Silk and Secrets(36)

Twice Ross got up and started to leave, Saleh, Murad, and Juliet right behind him. The second time they actually reached the street before Mustafa Khan overtook them with a new offer.

Finally a deal was struck that included five camels, two pack saddles, and several other pieces of equipment that they would need. After mournfully announcing that the final price had ruined him, the merchant gave Ross cheerful directions to the caravansary where the rest of the caravan was spending the night.

In her guise of Jalal, Juliet had the job of chief camel driver, so she took charge of saddling and loading the two animals that would carry their supplies. After the first camel was saddled, she tightened the girth twice, then couched it—that is, made the beast kneel so that it could be loaded.

Couching was a strenuous procedure. First Juliet twisted her fingers in the long hair under the camel's throat. Then she pulled on throat hair and nose rope, at the same time kicking the beast on the shin. It bawled a complaint but sank to its knees as Ross watched with amusement.

With a horse, such treatment would be considered abuse. With a camel, rough handling was necessary just to get the animal's attention.

When Ross brought over an armful of baggage to be loaded, he asked under his breath, "How did I do with the bargaining?"

"You paid a few dinars more than I would have," Juliet said, dodging back as the camel swung its head around and bared an impressive set of molars, "but it was a creditable showing against an old bandit like Mustafa Khan."

Ross grinned and went to saddle and couch the other pack camel. He and Juliet really should be more careful about these sub rosa exchanges; neither of them seemed able to resist the temptation to exchange thoughts and irreverent comments. It was unlikely that anyone else would understand, for they spoke in Tamahak with English words filling in when no Tuareg term existed, but it was still unwise to behave with such familiarity.

Their departure from Mustafa Khan's yard was delayed when the second pack camel managed to shed its load while lurching to its feet. Unsurprised, Ross sighed and started over on the tedious business of couching and packing. Since almost the only intelligence camels showed was for throwing their cargo, loading them required skill, and Ross had not done it in several years. In a few days he would have the knack again.

With Juliet's wordless help they successfully repacked and set off for the caravansary, leading their camels since the distance was short and the streets became progressively busier as they approached their destination. Having a caravan in town meant that all the peddlers and bazaar stalls were active, hoping to do more business before the travelers moved on.

Boisterous talk and laughter echoed through the narrow alleys, and here and there a fluttering torch illuminated faces in the teeming crowd. It was a society of men, for the few women present were veiled so thoroughly as to be almost invisible.

Merchants and potential customers bargained, storytellers spoke to rapt audiences, scribes wrote letters for the illiterate, odors of food, unwashed bodies, spices, and dung filled the air. Twisting through it all was the acrid bite of smoke as peddlers roasted kebabs over tiny fires. Even with his eyes closed, Ross would have known instantly that he was in Central Asia.

Though Ross's height and beardlessness attracted a few glances, he was glad to see that no one was unduly interested in him. With her veil and sweeping dark robes, Juliet drew more attention, but it was simple curiosity rather than suspicion or hostility. Men traveled thousands of miles from their native lands along the great caravan routes of Asia and Africa, so "Jalal" was just another exotic visitor. Taller than most of the men around her and walking with perfect masculine swagger, she seemed entirely at home in her surroundings. If Ross had seen her in a Tuareg camp in the Sahara, he would never have guessed her identity.

Once they set out on the trail, the rations would be Spartan, so Ross decided that they would eat well tonight. As they worked their way through the crowd, he purchased skewers of sizzling roast mutton from a kebab seller, then added fresh bread from a baker and pastries from a confectioner. Murad carried the food, along with a small bag of charcoal for a fire.

Caravansaries were hotels for both men and beasts and were found along all the caravan routes from the Atlantic to China. When Ross and his party entered the caravansary through the high gates, they found that this one was laid out in typical fashion, with small rooms for visitors and stables for the beasts all opening onto the large central courtyard.

Because the caravansary was full, animals were bedded down in the open and numerous small fires burned in the courtyard, both for cooking and for warmth against the chilly night. With human voices and animal complaints bouncing from the mud-brick walls, the caravansary was a noisy place.