in Islam becoming a back number.'

'Look at it in another way,' he went on. 'If it were Enver and
Germany alone dragging Turkey into a European war for purposes
that no Turk cared a rush about, we might expect to find the
regular army obedient, and Constantinople. But in the provinces,
where Islam is strong, there would be trouble. Many of us counted
on that. But we have been disappointed. The Syrian army is as
fanatical as the hordes of the Mahdi. The Senussi have taken a hand
in the game. The Persian Moslems are threatening trouble. There is
a dry wind blowing through the East, and the parched grasses wait
the spark. And that wind is blowing towards the Indian border.
Whence comes that wind, think you?'

Sir Walter had lowered his voice and was speaking very slow and
distinct. I could hear the rain dripping from the eaves of the
window, and far off the hoot of taxis in Whitehall.

'Have you an explanation, Hannay?' he asked again.

'It looks as if Islam had a bigger hand in the thing than we
thought,' I said. 'I fancy religion is the only thing to knit up such a
scattered empire.'

'You are right,' he said. 'You must be right. We have laughed at
the Holy War, the jehad that old Von der Goltz prophesied. But I
believe that stupid old man with the big spectacles was right. There
is a jehad preparing. The question is, How?'

'I'm hanged if I know,' I said; 'but I'll bet it won't be done by a