Challenger Campaign

031125          Volume II, Episode 6: Wherein Our Heroes Refuse a Fortune and Encounter the Foreign Office

October 31, 1888, late night, Paris
Waking a dozing cabbie, Our Adventurers hired carriages to return to the Nuri Wuld Ali estate, south east of Paris. Miss Costorari pulled out a flask and proceeded to get thoroughly drunk in order, she said, not to see all the Others abroad this night. She seemed to be carrying on a one-sided conversation with "Grandfather". At the gate of their destination, the carriages were halted by searchers carrying torches and pitchforks. Thus escorted, Yasmin was delivered, safe but still groggy, to her father who celebrated by offering her rescuers elegant thimbles of thick Turkish coffee - welcome after such a long night.

Mr. Blake proceeded to describe the night's adventures. At the mention of "djinn", Mssr. Wuld Ali's eyes grew round and, at the conclusion, he had rousted out an elderly man. The druid or shaman, as the Group supposed the elder, created a perimeter with red horsehair twine around Yasmin on her couch. Then he proceeded to chant and shake a stick with bells at the bemused maiden.

Miss Costorari slurred her observation, "Dr. Davish, do you shee anyshing blue an' shmokey in her bresh? The djinn ish comin' out of her." Worried that the djinn might try another kidnapping, Dr. Davis tried to use her mesmeric ability to manipulate at a distance to hold the girl in place, but had the disconcerting sensation of not being able to reach the child. The Group made the probable presence of a djinn more clear to Mssr. Wuld Ali and his shaman. The latter made a request and the worried father handed over an intricate and beautiful gold necklace. The shaman waved the jewelry about the prone girl, pocketed it, salaamed and left. (Mr. Penrington made a note to himself to remember that trick.) Pulled away from yet another "conversation with Grandfather," Miss Costorari reported that she could no longer see the djinn. At about that time, Dr. Davis realized that her mesmeric power did, indeed, have Yasmin in her grasp. This too was disconcerting, so she informed her peers.

Mssr. Wuld Ali explained that djinn can be breathed into a human. That is why one plugs one's nose when sleeping; the djinn cannot enter through the mouth.

November 1, 1888
Accepting Mssr. Wuld Ali's hospitality, the Party slept through the morning. Miss Costorari woke to a headache. The host served an excellent luncheon and then brought out his prize stallion. As it became clear that Mssr. Wuld Ali wished to reward the Group, protests were made. A mare, a horse trainer, a horse boy were also offered, at which point Mr. Blake politely made it clear that what was wanted was, unfortunately, more valuable: the statuette of Katul. Miss Costorari took over the bargaining but the results were foreordained: if the statuette was what was desired, it was no more than the value of the Sa'ud's only child. Regretfully, Mssr. Wuld Ali carefully wrapped the statue and gave it to Mr. Blake (the obvious male authority figure in the Group). Penrington gazed with almost equal regret as a fortune as horse-breeders slipped through the Party's fingers.

Dr. Davis asked about the statuette in Cairo. The horse-breeder spoke through his depression, "Ali Bin Hazri has Charity, Idha. He is somewhat in my same line of business. He is the greatest camel supplier in Egypt. From him came all the camels for the Anglish army."

Further questioning revealed that:

• the statuette of "Dhofar, the healer" had recently been stolen from the Wuld Ali London estate.
• Yemeni have others of the statues: "an evil sorcerer and the king each have one."
• Although he knew nothing of the "other two", he knew the set represented the "Seven Pillars of Wisdom."

Returning to the Paris hotel, the Group found that the letter of introduction from Dr. Richard Barnett for Miss Costorari had arrived. She chose to spend a day in the museum reading room, hunting for more on the "City of Brass." Not being able to read either Arabic or the French translations, she had to be content with closely observing the original pictures that had not been available in the Anglish translations. She found:

• A beautifully worked medieval painting of a city with 7 towers, 2 large gates, hills close to the city, and a train of camels leaving the city. The perspective was, naturally, medieval, but on three of the towers were visible carved figures. Miss Costorari extrapolated each of the towers to feature such a figure.
• A sketch of a nisnasis by an artist who had clearly never seen one.
• A sketch of a Neanderthal, very accurate.
• A sketch of a djinn with much longer fangs than the one the Group had seen, and a lower body that seemed to consist of smoke.

