Read Online Evan's Gallipoli by Kerry Greenwood - Free Book Online Page B

talking to me as though nothing had ever happened. He said, ‘Evan my dear boy, where are we?’ and I told him we were escaping across Turkey to get a boat to go home. He thought about this and then said, ‘But why don’t we just go and see the ambassador?’ and then he drifted off while I was trying to explain that we were in the lands of our enemies. After that he opened his Bible and started reading. He never listens to me. Abdul looked sad and gave me a hug and said that my father was a truly holy man, bu adam kutsal . Bu adam deki , he said, meaning ‘that man is mad’. And he is. He is. Now I’ve written it down, it’s real. I don’t know how I am going to get him home. Perhaps if he is back in Australia he will recover. Abdul urged me to eat the rest of the chicken and get some sleep. He is right, of course.
    August 12th
    No one offered to take us anywhere this morning. So today we started walking towards the sea. We can hear it now. There was a frightful noise behind us and we got off the path. A bicycle with an engine came roaring past. I never saw such a thing. Abdul was delighted and says that he is going to have one of them. I would rather have a horse. You can reason with a horse. It was hot and we went slowly. Father will walk for a while, but then he says he is tired and sits down for a rest. In the middle of the road. So I have to keep hold of his sleeve all the time. This country is all fields of sunflowers. Nowhere to hide. We were passing a farm gate when we were bailed up by a ferocious guard dog. Abdul was about to kick it when Father just dropped a gentle hand onto the snarling head and bade it peace, and it shut its mouth so suddenly that I heard its teeth snap together. It wagged its tail and then it licked Father’s hand. Then we went on. Abdul went ahead of us and was out of sight when we were stopped by a patrol. They were soldiers. Father just smiled at them and held out his Bible. They surrounded us and searched through our baggage. They flung all my things out onto the dust and rootled through them as though they were looking for something. Whatever it was, they didn’t find it. The officer slapped me and yelled questions about where we had been and where we were going. They formed up and marched off. I was scrabbling around picking up my goods and trying to shake the dust off my clean shirt when Abdul came back. He seemed very scared. He says the only reason we weren’t arrested when Father held out his Bible is that it has a green cover and so has the Koran.
    I am writing this in the lamplight in a little tavern in a fishing village. My silver lire has got us a room for the night. There is a big feast going on now that night has fallen. I will slip away soon. Abdul has gone out to see someone who might be able to get us papers for Bulgaria. He wants to move on quickly. He has had no news of his father for months. On the front they think Abdul is dead. A shell landed on him, and he left his soldier’s papers in the mud when he dug himself out. I think Abdul hopes that he can write to his father to tell him that he is alive— maybe from Thrace, if we ever get there.
    LATER I have agreed with a fisherman to go out tomorrow. Perhaps we can get to an island and thence down to Alexandria. A long and weary way.
    August 13th
    Still in this village. Abdul cancelled my arrangement with the fisherman because we must have papers. I wanted to take Father and walk to the next village, closer to the border, but Abdul said that there will be more soldiers the closer to the border we get. He is right. His forged papers will not stand close inspection. I left Father in the kitchen of this inn. The cook is a Christian and thinks having Father is an honour. His name is Nehemiah. He is a big fat man with several gold teeth. His kitchen smells glorious even though it is Ramadan. I suspect that he is a very good cook though he says that only having fish on