Michael Pearce - The Donkey-Vous

“We said we had brought him something from the young Sitt. She had directed us to show it him.”

“Why could you not show him it on the terrace?”

“Because it was too big. And because one would not allow us on the terrace.”

“And he believed you?”

“Yes.”

“And came down?”

“Yes.”

“And at the foot of the steps?”

“We were waiting for him.”

“We were worried,” put in one of the other donkey-boys, “for he did not understand us at first and came down slowly. The procession had to wait. We were afraid that would make people look.”

“The palanquin was already at the steps when he came down?”

“Yes. There was an arabeah beyond it wanting to come in.”

“The palanquin was waiting and the Englishman came down. What then?”

There was a general shrug.

“Daouad put a cloak over his head.”

“I thrust him in.”

“With my help,” said another boy, not wishing to see his part discounted.

“Yussuf stayed with him.”

“I tied him,” Yussuf explained. “It was like tying a donkey.”

“The camels moved on.”

“And we took off our masks and went back to the donkeys.”

“I had been minding the donkeys,” said the smallest boy, not wishing to be left out.

The others shushed him.

“You see,” Daouad pointed out. “He was not even with us.”

“Was anyone else with you? Anyone who is not here now?”

“No. For then we would have had to share.”

“Are you sure? For the procession would have been small indeed if you were all waiting at the steps.”

“We weren’t all waiting at the steps.”

“Only two of us were waiting at the steps,” said Yussuf, “the two who spoke to the Englishman, I and Daouad.”

“The rest were with the procession,” said Daouad.

“I held the mirror,” said one of the boys proudly.

“He held one of the mirrors, I held the other.”

“We all put on the jesters’ masks,” said one of the other boys eagerly. “It was a good wedding.”

Owen sighed. They reminded him of children. Indeed, they were children. But then, so were some of the worst terrorist gangs he had had to deal with. Being children did not stop them from garrotting or stabbing. Or kidnapping. “Most of you were with the camels, then?”

“Yes. When Abdul called to us that the camels were approaching, we left our donkeys and donned our masks and went along the street to meet them.”

“Who is Abdul?”

“My brother,” said Yussuf.

“He is not here?”

“Oh no!” said Yussuf, shocked. “He is too small to be a donkey-boy!”

“He was with the camels?”

“Yes.”

“Who else was with the camels?”

“Hassan.”

“Who is Hassan? Is he here?”

“My cousin,” said Daouad. “No. He is not here.”

“He is a camel-driver,” someone else said. “He works for Sidky.”

“Sidky?”

“You know Sidky? He is a big contractor. His camels take loads to Rhoda Island.”

“I know Sidky.”

“It was his camels,” Yussuf explained. “Hassan borrowed two of them.”

“Did Sidky know?”

“Sidky would not have minded. Hassan is a good driver.”

“He would have looked after the camels,” they all assured Owen.

“That is not the point.”

“No?”

“The camels smelled a bit,” said someone.

“That was because they have been carrying night soil.”

“The smell doesn’t matter,” said Daouad. “The important thing is that they are good strong beasts and used to carrying loads. Not too spirited.”

“Oh, the camels were all right.”

“Anyway, Hassan is a good driver. I remember-”

“No more of Hassan,” said Owen. “Were there any others, apart from Hassan and Abdul, who were not donkey-boys?”

“Salah.”

“Who is Salah?”

“He was playing the pipes. None of us could play them well enough.”

“OK. Apart from Hassan and Abdul and Salah, was there anyone else?”

They looked around.

“No. Just us.”

“It was all your own idea?”

“It was my idea chiefly,” said Daouad with pride.

“And mine too,” said Yussuf.

“Yes, but you couldn’t have done it without us,” objected the other donkey-boys. No one wanted to be left out.

“It was a bad idea,” said Owen. “It was a wicked idea. To harm that old gentleman!”

“We wouldn’t have harmed him! We have looked after him well.”

“We have cared for him as if he were one of our own donkeys.”

“We were going to give him back. After we had got the money.”

“We were just borrowing him.”

It struck them all as a happy thought.

“We were just borrowing him.”

“All we wanted was the money,” Daouad explained.

“No doubt. But money is not to be had that way.”

“We saw others doing it and it seemed to us a good idea. No one gets hurt. No one gets caught.”

“And you make a lot of money.”

They looked at Owen almost accusingly.

“It’s a good way to earn a living. In one day you can make enough to live on for several years.”

“We could have doubled our stock of donkeys.”

“Hired men in. Then we could have stopped at home with our wives.”

“We could have bought a lot of wives.”

“However,” said Owen, “it so happens that you have been caught.”

The bubble of their euphoria was pricked. They looked at him with suddenly doleful faces.

“Yes,” they said, “there is that.”

“You are going to the caracol, where you are going to stay for a long time.”

“What about our donkeys?”

“You will have to get someone else to look after them. I’ll tell you what,” said Owen. “You can send that little boy off to fetch someone to take charge of the donkeys. Tell them to come here to collect them.”

He didn’t want to take the donkeys as well to the prison. “And while we’re waiting for them to come, two of you can come with me and show me where you keep the prisoners. Is it far?”

“No,” they said, crestfallen. “It’s not far. It’s just across the road, in fact. In the Wagh el Birket.”

“OK. Daouad and Yussuf, you can come with me.”

They seemed the two brightest. He didn’t want to leave them with only the constables looking after them.

“We come,” said Daouad and Yussuf, scrambling to their feet.

“Are they both there?”

“Both?”

“Or all three,” said Owen, remembering Tsakatellis.

“What are you talking about?”

“Your prisoners. Those you have kidnapped.”

“We have only kidnapped one,” said Daouad, bewildered.

“Only one?”

“The Englishman.”

“What about the Frenchman, the old man with the stick?”

“We were nothing to do with that,” said Daouad, offended.

" In fact,” said Daouad, “that was what gave us the idea in the first place.”

“When we saw how simple it was-” said Yussuf.

“And when as time went by you still did not catch them-”

“And we heard the size of the ransom-”

“And we thought of the donkeys that would buy-”

“We thought that Allah had decided to smile on us by placing the opportunity in our way-”

“Which if we did not seize would be clearly to go against his wishes-”

“Let’s get this straight,” said Owen. “You saw how the Frenchman was kidnapped-?”

“We did.”

“And then as time went by and nothing happened you thought you might as well try it too?”

“That is so.”

“Had you no thought of evil?” said Owen sternly.

“We thought only of the money,” Yussuf said sadly.