illustrating how some fighting
men make pretty poor dissemblers; every one of his dark-skinned
rank and file had observed all the details of our outfit without
seeming to see us at all.

"We're using nothing but Sikhs on this job," said Turner.
"British troops wouldn't appreciate the delicacy of the
situation. Moslems couldn't be trusted not to talk. The Sikhs
enjoy the surreptitious part of it, and don't care enough about
the politics to get excited. Wish I might be in at the finish,
though! Have you any notion what the real objective is?"

"No," said I, and tried not to feel, or look pleased with myself.
But no mere amateur can conceal that, in the moment of discovery,
he knows more about the inside of an official business than one
of the Administration's lawful agents. That is nine-tenths of
the secret of "bossed" politics--the sheer vanity of being on the
inside, "in the know." I suppose I smirked. "Damn this ride
to Haifa! What the hell have you done, I wonder, that you should
have a front pew? Is the Intelligence short of officers?"

I had done nothing beyond making Grim's acquaintance and by good
luck tickling his flair for odd friendship. I thought it better
not to say that, so I went on lying.

"I don't suppose I know any more than you do."

"Rot! I posted the men who watched you into Djemal's place
yesterday, and watched you out again. You acted pretty poorly,
if you ask me. It's a marvel we didn't have to go in there and
rescue you. I suppose you're another of Grim's favorites. He
picks some funny ones. Half the men in jail seem to be friends
of his."

I decided to change the subject.

"I was told to change clothes and walk back after a mile or so,"
I said. "Suppose we don't make it a Marathon. Why walk farther
than we need to?"

"Uh!"

I think he was feeling sore enough to take me ten miles for the
satisfaction of making me tramp them back to Jerusalem. But it
turned out not to be his day for working off grievances. We were
bowling along pretty fast, and had just reached open country
where it would be a simple matter to change into other clothes
without risk of being seen doing it, when we began to be
overhauled by another, larger car that came along at a terrific
pace. It was still too dark to make out who was in it until it
drew almost abreast.

"The Administrator by the Horn Spoon! What next, I wonder! Pull
up!" said Turner. "Morning, sir."

The two cars came t