Soon they entered a small town, pulling off the main road into a lane and through a gate into an expansive quadrangle, much the same as the one in Chang An.
Waiting for them was a line of men who moved forward as the head of the train came to a stop.
‘Dismount! All riders – dismount!’
Nicander swung down painfully. So many hours in the saddle was going to take getting used to.
Under the sharp eyes of the escort the men unloaded the goods the camels carried into carts, to be put under guard until morning while the camels were taken to their stables. A lad came for their horses and they were led away into the main building. There was no alternative but to stay close to Ying Mei for this was a caravanserai and there would be costs involved.
They were efficiently dealt with: a cell for him and Marius on the lower floor with the constant stink of camels, rooms on the airy upper floor for the ladies.
And within the hour a gong announced a meal.
As this was a freight caravan the large hall was only partly occupied.
Nicander held back until he could see how things would be handled. The monks sat by themselves at one table, the caravan crew were already at merriment at another and all the merchants and other passengers were beginning to gather together at a large communal table. There was no sign of Ying Mei or her sharp-tongued companion.
‘Come on, Marius. We’ll see who we’ve got for company. Some of ’em look interesting…’
Before they could move Tai Yi’s voice behind them snapped, ‘I’ve been looking everywhere for you two. Neglecting your duty, for shame! You’re engaged as protectors, your place is with My Lady while she dines.’
‘We’re monks, not guardsmen!’ Nicander said hotly. ‘We’ll sit wherever-’
‘Even holy men can feel hungry if their allowance is cut off! What’s it to be – your duty, or suffer your hunger pangs alone?’
The four were granted a table away from the others.
Nicander reluctantly conceded that two ladies on their own could be at the mercy of revellers if the night developed. For the first time they had revealed a touching dependency. It was a minor triumph and helped him put up with the stifling correctness at the table and perpetually averted gaze.
His ill-humour returned seeing Marius fawning on the woman and the shameless adulation that the caravan master showed when he came up to enquire after her situation.
However, after they had dined the ladies promptly went to their rooms and they were free for the night.
Nicander was too restless for sleep even though warned they would be on their way at first light. He wandered out into the moonlit quadrangle. It was busy with men rubbing down horses, lamplit repairs to camel tack and a long line of animals being fed.
It was a telling picture of the organisation behind an enterprise of this size and his business instinct shied at trying to calculate the overheads of half a thousand camels and horses, not to mention the costs of accommodation for the passage crew which must greatly outnumber the two-legged freight. No wonder the prices of goods passed from market to market in this way were so exorbitant by the time they’d reached their destination.
He was pleased when he spotted his camel, who’d so patiently followed them all day. He was chewing rhythmically, jaws moving sideways. The beast gave no sign of recognition and a huge eye swivelled glassily away.
A young man, probably one of the caravanserai men spelling the passage crew, emerged from the other side where he’d been inspecting one of the animal’s splayed feet. He looked up in surprise.
‘Do you know the name of this camel?’ Nicander asked.
‘Meng Hsiang,’ he answered warily. ‘Fifth time into the desert for this ’un. Never any bother.’
Nicander felt a jet of pride that his camel had stood out in this man’s memory.
‘You’ll look after him, won’t you?’
It came out a little awkwardly but resulted in a pleased smile. ‘O’ course I will. This is your first trip?’
He didn’t seem at all put off by talking to a bearded foreigner and Nicander realised that for him, the exotic must be commonplace.
‘First time. Tell me, why are there so many camels not loaded? There must be at least a couple of hundred not working, taking feed.’
‘Oh, this is the caravan master’s investment, he and his crew. Only the males take a load. There are spares but most of the others are females with their young. They’ll be sold for a good price somewhere along the way, already trained.’
‘Our Mr Su. A hard man.’
‘Has to be. Tells the camel wranglers what he wants and can’t let ’em slack off. Responsible for dealings with customs for unaccompanied cargo after every big stage. Has to know the border entry fees ahead of time, negotiate ’em down, know when to go around. If there’s a run-in between two oasis kingdoms he’s got to talk to both to let him through, and of course his is the last word on which direction to take after a sandstorm. Has to be hard.’
Nicander nodded.
‘And did you know he’s got power of life or death?’
‘Oh?’
‘If there’s misbehaving, thievery, suchlike, he can order the culprit thrown off the caravan. If this is in the Great Desert they’ve no hope.’
‘So, do what he says.’
‘A good idea. Look, I have to go now. ’Ware of the desert demons and have a good journey!’
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
They were roused before dawn and after a solid meal the caravan headed out. The same steady swing and plod, the snaking line ahead a ribbon of colour in the dun-grey and soft green of the fields, the distant smudge of the mountains always there.
In a way it was soothing, the regular pace and sounds of leather against hide, the soft tinkle of bits and bridle on his mount blending with the same up and down the line. Nicander found himself surrendering to the rhythms of the journey.
As the sun grew hot, pomegranates were issued, a surprisingly effective remedy against thirst but he was glad when they left the road to stop at a well-trodden riverbank to freshen the animals. The water gourd which had seemed so big when he’d bought it in Chang An now appeared such a puny thing to set against the dusty road and he drank sparingly.
He saw Su chatting amiably with a merchant and waited his chance for a word.
‘Last night I was talking to one of the cameleers. He told me something of your work and I have to admit to having no idea of what a stiff job you do. You have my respect, Su sheng.’
The weather-ravaged features eased slightly. ‘So what is it you’re wanting from me, Ni sheng? Something special for your fine lady?’
‘Not at all. I was just wondering… what will we see ahead?’
‘A few more weeks on this road takes us across the river and then to the edge of the desert. We can’t take that on, so we turn left and stick close to the mountains – the Kunlun we calls ’em – until we get all around to Khotan. Simple, really.’
‘I’m going to Aksu, Su sheng.’
‘Well, I can’t help you there. This caravan’s for Khotan and that’s where I stops. You’ll be continuing on around the desert rim with another. Ask him.’
‘I’ve heard the desert is a wicked place.’
‘It is,’ Su said seriously. ‘The worst in the world. We’ll be moving fast, though. Should be through to Khotan in a few months at the outside.’
‘What if there’s-’
‘You leave all the worrying to me, holy man. We’re on track and staying there. I’m a Sogdian, I take care to keep in with my friends and they’ll let me know if there’s trouble ahead.’
‘Will it always be like this? Apart from the desert, that is.’
‘Ha! You’ll be seeing sights you can’t imagine, feeling cold and heat like the poor bastards in hell but we’ll pull through. Never lost a caravan yet – if I did I wouldn’t be here, would I?’
‘The next…’
‘Crossing the Yellow River at Lan Chou. A bit of a spectacle there. Then naught much until we reaches the Great Desert and that’ll open your eyes. Dunhuang, the monks’ll go crazy and it’s a sight if you likes that kind of thing. Then a bit empty, like, until we reach…’