborate gesture of greeting. ‘I am Taw Vandak, lama of the oasis kingdoms. These are the venerable monks who accompany me on my journeys.’

Nicander gave a cautious bow. ‘This is Ma Lai Ssu, my brother in faith.’

Marius gave an ill-tempered grunt but was nevertheless awarded a careful greeting.

The lama paused to regard them, his eyes cold and appraising. ‘My brothers and I are confused. Caravan master Su tells us you are holy men from a far
land. Pray do tell us something of your origins and … beliefs.’

Nicander realised this was no idle meeting but what was its purpose?

‘Thank you for your interest, Taw
lao na.
We are from a distant kingdom sent on a quest after truth. Our beliefs are very complex to explain.’

‘I see. We are confused because we expected you to join with us in our prayers to Avalokitesvara for the safety of this argosy and all within it.’

‘Ah. This is because we don’t include him in our pantheon.’

‘This is very strange as
she
is the paramount bodhisattva to the traveller. Which kingdom did you say you came from?’

‘Byzantium.’ He couldn’t think of Chinese words to express it and fell back on the Latin.

‘Bai Zan – I cannot think to have heard of this. Another thing that puzzles us is that it has been two days and we have yet to see you at any form of devotion. In your beliefs, then, is there no room for prayer to the higher?’

Where was this leading? Nicander thought quickly. ‘Oh, I can see what confuses you. Well, in our sacrament we think it sacrilegious to approach the higher except within the bounds of a consecrated place, a church. And as we have seen, there are no churches of our faith to be found here.’

Taw came back in a harder tone, ‘And still another thing. You were seen at profane entertainments of a wicked nature, not to be contemplated by any who does truly profess holiness and purity.’

Nicander could feel the hostility radiating from the man’s followers.

‘There is nothing in our way that—’

‘No? Then answer me this – you were seen entering the tent of this woman under cover of night. What does this mean, Ni?’

‘We were discussing the beauty of literature and she’s going to teach me writing.’

Taw spat on the ground and with a final venomous glare turned and stormed off.

‘I’m so sorry,’ Ying Mei said. ‘You have to understand that in China monks are exempt of taxes and therefore many claim to be holy men to
take advantage of this. This makes it a harder burden for the taxpayers, who then end up hating all monks. And as holy men only exist by begging alms there is so much less for everyone.’

There was a jingling of camel bells ahead: the caravan was getting under way.

‘There’s trouble brewing with those monks,’ Nicander said in a low voice to Marius, ‘I feel it in my bones.’

The early morning light showed the continuing Tien Shan range on their right at its best, vaunting snow-tipped mountains cleft with dark shadows of night not yet banished; purple, blue and where touched by dawn, a delicate rose. By contrast on their left was the deadly Taklamakan, a grey-brown sea of dunes and desolation that could swallow whole armies with ease.

Nicander caught up with Ying Mei for the promised lesson.

‘This is so kind of you,’ she said with a warmth that left him glowing. ‘I do so look forward to our lessons. I’m hoping that today you’ll give me some real Greek characters to learn!’

‘Characters? Well, it’s not quite like that …’

She was alert and intelligent but there was so much that was different in concept between the languages. The appearance of words in Greek were never the same from one sentence to another as Chinese characters always were – they altered with whether things had happened in the past or present, were single or many, even the sex of the thing talked about. Instead of a holistic meaning from the character cluster as a whole, Greek had to be analysed word by word and presented in a logical structure as a sentence.

It was a long and difficult exercise but as the days rolled on she proved herself equal to it.

For his part, Nicander began instruction in writing. He learnt that any character could be made with just eight strokes of the brush and that all these could be exercised in one: the character for ‘eternity’. Then there was the comforting discovery that every character could be found in the dictionary by recognising its
pu shou
or central essence, and these were limited to just a few hundred to learn.

But after that came the realisation that writing was more than a mechanical means for rendering meaning as it was in Greek. Instead the Chinese revered it as a form of art – calligraphy, and a gentleman could be judged by his mastery and skill of it. Strength, personality, individuality – all could be deduced from the execution of a single stroke.

The writing brush had to be held just so, perfectly vertical and all the concentration and power of thought directed down into one bold action, one culmination of intent to produce a thing of beauty – or childish squiggle.

Nicander was entranced: this was much more than elementary literacy – it was a way of life that seamlessly intersected with what Dao Pa had been saying about the Tao and he felt his mind yearning for more.

The days passed while the caravan slowly made its way westward. Through the Iron Gate Pass to Korla, then along the flank of the mountains to Kucha, the sand-girt walled oasis standing like a rampart against the encroaching sea of sand.

Guarded by a pair of stone Buddhas more than a hundred feet high it was a prime stopping place for the caravans, as well as a trading post for the pack animals coming through the passes from the Turkic peoples beyond.

