“But he is! The Spook told me he is in the Gumush Suyu hospital. The doctor told you a lie.”
“Good!” I cried. “We’ll try it when Hill comes back.” But when some three weeks later the Gumush Suyu doctors tired of their experimenting and Hill did come back, he was too weak to walk a hundred yards.
Moïse had an uncle who was a patient—a malingering one—in the eye ward of Haidar Pasha; he was trying to get his discharge. The Pimple used to come and see him every visiting day (Friday). By this time I had acquired the run of the hospital. It was a simple matter to meet Moïse “accidentally” in the corridor and to get him to take me into the garden. On one of these occasions the Spook said:
“I am going to punish the Commandant still more.”
“What for, Sir?” the Pimple asked.
“For digging without orders and trying to find the treasure before you got back so as to cheat you of your share.”
“The devil!” said the Pimple. “I never before realized that that was his object.”
“Of course it was,” said the Spook.
“Punish him, Sir!” Moïse cried. “Punish him hard, the dirty pig! Here am I, suffering at the military school, while he rolls in luxury at Yozgad! Oh, Sir, punish him!”
“I will,” said the Spook.