The Black Mountain (15 page)

Gun, Alex! I whirled, drawing the Colt from my hip. Danilo, Josip Pasic, and two other men were grouped at the far edge of the space, evidently having come from behind a massive boulder. Danilo had a gun, but the others were empty-handed.

Don’t shoot, Danilo said. You can go wherever you’re going. We only want Peter Zov.

Wolfe had put himself in front of Zov. He’s with us, and he’s going with us.

No, he’s not. We’re taking him.

Wolfe’s attitude was perfect for saying Over my dead body, but he didn’t say it. My own attitude was no slouch, with my feet planted apart and my Colt steady at Danilo’s belly.

Wolfe said, He’s under our protection, and you can’t have him. We’re American citizens, and if you harm us you’ll regret it.

We don’t want to harm you. Zov is a traitor to his country. He crossed the border to the Albanians. We have a right to him.

What do you intend to do with him'

I’m going to find out what he told the Albanians.

They must have been ad libbing, for there hadn’t been time to write a script during their brief talk at the fort.

I don’t believe it, Wolfe said. After the hours I spent with you, I don’t believe anything you say. Heaven only knows where your allegiance lies, if anywhere. If you are a true son of Yugoslavia, come with us - you alone, not the others. If Zov has betrayed his country the proper person to deal with him is Gospo Stritar in Titograd, and that’s where we’re taking him. If you want to come, drop your gun and start down the road. You others stay where you are.

We’ll deal with him here.

You will not. Are you coming'

No.

Then touch us at your peril. Comrade Zov, I’m going to turn around. You turn also, to face the road entrance. Keep against me, away from them, and we’ll make the road slowly, and on down. Alex, cover us. You’ll have to back out, steering by my voice. He turned and had his back to the enemy. Zov turned likewise, and Wolfe put his hands on Zov’s shoulders. I sidestepped and was directly behind Wolfe, back to back, with the Colt still focused on the group. As Wolfe and Zov moved forward, and I backward, Wolfe gave me his voice to guide by.

‘Preamble. We, the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.’

We had left the open space and started down the road. Since Zov couldn’t possibly see me, I had a strong impulse to grin at Danilo and to wave to him as he had waved to us when he left the fort. I had to bite my lip to control it. He might misunderstand and ruin everything. Wolfe was guiding me.

I skip to the ten original amendments, the Bill of Rights. ‘Article One.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Article Two. A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Article Three. No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war but in a manner to be prescribed by law. Article Four. The right - ’

Hold it, I cut in.

I’m not going to back clear to Titograd.

I’ll finish Article Four. It’s Article Four that has us in this mess. ‘The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects,

against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation,

and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.’

Is that all'

That will do.

I turned around.

We arrived in Titograd in style, in an old Ford truck that Zov requisitioned at the first farm we came to that had one, and pulled up in front of police headquarters at twenty minutes past three, just twenty-two hours after Jube Bilic had delivered us there the day before. As we piled out, Wolfe told me to give the driver three thousand dinars, and I obeyed. I was stuck again with the knapsacks, which we had taken off when we boarded the truck, and with the sweaters. We followed Zov into the big old stone edifice, along the dingy corridor, up the stairs, and into the room where the two clerks sat on stools.

Zov spoke to Wolfe, and Wolfe told me we were to wait there and went to a chair and sat. Zov didn’t go on in. He sent one of the clerks, who entered the inner room, returned in a moment, and motioned Zov to come. I put the luggage on a chair beside Wolfe and myself on another one. It was a long wait, so long that I began to nurse the possibility that Gospo Stritar was going to relieve us of our problem. Evidently Zov had been completely confident that his loyalty would not be questioned, but Stritar might not see it that way. The idea had its attractions, but it led to another, that if a visit to the Albanians was enough to do for Zov, what about Tone Stara and his son Alex'That wasn’t so attractive. I would have liked to ask Wolfe a couple of pertinent questions, but his head had fallen forward until his chin touched, his eyes were closed, and he was breathing as if he were a week behind on oxygen, so I let him alone. I became aware that someone was yelling at somebody named Alex, and wished Alex would answer. Also someone had hold of my shoulder. I opened my eyes, saw Wolfe,

and jerked upright.

You were sound asleep, he said testily.

So were you. First.

We’re wanted. Bring the knapsacks.

I gathered them up and followed him between the counters and across to the inner room. Zov, holding the door for us, shut it and went to a chair at the end of Stritar’s desk and sat. Stritar waved us to chairs without getting up. He hadn’t got a haircut. His underhung jaw didn’t seem quite as impressive as it had the day before, but I had seen a lot of underhung rocks in the meantime. After giving Wolfe a sharp glance, he concentrated on me as I went to the chair, and after I sat he looked me up and down. Not knowing what our line was going to be,

or his either, I neither grinned nor glowered at him but merely looked self-reliant. He turned to Wolfe.