The bazaars were a place of magic and allure. Nicander and Ying Mei explored them together and she found him the latest
Yu p’ien
dictionary. Later, they visited the gardens of the old city and tasted peaches and almonds. The caravan did not stop for long; soon it was stretching out over the desert and the rhythms of the trail took over once more.

Under the watchful eye of Tai Yi they continued their lessons as they walked on, Nicander spelling a Greek word in the sand with his staff and Ying Mei having to speak it in a sentence before it disappeared behind them. In turn she would form a character and he would have to do the same. It lent itself to all kinds of frivolity and they laughed together in delight.

At night she guided him while he painfully found his way about the vocabulary and applauded loudly when he managed his first lines of Hsün Tzu.

It was a breakthrough: soon he would know the masters at first hand.

After the camel train had been secured for the evening Su Li came up to Nicander. Behind him, Taw Vandak and the other monks clearly meant business.

‘I’m sorry to disturb, but these gentlemen have made an accusation against you as I’m bound to investigate.’

‘Which is?’ Nicander asked stiffly.

‘They say that you’re not holy men and not entitled to consideration as such.’

‘A scandalous accusation!’

‘If this is right, at the very least the authorities in oasis kingdoms will demand I pay full coin for you, as well as stand surety.’

‘This is a nonsense! We come from a country far from here they’ve never visited – how can they know what our holy men look like?’

Taw drew himself up. ‘You insult us with all these lies!’ he snarled. ‘You’re no holy man. I don’t know who you are but I’m going to find out!’

‘How dare you!’ Nicander came back. ‘Our beliefs are our own concern. We’ve been sent by our king—’

‘To seek out truths? What truths have you found so far, Ni? Any at all?’ he sneered.

‘These!’ roared Marius, bringing out the chest. He thumped it on the
ground in front of the lama, opening it so he could see the scrolls and stitched sheets.

The man raised an eyebrow and took one out. ‘Lao Tzu? Confucius?’ he said mockingly. ‘Your common Chinese word grinders? Where is your dharma, your
Sutta Pitaka
?’

He took up another and thrust it at Marius. ‘Read what it says there,’ he said, stabbing an accusing finger at an embellished line of characters.

The legionary’s face set.

‘You!’ he demanded of Nicander. It was not one he’d been working on.

A cynical smile spread. ‘You can’t read – you’re both illiterates! You’re expecting us to believe you’re taking these to your king and you can’t read a word of them.’

Taw glanced back at his acolytes in triumph then snapped, ‘You’re a pair of criminals on the run from China disguised as holy men and—’

‘Falsehoods and lies!’ Nicander replied hotly.

‘Then you’re spies from a foreign kingdom with secret orders to steal from a land superior to your own. You’ll find we have a short way with such vermin in these parts, those who bring dishonour on the calling of the Buddha!’

With a venomous look he swept away.

Su hesitated. ‘Doesn’t do to get on the wrong side of ’em. Can’t you do some miracle or something? A bit of magic, some healing, a bit of chanting? You’ve been no trouble to me on this trip and I’d like to help you, but …’

‘Be buggered to it – those yellow rats can’t prove anything!’ Marius exploded.

‘And we can’t prove we’re not as they say.’

The caravan moved out and Nicander hurried to be with Ying Mei. ‘Those monks – they’re determined on trouble. It looks like Taw can’t make us out and wants to be rid of us.’

She didn’t reply.

‘Are you not well, Ying Mei?’ he asked with a sudden stab of alarm.

She moved to one side until she was out of hearing from Tai Yi.

Biting her lip she said in a low voice, ‘Last night I had a dream. I won’t vex
you with details but I know what it means. In a few days we arrive in Aksu. Su says it’s the last oasis of size before the end of the desert and the mountains begin and it’s there we must leave this caravan if we are true to our purpose.’

‘Yes, this is right. This caravan moves on around the desert to the other kingdoms.’

‘Ni K’an Ta, I’m frightened.’

‘Why so?’ he said. It was the first time she had used his name and it brought a guilty thrill.

‘When we started out, we planned on going to this Aksu, the furthest kingdom on the caravan route. Now, all of a sudden it comes out that we’ll soon reach it – and we’ve no idea what to do once we’re there. No plan or anything.’

‘We’ll think of something, never fear.’

She glanced at him with a wistful sadness. ‘Ah Yung, I’ve spoken to everyone I can find and there’s no one can say how to get over the mountains. Or even if that is the right direction to go. They all say it’s a terrible place and have never heard of any who have done it.’

‘Surely not.’

‘So in a very short while we have to say goodbye to our friends – and the safety of this great caravan, and it … I have a dread …’

There was not much he could say: he’d assumed they would just look around and decide on the spot what to do. It had seemed so far in the future when they had made their plans in Chang An, but now it was all too much a reality. What would it be to go on without the comfort and security of a full-scale caravan? And if it turned out camel trains could not go up into the mountains, was there any way of crossing such a fearsome barrier?

