eyes.
At last they retired to Ibrahim’s house alone. Ibrahim had purchased two overstuffed chairs for the occasion, and as they engaged in business Fawzi Kabir’s pudgy fingers moved nonstop from the fruit bowl to his mouth. His devouring of grape and plum was interrupted only by conversation, a belch, and an occasional pause to lick his juicy fingers.
‘All right, Ibrahim. I have come to Tabah. I have eaten in your tent. Now, let us put parables aside. What is the reason for this very dangerous summons?’
‘My people are all very obviously frightened about the land sales. Your coming to our village was the only way to reassure them.’
‘To be honest, I was surprised when you were able to be elected as muktar,’ Kabir said. ‘For a moment I thought the Soukori hold had been broken. Had it been broken,’ he shrugged, ‘I would have had to deal with a half-dozen squabbling sheiks. Maybe I would have sold Tabah as well. The alliance between the Soukori clan and my family has been very successful.’
‘Never quite an alliance in the true sense,’ Ibrahim said, smiling.
‘A favourable relationship then.’
‘I knew if you came to Tabah you would go to lengths to keep Tabah ... as a hedge to protect your investments. If I am expected to hold this highway for you, then a real alliance must be made. We have a mutual enemy, the Mufti of Jerusalem. For years the Heusseinis have all but enslaved Wahhabis and committed all sorts of indignities upon us.’
‘You are a very clever young man, Ibrahim.’
‘As the Bedouin would say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.’
‘I shall be blunt then,’ Kabir said. ‘Your attack on Shemesh Kibbutz was less than impressive. I am wondering how you will fare against the Mufti.’
‘My men are poor fellahin. They are not soldiers. However, it would not be out of the question for me to hire fifteen or twenty men who had been soldiers with the Turks or British. We have plenty of land for an encampment and I will assure their loyalty by putting Wahhabis in charge of them.’
The Effendi stopped eating and wiped his hands clean with a handkerchief, then withdrew a pencil and pad of paper and calculated. ‘It makes no sense financially. Every lira I take out of Tabah will go for such a guard.’
‘Perhaps we can figure something out,’ Ibrahim said.
‘I’m sure you have a plan.’
‘Let us say the eight hundred dunams I am now sharecropping from you are turned over to me.’
‘You are a bit of a thief, Ibrahim.’
‘And there are another five or six hundred dunams in swamp that are useless now. I want those too.’
‘You have been watching the Jews.’
‘I want nothing from the Jews except their Australian trees.’
Kabir fought his way out of the deep chair. ‘It is too steep a price,’ he said.
‘Think about it,’ Ibrahim said. ‘I will make no alliance with the Jews, but they, too, are the natural enemies of the Mufti. With them on one side of the highway and with Tabah on the other with an excellent guard ... Think about it ... Just how important is it to you to keep the Mufti bottled up in Jerusalem and not let him get to Lydda and Ramle?’
Kabir bent over and fished the last few grapes out of the bowl. ‘Impossible,’ he said and walked to the door. He stopped and turned. Then he thought, If you want something from a dog, then start calling him master.
‘Done!’ Kabir said suddenly. ‘One condition. This guard you are going to form. Neither they nor your villagers are to make trouble with the Jews. The Jews may not be our allies, but they serve a mutual interest. Better the Jews than the Mufti.’
‘But I will not make friends with them,’ Ibrahim insisted.
‘Who is a friend? Who is an enemy? Who is an ally?’ Kabir shrugged. ‘It gets very complicated with us. But it is our nature. You and I understand each other, Ibrahim.’
‘It would be a good idea,’ Ibrahim said, ‘when we leave my house that we walk to the village
At last they retired to Ibrahim’s house alone. Ibrahim had purchased two overstuffed chairs for the occasion, and as they engaged in business Fawzi Kabir’s pudgy fingers moved nonstop from the fruit bowl to his mouth. His devouring of grape and plum was interrupted only by conversation, a belch, and an occasional pause to lick his juicy fingers.
‘All right, Ibrahim. I have come to Tabah. I have eaten in your tent. Now, let us put parables aside. What is the reason for this very dangerous summons?’
‘My people are all very obviously frightened about the land sales. Your coming to our village was the only way to reassure them.’
‘To be honest, I was surprised when you were able to be elected as muktar,’ Kabir said. ‘For a moment I thought the Soukori hold had been broken. Had it been broken,’ he shrugged, ‘I would have had to deal with a half-dozen squabbling sheiks. Maybe I would have sold Tabah as well. The alliance between the Soukori clan and my family has been very successful.’
‘Never quite an alliance in the true sense,’ Ibrahim said, smiling.
‘A favourable relationship then.’
‘I knew if you came to Tabah you would go to lengths to keep Tabah ... as a hedge to protect your investments. If I am expected to hold this highway for you, then a real alliance must be made. We have a mutual enemy, the Mufti of Jerusalem. For years the Heusseinis have all but enslaved Wahhabis and committed all sorts of indignities upon us.’
‘You are a very clever young man, Ibrahim.’
‘As the Bedouin would say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.’
‘I shall be blunt then,’ Kabir said. ‘Your attack on Shemesh Kibbutz was less than impressive. I am wondering how you will fare against the Mufti.’
‘My men are poor fellahin. They are not soldiers. However, it would not be out of the question for me to hire fifteen or twenty men who had been soldiers with the Turks or British. We have plenty of land for an encampment and I will assure their loyalty by putting Wahhabis in charge of them.’
The Effendi stopped eating and wiped his hands clean with a handkerchief, then withdrew a pencil and pad of paper and calculated. ‘It makes no sense financially. Every lira I take out of Tabah will go for such a guard.’
‘Perhaps we can figure something out,’ Ibrahim said.
‘I’m sure you have a plan.’
‘Let us say the eight hundred dunams I am now sharecropping from you are turned over to me.’
‘You are a bit of a thief, Ibrahim.’
‘And there are another five or six hundred dunams in swamp that are useless now. I want those too.’
‘You have been watching the Jews.’
‘I want nothing from the Jews except their Australian trees.’
Kabir fought his way out of the deep chair. ‘It is too steep a price,’ he said.
‘Think about it,’ Ibrahim said. ‘I will make no alliance with the Jews, but they, too, are the natural enemies of the Mufti. With them on one side of the highway and with Tabah on the other with an excellent guard ... Think about it ... Just how important is it to you to keep the Mufti bottled up in Jerusalem and not let him get to Lydda and Ramle?’
Kabir bent over and fished the last few grapes out of the bowl. ‘Impossible,’ he said and walked to the door. He stopped and turned. Then he thought, If you want something from a dog, then start calling him master.
‘Done!’ Kabir said suddenly. ‘One condition. This guard you are going to form. Neither they nor your villagers are to make trouble with the Jews. The Jews may not be our allies, but they serve a mutual interest. Better the Jews than the Mufti.’
‘But I will not make friends with them,’ Ibrahim insisted.
‘Who is a friend? Who is an enemy? Who is an ally?’ Kabir shrugged. ‘It gets very complicated with us. But it is our nature. You and I understand each other, Ibrahim.’
‘It would be a good idea,’ Ibrahim said, ‘when we leave my house that we walk to the village
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