Bell of the Desert

by Alan Gold

  English apples came to dining tables in only a small number of varieties. She regularly ate the Cox’s orange pippin, the Granny Smith, and the russet. But here the varieties were vastly different in colour and shape, and the sizes and flavours of the different apples staggered her. Some were bright red and tiny, little bigger than a walnut; others were deep green and so sour they were inedible, yet others were mauve and golden and tasted as sweet as honey. It was a Garden of Eden as she trotted from tree to tree, sampling as she went, feeling a frisson of guilt as though she was a latter day Eve. Suddenly she heard a horses’ whinny just behind her. Abd al-Rahman had also left the party and was close to her side.

  “In Arabia, such a garden would truly be paradise,” he said.

  She smiled, and replied, “As it would in England, Eminence. And I was just thinking about the Garden of Eden. Tell me, Excellency, does your Koran speak of the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve?”

  He said, “Yes, there is mention of Adam in the Koran, our holy book, which is the word of Allah given to Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him.”

  “Adam was such a clever invention of the people who wrote the Old Testament, wasn’t he.”

  Abd al-Rahman looked at her in bemusement. “As Muslims, we believe that all of the Holy Books came directly to man from Allah. Man did not invent them. But the Old Book of the Jews was corrupted by man, as was the New Book of the Christians, and so in his love and wisdom, Allah gave us the Koran which is the unchanged and perfect word of God. From the day that Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon Him, received the words of the Koran, to this day, not a single letter has been changed. It is perfect as is His messenger.”

  Gertrude plucked a large blue-green low-hanging apple from a tree they rode by, and handed it to Abd al-Rahman. He took it and smiled in gratitude.

  Softly, she said, “But neither the Christians, nor the Jews, would agree with you. The Jews believe that their religion was given to them on Mount Sinai by God through Moses, and that they were the Chosen People because it was their burden to receive the Ten Commandments, which are the basis of all great and civil societies. And Jesus Christ is a prophet and the son of God.

  “Doesn’t it therefore follow that if God gave the Jews the law by which mankind must live, but to the Christians, he gave His only son, surely that’s a much greater religion than any. I don’t want to sound disrespectful, Abd al-Rahman, but Mohammed was only a prophet and a messenger. Unlike Jesus, he wasn’t a deity. And he was very much a human being, with wives and offspring. I believe that one of his wives, Aisha, was only a child of nine, which is pretty unsatisfactory and medieval. Hardly the sort of thing that one would expect from God’s messenger, is it? So by any logic, Judaism and Christianity are more perfect religions than Islam. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  Never having been spoken to in this manner by anyone, and especially not a strange girl whose face and body he could clearly see, Abd al-Rahman tried to decide whether to answer or draw his sword and execute her on the spot.

  Knowing she’d gained his attention, Gertrude added, “And another thing I don’t understand about Islam, Excellency, is that the Jewish bible, as well as that of the Christians, is considered the revealed word of God, but Jews and Christians accept that it was written for a time and place. That’s why over the millennia there have been wise men who have interpreted it for their societies. So long as the basic message about Allah and all that stuff doesn’t change, what’s wrong with modernising the Koran and making it relevant for Muslims today. I mean, stoning and amputation of the right hand and all that sort of barbaric stuff.”

  Before Abd al-Rahman could silence her, Gertrude continued, “For instance, in the Jewish Old Testament, the punishment for not observing the Sabbath was death. Well, if that were carried out today, half the Christians and Jews in the world would be stoned to death, wouldn’t they? It doesn’t work for modern times, don’t you agree?”

  Angered, he said, “It is given to our leaders, to our great religious men, to carry out the work and obey the words of our Prophet Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him, who was given these words by Allah himself. Are you saying that men should not follow the word of God?”

  Gertrude responded, “But Thomas à Kempis said that man sees your actions, but only God sees your motives. Not being divine, I can only judge your society by its actions, such as stoning women who commit adultery. Pretty beastly, if you ask me. But maybe God sees things differently.”

  Before he could answer, Frank Lascelles rode up quickly, both as a chaperone for Gertrude, and because he was well aware of her forthrightness and was afraid that she’d say something undiplomatic. The moment he saw Abd al-Rahman’s face, he knew his niece had behaved true to form and he would need to do some rapid diplomatic fence-mending.

  “We have a long journey ahead of us. Perhaps we should continue,” he said. “Gertrude, will you re-join your Aunt Mary and Billy.”

  “Your child, English, believes that Islam is only the third most important religion, after Christianity and Judaism, and she has said other things which insult the Faith. In my country, she would be buried up to her neck and then stoned to death. Her words, ambassador, are an offence to my ears,” said Abd al-Rahman curtly. “She has disrespected our Prophet. She must be corrected.”

  “Oh, dear,” the ambassador replied, knowing what the Arab meant by correction. “I’m afraid that Gertrude is somewhat more outspoken than most other girls. She’s been to Oxford, and speaks and thinks like a man. In England, Excellency, it is not customary to punish people for their opinions, I’m afraid. But I certainly will speak with her about her attitude and require that she has more respect for the glories of Islam.”

