So insistent had been the Pimple in persuading us to adopt the Spook’s plan that we thought we had won our point in the first round. But we had reckoned without the Commandant. It has already been indicated that we knew nothing of that gentleman’s real character. He revealed it now. An autocrat and a tyrant to all under his sway, he was the most abject slave of his own superiors. The post of Commandant in a Prisoner of War Camp was highly coveted, hard to obtain, and correspondingly easy to lose. To lose it might mean having to face the music at the front. Bimbashi Kiazim Bey did not want that. So next day the Pimple explained to us with tears in his eyes that the Commandant would not, on any account, risk his position by putting us into prison without cause. He feared a reprimand from Constantinople.
We replied that it must be prison or nothing, for who were we to improve upon the suggestions of our Control? No, we certainly would not assault a sentry or do anything that would justify our conviction. That was not a fair proposition to us. But we would go to jail, without any fuss, if he cared to send us.
Thus we struggled with the Pimple for eleven days, but in the end saw it was hopeless. The Commandant would forego the treasure rather than risk anything. He had not yet acquired the faith in us which made him, later on, snap his fingers at his own War Office. The furthest he was willing to go was to re-open what was known as “the Colonels’ House,” a building, now empty, which had formerly formed part of the camp. Hill and I could then go and stay there. But if other prisoners also wanted to go, the Commandant would not prevent them, as it would look suspicious. He must not show favouritism as it would get him into trouble!
The Cook and the Pimple danced with rage—especially the Cook—over their superior’s pusillanimity. But there it was. To tell the truth, Hill and I were equally disgusted. We wanted prison. We wished heartily that the Cook was our Commandant! But we pretended to be grateful to Kiazim Bey for taking up such a bold stand against carrying out the Spook’s wishes. We told the Pimple that we ourselves would never have dared to do so, knowing, as we did, the Power of the Control. We sent him our thanks, and as he had incurred so much danger on our behalf, to save us from the vileness of a Turkish jail, we allowed ourselves to be persuaded to undergo a little danger for him. We would hold one more séance and put to the Spook his suggestion about the re-opening of the Colonels’ House.
The séance was held in the Dispensary on the 17th of February. Hill and I had made our preparations with considerable care.
The Spook repeated its suggestion of prison. Moïse explained that it was impossible, and suggested the Colonels’ House, at the same time pointing out that other prisoners might want to go there and that we saw no way of preventing them.
On the Raymond model, the next part of the séance is quoted verbatim from our records.
Spook. “If I tell you how to do it, will you obey?”
Moïse. “If it is possible and does not involve too much hardship. Will you please tell us what we are to do?”
Spook. “First, in order to conceal from others the real reason of the mediums being placed apart and to safeguard the Superior, they will be formally arrested.”