While others shopped for souvenirs, Dr. Davis wrote a letter to Pere Sauniere care of Rhenns le-Chateau, expressing concern for his well-fare, hoping his interview with Mssr. Boutaine had gone well, and regretting whatever misunderstanding that had led to their not being able to see him again. She sent her London address and asked that he please get in touch with her to reassure her and her friends of his well-being. Bahram Auf Shari engaged himself to see that the letter got properly posted.

On returning to London, the group spent several weeks in acquiring a sponsor and setting up their expedition to terra incognita Arabia.

• Mr. Forester continued his classes with the boys; Miss Costorari joined them when they were learning Arabic.
• Mr. Blake and Mr. Penrington investigated the Society's records of successful Arabian expeditions but, finding little due to the difficulties imposed on travelers by prolific tribal warfare, instead gathered information on Egyptian desert expeditions.
• Dr. Davis and Mr. Steele obtained an interview with Sir Madden, curator of manuscripts for the British Museum. After thanking him for his timely letter of introduction in Paris, the doctor told the scholar about her discovery of the Ptolemeic transcription error. Asked about possible sponsors for a follow-up expedition, he mentioned Count Gleichen, Lord Dufferin, and Lord Rhineson, all of whom had been involved in what little (coastal) mapping there had been of Arabia.
• Miss Costorari showed Pere Sauniere's reconstructed notes to the head of the Museum Reading Room, Dr. Richard Barnett, who said, "The lettering looks like Arabic but isn't. It's commonly found in areas near Syria and Palestine; nothing like it has ever before been found in France. It is called Hebrew or, in some areas, Habiri." He said he knew a scholar who could translate it into Syrian and from thence it could be translated into Anglish; he'd ask. (The Hebrews are a minor footnote in the annals of religion.)
• Mr. Steele, attempting to apprise Professor Challenger of the Parisian incident with Neanderthals and nisnasis, found the radical scholar to have left on an expedition for parts unknown with Lord Roxton, Professor Leo Summerlee, and a newpaperman from the Times.
• Dr. Davis then ventured to the laboratories at the Museum to tell Dr. Thomas of the new information on the "missing links". He invited her to help with his analysis of the structure of the accordion fold in a frog tongue and, subsequently, to dinner. Apparently they both found enough of interest that a later concert date was agreed to.
• Mr. Smith investigated the possibility of armor suitable for expedition members. (A normal set of adventurer's clothing is weight 0, armor 1, under normal and desert conditions.)

Following the leads for possible sponsors:

• Count Gleichen was the founder of the camel corps (as horses cannot "do desert" without a lot of water). He had since retired and taken residence in London to write a book about his experience. His base of operations had been Port Said, at the north mouth of the Suez Canal. Mr. Blake's contacts with his father's former friends in the military could not be of use in gaining a letter of introduction simply because they had all been stationed much farther east.
• Lord Rhineson was serving as governor of Port Said, therefore beyond Our Adventurers' access.
• Earl of Blackwood, Lord Dufferin, had recently returned to Anglia from a stint as the viceroy of India. He was invested that very day as Ambassador to Italy; his procession delayed Dr. Davis and Mr. Steele during their return from the Museum. Mr. Penrington found that his lordship was a member of the Society and a former governor of Port Said as well as, in his youth, a member of archaeological expeditions to Egypt and Greece.

