rrHB: AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL (till wW'fi E3fcl 4B' 5r«rcl m 1\L JkJM $ *-.*.*. ** i JL “ ""<<<•., | JLj m Harris & Ewing THE CAPITOL AT NIGHT @gl" ■ yfr^s Voi. HI MAY, 1926 No. 5 Dodge Cars Preferred by Great Commercial Houses One of the best proofs of 252. It would require many what the world thinks of pages to print them all. Dodge Brothers Motor Car is its widespread use—in And remember, that these large fleets — by great companies select their International Commercial automobile equipmentafter Houses. thorough competitive tests. Long life, economy and de¬ For instance, The Standard pendability in hard service Oil Company uses 456; are the qualities demanded Fairbanks-Morse Com¬ —qualities in which Dodge pany, 129; The General Brothers vehicles are ad¬ Cigar Company, 296; The mittedly without peer any¬ Public Service Companies, where in the world. DaOBEBRQTHER5,lNC.DETRaiT DDDEE BROTHERS MOTOR CARS FOREIGN S RNAL 11 PUBLISHPUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE AMERICAN POREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION VOL III. No. 5 WASHINGTON, D. C. MAY, 1926 The Grafter By ARTHUR GARRELS, Consul General, Athens TO Mahmudine, the venerable interpreter, No need for me to ask when he had come; I humanity in general was divided into three know that he had arrived that morning on the parts—gentlemen, men and persons—at B. I. from Aden. least, so much of it as was wont to come to the “Yes, south on the German, at 10; which Consulate at Zanzibar, back in the days when the accounts for my early call.” modern Service was still in its swaddling-clouts. And so we chatted on. It soon became apparent So I was prepared for the status of my visitor that he was not of the usual run. He was well when he was announced as “A gentleman to informed on the topics of the day and there were unmistakable signs of an optimistic and sanguine see you, sir.” Edwards* was the name the neatly turn of mind. He had lived with his brother, it engraved card bore. Mahmudine’s keenness of appeared, who cultivated oranges, lemons, apri¬ perception, as usual, had not erred, for the caller cots, and things on a large estate somewhere in fully looked the gentleman, as he stood framed in California. He himself had not done much of the doorway, one of those wonderfully carved anything. Some six months previously a desire ones which are as much a part of the equatorial to see the world had led him on his way. Through coast of East Africa as the blue skies, the cocoa- Japan, China, the Philippines, India, and the nut palm and the coral reef. His neatly trimmed Strait Settlements he had sauntered on, and thence Van Dyke beard was of golden tinge; his serge to Zanzibar. At this juncture of his tale he made suit of light blue and the finest weave; tan shoes the statement that, now that his funds were get¬ of the proper shade and polish; soft white shirt ting low, it behooved him to find some lucrative with well-fitting collar; flowing tie of neutral tint, employment. and socks and kerchief to match. His straw hat “But, surely,” I said, “you have resources and are not counting on replenishing your purse by was of the texture that the indolent hands of some finding something to do in Lourenco Marques or Philippine or Malay maiden weave so well. He Durban ?” held a light gnarled bamboo stick with a bit of “Yes, indeed,” came the reply, accompanied by silver placed just right by a Japanese artisan. He a complacent smile. “Oh, I am not afraid; God was the first to speak. will take care of me.” And he spoke with an air “Good morning, Consul. Eve come to pay my of the fullest conviction that left no doubt as to respects.” the extent of his faith in the munificence of the “How do you do? Won’t you sit down? Are Almighty. From its anchorage in the roadstead you staying with us long, or are you going south came a warning blast from the German, and he on the German?” was off. At the club that noon, as was his custom when * Fictitious. in port, the skipper of the B. I. joined the group 141 !