Brandt, you see before you Herr Gaudian.' I knew the name, of course; there weren't many in my profession that didn't.

He was one of the biggest railway engineers in the world, the man who had built the Baghdad and Syrian railways, and the new lines in German East.

I suppose he was about the greatest living authority on tropical construction.

He knew the East and he knew Africa; clearly I had been brought down for him to put me through my paces.
A blonde maidservant took me to my room, which had a bare polished floor, a stove, and windows that, unlike most of the German kind I had sampled, seemed made to open.

When I had washed I descended to the hall, which was hung round with trophies of travel, like Dervish jibbahs and Masai shields and one or two good buffalo heads.