The Rangers Are Coming (58 page)

              A year went by.  In 1870, a letter was received by the Sultan from President Gallagher.  It was an invitation for the Sultan to actually, visit the United States.  The Sultan had learned through the year America never invited anyone to visit the super-secret United States.  He had corresponded with other leaders and found out that such an invitation was unprecedented.  The Sultan was to come alone, his safety was guaranteed, and he would receive a million dollars in gold from the United States.  Not only that, but the United States would provide transportation, that was unique.

              Try as he might, the Sultan could not lure Carter to disclose what “unique” meant.  The mystery grew when a huge cargo ship docked at the harbor in Constantinople and a line of heavy machinery came pouring out.  In less than a month, the Ottoman Empire had a beautiful new mile long road that started a mile outside the north gates of the city.  Then the equipment went back into the cargo ship and the ship sailed away.  The workers had not made a single contact with the people of the city.

Carter visited the Sultan, “Your highness, we have now completed the preparations to provide your transportation to the United States.  We are ready to take you there at your convenience.”

              “This road you have built has something to do with the transportation?”

              “Yes sir,” said Carter, “you should plan to be away from your capital for one month.  It will take at least this long to acquaint you with America.  It’s a big country.

              “How much luggage shall I need,” asked the Sultan?

              “Almost none, Your Majesty, we will provide for all your needs.  The climate this time of the year is challenging.”

              “How so?”

              “You will be accustomed to the heat, but not the humidity.”

              “If that is the case, then we may leave as soon as your transportation arrives.”

              “Your transportation will be ready for you, the day after tomorrow at 10 AM.  I will be accompanying you.”

              It was a bright Tuesday morning when the opulent carriage of the Sultan pulled out of Constantinople’s north gate and proceeded across a rough road until it came to the asphalt slab shining in the sun.  The carriage went the entire mile and then stopped at the edge of the highway. 

              At exactly 10 AM, the Sultan could begin to hear the roar of something resembling thunder.  As he stood there, the noise grew louder.  Carter pointed into the air, and the Sultan saw the shape of a bird getting closer.  As it got closer, it got bigger.  It touched down about a quarter of mile from the other end of the runway.  It was roaring even louder as the huge bird slowed and came to a stop 50 feet from the Sultan’s carriage.  The horses were jumping and terrified.  So was the Sultan.

              “Your transportation, highness,” said Carter with a big grin.  The door of the plane opened and a set of stairs came auguring down from the fuselage.  A person jumped down the stairs, bowed to the Sultan, and hauled his bag aboard. 

              “What in the name of Allah is this,” cried the Sultan?

              “Just the beginning of what is bound to be the greatest month of your life, after you, your highness.”

              The Sultan labored up the steep stairs and looked into the cabin of the airliner.  It was filled with seats, but there only appeared to be a few flight attendants.  Carter led the Sultan to the front of the plane and ushered him into a seat.  He sat down himself and showed the Sultan how to fasten the seat belt.

              The big jet spun around and started to accelerate down the asphalt.  The Sultan caught his breathe as the plane left the ground and flew over the city of Constantinople.  He could see people running into the plazas to see the airplane.  This was by design.  Certainly, the departure of the Sultan would be seen by all the palace dignitaries, viziers, and the Harem.  There would be no doubt in their minds that this magical bird was part of the wonders of the mysterious United States.

              “Do you mind if our doctors examine you, highness.  First time flyers sometimes have reactions and we want to make sure you are comfortable.  The doctors moved in and started an IV on the Sultan.  They made an injection and the Sultan was unconscious in seconds.  Then the doctors did a much more complete examination, including taking blood, doing a chest X ray, and much prodding and squeezing of the sleeping Sultan.

              “He has arthritis, emphysema, what looks like parasites in his colon, and he’s in generally poor health because of his weight.  Still, there’s a lot we can do to make him feel a whole lot better.”

              “Do it,” said Carter.  “How long will it take?”

