CHAPTER 13
‘Colonel Edrich, I presume?’
‘Yes Jack.’ Edrich laughed as he shook his old friend Jack Young’s hand.
‘Congratulations on your promotion, I know it is only temporary but I’m sure it will be made substantive. Second, bad luck on drawing Kashgar. Gin and tonic for the colonel, please,’ Young said to the waiter.
‘Thank you about the first, whilst the second is rather better than it sounds. In Persia I was under a death threat so it is nice to be back in India even if I’m only passing through.’
‘What had you done to deserve a death threat?’
‘Absolutely nothing! My predecessor, Major Titmus, had hanged a few Lur tribesmen for rioting. Not that the ones he hanged were the actual chaps that had rioted you understand.’
‘To encourage the others, I think the expression is,’ said Young sarcastically.
‘Well it had the opposite effect of encouraging the Lurs to think about bumping him off in revenge. Major Titmus left and I took over and naturally inherited the death threat. The funny thing, Jack, is that the local townspeople actually rallied round and supported me by actively hunting the three tribesmen sent to kill me. Not that that ended the feud necessarily, maybe another three will be sent to do the job.’
‘Sounds like Kashgar is a wonderful assignment for you given the circumstances,’ said Young pulling a face.
‘Yes, but do you know why they chose me for Kashgar?’
Young leaned forward. ‘You’ll hear from Routledge tomorrow all the details, but this is what I know. Now,’ Young waited whilst the waiter put Edrich’s drink on the table and was out of earshot, ‘there is a mission going into Russia led by Robbins our current consul up in Kashgar. Robbins is retiring and wants to go home via Tashkent to find out what is happening there and in Turkestan generally. The Indian Authorities are worried about the numbers of German and Austro-Hungarian prisoners in Tashkent and whether they could form the basis of a German army to invade India.’
‘Really?’ Edrich said his face clearly showing his surprise.
‘Yes, Bill, really. A Major Washbrook and a Captain Hutton are destined to be the military chaps accompanying Robbins. Do you know either of them?’ Edrich shook his head. ‘Hutton is all right but was injured in a plane crash and says he is fit for duty but he looks far from it to me. However we are short of alternatives. No, that is not true, there aren’t any alternatives. Washbrook,’ Young waved his hand from side to side, ‘I’ll leave you to decide about him. You’ll work him out. Have a look at these quickly because I’ll have to take them back.’
Young passed Edrich two files one for Washbrook and one for Hutton. For a few minutes the two men sat in silence Young with his eyes closed Edrich‘s eyes devouring the pages. It seemed that like him before the war they had been intrepid travellers; Hutton had crossed Russia to England via Turkestan. Washbrook had also been in Russia twice. Washbrook had been involved in intelligence work against enemy agents in Eastern Persia as well as more recently along the North West Frontier. Edrich finished reading and nudged Young who opened his eyes and took the proffered files.
‘Your role is to replace Robbins at Kashgar.’ Young leaned forward and looked round the room before indicating with his head that Edrich should draw closer, ‘there is one other thing, which is strictly between us.’
Edrich whispered. ‘What?’
Young glanced round the room, ‘the news from France is that we have held the German thrust and with American help we now have the beating of the Hun on the Western Front. The Turk is going backwards at a steady rate of knots in both Mespot and Palestine although they are advancing in Russia towards the Caspian. The Austrians and the Bulgarians are beginning to crack we believe. So the feeling is that the war won’t last much beyond 1919. Now that being the case you’ll want home leave as soon as you can - won’t you?’
‘Of course I will,’ pondered Edrich wondering what Jack was driving at.
‘Trust me on this. The officers closest to base will be the ones to go first on leave. Kashgar, which is at the end of the line from here, will therefore be the last place to give leave to its consular officer. You could be in Kashgar for at least four years before you can get home after the war ends.’
‘Bloody hell, I won’t want that. Christ that’ll be 1923 or 1924. I’m not sure my mother will still be alive in 1923.’ Edrich sat back with a face like thunder. Edrich’s mind began to wander. He would have to deal with the Chinese for four years - God, how he would hate that. They were said to be inscrutable and all his pre-war dealings with them had confirmed that fact. He remembered on his last major trip before the war how hard he had tried to get into Tibet from Western China and how the Chinese authorities had stopped him by procrastinating for months. Then there is this posting. Someone had once told him that Kashgar was a decent place to go as long as you knew you were on your way to somewhere else. Think positive he had been taught so his mind took him back to the Somme and standing up to his waist in water under shellfire; Kashgar had to be better than that - just. He leaned forward in response to Young doing the same thing.
After watching Edrich muse for a few minutes Young broke the silence and whispered, ‘this mission may not take place but if it does why shouldn’t you be the man to lead the military side of it? You are after all the senior soldier of the three.’
Edrich thought again whilst he sipped his drink. ‘How do I do that when I’ve been selected to become the British Agent in Kashgar?’
‘What I suggest, Bill, is that when you see Colonel Routledge in the morning you have a quiet word suggesting that you lead the mission’s military side and that Washbrook takes Kashgar.’
‘Problem as I see it is that I don’t speak Russian which the others do. So they are better qualified than me to enter that country.’
‘I’ve thought of that. When Colonel Routledge asks if you have any thoughts say you have.’ Young looked at Edrich’s questioning face. ‘The Russians are a very suspicious lot. So sending an officer who can’t speak their language may make them less so.’
‘Sounds good?’ laughed Edrich, ‘Jack, you really think it viable?’
‘The Russians will think they’ll be able to pull the wool over your eyes because you can’t speak Russian. I think they’ll like that prospect. But another thing is they’ll also like the fact that you are a colonel because it gives the mission a higher standing than if a mere major was to lead it. That is my suggestion but of course it is up to you decide between ‘Might I dice with death in Tashkent?’ or, “Do I die of boredom in Kashgar”?’
Edrich looked serious, ‘your argument is flawed. What happens when the mission is over? Robbins goes westwards through Russia for home whilst I go back to Tashkent and take over from Washbrook. He will only be doing a holding operation for the length of the mission, say - six or eight weeks - it cannot be more than that.’
Young used his finger and thumb to stroke his nose. He could feel his nose hairs brush against his finger they needed a trim perhaps he would do that in the morning. ‘I can’t say how long the mission will last. It may last longer or shorter than what you have just said. We are still waiting for the Emir’s approval which may take a week, six weeks or even more. A delay may take the mission into the winter and then perhaps if you are in Tashkent you won’t be able to get back across the mountains to Kashgar. You would have to come out a different way than you went in, say via Persia. If that happens then you could not get back to Kashgar till next summer and then the powers that be may want Washbrook to stay on as the agent. The man will have been there nearly a year and he will know the ropes and who knows the war might be over by then. In which case you might go on leave and by the time you’ve done that they will have found you something rather more pleasant than Kashgar.’
‘Jack, you are a devious blighter. And I hasten to add a good friend. No wonder you are in intelligence. I love the idea.’ The two men grinned at each other. ‘So, Jack, how is everything else?’
br />