The Levanter Part 23

He was silent again. Then: 'I do not like it.'

'Without the captain's cooperation I can guarantee nothing, comrade Salah. As you say it is my responsibility. All I ask now is full authority to a.s.sume it.'

There was another silence. At last he sighed irritably. 'Why did it have to be this Tunisian?'

After talking so much rubbish and telling so many lies I was exhausted. When I got home I very much wanted to go to bed; but I knew that I wouldn't sleep until I had finished what I had started.

Late that night I drafted two cables.

The first was to Teresa ordering her back to take charge of the office in my absence. She would ignore it, as I had told her; but it was for Colonel Shikla's eyes and would cover the oddity of the second cable. This was to our Famagusta office: INSTRUCTED MALANDRA RETURN IMMEDIATELY TAKE CHARGE DURING MY ABSENCE. TAKING Pa.s.sAGE IN AMALIA TO ALEXANDRIA SAILING JULY 2. ADVISE ALEXANDRIA OFFICE. CONFER MALANDRA. ACKNOWLEDGE.

H0WELL.

They would think that I had gone raving mad in Famagusta. That was what I counted on. There was no chance of the news that I was going to travel as a pa.s.senger in the old Amalia being treated as routine. Barlev's informer in the office would be bound to let him know.

And when he did? Well, Barlev had twice suggested to me that I should be in the Amalia in my capacity as owner's representative when she was intercepted, and I had twice refused. For him, my sudden change of mind could only mean that the situation had changed radically in some way and that additional precautions were now necessary.

And, once on the ship clear of Syrian waters, I would have a radio channel at my disposal. True, I would still have to be fairly cryptic; merchant ships' radio traffic is listened to by many ears; but at least the ears of Colonel Shikla would not be among them.

I had done the best I could.

Chapter 7.

MICHAEL HOWELL.

June 30 to July 3 I had spent a long time thinking over what I was going to tell Captain Touzani and had rehea.r.s.ed it carefully. Although I never supposed that he would swallow the story whole - that would have been too much I had hoped that he would find it politic to pretend to do so. So I did my best to make it easy for him.

It was wasted effort.

He is a barrel-shaped man with muscles like a stevedore and a big, bald head. He seems to wear a permanent and somewhat sarcastic little smile; but this is the result of a bullet through the lower jaw and the scar from the wound. When he really smiles the other side of his mouth moves and he shows his dentures.

He really smiled only once when I saw him in his cabin that morning. He had rightly concluded that the trouble his ship had experienced in Tripoli had been contrived, but had not been able to discover who had done the contriving or why. Naturally, the failure rankled. Now, he was looking to me for the answers. Unwisely, I gave him the same ones I had given Mr Mourad.

He shook his head. 'I was there, Mr Howell. I tell you that was a really funny business. n.o.body had his hand out, n.o.body was saying anything, n.o.body knew anything. Then, suddenly, it was over. All a mistake. A mistake? With n.o.body having been paid?'

'Somebody was paid, Captain. You may be a.s.sured of that. There was a new cog in the machinery. It had been overlooked. Once it was greased, all was well. Let us leave it at that. These things happen.'

I should have been less casual, less impatient to get to the matter I wanted to discuss with him. He became stuffy.

'Yes, Mr Howell, these things do happen. But now, it seems, they keep happening to this ship, and that I do not like.'

'Keep happening, Captain?'

'Mr Mourad now informs me that this ship is to carry pa.s.sengers to Alex.'

I had meant to tell Mr Mourad to keep quiet about the pa.s.sengers and leave me to break the news gently; but I had forgotten. There had been too many other things on my mind.

'That is the main reason I am here to see you, Captain. About the pa.s.sengers.'

'I was wondering why I had been honoured, Mr Howell. I had thought that perhaps it was because of Tripoli.'

'Let's forget about Tripoli, Captain. I need your help in a rather delicate matter. It concerns these pa.s.sengers Mr Mourad has mentioned. What he did not tell you, because he doesn't yet know, is that I will be one of them."

He has small brown eyes. For the next few minutes they never left mine for an instant.

'That is indeed a surprise,' he said coldly; 'although, of course, a very gratifying one. A voyage of inspection I presume.'

I sighed. 'Captain, I don't make voyages of inspection, as you very well know. I said that I needed your help and I meant it.'

'I'm sorry if I offend you, Mr Howell, but after Tripoli....'

'And I asked you to forget about Tripoli. That's over and done with. This has absolutely nothing to do with it.'

His cabin was a hot-box. I mopped my forehead.

'A drink instead of that coffee, Mr Howell. I have some beer on ice.'

'Yes, that's a good idea.'

But he still didn't take his eyes off me, even while he was pouring the beer. I waited until he was back in his chair and then said my piece.

'Even though you don't live in this country, you must be familiar, Captain, with the political situation. In particular you must be aware of the close but covert relationships which exist between some agencies of the government and the Palestinian liberation factions.'

He nodded.

'Those agencies are powerful and have considerable influence in high places. No ministry, no minister is wholly immune from their pressure. With its considerable involvement in government-backed cooperatives, neither is the Agence Howell immune. You follow me?'

Again he nodded.

'So, when we are asked by a certain agency to carry four pa.s.sengers on a Howell ship bound for Alex, and also to arrange that during the voyage the ship departs slightly from her normal routing, I do not instantly refuse. I think first of the consequences of refusal. I don't have to tell you, Captain, that they would be unpleasant.'