Encouraged by the Group, Mr. Penrington renewed his acquaintance with Mr. Regis Philby, introducing Mr. Blake. Mr. Philby kept a small apartment in town while his main residence (with wife and child) was outside London. His guests admired his displays of oddly-shaped daggers and lank-haired, wrinkled, leathery "doll's" heads. Gradually, the two adventurers explained the goal of finding a sponsor for an expedition to Arabia, sounding out the former-foreign service man on his previous comments about the Foreign Office seeking envoys to Oman. Mr. Philby said that one could certainly, "charm the individuals at Whitehall with (1) accurate maps and (2) some form of friendly relationship with that end of the peninsula. The Yemeni are impossible and Oman is close minded. The Yemeni obtained steam boats from France - stolen from us, of course - which they use for piracy, boarding ships coming through that narrow pass." Penrington asked about the diplomatic goals, hedging around the idea that friendship with Yemen might do, and was answered, "A variety of people at Whitehall would smile on any friendly relations, particularly if there was no fallout if the attempt happened to fail."

Blake: "What possibility is there of financial commitment before hand?"
Philby: "As long as there is plausible disconnection...."
Blake then proposed that Whitehall recruit someone like Lord Dufferin, known to have an interest in archaeology and the Near East, to be official sponsor.
Philby nodded but said: "You'll have to convince people."
Blake: "At the very least they will get better maps. We have a piece of information that we want to reveal only to people with a serious intent to sponsor our expedition."
Philby: "The people I know are discreet."
Blake: "I'm sure they are. After all, they are diplomats, not politicians."
Philby may have smiled at the mention of diplomats.

Returning to the boarding house, Mr. Blake informed Dr. Davis that she would need to be ready at short notice for the Foreign Office presentation Mr. Philby would set up. Unhappy at disappointing a "friend," the doctor nonetheless sent her regrets and excused herself from the concert date with Dr. Thomas. Indeed, on the evening of the concert, Mr. Philby arrived in a carriage. Mr. Blake, Mr. Penrington, and Dr. Davis were thus escorted to some office rooms over a coffee house in the business district. Mr. Philby remained in the cab while the others went in. They were greeted by two older gentlemen who introduced themselves as Mr. Able and Mr. Baker. With them was an expensively-dressed young man in his 20s who, though handsome and charming, was not introduced. None of these took notes during the subsequent presentation.

Penrington explained the intent of the Party to conduct an archaeological investigation in the region of Oman whereby some favourable impression might be made on the Omani government. Dr. Davis explained why it was Our Adventurers thought such an expedition would be archaeologically successful. Mr. Able turned to the younger man, "Terence, what do you think of this?" The young man - "Terence" - withdrew some - modern - maps from his portfolio and pointed out that his father had investigated the traditional Ptolemeic site for Omanum Emporium and it certainly had not been there, which gave credence to Dr. Davis' claim. He went on to explain some of the potential difficulties of the plan: "The Omani are iconoclastic xenophobes, perhaps due to their being backed into their corner of the peninsula. The Yemeni are pirates. Tribes throughout the region are forever warring. The area is inhospitable with temperatures reaching 140-degrees Fahrenheit. All of which makes it a very dangerous place." Then he turned to the doctor, "Women are not held in high esteem, I am afraid, Doctor." After a moment of resisting his charm, Dr. Davis admitted that it wouldn't be the first time there'd been problems with being a woman, which fact was beyond her control. "Terence" expressed himself gallantly and seemed to flirt very lightly with the young doctor.

Mr. Baker brought attention back to the subject at hand by inquiring as to what level of sponsorship Our Adventurers required.
Mr. Blake: "We need to be an official archaeological expedition supported by the Society."
The two elder statesmen nodded, "Yes, Society support is definitely the way to go." The concept of plausible deniability was mentioned several times in Able and Baker's commentary, though not in so many words.
Mr. Blake continued with a general statement of financial need, promising due care and record-keeping. Mr. Able murmured, "Fiscal prudence is definitely to be desired."
Mr. Baker posed the piercing, "Did you go to Paris looking for funding?"
Realizing that the Foreign Office might well be aware of all of the Adventurers' movements in France, Mr. Blake denied seeking funding for this particular expedition and managed to create an impression of some inefficiency. He did explain that he and his associates had made some Arabic contacts in Paris that might prove useful amongst the Yemeni and Sa'udi.
Mr. Able: "How much advance funding will you require?"
Penrington and Blake explained their research. Their estimate came to some £5000.
Mr. Baker murmured to Mr. Able: "Things will have to be bought on the private market."
Mr. Baker then said to "Terence", "Perhaps you can develop a relationship with these people for your father." Thus the meeting ended with Our Adventurers left with "Terence". A meeting was arranged for the following afternoon in the Society's offices.

