succession of quite honourable bankruptcies in Cape Town, Mombasa, Dares-salaam and Aden had found his way to Debra-Dowa where he had remained ever since, occupied with minor operations in the harbour and along the railway line. He threaded his way through the antiquities which had lately begun to encroach on Basil’s office, removed a seedy-looking caged vul-ture from the chair and sat down; his manner was uncertain and defiant.
“It’s not playing the game, Mr. Seal,” he said. “I tell you that fair and square and I don’t mind who knows it, not if it’s the Emperor himself.”
“Mr. Jagger,” said Basil impressively, “you should have been long enough in this country to know that that is a very rash thing to say. Men have been poisoned for less. What is your trouble?”
“This here’s my trouble,” said Mr. Jagger, producing a piece of paper from a pocket full of pencils and foot rules and laying it on the table next to the mosaic portrait of the late Empress recently acquired by the Director of Fine Arts. “What is it, eh, that’s what I want to know.”
“What indeed?” said Basil. He picked it up and examined it closely.
In size, shape and texture it resembled an English five-pound note and was printed on both sides with intricate engraved devices of green and red. There was an Azanian eagle, a map of the Empire, a soldier in the uniform of the Imperial Guard, an aeroplane, and a classical figure bearing a cornu-copia but the most prominent place was taken by a large, medallion portrait of Seth in top hat and European tail coat. The words FIVE POUNDS lay in flourished script across the middle; above them THE IMPERIAL BANK OF AZANIA and below them a facsimile of Seth’s signature.
The normal currency of the capital and the railway was in Indian rupees, although East African shillings, French and Belgian colonial francs and Marie Therese thalers circulated with equal freedom; in the interior the mediums of exchange were rock-salt and cartridges.
“This is a new one on me,” said Basil. “I wonder 201 if the Treasury knows anything about it. Mr. Youkoumian, come in here a minute, will you?”
The Director of Fine Arts and First Lord of the Treasury trotted through the partition door in his black cotton socks; he carried a model dhow he had just acquired.
“No, Mr. Seal,” he pronounced, “I ain’t never seen a thing like that before. Where did the gentleman get it?”
“The Emperor’s just given me a whole packet of them for the week’s wages bill. What is the Imperial Bank of Azania anyway. I never see such a thing all the time I been in the country. There’s something here that’s not on the square. You must understand Mr. Seal that it’s not any one’s job breaking up that Cathedral. Solid granite shipped all the way from Aberdeen. Why Lord love you the pulpit alone weighs seven and a half ton. I had two boys hurt only this morning through the font swinging loose as they were hoisting it into a lorry. Smashed up double one of them was. The Emperor ain’t got no right to try putting that phoney stuff across me.”
“You may be quite confident,” said Basil with dignity, “that in all your dealings with His Majesty you will encounter nothing but the highest generos-ity and integrity. However I will institute inquiries on your behalf.”
“No offence meant, I’m sure,’
‘ said Mr. Jagger.
Basil watched him across the yard and then snatched up his topee from a fossilised tree-fern. “What’s that black lunatic been up to this time?” he asked, starting off towards the Palace.
“Oh, Mr. Seal, you’ll get into trouble one day with the things you say.”
The Emperor rose to greet him with the utmost cordiality.
“Come in, come in. I’m very glad you’ve come. I’m in some perplexity about Nacktkultur. Here have I spent four weeks trying to enforce the edict prescribing trousers for the official classes, and now I read that it is more modern not to wear any at all.”
“Seth, what’s the Imperial Bank of Azania?”
The Emperor looked embarrassed.
“I thought you might ask…. Well, actually it is not quite a bank at all. It is a little thing I did myself. I will show you.”
He led Basil to a high cupboard which occupied half the wall on one side of the library, and opening it showed him a dozen or so shelves stacked with what might have been packets of writing paper.
“What is that?”
“Just under three million pounds,” said the Emperor proudly. “A little surprise. I had them done in Europe.”
“But you can’t possibly do this.”
“Oh, yes, I assure you. It was easy. All these on this shelf are for a thousand pounds each. And now that the plates have been made, it is quite inexpensive to print as many more as we require. You see there were a great many things which needed doing and I had not a great many rupees. Don’t look angry, Seal. Look, I’ll give you some.’
‘ He pressed a bundle of fivers into Basil’s hand. “And take some for Mr. Youkoumian, too. Pretty fine picture of me, eh? I wondered about the hat. You will see that in the fifty pound notes I wear a crown.”
For some minutes Basil attempted to remon-strate; then quite suddenly he abandoned the argument.
“I knew you would understand,” said the Emperor. “It is so simple. As soon as these are used up we will send for some more. And tomorrow you will explain to me about Nacktkultur, eh?”
Basil returned to his office very tired.
“There’s only one thing to hope for now. That’s a fire in the Palace to get rid of the whole lot.”
“We must change these quick,” said Mr. Youkoumian. “I know a damn fool Chinaman might do it. Anyway the Ministry of Fine Arts can take one at par for the historical section.”