It’s too bad your son doesn’t speak our language. I’d like to talk with him.

Wolfe nodded. I was wrong not to teach him. I would be glad to interpret for you.

That’s not the same. Comrade Zov has told me what happened today. You and your son have acted boldly and bravely. It is appreciated by me and will be appreciated by my superiors. You can add to that appreciation by giving me a full account of your movements since you left here yesterday.

Wolfe raised his brows. I’m surprised that you ask. You said everything would get to you.

Perhaps it has. I would like to hear it from you.

You may. We went first to the house where I visited my friend Grudo Balar many years ago. A stranger was there who had never heard of him. We went next to an address that someone in Albania had given me. I had been told that a man named Danilo Vukcic could give me much information if he would, particularly about the Spirit of the Black Mountain.

Who in Albania told you about him'

Wolfe shook his head. I told you yesterday that I will not cause trouble for anyone who has helped us. We found Danilo Vukcic at that address, and he did indeed have information. It seemed to me that he was over-ready to impart it to strangers, but later, thinking it over, I realized that it was only such matters as were probably common knowledge - or merely current rumors. I was quite candid with him. You may remember I told you that we had cached a considerable sum in American dollars somewhere in the mountains, and I told him about it too. I now think that was a mistake. I now think it was my telling him about that cache that caused him to offer to take us to a place in the mountains where we could meet one of the leaders of the Spirit of the Black Mountain. Anyway, we accepted the offer, and he took us. After a difficult journey we arrived -

One moment. Did you see Jube Bilic anywhere'The boy who brought you here yesterday'

Wolfe was surprised and puzzled. Him'Where'In the mountains'

Did you see him anywhere after you left here'

I did not. Why'

Stritar waved it away. Go on.

We arrived at a cave - near the Albanian border, I was told - in the middle of the night. There were five men there, and Vukcic said that one of them was a leader of the Spirit, but he didn’t impress me as a leader of men or of a movement. By that -

What was his name'

I was given no names. By that time I was suspicious of the whole business. They insisted on knowing where our dollars were cached, and at one time I thought they were going to try to force us to tell by methods that I consider barbarous.

Also I distrusted Vukcic. I have had many dealings with men, mostly in America,

and I concluded that Vukcic was not honest or sincere, and that I would have nothing to do with a movement in which he was prominent or influential. I didn’t tell him that, of course. If I had we might not have left the mountains alive,

in spite of the fact that they would rather not lay a hand on American citizens.

The question was, how to get away from them without serious trouble, and I think I managed it pretty well. In the morning I said we would like to have a look at the border, at Albania, and Vukcic went with us to show us where the border is,

since it isn’t marked. When we got there we simply kept on going. Vukcic wanted to stop us, but we paid no attention to him. He stuck to us for a distance,

protesting, but stopped when we emerged from a defile. We soon knew why, when we saw the fort. We went to it and were about to enter, when we heard a scream, and we went in to investigate. You have heard the rest from Comrade Zov.

I want to hear it from you. All of it - if you can, every word.

When Wolfe reported to me later, I liked that. Up to that point the indications were that Stritar really trusted Zov, which would have been silly. The one rule everybody in Yugoslavia stuck to was: never trust anybody, anywhere, any time. I don’t need to report the rest of it to you, as Wolfe didn’t to me. He gave it to Stritar just as it had happened, omitting only his conversations with me and Danilo’s visit to the fort. I will, however, include something that he tacked on at the end, after he had got us into the truck on our way to Titograd.

My son and I, he said, claim no special credit for what we did, but you expressed appreciation for it. If you would like us to have a token of your appreciation, one little favor would be welcome. For some time my son has wanted a Luger pistol, and he says that Comrade Zov’s is in excellent condition. He would like to trade his Colt for it if Comrade Zov is willing.

Of course I didn’t know then what he had said, but I saw he had made a mistake.

Zov’s reaction, which was prompt, was merely a loud and emphatic protest, but Stritar narrowed his eyes and tightened his lips. Later, when I learned what Wolfe had said, I thanked God Stritar hadn’t been quite keen enough. He had suspected there was something phony about it, but he hadn’t gone a step further and realized that Tone Stara was from America and that Zov’s gun had been used to commit a murder in America. If he had, good-by. I’m not blaming Wolfe for making the try. He wanted me to hang on to that Luger if I possibly could, and he took the chance. He saw at once that it wouldn’t work and he had nearly gummed it, and was quick to repair the damage. He raised a hand to stop Zov’s protest.

No, Comrade Zov, not if you feel so strongly about it. It was just a suggestion, of no importance. I thought you might welcome it. Alex, give Comrade Zov his gun. I took it from my pocket, went over and handed it to him, and returned to my chair. Stritar’s eyes were back to normal.

You will be glad to know that your account agrees in every respect with Peter Zov’s. Of course you could have arranged for that, there was plenty of time, but I have at present no reason to suppose that you did. You can tell your son that the man he killed was Dmitri Shuvalov, one of the three top Russians in Albania.

