The Last Heroes (Men at War 1)

‘‘Of course, thank you,’’ el Ferruch said, stretching out his hand for the package. He said something in Arabic, and the large black man walked quickly out of the room.

He opened the package. It contained a wristwatch.

‘‘Lovely,’’ he said, with no enthusiasm.

Baker raised his hand a little as though to call a halt to el Ferruch’s misperception.

‘‘Your Excellency certainly will recognize that as an airman’s chronometer,’’ Baker said. ‘‘But perhaps Your Excellency might be interested to note that it is of American manufacture.’’

That caught el Ferruch’s attention, and he looked at the watch more closely.

‘‘It is the very first to come from the factory,’’ Baker said. ‘‘Your Excellency will see that it is serial number one.’’

‘‘Extraordinary,’’ el Ferruch said, still without enthusiasm. ‘‘I suppose you’ve made several of these for all the wog chiefs you want to buy.’’

‘‘We have ordered two hundred thousand,’’ Baker said, pressing on, ‘‘for our aircrews. The first was presented by the manufacturer to President Roosevelt.’’

‘‘Two hundred thousand?’’ el Ferruch asked. ‘‘But this is number one?’’

‘‘President Roosevelt said that since it was unlikely he will be flying one of our airplanes, he thought Your Excellency might find some use for it.’’

‘‘I am overwhelmed by President Roosevelt’s generosity, ’’ el Ferruch said dryly. But he was impressed. ‘‘When you leave, I will ask you to take a small gift from me to President Roosevelt.’’

‘‘I would be honored, Your Excellency.’’

Soon the enormous black man returned, carrying two objects wrapped in silk and tied with cord. He gave them to el Ferruch, who leaned forward again and handed them to Canidy and Baker.

‘‘Please be good enough to accept a small gift of my own,’’ he said.

Inside the silk wrappings were curved-blade daggers. The hilts of the daggers and their scabbards were of carved silver chased with gold.

‘‘I am really overwhelmed, Your Excellency,’’ Baker said.

‘‘Thank you,’’ Canidy said.

‘‘And now,’’ el Ferruch said, ‘‘may I suggest we eat? Later we can discuss the reason for your visit.’’

‘‘Well, then?’’ Sidi Hassan el Ferruch asked, gazing at Eldon Baker. The dishes had been removed, and except for the fruit, so also was the food. El Ferruch’s long, thin fingers lightly brushed a glass of port that had been old before he was born.

Baker smiled, cocked an eyebrow, and said nothing. He wants to find out what el Ferruch knows, Canidy thought, before he begins to commit himself.

‘‘Well, then,’’ the pasha repeated. This time it was not a question. ‘‘Let’s get to the point. You’re not a visa clerk, Baker. You are some sort of intelligence agent.

‘‘And Mr. Canidy, according to Eric, was until quite lately in China flying for the American Volunteer Group there. Somehow or other he is now here, which leads me to suspect that the two of you are birds from the same nest. Beyond that, I’m led to believe that Mr. Canidy’s longstanding friendship with Eric had some influence on the decision to pull him out of China and send him to Morocco.’’

‘‘Go on.’’

‘‘Next, I don’t see myself as more than peripherally useful to you . . . unless of course you plan an invasion of North Africa?’’ He glanced quickly at Baker, but there was no visible reaction. ‘‘And Eric is a nice boy.’’ Fulmar screwed up his mouth. ‘‘But I don’t see any possible use you could make of him. Morocco, in other words, is only Morocco, Mr. Baker. So tell me what you have on your mind.’’

‘‘Your Excellency’s sources are reliable.’’ Baker said. ‘‘I hope the French and Germans aren’t using the same ones.’’

‘‘Not if I can help it,’’ el Ferruch said, laughing. ‘‘But I’d be surprised,’’ he said more soberly, ‘‘if they don’t know that the two of you have come to see me. They will then draw conclusions.’’

‘‘I’m sure they will,’’ Baker agreed.

‘‘That potentially compromises me.’’

‘‘But, Your Excellency,’’ Baker said with a subtle but significant edge in his voice, ‘‘you’re already compromised . . . potentially. You and Eric are smugglers. Either the French and the Germans consider you above the law or else you have managed to outwit the French and Germans. Whichever your talent is, it makes you the kind of man we want to work with . . . not to mention, of course, all your other valuable talents.’’