On the way back to the boarding house, Mr. Philby commented, "The paperwork if you return will be terrible." Dr. Davis smiled wryly, "As a doctor, I understand paperwork, Mr. Philby."

Mr. Penrington later complimented Mr. Blake on not revealing the existence of the boy Abdul. Mr. Blake answered that the Foreign officers "may or may not know. The boy has been incognito for rather a while." Dr. Davis commented that even if they knew, given the unfriendly relations existing between Anglia and Yemen, they might consider it best that the Yemeni heir be in private rather than Official hands. Particularly if the delivery of the boy to his father was to be somehow unsuccessful. Mr. Penrington nodded, "Plausible deniability."

The next afternoon, at the SoGaFS, the three adventurers were introduced to Mr. Terence Blackwood's -- Lord Ava's -- father, Lord Dufferin. The presentation that followed was much as it had been with Able and Baker, with the addition of the statuette of Katul that Mr. Blake had thought to bring along. That entailed the radiologist explaining his theory that all seven statues might be instrumental in actually locating the lost city of Ubar/ Irem/ Omanum Emporium, although he could not say how.

Dr. Davis asked Lord Ava for a copy of his maps of the Arabian peninsula. He seemed happy to comply and said, "There's another question that I thought you'd ask by now - about the Seven Pillars of Wisdom."

Hospitality	Saba	goddess of the moon
Piety	Dhofar	god of air, life, healing
Obedience	Hird	death, "god eternal"
Honour/ valour	Katul	warrior god, imported from Baghdad (Kathul/ Kutulu)
Tribe	Salimah	water, "rain-bringer"
Strength/ Steadfastness	Hafizun	sun, "food-giver"
Charity	Idha	god of travel

Dr. Davis was impressed by the young lord's knowledge and asked that he teach the Group what he could on the cultures they would encounter. He countered by offering to teach her to write Arabic. She accepted and he expressed an interest in joining the Expedition. What could she do? "I am sure that we would be happy if you would join us."

With the addition of his son to the Expedition, Lord Dufferin seemed all eagerness to properly sponsor the venture. Neither noble could explain why the statuette had features of the Indian style, but the discussion reminded Dr. Davis and Mr. Blake of earlier conversations where the four arms were said to be indicative of movement and of multiple possibilities. It would seem that the statues - and the memory they represented - might be an Indian spell applied to something in Arabia.

A sponsor being duly acquired, most of Our Adventurers turned their attention back to the matter of Count Gleichen. He still seemed the likeliest avenue to getting a handle on the camel-breeder Ali Bin Hazri and his statuette of Idha. Mr. Penrington determined to approach the author as the greatest authority available in Anglia on camels and simply ask his advice on dealing with Ali Bin Hazri.

The count opined, "He's a canny merchant. He'll be a chapter all to himself. Egyptian. Very Egyptian." He showed a sketch. "Completely pro-Egyptian. He appreciates money. I always had this suspicion that he uses money as a counter in the game. He always wants to come out ahead on a bargain."
Dr. Davis: "How did you come out ahead in buying camels from him?"
Gleichen: "Usually I didn't. I learned to be good at counting camel teeth and checking hooves. It's more important to check camel hooves than horse hooves. Teeth don't tell you everything."
Mr. Penrington: "He sells camels, but what is it he most values?"
Gleichen: "He prizes most highly Egyptian antiquities."
Mr. Blake murmured an aside: "Were we to find something of sufficient antiquity, it would be better to simply deliver it to the British Museum." The radiologist, remembering his high-priced African camels, then asked for and was given advice on the price of camels.

[Note: Michael was missing this run due to illness.]
Next Run: Ship to the Near East

(a) Cumulative (b) Cumulative since Volume II

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