Adventure, February 20, 1922 — page 12: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

10 Adventure The man slouched but again, but three more reports arrived by way of the back door within the next ten minutes, the last one giving the total of slain at exactly four thousand eight hundred and one Moslems, adding that the Jews were parading through Jerusalem in triumph. “All of which probably means that a Jew has been killed and the Moslems are loot- ing,’’ Grim commented quietly. _ The next alarm was a message from the Arab jailer to say that his prisoners were getting out of hand and that a crowd was collecting outside the jail. Jones volunteered to go and investigate, but before he could leave the room two policemen came running in with word that the crowd was swarming up-street toward the Governorate. We could hear them a moment later. They were taking their time about it, singing as they came, pausing at intervals to dance a few steps in measure and then surging on. The song was like the Carmagnole of the Terror. De Cres- pigny got up from Ins chair—thought better of it—sat down again and lighted a cigaret. After that he passed the case around and we each took one, Cohen included. “‘What’s going to happen?” asked Cohen. “‘Those guys coming’to kill us?” He looked less afraid than I felt. ‘Well, I guess it’s up to you fellers to fix this.” “Tl go out and talk to them,” said de Crespigny. “Take your time,” Grim advised him. “Let them wait for you.” It was obvious that de Crespigny and Jones felt better for Grim’s being there, although to my mind he was stretching his policy of non-interference to absurd limits. I had seen enough of his influence with Arabs at one time and another to convince me that he could do nearly what he liked with them and I itched to tell him to take charge and use his resourceful wits. He made no move whatever, but sat like a wooden Indian in front of a tobacco store, blowing out the cigaret-smoke through his nose. The crowd—there must have been two or three thousand of them—came thunder- ing up-street, chanting over and over again - a rape-and-murder chorus in response to the stanzas of a solo sung by a man who was carried shoulder-high in their midst waving a sword. -I could see his sword through the window, over the top of the shrubs and the ‘ stone wall. They halted in front of the gate and the song Ceased. In the silence that followed when the shuffling of feet had died down you could hear them breathe. “I suppose they'll swipe our camels?” I suggested. “Not yet,’ Grim answered. ‘“They’ll do nothing much yet unless they think we’re rattled. Take your time, de Crespigny.” The Governor of Hebron got out of his chair again with all the stately dignity of twenty-six amusing years, and lighted ee cigaret with a deliberately steady and “Do I look as if I’d got the wind up me, or any rot like that?” he asked. “You look good,” Grim assured ie “Be sure you smile, though. You'll pull it off all right.” “Shall I come with you?” asked Jones."*4. “No. Better not. They might think we were scared, if two of us went. So long.” De Crespigny walked out, doing the most difficult thing in the world perfectly, which is to act exactly like your normal self when fear is prompting you to bluster. and look preternaturally clever. Jones began talking in a matter-of-fact voice to Cohen about his emigration scheme. “Care to come with me?”’ asked Grim; and he and I went upstairs to watch from a bedroom wisdow, screening ourselves carefully behind the curtains. “These are two good boys,” said Grim. “More depends on them than you guess. If they can hold Hebron quiet for two days, all’s well. If not, the next thing will be a march on Jerusalem, and every Moslem in the country is likely to follow suit.” “Couldn’t the British machine guns deal with that?” “Of course. But who wants to slaughter 7em?”’ “Pity the wire’s down,” said I. . “Uh-uh! Wouldn’t be any good. All the troops Jerusalem could spare would only whet these fellows’ appetites for blood. Judging by the symptoms before we came away I should say Jerusalem will have its hands full for the next forty-eight hours or so. But watch de Crespigny.” Fa THE crowd in the street was packed Sas so densely that those nearest were pressed: against the gate and de Crespigny could not open it. There was only one gap in their midst, where one of oe Eom ebooks. com outa