They continued on in silence and in the afternoon he walked with Marius, but in the evening there was no invitation to calligraphy.

Ill at ease Nicander wandered in the darkness, the noise of the evening entertainment carrying far on the still night air. He found himself near the camels and the long mound of unloaded cargo under guard.

A single thought came: in those dark masses were tons’ weight of silk –
he’d seen with his own eyes the watery yellow skeins of the raw thread and the breathtaking brilliance of the finished bolts of fabric. These were going somewhere to the west. And in Justinian’s empire there were merchants getting them from somewhere in the east. He had something he could reach out and touch that was on its way to some noble household in Constantinople. How that happened was their answer!

The Sogdians would never give up their secret of the silk route but he was a canny merchant and he would not rest until he had found a way. His fears eased.

He was about to return when something made him pause. Away from camp lights the moonless dark was held at bay by a tremulous sheen from the star field that blazed overhead. He gazed at it in awe as stealing into his mind came acknowledgement that the Lady Ying Mei was meaning more to him than ever she should.

They had worked closely together on things of beauty and humanity, had revealed to each other things touching deeply on each other – was it any wonder that he had grown close to her, found happiness and fulfilment when with her?

Or was it something deeper? He shied away from the implications and stared out into the desert.

A single pinprick of light showed – too tiny to see from within the encampment. Nicander didn’t need to be told what it was and hurried towards it over the broken ground.

‘How goes your journey?’ Dao Pa said, looking up from his cross-legged position by a neat little fire.

‘I strive for enlightenment, Master. Each day brings a fresh revealing but also a new mystery.’

‘That is well. That is very well,’ the sage said with a slow smile. ‘I expected nothing less from you. Have you your letters yet?’

‘I learn, but I’m far from construing the works of the ancient ones.’

‘There is one helping you.’

‘Yes.’

‘Tell me, what is your conceiving of Meng Tzu, when he declares that all men everywhere are born good at heart?’

‘Master, I’m torn. He brings forward an unanswerable
koan
– that on seeing a child about to fall in a well there is no man who will shrink from saving it. Yet Hsün Tzu shows that we enter this life evil and that it is only our conscious will that can rule desires, to enable us to rise above our base passions.’

‘Excellent! You are manifestly on your path to the Tao.’

‘Master …’

‘You have doubts.’

‘I … I have a problem of life that troubles me.’

‘Tell me.’

‘It’s a woman. Who has touched my heart that I cannot … who has entered my thoughts and …’

‘And you fear the purity of your quest is at hazard?’

‘She …’

‘Heaven sends lives on courses which are destined to converge. The wise do not confuse this with the chance meeting. One leads to the unity of souls, the other to lust and pollution. Do not ask me to say which it is in your case – you must look in your heart and decide.’

‘You are not … disappointed?’

‘How can this be? I am your teacher and you are a worthy disciple. You will know how to act in this, for you are well advanced in the Tao. If she is destined for you then your life is hers. If not, then it may be you will raise your enlightenment to the level where your life belongs to your disciples. That is the Way.’

‘Master—’

‘Your life lies ahead of you. I have set you on your path and I know you will fulfil your destiny with understanding and wisdom. I am content.’

‘But …’

‘I now take my leave of you on this earthly plane. Hold fast to what you have learnt, and you can clutch to your bosom even to the grave that you are pure of heart and intent. Farewell, Ni K’an Ta –
lao na
.’

Marius was in no doubt about it when he returned to their tent. ‘The woman’s getting to you,’ he snapped. ‘I told you!’

‘Leave me be,’ Nicander muttered. There was far too much to think on.

‘You’ve got to do something about it, Nico. We’ve only to get her across the mountains to the west and then we’re rid o’ the woman. If you let her foul up your wits now we stand to lose everything.’

‘It’s not like that …’

‘Don’t you forget that half o’ what we’ve got in the box is mine and—’

‘I haven’t forgotten! Now just piss off!’

He had to face that his heart was taken by Ying Mei. He should have seen it coming, the way that she had crowded into his thoughts, the rising tenderness of his feeling toward her – and the melting helplessness that her gaze on him brought.

And Marius was right: he had to do something about it. Every piece of him cried out – to let it free, throw himself down before her and declare his passion.

But this could be the worst move: it supposed that she felt the way he did, but if she didn’t, he would lose everything.

Was there a halfway point – in some way or other enabling him, without revealing his true feelings, to let it be known to her that he was interested and see if she responded.

She would no doubt be scandalised at his behaviour as a holy man. He could let her know privately that he was not one, in fact, but then all the trust and confidence that was allowing her to get close to him would vanish.

He was in the worst of all worlds and when they reached Aksu he would need all his wits about him. Damn it! Why was life so complicated!