The Talbot Mundy Megapack. Talbot Mundy

take too long,” said Jim. “Besides, the value of what I know largely depends on my discovering something else that seems to have nothing to do with it. I’m interested in that just now. I’m at my wits’ end, and want time to think.”

      “Let me try to help you. We will help each other.”

      “You can’t help.”

      “How do you know? State the case and try me.”

      “I must find an Arab named Sayed Haurani, who was talking to Captain Catesby by halfway between the station and the town on the afternoon of the third between five and six o’clock. I need him in a hurry.”

      Aaronsohn looked startled.

      “I suppose you have orders to gather further evidence against Zionists?” he asked acidly.

      “No.”

      It was Jim’s turn to sit up and take notice.

      “Is Sayed Haurani a Zionist? Of course he isn’t. But what d’you know of him?”

      “Why do you want to know?”

      “To save Captain Catesby from being cashiered on a false charge.”

      “Sayre Haurani was my messenger. I dismissed him on that occasion for returning an hour late from the station, because I disbelieved his story.”

      Jim lay back on the bed and threw his legs in the air.

      “Can you find him?” he asked.

      “Certainly.”

      “Tonight?”

      “Yes.”

      “The chain’s complete! Go and find him. Produce him at eight o’clock tomorrow morning in General Anthony’s office and the world’s your oyster!”

      “I have no desire to eat a world on the half-shell, Major Grim.”

      “You shall have Jenkins’ head on a slaver!”

      “Pardon me, I am not Salome.”

      “What in thunder could a man want more than that? Go on, Aaronsohn—find your man! Produce him at eight A.M. and leave the rest to me.”

      In vain Aaronsohn coaxed, cajoled and persuaded. Jim shut up like a clam; but his eyes betrayed such infinite enjoyment that even Aaronsohn at last took comfort from it and went away to find the discharged messenger.

      * * * *

      The minute he was gone, Jim went over to Catesby’s tent and called out to him, standing between the sentries rather that run the risk of stirring Jenkins any further by being seen entering the tent.

      “All right, old son, you’re cleared. Be at headquarters at eight o’clock. They’ll fetch you anyhow.”

      “What’s happened?”

      “Good news, that’s all. Go to sleep and dream about promotion.”

      From there we went straight to General Anthony, who looked worried. He called Jim into an inner room and shut the door.

      “What’s at the bottom of all this, Grim? Have you any idea?

      “It looks to me as if Jenkins is going to get away with murder once again. He has got the whole camp by the ears. We shall have the provost-marshal sending in his resignation next. After that I suppose there’ll be a decoration sent out from home for me to pin on Jenkins!—it, the man’s luck in unbelievable!”

      Jim put his tongue in his cheek.

      “I’ve not a word to say against him, sir!”

      “What have you come here for, then?”

      “Merely to suggest that if you think both cases are sufficiently important you might order a preliminary hearing first thing tomorrow morning—all witnesses to be present as a matter of fair play.”

      “Why? Have you got something?”

      “I’d like to see Jenkins given an early chance to take all the credit to himself. Maybe he deserves it,” Jim answered.

      “Oh! Very well. By gad, Grim, if you let Jenkins get away with this I’ll have you sent back to America. You think Catesby ought to have a hearing too tomorrow morning, eh?”

      “He ought to come first, sir.”

      “Yes, he has the right to that. What else?”

      “Nothing else. If you’ll issue the necessary orders, sir, I know of nothing that need spoil your appetite for dinner or your sleep tonight.”

      “That so? Ahem! Somebody blundered, eh?”

      “Good night, sir.”

      CHAPTER XIV

      “Proceed with the case.”

      Next morning the office at G.H.Q. was crowded, for the provost-marshal was there with all his prisoners; and there were a score of witnesses in addition, to say nothing of Brigadier Jenkins in his glory, and Aaronsohn, who was halfway between prisoner and witness. The latter had a nondescript, rebellious-looking Arab beside him, who had had to be bribed to come at all.

      Catesby was sitting in a corner by himself, in theoretical charge of two sentries, who stayed outside the office door.

      Anthony came in punctual to the second.

      “Major Grim here?”

      To Jenkins’ fidgety disgust Jim was busy talking to Charkas over against the wall.

      “I think he’s too busy interfering with witnesses to answer his name,” snapped the brigadier.

      “Major Grim!”

      “Yes, sir.”

      “What are you doing over there?”

      “Cautioning a prisoner to tell the truth for his own sake.”

      “Ahem! I understand you appear for Captain Catesby? You want the case heard?”

      “If you please.”

      “I object to that,” said Jenkins. “Captain Catesby is an important witness in the next case.”

      “I will invite comment from you at the proper time, general,” said Anthony without looking up. “Call the prisoner.”

      Catesby marched up and faced the desk.

      “Then I want the room cleared,” Jenkins blustered.

      “I want all my witnesses, including Charkas, in the room for the present,” Jim said quietly.

      “I particularly want Charkas out of the room,” insisted Jenkins. “He has got nothing to do with this case.”

      “Has he?” asked Anthony.

      “Yes, sir,” answered Jim.

      “The defense is within its rights,” said Anthony.

      And Jenkins, not exactly knowing why, but intuitively sensing disaster, turned about three shaded redder in the face.

      “I’m ready to hear what you have to say, general,” Anthony announced; and Jenkins opened fire on the unhappy Catesby, charging him first with culpable neglect and disobedience to orders in permitting two tons of TNT to be stolen from a truck, and secondly with felony in having given the railway memorandum to Charkas, enabling him to steal the stuff.

      Also with being an accessory to a felony before and after the fact, and with conduct in general unbecoming to an officer and a gentleman.

      At that point Jim produced the railway memorandum and laid it on the table.

      “In case of need I may ask to have it examined for fingerprints,” he said. “I expect to be able to prove that those of Captain Catesby are not on it, whereas those of General Jenkins and Ibrahim Charkas