was glad. She had been prepared to break another basin over his head if he made
a fuss and disturbed Kheem.
Though she had seen the fat little man a number of times, she did not know much
about him. Nobody else did either. It was certain that he had first appeared in
Sanctuary six weeks (sixty days) ago. A merchant ship of the Banmalts people had
brought him, but this indicated little about his origin since the ship ported at
many lands and islands. ^
Smhee had quickly taken a room on the second floor of a building, the first of
which was occupied by the K-habeeber or ‘Diving Bird’ Tavern. (The proprietor
had jocularly named it thus because he claimed that his customers dived as
deeply into alcohol for surcease as the khabeeber did into the ocean for fish.)
He did no work nor was he known to thieve or mug. He seemed to have enough money
for his purposes, whatever they were, but then he lived frugally. Because he
smeared his body and hair with rancid butter, he was called ‘The Stinking
Butterball’ or ‘Old Rotten’, though not to his face. He spent time in all the
taverns and also was often seen in the farmers’ market and the bazaar. As far as
was known, he had shown no sexual interest in men or women or children. Or, as
one wag put it, ‘not even in goats’.
His religion was unknown though it was rumoured that he kept an idol in a small
wooden case in his room.
Now, sitting on the floor by Kheem, making the child drink water every half
hour, Masha questioned Smhee. And he in turn questioned her.
‘You’ve been following me around,’ Masha said. ‘Why?’