Hawksworth nodded noncommittally.
"I can assure you, Ambassador, that he's very clever indeed. Even his staunchest detractors would agree on that. And he's also resourceful. Not many here are aware he has a full intelligence network of his own. He does not, of course, have access to the dispatches of the official court reporters in the provinces, the wakianavis, or the dispatches of His Majesty's confidential reporters, the harkaras." Nadir Sharif paused. "At least we do not think he has access to their reports. But in a way he doesn't really need them. You see, he has his own system of reporters, which we know he began creating over two years ago. Spies whose identity is carefully guarded. We do not know any of their names, but we do know he calls them his swanih-nigars, and they prepare detailed information on anything in the provinces he asks them to. His network is extensive and, I understand, quite effective."
Hawksworth suddenly found himself remembering Shirin, the papers in the observatory, and wondering . . .
"Naturally he has agents along the southern coast. But at times they can be a bit too careless about the information they gather. For example, a cipher intended for the prince— sent by one of Jadar's secret swanih-nigars stationed in Cochin, on the far southern end of the Malabar Coast—was just intercepted by a Portuguese shipping agent at the port of Mangalore, down the coast south of Goa. The message was of great interest to the Portuguese, and they saw fit to forward it to me. What do you suppose the message contained?"
Hawksworth pulled himself alert.
"I have no idea."
"Tell me, Ambassador. The East India Company does trade on Java, am I correct?"
"Six years ago the Company established a factory . . . a trading station . . . at Bantam, the main port on the island."
"Was there a voyage to Bantam this year?"
"The Discovery was bound for Bantam this year, with cargo from Surat."