The Broken Sword Read Online Free PDF

to keep between their bodies and the rocky ground, as well as some dates, almonds, olives, three bottles of seltzer water, and, since there were no trees, an armload of dried donkey dung for a fire.
    The dung briquettes, though aromatic, burned fairly well. As they ate their exotic meal around it, they watched the sun settle in a red haze over the mountain peaks. Beneath them spread the monochromatic village, a succession of squares and rectangles made of the same red earth on which they sat.
    "It's magnificent, isn't it," Taliesin said contentedly, unwrapping a yellowed newspaper that contained the dates.
    Hal grunted, thinking about his rock-pitted buttocks.
    "One might never know western civilization ever existed… Good grief." He parted the dates on the newspaper. "It's in English. The International Herald Tribune."
    Arthur craned his neck to see. "Only the want ads. Oh, man." He grabbed the paper, scattering the dates onto the ground. "Hal, look at this."
    "Look at this! " Taliesin shouted, gesturing toward the spilled fruit as Arthur scrambled past him.
    "Work in Lichtenstein," Hal read from the black-bordered box ad on the center of the page.
    "Not that. Here." He pointed to a small ad in the personals column next to it.
    ARTHUR B, it began.
    Meet me at seven at the Victoria Hotel in Tangier.
    I will stay as long as I can.
    Your Aunt Emily.
    "She's alive, Hal."
    Hal frowned. "I can't believe we happened to get this particular newspaper—"
    "And she's looking for me."
    "Right." He felt the texture of the paper. It seemed all right.
    "What's the matter? Aren't you glad?"
    Hal raised his eyes to the boy. Arthur's face was transformed with happiness. "Sure, kid. It's just that…"
    That coincidences like this just don't happen.
    Still, how could something like this have been arranged? They hadn't even known themselves which direction they were heading. He looked at Taliesin and arched an eyebrow. The old man shrugged. "Okay, I'm glad," Hal said, ruffling the boy's hair. "Damn glad."
    The two of them laughed, and Hal allowed himself at last to feel some measure of relief.
    "Wait a minute. When did this run?" He checked the date. "It's from September of last year," he said. "That's three months before we ever got to Morocco."
    "So? She might still be in Tangier."
    Hal sighed. "I wouldn't count on it. Still, it may be a place to start."
    "Tangier," Beatrice said, staring into the fire. "Yes, that's where it will begin."
    "Where what will begin?" Arthur asked.
    The girl blinked. "Did you say something?" she asked apologetically. "I must have been daydreaming."
    "You said something would happen in Tangier."
    "Did I?" She blushed deeply. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine."
    Taliesin was eyeing her sharply. "We'll go to Tangier," he said.
    "Now wait a minute." Hal held up his hands. "We'll go, okay? But in a day or two, after we've had a chance to pack, check out of our hotel, go to the bank..."
    "We'll go now," Taliesin said.
    "Why? This newspaper's nine months old. A day or two isn't going to make any difference." He looked at Beatrice. "Or is it because of her?"
    "Yes," the old man said impatiently.
    Hal put his hands on his hips. "Are you saying that just because a twelve-year-old girl who doesn't even remember saying anything—"
    "Yes. We'll go now."
    "We can't," Hal explained, gritting his teeth.
    "Why not?"
    "Money, for one thing!" Hal exploded. "How are we supposed to live in Tangier? After buying food and gas for this car—which, incidentally, we can't keep in Tangier because it's stolen —I've got exactly..." He dug all his remaining Moroccan currency out of his pockets and fumbled through it.
    Arthur glanced over his shoulder. "Three bucks. Twenty-seven cents."
    "Three bucks!" Hal slapped the bills into Taliesin's hands. "You support the four of us in Tangier with three bucks!"
    "Oh, don't be melodramatic, Hal," Taliesin said. He handed the dirham notes back to him, then extracted a wad of bills from