  Abd al-Rahman shook his head in amazement. “Is her attitude the same as other English?” he asked.

  Gertrude was about to respond, but Frank said curtly, “Gertrude. Go! Ride back to Mary and Billy. Now!”

  “But . . .”

  “Go! Now!”

  As Gertrude rode away, she felt stung that Frank hadn’t supported her. She thought that he, of all people, would engage in the discussion.

  “I beg your forgiveness for my niece, Your Excellency. And please don’t think that she is typical of other English girls her age. She is highly educated and knowledgeable.”

  “She has education? This is not the way of women in my country. No woman must be learned.”

  “In England . . .”

  “Your Chatrude is knowledgeable of books, but she knows nothing of life,” Abd al-Rahman said curtly. “You will punish her. Yes?”

  “No. I will not punish her. I will advise her. Were she in Arabia, she would know not to say what she has said. But she is in my protection, and England will not allow somebody to be punished for his, or her, thoughts.”

  Abd al-Rahman rode slowly, silently beside Frank. Then he said, “This is not a world I recognize, English. Perhaps I am too quick. Our worlds are different. If we Arabs have to live in your world, we must learn how you do things. But will you learn how to respect us if you come to my world?”

  Frank said cautiously, “Excellency, Islam is respected in my country, and even though no Englishman worships Allah, I assure you that we only have the warmest and most considerate attitude towards the Faith of the Prophet, just as our empire respects the religion of the Buddhist and Hindu in India and those who revere Confucius in China. We must learn to live with each other in these modern times, to respect the faiths of others, just as their faiths must respect ours.”

  He looked at Gertrude as she rode towards the others and frowned. What was he going to do with her, he wondered. He just prayed she hadn’t ruined relationships between England and the Arabs.

  Abd al-Rahman smiled and nodded. “I think, English, that much damage was done to the Faith of Islam when the Ottomans from Constantinople came north and tried to conquer Europe. Your niece shows the work Islam must do to reassure all that we are a religion as great and holy as that of the Jews and th
e Christians. We are a peaceful and loving religion, no longer warlike. Many years ago, our warlikeness was like that of the Crusaders; but as your Chatrude says, that was of a time and a place. Now our wars must be fought against those who believe in Islam, but who are unfaithful to the true word of the Prophet.

  “But between us, this is a time of peace and understanding, not a time of war. My people were great and will be great again, but for now we are servants of the Turks and must live in the desert around our oases and smoke our hookahs and dream the dreams of our poets. Perhaps that is what I should be telling people such as English Chatrude. I now think that my meeting of you was foretold by the Prophet, for you and I will speak of matters of state, while in the days ahead, I will tell English Chatrude the truth about Islam.”

  They urged their horses out of the orchard and back onto the path, where the roads were rutted with the tracks of carts. Despite the dangers of snakes, it was easier for their horses to ride on the grasses and fields through which the pathways ran and they made good time. As they rode, Frank and Abd al-Rahman held their horses back from the others so they could talk about the need for England to assist the Sa’ud family in ridding the Arabian peninsula of the Rashid family who had taken residence in Riyadh and now commanded much of the surrounding countryside.

  Gertrude reined in her horse and cautiously dropped behind her aunt and cousin so she was in earshot of what the two men were discussing. Apparently, this Rashid person was a former vassal and servant of the Sa’uds, but he’d used the quarrels between the Sa’ud family members to advance himself, and had managed to conquer a city called Riyadh. Abd al-Rahman had come secretly to Bucharest to ask Uncle Frank to write to the Prime Minister of England and get him to send an army to Arabia to drive out the Rashid family and restore the Sa’ud family to their lands.

  It was all so exhilarating to listen to. It was real and exciting politics. It meant actual people, battles where people were hurt and even killed. And, as though a brilliant light had suddenly illuminated the world around her, Gertrude knew that this was the life to which she’d been born. The world of the society hostess, married and raising a family, going to balls and the theatre might be distracting, but she knew at her age it was probably out of reach. And anyway, such a lifestyle paled in comparison to immersing herself in the realism of politics, where decisions could alter history and cost the lives of countless people.

  ~

  It took them a further five hours to ride slowly to King Carol’s lodge deep in the heart of the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. There was room available for everybody, but Abd al-Rahman asked whether he might stay the night, sleeping outdoors under the brilliant canopy of the stars.

  After dinner, Gertrude walked outside and stood beyond the umbra of light cast through the windows. Shrouded in darkness, she lit a cigarette, lay on the ground, and stared up at the enormity of the night sky.

  Sensing that somebody was approaching her, she lay still, until Abd al-Rahman said softly, “Truly, the skies of the desert show infinitely more stars than are here. It is possible to see the distant horizon, even on the darkest of nights, by the light of the stars.”

  “It must be very beautiful,” she said softly.

  “The desert is different things to different people. This is why Islam is so important to us. Without submission, without obeying those who have wisdom far beyond our understanding and lay down decrees, we would all die in the wilderness. You see, to you, the desert might be beautiful and to me it is home, but to others, to infidels and adventurers, it is a place of death. When the sun is highest and the wind whips the sand into your eyes and nose and tears your flesh, when the nearest water is three day’s distance, when the heat sets aflame the very skin on your hands and face, then not even you, Chatrude Pell, could find beauty in the deserts of my country.”

