Ian had the Bible; his ragged trousers were being left behind. Tomorrow a Kasem servant would come and clean up all traces of the late-night occupants.
When Ross stepped out into the courtyard, he could hear camel honks and driver curses, the unmistakable sounds of the caravan that was assembling only a few hundred yards away. To his delight, the camel turned out to be Julietta, thoughtfully sent by Hussayn.
While Juliet and Ian squeezed their tall bodies into the panniers, Ross greeted Julietta and fed her an apple, which she gobbled happily. Then he mounted one of the placid donkeys as Murad got on the other.
A few minutes' ride brought them to the square where the caravan was preparing to leave. It was easy to merge into the unruly mass of animals and men. If their luck held, in another hour they would be outside the city.
* * *
Shahid Mahmud found that two caravans had departed from Bokhara that night, a small one south through the gate of Namazgah and a larger one east toward Samarkand. After sending a patrol after the southbound group, he personally went to investigate at the Samarkand gate.
Main gates were not opened at night, so traffic was channeled through a small side door that would allow only one beast to exit at a time. For that reason Shahid had hoped that some of the large caravan would still be within the city walls, but he was too late; by the time he reached the gate, the last of the eastbound caravan had already departed.
However, the customs officials who had checked loads and passports were still on duty. Furious questioning elicited the information that several men who fitted Khilburn's description were in the caravan.
Shahid had been a hunter ever since he learned to ride as a child, and his finely honed predator's instinct told him that Khilburn had left this way. Picking the dozen best-trained and best-armed soldiers to accompany him, he set off into the night.
It was unlikely that the ferengi bastard would stay with the caravan long, but he couldn't be more than an hour ahead. And no matter how far and fast he ran, Shahid would be right behind him.
* * *
The last piece of advance planning clicked flawlessly into place. Four superbly fit Turkoman desert horses were waiting at the remote barn that had been previously agreed upon. Also there were the rifles and ammunition that Juliet had retrieved from their hiding place the previous week.
What was unexpected was the presence of Hussayn Kasem himself. As Juliet supervised the changeover to the horses, Ross thankfully peeled off his itchy, uncomfortable beard and said farewell to Julietta, who bawled sadly, as if guessing that she would not see him again. After a last affectionate rumpling of her long ears, Ross turned and almost fell over Hussayn, who had been waiting with an amused smile.
After greeting his friend, Ross said, "I'm grateful for the chance to say thank you and good-bye, Hussayn. What you have done for us is beyond price."
The other man made a deprecatory gesture. "You gave me back my father. It is only right I help you regain your brother."
"You helped me far more than that." To offer payment would have been an insult, but on impulse Ross pulled out the ancient Greek coin he had received for being the victor in the bozkashi match. "Will you accept this as a token of a journey I will never forget?"
Hussayn smiled, his teeth white and even. "I will accept it as the token of a man I will never forget."
"If and when I return to England, I intend to found an institute where men of goodwill can gather from all over the world and learn to better understand and respect each other," Ross said hesitantly. "Perhaps someday you might visit me there."
Hussayn shook his head. "It is not a journey I will ever make, but who knows? Perhaps when my son is grown, he will."
They shook hands for what both men knew would be the last time. Then Ross swung onto his spirited bay mount. Dawn was beginning to show in the east. By the time the sun had fully risen, they would have circled Bokhara and would be on the road west to Persia. By noon they should be crossing the Oxus.
For the first time, Ross allowed himself to believe that perhaps this mad escape attempt really would succeed.
* * *
Bellowing and firing their long-barreled rifles, Shahid Mahmud and his men stopped the Samarkand-bound caravan, then proceeded to search all five hundred beasts and hundred-plus humans. A tall bearded Pathan had a terrifying few minutes at the hands of a Bokharan soldier before the yawer verified that the suspect was not Khilburn.
As the sun rose over the horizon, Shahid gathered the travelers and threatened to treat them all as accomplices unless someone could give him information on the ferengi spy and his party. Doubtfully a young Kazakh said he had seen a camel and two donkeys turning away from the main group.