              “Several hours,” said the lead doc, “Make sure you get him to the lavatory as soon as soon as he wakes.  He’ll need to dump that tapeworm.”

              When the Sultan woke up six hours later, he stirred, expecting to feel the pinch of stiff joints and his continuous ache in his abdomen.  When none of these symptoms appeared, he looked around.  Carter was smiling at him.  “Did you have a nice sleep?  I’ll bet you could use the lavatory.  Come this way.  The Sultan almost bounded out of his chair.  He felt wonderful, but he thought the need to relieve himself was a very good idea.  Carter showed him the equipment and the Sultan shed the strange clothes he suddenly found he was wearing, and had a prolonged bowel movement.  It felt he had shed ten pounds.  He pushed the button, he had been shown, and found there was more in him.  Minutes later, he used the soft paper that was provided and stood up.  He fumbled with the strange pants, and was pleasantly surprised at the zipper.  The pants were loose and very comfortable, so was the short sleeve shirt he was wearing with buttons down the front.

              “How long was I asleep?” he asked.

              “The docs worked on you for a several hours.  You still need some more treatment we can’t do here, but we have given you medicine, for your arthritis, we think you should be breathing better and you just flushed away an unwanted guest in your gut.”

              “I feel wonderful,” said Sultan Hamid.

              “Glad to hear it.  How about something to eat?”

              “Oh yes, Please.”

              The Sultan got three rings of pineapples, a sliced papaya, and an avocado dip with low calorie chips, for a drink he got a sugar free Coke.  He had never eaten any of these things, so he polished them off and felt full.

              Land finally appeared far below.  After the endless ocean, it was a novelty.  Carter pulled out a large book with a soft paper cover.  He opened the atlas and showed the Sultan where they started, and traced the line of flight across the Atlantic Ocean to the east coast of the North American continent.  The Sultan looked with wonder at the enormous country.  Carter pointed to a city on the coast.  “This is Washington, our capital city.

              An hour later, they were on the ground.  A much better set of steps came to the open door, and the Sultan stepped out into a blazing day, dripping with humidity.  He was immediately grateful for the comfortable clothes.  At the bottom of the stairs stood a tall man who was smiling in front of a small group.  Everyone was wearing exactly the same clothes as the Sultan.  The only difference being the colors of the shirts.  The man was older but looked very fit, and had a full head of brown hair.  He stepped up and said in perfect Turkish, “Welcome to the United States, Sultan Abdul Hamid.  We hope you will enjoy your visit to our country.  I am President Charles Gallagher.”

              The two bantered only briefly before Carter said,” This is long enough in this heat.  We have transportation to your quarters.  The Sultan only saw a long, black shape, but then a door opened, and a young man jumped out.  “Hi Sultan, I’m Raff.  Come on in out of the heat.”  The Sultan stepped into the limousine.  “Does everyone in your country speak Turkish?”

              “Would you prefer Arabic,” asked Raff?  “Or perhaps, Farsi?  You don’t happen to speak English do you?”  He spoke each line in that language.  Hamid understood everything except the English.

              “Quit showing off,” laughed Carter.  “Raff will be your guide.  We have a rather full itinerary for you, but if there is anything you want, Raff will get it for you.”

              The limousine pulled away from the curb and headed toward the center of Washington.  The Sultan was deeply impressed with the gleaming city.

              This was just the beginning.  Sultan Abdul Hamid was the first guest, since his mission would take the longest to accomplish.  Nevertheless, he got the same opulent rooms the Europeans would get in the near future.  He saw the same industrial centers, the same factories, assembly lines, and row after row of equipment ready for shipment to far ports.  He learned about computers.

              He also got something the Europeans didn’t get…a Ranger firepower demonstration.  The show left the Sultan shaking, and he was only partially convinced when Carter told him this was strictly for self-defense.