  She smiled at his pronunciation of her name. “Then why does Your Excellency continue to live there?”

  “Your home is where you are born. You may move many times, but you will always return to the place of your birth. And I have much work to do in order to reclaim my lands.”

  “Why is there so much disputation between your tribes, Excellency? Your people seem to do nothing but fight. Can’t you somehow learn to live together?” she asked.

  Abd al-Rahman said, “Each of our tribes, and there are many, wishes to be the leader of our nation. To take the place of Saladin. But except for me and my sons, there are no great men of Arab tribes any longer. That is why I wish to destroy the Rashids. Because when they are gone, I shall rule and I shall bring all others to bow to my leadership. That is why I am here and why I speak with English Lascelles.”

  Gertrude remained silent. She was desperate to continue the conversation, but her Uncle Frank had warned her in no uncertain terms that she mustn’t discuss anything to do with politics with Abd al-Rahman, on pain of expulsion from the country and certain imprisonment and beheading in the Tower of London. What Uncle Frank failed to understand was that as a student of politics and history, and one who was now passionately interested in the Ottoman Empire, she put these threats to her life secondary to her desire to know.

  “In England, Excellency, our kings used to fight for their kingdoms. But those were the ancient days. Today, our kings are anointed because they are first-born. Our monarchs become ruling families because of their blood, not because they win battles and destroy those who hold power. That’s why ours is a nation at peace with itself.”

  “Then how do you change kings if a king is cruel or stupid?” he asked, walking closer and laying down beside her. She felt his presence and the warmth of his body. It was somewhat unnerving, as he was old enough to be her father, yet he was providing her with what she’d always sought in much younger men—somebody who spoke to her and listened to her views as an intelligent adult.

  His question had unbalanced her. Having studied the Hanoverians, and especially George III who was insane for a part of his reign, having learned of the unbridled hatred of father and son, it wasn’t a question she could easily answer.

  “We trust the blood of our monarchs. And since the time of Charles I, whom we beheaded because he was a tyrant, we’ve vested power in our Parliament instead of the monarch. So even though we bow and scrape and call our monarch Your Majesty, it’s only a title. The person who holds real power in our country is the prime minister.”

  “And if your King is angered, he can behead your prime minister?”

  Gertrude tried not to laugh aloud. “No, Excellency. It doesn’t work that way.”

  “But if a prime minister is angered, he can behead a king?”

  “Er . . . no.”

  “But this Charles. He was beheaded by your prime minister. Yes?”

  “Sort of. It’s very complicated.”

  Abd al-Rahman remained silent for some moments. And then he said, “I know that your king is a queen.”

  “Yes, Queen Victoria.”

  “And her dead husband, he was king?”

  “Her husband, Albert, wasn’t a king, but a prince.”

  “A prince is the son of a king and queen. Did she marry her son?”

  Gertrude reacted in shock, “No, she didn’t marry her . . .”

  In the moonlight, she saw that Abd al-Rahman was grinning. “Your Excellency is making fun of me.”

  “You are a clever woman, Chatrude Pell. I have never met a clever woman. But like a man, it is easy to make fun of you. You will learn not to be so serious.”

  She burst out laughing. Abd al-Rahman liked her laugh. “Yes, I know I’m too serious.”

  “Why are you not a wife?”

  “Because I’m too serious,” she said. And as an afterthought, said softly, “And I’m too educated.”

  “In my country, we do not allow our girls to be educated. They marry. They are happy.”

  “I don’t know how a girl can be happy unless she’s educated,” said Gertrude.

  “If she is educated, then her mind will b
e troubled by what is going on around her. Without education, she will obey her husband because he knows all. That is why our women are happy.”

  Gertrude remembered Sir Frank’s injunction, and remained quiet, until Abd al-Rahman asked, “Is Victoria happy ruling England without her husband?”

  “Nobody could say that Victoria has been happy since Albert died. But you wanted to know why Albert remained a prince when they were first married. It was because the Parliament didn’t like the fact that some minor German noble had married the greatest queen in the world, and so they refused to grant him a title. It was really very poor.”

  “So he was not of her tribe?”

  “No! Albert was German. They had many children together.”

  “How is it, to be ruled by a woman?” asked Abd al-Rahman.

  “I don’t know, because I’ve never been ruled by anybody but a woman.”

  Again, there was a long silence. Eventually, Abd al-Rahman said, “In my country, no woman could become a king. Our women remain in their homes, and take no part in our business. It is men who rule, both the country, and the household. It is another reason why our women are happy. They know their place. They are cared for by us and in return they provide us with children, with food and with silence.”

  “How can you be so certain they’re happy?”

  “Because I know.”

  “If I were to show them what we women in England do, how we work in factories and in the professions, how we travel to distant lands and participate in the life of our nation, do you think they would still be happy with their lives in your nation?”

  Abd al-Rahman burst out laughing. “Why would our women want to work in factories? I have seen photographs of your factories and of your young children who work in darkness under the ground digging filth in mines to make men rich. Is this what you want for our women and our children?”