_ THEAMERICANp'OKEIGN ^ERVICE| JOURNAL at the table—poor fellow, he found a sailor’s Mahmudine announced a visitor shortly after the grave a few years later when his palatial steamer day’s work had begun. on its maiden trip sailed into oblivion from “A person to see you, sir.” Durban. As I looked up I saw that, as usual, Mahmu- “Hello, Consul,” he hailed me. “A queer coun¬ dine’s judgment was not amiss. A glance was tryman of yours we brought down with us this sufficient to note that the individual fell, indeed, morning from Aden; funny chap. Absorbed in into the third category of Mahmudine’s division Whitaker’s Almanac and the Bible on the entire of men, but I was not prepared for the utterance: trip. Sat for hours on the forecastle at night “Good morning, Consul. I’ve come to pay my stargazing. Saw him boarding the German as I respects.” came off this morning. Have you seen him?” The phrase! The words ! There was no mis¬ A further comment or two, and we were ab¬ taking them. But the appearance of the man— sorbed in the business at hand—the determination was it possible? Yet I recognized him. Lost in by the dice as to who was to sign the chit for the an unkempt growth was the trim Van Dyke of squashes the boy had just served—yes, it was golden hue; gone were the well-fitting serge suit, squashes during the day in Zanzibar—the more the immaculate shirt and collar with the flowing potent drop came to its own when the sun “popped tie, the tan shoes and the hat of texture fine, the off”—and it does virtually “pop off” in Zanzibar jaunty stick; and in their stead a soiled duck suit, on the horizon of the cloth shoes that had Eastern Sea. not known contact The clove crop, with the “bianco” copra stocks, prog¬ box for many a day; ress of the Tanga a battered tope which Railroad in German he held in a trem¬ East; native fairs in British East, and bling hand. missionary matters “Well!” but I gave in Uganda, so de¬ no voice to the manded thought and thought about faith attention that my in a benign Provi¬ visitor was soon for¬ dence evidently hav¬ gotten as the weeks ing been misplaced, slipped by. One and so I drolled off morning, just as old into the bromidic Ali was serving phrase, “so you are chota hadsra* the back again?” “sail-o”—the horn on “Yes, Consul; the local Eiffel Tower there was nothing in on the beach by the Lourengo Marques palace — sounded nor in Durban for three blasts. That me to do, so I came signified a steamer back.” from the south. The German was due and “But, don’t you had arrived on sched¬ know, there is abso¬ ule. That meant lutely nothing you mail, some callers, can do here ? The perhaps, and the American colony is added activity about small, and there is no the Consulate that fund at my disposal steamer day always from which I might brought with it. I assist you.” was not unprepared, “Oh, that’s all therefore, when right, Consul,” he in¬ terrupted. “I’ll not * Fruit and tea served at daybreak. ARAB CARVED DOOR AT ZANZIBAR bother you.” 142 “But are you really quite broke? No money swamps adjacent to Zanzibar City that it had be¬ at all ? Perhaps a telegram to your brother ” come possible to live there with comfort. He “Oh, no; not that. That would be impossible.” had known Livingstone and Stanley, and the re¬ “But what will you do?” nowned Tippoo-Tib, and many interesting tales “Oh, that’s all right,” and his face lit up with he knew of these men. a look of serenity. “God will take care of me. Then, there was the Prime Minister, a genial Don’t worry, Consul. If I need you I’ll come soul and a gentleman. We met again in after around.” years, when the destiny of the German ships, “But, really, you know ” But he would brought by the British Fleet to Alexandria, came none of it. under his judicial decision as judge of the Brit¬ “Please, Consul. No. Good-bye,” he said, and ish prize court. And there was the Judge, who went away. gained later his C.M.G., and now, I believe, dons Here was a new one. What did it mean? I the robes of justice in a British high court in knew that I should see him again. No white man the Equatorial East. Jolly always, he was. I could remain, even for 12 hours, in Zanzibar, liked him, for he liked my stories. And the sailor unattached, a stranger, without funds, unless it man, director of the ports and lights administra¬ were in the hands of the police. tion. He was a bit stolid, but good company At the club that day at noon I spoke to the ever; and the others, all with endearing attri¬ commandant of police, a fine young soldier, who butes in varying degrees. was destined, some six years hence, to be among “Whiskeys and sodas at the shamba on Satur¬ the first to fall for England in the shambles on day?” some one asked.