The Other Side Read Free

place and I have come across many bizarre things in my time. Patera, of this at least I was convinced, was very rich. The Dream Realm must be a kind of hobby, a caprice realised on a large and expensive scale. Being an artist I always found that kind of thing plausible. In a sudden upsurge of emotion I stretched out my hand to Gautsch.
    ‘Do please forgive my strange behaviour, but I am only just coming to terms with all this. I am most interested in what you have had to say. Would you please tell me more about my old school-friend.’ As I spoke I pushed his chair towards him.

    My visitor sat down and said, very politely, ‘Certainly. I will fill in the details of what I sketched out before and tell you more about the Dream state and its mysterious lord.’
    ‘I can hardly wait!’
    ‘Twelve years ago my master was in the extensive region of the Tien Shan, the Mountains of Heaven, which are in Chinese central Asia. His main purpose was to hunt the rare animals which are now found only in those parts. Among others, he wanted to bag a Persian tiger, one of a smaller, particularly long-haired species. They found some tracks, and in the evening he set off to follow it. With the help of his Buryat tracker he soon succeeded in flushing the animal out. Before they managed a single shot, however, the cornered beast flung itself at its two attackers. The Buryat quickly took evasive action, but Patera was thrown to the ground. His guide, fortunately, managed to intervene in time and shot the animal through the head from point-blank range. Patera escaped with a badly lacerated hand which meant he had to stay in the area for some considerable time. It refused to heal until it was treated by an old man who was the chieftain of a strange blue-eyed clan. This tiny tribe–there were only about a hundred of them in all–was characterised by a lighter skin colour. Surrounded by a pure Mongol population, the outliers of the great Kirghiz hordes, they kept themselves to themselves and did not intermingle with the neighbouring tribes. Even at that time they were said to have strange, mysterious customs, but unfortunately I cannot tell you anything about them. What is certain, however, is that Patera was interested in and accepted by them. He gave them rich presents when he left, promising to return soon. The chieftains accompanied him a good way and their leave-taking was, it is said, an extremely solemn occasion. Our Lord was much moved by it. Nine months later he returned to the region for good. Among those accompanying him were a high-ranking mandarin and a whole troop of engineers and surveyors. They established a camp near our Master’s blue-eyed friends, who were delighted to see him again. I have all these events from an engineer I know who still lives in the Dream Realm. The result of their activities was the marking-out and purchase of an extensive tract of land, the several thousand square miles on which the Dream Realm was founded. The rest is quickly told. A whole army of coolies, under the guidance of experienced foremen, worked day and night, the Master constantly urging them to work as fast as they could. Two months after his arrival the first houses from Europe were already arriving, all of considerable age and in dilapidated condition. Cunningly dismantled and shipped in separate pieces, they were immediately re-erected on the foundations that had been prepared in advance. Of course, many people shook their heads at the grubby, smoke-blackened old walls, but the gold flowed freely and the Master’s will was done. Everything was crowned with success and only one year later Pearl , the capital of the Realm, must have looked almost the way it does today. All the tribes that used to live there left along with the coolies, only the blue-eyed folk stayed.’

Gautsch paused.
    ‘But there is one thing I still don’t understand’, I interjected. ‘According to what system does Patera buy the houses?’
    ‘I’m afraid