Wolfe told me, and I said that was interesting.

So, Stritar said, I’m glad I let you go yesterday, to see what you would get into. I certainly didn’t anticipate your performance at the fort. Zov, who speaks Russian, has been in contact with Shuvalov for some time, and was doing well, he thought; but evidently he was wrong. It was lucky for him you came along, and I tell you frankly, you have earned some consideration. What are you going to do now'Would you like to go to Belgrade'It is not out of the question for you to meet the marshal.

We have no papers, as you know.

That will be no difficulty, under the circumstances.

I don’t know. Wolfe looked doubtful. My son and I feel that we have accomplished what we came for. It doesn’t take us a year to tell an apple from a wart. We are satisfied that the true interests of the people of my native land will be best served by the present regime. We were particularly impressed by your treatment of us yesterday, because it could only have come from the confidence of a secure and just authority. We want to help as far as our modest resources will permit, but we can do more good in America than we could here.

Our property is there, and our - oh, by the way, speaking of property, I told you of our cache in the mountains.

Yes.

It’s eight thousand dollars in American currency, and we wish to contribute it as a token of our belief in the regime and our desire to support it. I’ll tell my son what I have said so he may indicate his concurrence. He turned to me.

Alex, I’m telling them that we donate our cache of eight thousand dollars to the regime. If you agree, please nod at them. I did so, first at Stritar and then at Zov. But if I know anything about men’s faces, having seen the look they exchanged as Wolfe spoke, all the regime would ever see of that eight grand wouldn’t get the windows washed in that one room. I took in their expressions as Wolfe proceeded to furnish in careful detail the location of the cache, and I’ll bet I had them right. Zov was thinking: It ought to be an even split. I brought them here. Stritar was thinking: Ten per cent is enough for Zov. He’s lucky to be in on it at all.

Wolfe went on, Of course that amount is nothing, it’s merely a gesture, but we wish to make it. When we get back to America we’ll see what we can do. You suggested our going to Belgrade, but that doesn’t appeal to us. Our interest centers in the people of these mountains, and even under the present progressive regime they seem to be a little neglected. Also I like to deal with men I have met, men I know. From America I would rather be in touch with you than with names in Belgrade that mean nothing to me personally. I suppose you regard that as a bourgeois sentiment.

Well. Stritar considered it.

It’s human. Wolfe looked apologetic. I admit I have acquired some bourgeois habits of thought during my years in America, and that is regrettable. I am of peasant origin. The peasant is out of date, and the bourgeois is doomed. You and your kind represent the future, and my son wants to be a part of the future. I intend to teach him SerboCroat, and in time, when our affairs in America have been properly arranged, he hopes to return here for good. Meanwhile I shall communicate with you, and you can tell me now if you have any suggestions how we can be of use.

We need friends in America, Stritar said.

Naturally. You need friends everywhere. We will do what we can in that direction. Would you advise us to join the Communist Party of the United States and try to influence them in your favor'

Good God, no. Stritar was contemptuous. They belong to Moscow, body and soul,

and they’re a nest of slimy vermin. Where do you live in America'

In Philadelphia.

Where is that'

It’s a city with two million people, ninety miles southwest of New York.

Two million! That’s incredible. Is your name there Tone Stara'

No. Wolfe hesitated. It is not a question of being frank with you. Comrade Stritar. It is merely that I would not want any inquiries made among my friends or associates until I return. As soon as I arrive I’ll let you know, and of course give you my American name and address. One thing you should tell me now;

in case I have money to send, which is very probable, I would want to be sure it reaches you safely. How would I send dollars'

Stritar pursed his lips. I’ll think it over and let you know. You’re right, it should be properly arranged. When are you leaving, and how'

We have no papers.

I know.

Also, I’ll be frank, we want to get away as soon as possible. You must forgive us if we feel that we are in danger. I know that the police here are under you and are therefore extremely efficient, but today we heard that Russian tell Comrade Zov that he had to come to the fort when he got his message, because he knew what to expect if he didn’t. So not only can they get messages to Titograd,

but also if the messages are not heeded they can do something about it. They will certainly not let the death of that Dmitri Shuvalov go unavenged, not to mention the other two. We are not comfortable in Titograd.

No one saw you. No one knows you were there.

Danilo Vukcic knows, and his friends. My suspicions of Vukcic may be unfounded,

but I have them. He may be in Albania now, to report about us. And that suggests another matter, though it is not our concern.

What other matter'

Wolfe glanced at Zov and back at Stritar. Regarding Comrade Zov. I presume his danger is greater than ours. If Shuvalov was confident that he could reach him in Titograd to punish him for ignoring a message, surely they can reach him when the motive is so much stronger. That is his concern, and yours, but, having rescued him from torture and perhaps death, naturally we feel an interest in him. I am willing to propose something if it is not impertinent.