1001 Nights Cast

The string of pearls looped through the air towards me. I instinctively raised my hand to catch them and to protect my eyes from the midday sun. They interlaced my fingers and like Pascal, I admired them for a moment as they draped my arm. It is the nature of pearls that if you close one eye and hold them close, they seem to be all that there is in the universe. Be that as it may, my beating heart had not yet settled after the excitement of our recent adventure and my near death by the raking hooves of the snorting coach horses that had tossed me in the air light as a straw of hay loosened from a hungry animal’s nosebag.

The effrontery of my companions, Pascal’s ability to gather me up as a natural part of such an enterprise and my willing (albeit ill-considered) participation had left me in a mild state of shock. In an inexplicable way the pearls calmed me. My power of mental reflection returned: I was once more, the scribe.

‘Pascal,’ I called out, ‘as much as I would like to, I cannot accept these pearls!’

He regarded me with his black eyes.

I went on, ‘If I am caught with them upon my person, I will be hanged! I am simply a scribe. I don’t have the heart…’

He shook his head and smiled as he held out his hand for the pearls.

‘I know that scribe.’

Then he turned back to the open trunks. ‘Steady boys. There’s no time to waste. You know what we must do.’

Hervé and Reynard removed the several bags of coffee and thumped shut all the trunks. To my surprise, along with Enrique they dragged all of the boxes back to the road and left them in an untidy pile in the centre. The spotted carriage dogs were tied there with a strap. Now I ask you, dear listener, why would a band of dedicated bandits return their plunder to the scene of the crime? Could not such a valuable pair of dogs be sold on for a good price? Why leave a priceless box of jewellery?

It was later, when we had arrived at another clearing, even deeper in the forest that Pascal explained—in this way.

‘The master of the carriage will no doubt be at Marqueyssac by now, where his host, Monsieur Bertrand will send his guards back to hunt us down. They, accompanied by the postilion, will find the baggage in the middle of the road. The postilion will be overjoyed that his dogs are safe and will take no care of the deeds of the others. The others will steal from the baggage and return the remainder to Marqueyssac. They will say that we have plundered the baggage and that they followed us deep into the forest but lost our trail. This is how it is and always has been on this side of the Dordogne—in this way all share a little happiness. The master of the carriage, the Englishman, will be relieved that his baggage is returned. He will not begrudge the loss of a few jars of pâté and his bags of coffee, his wife will be pleased that her dresses are all there and Monsieur Bertrand will be pleased to have assisted his friend. The guards will have been especially happy because they had the opportunity to spend a few hours at the inn at La Roque Gargeac before returning to Marqueyssac feigning their disappointment. We will make our camp here where we can occasionally partake of the herd of Marqueyssac goats for milk and meat; enjoy a plentiful supply of coffee, pâté and confiture, while we wait for another carriage to pass by thanks to the sharp eyes of Reynard and Hervé! C’est la vie à la Dordogne!”

I could not help but smile at the outrageousness of this enterprise. Pascal could see Admiration insinuate her way across my features.

And so he went on.

‘So do you see, scribe, that of which you have become part?’

I nodded and spread my hands in a gesture that expressed both acceptance of and surrender to something that was clearly larger than myself. But in that moment the significance of Pascal’s last words almost overwhelmed me. After several years as a wanderer, indeed a fugitive, I began to feel safe. Perhaps the time had come for me to reveal my secret to these men.

And you, my listeners, are you ready? Indeed, if you are not, this may be the time to leave your chair and attend to some of those menial tasks that have been accumulating in your daily life and driving you to distraction! Now, my most devoted of all listeners, I say, wish me bon courage!

‘Pascal, I have something to tell you!’

He looked straight into my eyes with an expressionless face that even so showed his intense interest.

‘Scribe, first let me tell you that which I already know of you. You are intelligent and well educated. You have the small frame of a man who does not know hard physical work. You have a disposition for honesty but much is hidden, I suspect, of necessity. You wander alone in this world with little care for possessions. Perhaps because wherever you find yourself, you may have to leave without a moment’s notice. You trust no one. You are a friend in your own company. You are kept alive by your curiosity about the comings and goings in this world. But above all you are controlled by a dark secret the likes of which you wish to tell to unburden yourself. But hear this, scribe, I do not need to know your secret. I am not a man driven by curiosity. It is enough for me to spend time in the company of men I can trust. I sleep well and I eat well! I am at peace.’