Jay Garnet - Kidnap the Emperor!

Yufru’s eyes had opened wider. His mood had changed to one of incredulous anger.

‘You are claiming that the Emperor’s fortune can never, in any circumstances, be returned to its rightful owners. I find that an attitude of the greatest immorality. It will be seen by my superiors as a most cynical expression of capitalist imperialism.’

Cromer had touched the nerve he had been probing for. Yufru’s anger was a sign that Cromer’s speculations had been in some way correct. Yet the anger was assertive. It revealed neither fear nor surprise. Either he was an extremely accomplished politician or, as Cromer had guessed, he had still another card to play: the threat of exposure to a wave of hysterical anti-Western propaganda. It was time to pre-empt any such possibility, and retain Yufru’s goodwill.

‘I fail to make myself clear, Mr Yufru. My apologies. I did not say “in any circumstances”. I can imagine circumstances in which this problem might be solved in a way favourable to both of us. Perhaps the time has come to consider them…Your tea?’

The tea was another small piece in Cromer’s game. The ritual of hospitality offered reassurance and a distraction from confrontation.

‘But,’ continued Cromer, ‘the exercise will demand utter honesty on both sides.’

Yufru sipped, his tension dissipating, relieved that there still seemed a way forward, yet wary of Cromer’s mention of honesty.

He said: ‘Please go on.’

‘Very well. I want to suggest to you another…hypothesis. I will follow it with a suggestion that should relieve you of your difficulty. I have thought long and carefully about this. It will take a little time. I would ask you not to make any reaction until I have finished.’

Cromer stood up and began to walk slowly round the room. He did not wish to seem to be addressing Yufru directly. He became discursive, donnish.

He asked Yufru to suppose, for the sake of argument, that the Emperor was still alive, and that his mission had been to discover the circumstances in which any documents the Emperor might sign in the future would be accepted by Cromer’s Bank and its associates. Yufru would, of course, attempt to disguise the fact of the Emperor’s survival. He would hope that Cromer would give an assurance that documents several months old would suffice. In that case, no doubt Yufru would have produced such papers. Likewise, if Cromer had demanded a recent signature, duly signed documents would have appeared, with some plausible explanation.

‘What extraordinary assumptions,’ commented Yufru.

‘I agree. But it is my duty to consider the possibility of such a deception, and it would be wrong of me not to devise ways to prevent such a trick succeeding. In this odd game, I believe I have now succeeded.’

Yufru waited, impassively.

‘What now?’ continued Cromer. ‘Perhaps I should say “checkmate”. But that would, I believe, be short-sighted. My assumptions may be wrong. You may have alternative strategies. And, besides, it would run counter to our own banking traditions.

‘Let us try another approach, and ask: in these circumstances, would your attempted duplicity be really necessary? I think not. We are by reputation honest and discreet. We would not wish to keep from you, against natural justice, money that I concede is yours. Nor would we wish to reveal to our profession, let alone the world at large, that we have paid over to you such a sum of money. Supposing the Emperor to be still alive, it would certainly be in our interests, as well as yours, to conceal the fact.

‘Now, let me move on to my conclusion. As you must have already guessed, I no longer think that this is a mere intellectual exercise. I believe the Emperor is still alive. I believe you have attempted to trick us, and failed. But I also assert our community of interest. That being so, there is I believe, a way forward.

‘My suggestion is as follows: that we arrange between us the necessary documents; that duly appointed representatives of the banks meet the Emperor discreetly, in circumstances that would allow us all to see that no undue pressure was, at that time, being exerted; and that thereupon all parties freely sign the documents, transferring the Emperor’s fortune, or most of it, to your government.

‘Now perhaps I may have your comments?’

The banker sat down again, and looked across at Yufru, who did not yet look up. Yufru poured himself another cup of tea. No sugar, no milk. He rose, walked with his cup to the window and stared down at the twilit street, a river of moving lights, silent beyond the double glazing.

‘One question, Sir Charles,’ he said at last, ‘what, as the Americans say, would be in it for you?’

‘We have a reputation to uphold. We do not like publicity. Any public dispute, as I am sure you are aware, would be bad for us, and unless we come to some arrangement you would be in a position to accuse us publicly of duplicity. Besides, once the funds are transferred to you, your country will have to keep the money somewhere. Given our past record, I am sure you will agree that Cromer’s is the bank best qualified to administer it on your government’s behalf. I would like to think that we shall not be losing by the transaction.’

‘I see.’

Then, suddenly decisive, Yufru swung round. Cromer sat back, apparently relaxed.

‘Sir Charles, the time has come to talk frankly. I am, as you know, an unofficial envoy of my government. The Ambassador here is aware of our intent to have the Emperor’s fortune returned, but has not been informed of my specific role. Officially I am there to vet visa applications. In fact I report directly to the First Vice-President, Lieutenant-Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam, by whom I am empowered to use whatever methods I can to acquire the Emperor’s fortune.

‘You tell me that you yourself, or your representatives, must see the Emperor sign in order to accept his signature. Very well, I confirm your guess. The Emperor is still alive. He is, of course, under house arrest, and he is no longer in Addis. If he were, rumours of his survival would be sure to leak out. He is in his birthplace, Harar, in the mountains 200 miles to the east of Addis, with a few chosen family members, in utter isolation. The palace is his own, a citadel, but it is a prison now rather than a home. There is no contact between the guards and the family. Food, drink, laundry, all is left, as it were, on the doorstep.

‘The only one to go to and fro is the President’s doctor. He has confirmed that the Emperor is still in remarkable health for his years. He has recovered well from his prostate operation. How long will he remain fit? We do not know. He has nothing to live for. But, as you realize, we have much to keep him alive for. There is a certain urgency. But he has so far refused to discuss the transfer of his money, fortunately for both of us as it turns out.

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