'They dare to threaten you?'

'There is no daring involved, Captain. They can threaten with impunity, and carry out their threats too. I told you. Not even ministers are immune.'

'Dogs.'

'But with sharp teeth. When I raise objections - as, when I tell you what is required, you may do -1 am insulted. When I persist, when I tell them that no captain of mine is going to take their orders, they make a' further demand. So, you have five pa.s.sengers instead of four. I am supposed to give you their orders and see personally that they are carried out.'

He started to speak but I stopped him.

'No, Captain, don't say it. There is no need. The only orders you will ever get from me are those that the representative of a ship's owner is properly ent.i.tled to give. I might make certain requests, but that is all they would be - requests that could be granted or refused at your discretion. That is understood.'

He took a swallow of beer. 'What do they want, Mr Howell?'

I took the chart from my briefcase and spread it before him.

'That's what they want.'

He stared at it a long time. It was a relief to have him staring at something other than me.

I had expected an explosion of some sort, but none came. When at last he spoke it was to ask a question.

'Why six knots?'

I gave him what I thought was the safe answer. 'I don't know, Captain. I a.s.sume - only a.s.sume, because I have not been told-that there is to be a rendezvous with a vessel from the Israeli coast.'

'To take off the pa.s.sengers?'

'I don't know.'

'To take on others from the sh.o.r.e?'

I shrugged.

'Mr Howell, if the intention were a rendezvous with a boat from sh.o.r.e, surely a position for the rendezvous would be indicated. There is nothing like that here. Instead we are asked to steam at six knots for almost two hours.'

'Those are the orders as I was given them.'

He reached for his beer again. 'Who are these pa.s.sengers?'

'Palestinian fedayin. That much is certain. The name of the leader was given as Ya.s.sin. He is said to be an important man.'

'Will these pa.s.sengers be armed?'

'Probably.'

'Will they be carrying other arms - arms to be put ash.o.r.e?'

'Nothing was said about that.'

There was a silence, then the brown eyes studied me again.

'You spoke of certain requests that you might make, Mr Howell. What would they be?'

'First, that you make the course change indicated on the chart as far as the turn opposite Caesarea. Second, that, except for the slow-down to six knots, you ignore the rest of the orders and steer a course along the Israeli coast which will keep you not less than ten miles from it. No closer at any time. Third, that you do this without informing the pa.s.sengers.'

'Making them miss this rendezvous you spoke of?'

That's right.'

'I thought you said these dogs had teeth.'

'With luck they'll believe that the sh.o.r.e boat was at fault. Anyway I'll worry about that later. Let's just say that I don't like being ordered about by thugs and having to impose on the loyalty of Captain Touzani.'

He thought and then nodded. 'All right, Mr Howell. I won't refuse those requests. I can't say that I'm happy about the third one though, not informing the pa.s.sengers. If there's a seaman among them and he knows what the original orders were, he'll know soon enough when they aren't carried out.'

'I don't think any of them will be a seaman, but, as a matter of interest, what arms do you carry?'

'A few hand guns, one rifle. The first mate has charge of the locker key.'

'Would you consider issuing the hand guns to the officers or having them available on the bridge?'

'In an emergency I'd consider that, Mr Howell. This is not another request you're making, is it?'

'Only a suggestion, Captain.'

'I'll bear it in mind.' He emptied his gla.s.s and then put it down carefully in the middle of the chart. 'To speak plainly, Mr Howell,' he said slowly, 'I don't think you're telling me all you know about this business. I'm not offended. Don't think that. I respected your father and I respect you. If you're not being open with me now I'm prepared to believe that it's because you think that the less I know the better off I'll be.'

Thank you, Captain.' It was the least I could say.

It was then that he really smiled, briefly though.

'But,' he went on, 'if you don't mind my saying so, Mr Howell, when it comes to dealing with the kind of men you call thugs, it's a mistake to let feelings get the better of you. I mean feelings like not wanting to be ordered about by people you despise. Naturally, a man has his pride and the Howells are a proud family, but if what you're asking me to do is just to satisfy pride, I'd advise you, for your own sake, to think again.'

Arrogance was Ghaled's word for it.

Captain Touzani was politer - pride.

'Good advice, Captain,' I said. 'I wish I could take it. But there's more than pique or personal pride involved here.'

'I'm glad of that, Mr Howell. Pride is a bad counsellor.' He fingered the scar by his mouth. 'I speak from experience. Another beer?'

'Thank you. Perhaps we should talk about accommodation for these pa.s.sengers, or rather the lack of it.'

'You will have my sleeping cabin.'

'That is good of you, but I don't think I'll be doing much sleeping. It's these four Palestinians I'm concerned about. If possible I would like their leader, Ya.s.sin, to be given a temporary cabin of some sort amidships and have the other three forward or aft. It might become necessary to isolate them.'

'I will try to think of something, Mr Howell.'

'Good. Now, about embarkation and sailing. What will your orders be?'

We discussed those and one or two other matters before I said goodbye to Captain Touzani.

My call on Mr Mourad was brief.

After the coffee had been served I handed him the pa.s.senger list for the Amalia Howell.

When he saw my name on it he hawked twice into his bandanna, but made no other direct comment.