              The Sultan also got some advanced medical treatment.  His teeth were terrible, so they were all replaced with implants.  He lost 30 pounds in a liposuction treatment.  He underwent a medical procedure that removed spurs from his backbone and cut out a benign but substantial tumor from the Sultans’ abdomen.  He got lectures from the doctors about his diet, translated enthusiastically by Raff.  He ended up being convinced that he should eat better if he wanted to keep the good health the Americans had given him. 

              When he was recuperated, he got a wonderful ten-day personally guided tour of North America.  He saw Yellowstone, the Tetons; the Grand Canyon…the list was endless.

              After a month, the Sultan was on a first name basis with everyone, had learned a fair amount of English, and thought America was the kindest, most wonderful, most devoted to God, country in the world.  He had never cared for Christians, but the Americans were a different breed of Christian and the Sultan was impressed.

              When everything was handled, Tony Carter sprung the trap.  He had come to the Sultan’s quarters ostensibly for lunch and a conversation about opening trade with the United States.  Carter smiled and began telling the history of the Ottoman Empire, in detail from the days of Suliman the Great.  Carter went on and on, pronouncing the names correctly and identifying every major date and event in the glorious, 600 -year history of the Empire.

              Abdul Hamid I was impressed.  Even he didn’t know the history of the Empire as well as Carter.  As Carter came closer and closer to the present, the picture began to change and the reality of the futility of the realm’s position became obvious.

              “You paint a bleak picture of my beloved world, Tony,” said Abdul.

              “Yes it is bleak, and it will only get worse while the major European powers drive you out of Europe and the Balkans.  The fact is you are not strong enough to defeat them.  However, with our help, you can still be the leading power in the Middle East, and you can stay that way for a long time.  You need to abandon the north and concentrate on the south.”

              “What are you suggesting, “asked Abdul?

              Carter pulled out a map and spread it out on the table

              “Pull back from the north to a position that straddles the Dardanelles in both Europe and Asia.  This gives you a bargaining chip with Russia, who needs a warm weather port.  Establish a country for the Kurds along your border with Mesopotamia, but continue to hold the rest of the land all the way down to the Persian Gulf.  This will give you effective control over a large percentage of Middle Eastern oil.  Your country will run from Constantinople to Persia, and Baghdad, along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.  Give the Syrians their own country, the Palestinians their own country here, “Carter pointed at Jordan, “then gradually begin to negotiate your way out of Arabia as the circumstances arise in the next century.”

              “What about this land along the Mediterranean,” said Abdul pointing to Lebanon and Israel?”

              “It is our belief that this should be a homeland for the Jews,” said Carter.

              “That would not make me very popular with the other Muslim countries.”

              “Granted,” said Carter, “that’s why you sell the land to the United States.  Over the years, we will make living in Jordan more attractive than Israel, and we will buy out the Palestinians to make it possible to move to Jordan and buy new land.  Gradually, over a number of years, we make it possible for more and more Jews to move into their ancient homeland.  However, that’s on us, not you.  Simply, don’t object.”

              “You are asking the Ottoman Empire to cease to exist,” said the Sultan.

              “If you do nothing, a great war between the major European powers, basically fighting over control of the Balkans, will result in you supporting the wrong side, and the Empire will be carved up the way the winning Europeans choose.  Any smart man, like you, Abdul, can read the signals coming out Europe with all those interlocking alliances.  You just step away from the conflict and don’t worry about it until oil becomes more important.  By holding on to Mesopotamia, you will own a significant fraction of world oil reserves.  You will be rich.”

              “You have spent a lot of time telling me what we will lose,” said the Sultan.  “Tell me what we will gain?”

              “You like America,” smiled Carter?

              “Very much, as you well know,” said Abdul.

              “In that case, you can have it or at least a duplicate of it in your new country.  You can have a seat in the United Nations, which by charter guarantees your sovereignty.  More importantly, when the Persians decide they are going to take some of that oil rich land along your border with them, away from you, an appeal for military aid by the United Nations will be approved.  That means you get the Rangers.”