In Xanadu (25 page)

We
arrived
at
Saveh
in
the
middle
of
a
sandstorm.
A
high wind
had
sprung
up
and
spiralling
dust
devils
were
raking
the streets.
We
fled
from
the
bus
straight
into
the
nearest
kebabji,
quickly
abandoning
any
plans
we
might
have
had
to
search out
the
gendarme's
chai-khana.
Anyway,
as
Laura
(somewhat heartlessly)
remarked,
the
man
had
probably
been
shot
for selling
liquor
and
there
was
little
point
expending
valuable energy
looking
for
his
widow.

The
kebabji,
like
many
other
kebabji
we
visited,
was
a
filthy, dirty
place
full
of
hungry-looking
men.
They
munched
chelo-kebab,
and
stared
at
us
suspiciously.
They
stared
all
the
harder when,
having
failed
to
find
an
English
speaker,
Laura
and
I began
to
act
out
the
story
of
the
Three
Magi.
Our
mime-show was
not
a
notable
success.
It
soon
became
apparent
that
none of
them
knew
the
story.
Nevertheless
Laura's
sketch
of
a
gunbad
(tomb
tower)
did
provoke
a
reaction.
There
was
a
lot
of nodding
and
murmuring
among
the
kebab-eaters
and
a
small boy
was
sent
off
to
fetch
a
driver
for
us.
While
we
waited
for him
to
return
we
had
lunch.
We
ate
our
way
through
four skewers,
and
as
there
was
no
sign
of
the
boy
we
ordered
four more.
They
arrived
and
we
ate
them
too.
There
was
still
no sign
of
the
boy.
We
debated
ordering
some
more
but
in
the
end I
was
sent
off
to
look
for
the
boy
instead.
I
left
Laura
deep
in
Gone with the Wind.