“What’s your plan?”

“It’s vague yet.  Got to be an opportunist.  I’m supposed to be a member of the ben Saoud family, recruiting members for the new sect—­biggest thing in Arabia.  I’m invited to the conference on the strength of my supposed connection with the big Ichwan movement.”

“D’you propose to murder this Abdul Ali person, then, or have him murdered?” I asked.

“Uh-uh!  Murder’s out of my line.  Besides, that’ud do no good.  Worse than useless.  They’d all cut loose.  Abdul Ali has got them together.  What with bribes and a lot of promises he has them keen on this raid.  If he were killed they’d say one of our spies did it.  They’d add vengeance to their other motives, which at present are mainly a desire for loot.  No, no.  Abdul Ali has got to disappear.  Then they’ll believe he has betrayed them.  Then, instead of raiding Palestine they’ll confiscate his property and curse his ancestors.  D’you see the point?”

“More or less.  But what good can I do?”

“Do you mind if I use you?”

I laughed.  “That’s a hell of a silly question.  Any use my minding?  You’ve already used me.  You will do it again without consulting me.  I like it, as it happens.  But a fat lot you care whether I like it or not.  Isn’t it a bit late in the day to ask permission?”

“Oh, well.  You know the hangmen always used to beg the victim’s pardon.  Will you obey orders?”

“Yes.  But it might be easier if I know what I’m doing.”

“As soon as I know I’ll explain,” he answered.  “Where you can fit into the puzzle at the moment is by rooting for the school idea.  The worst robber chieftain from the farthest cluster of huts he calls his home town would like to see an American school here in El-Kerak.  If there were one he’d send his sons to it.”

“Okay.  I’ll root like a dog for a buried bone.”

“Go to it.  That gives you the right to ask questions.  That will oblige ben Nazir to introduce you to any one you want to interview.  That will explain without any further argument whatever weakness you seem to have for talking to men in the street like Mahommed ben Hamza.  It would even explain away any politeness that I might show you in my capacity of Ichwan.  For safety’s sake, and to create an impression, I take the line of being rude to every one; but I might reasonably toss a few crumbs of condescension to an altruist from foreign parts.  At any rate, I’ll have to take that chance.  D’you get me?”

“You mean, you’ll use me as intermediary?  Messages to and from ben Hamza and that sort of thing?”

“That’s the idea, but there’s more to it.  Did you bring that Bible along?  Are you superstitious?  Any notions like Long John Silver’s about its being bad luck to spoil a Bible?  All right.  Keep it in your pocket to make notes in.  If you can’t get the whole book to me, tear a page out and send that, or give it to me, with the message spelled in dots under the words.  Make the dots faint, I’ve good eyes.”