A Distant Episode
PAUL BOWLES
THE SEPTEMBER sunsets were at their reddest the week the Profes–
sor decided to visit Ain Tadouirt, which is in the warm country. He
came down out of the high, flat region in the evening by bus, with
two small overnight bags full of maps, sun lotions, and medicines.
Ten years ago he had been in the village for three days; long enough,
however, to establish a fairly firm friendship with a cafekeeper, who
had written him several times during the first year .after his visit, if
never since. "Hassan Ramani," the Professor said over and over, as
the bus bumped downward through ever warmer layers of air. Now
facing the flaming sky in the west, and now facing the sharp moun–
tains, the car followed the dusty trail down the canyons into air
which began to smell of other things besides the endless ozone of the
heights: orange blossoms, pepper, sun-baked excrement, burning
olive oil, rotten fruit. He closed his eyes happily and lived for an
instant in a purely olfactory world. The distant past returned- what
part of it, he could not decide.
The chauffeur, whose seat the Professor shared, spoke to him
without taking his eyes from the road.
((Vous etes geologue?'
"A geologist? Ah, no! I'm a linguist."
"There are no languages here. Only dialects."
"Exactly. I'm making a survey of variations on Moghrebi."
The chauffeur was scornful. "Keep on going south," he said.
"You'll find some languages you never heard of before."
As
they drove through the town gate, the usual swarm of urchins
· rose up out of the dust and ran screaming beside the bus. The Profes–
sor folded his dark glasses, put them in his pocket; and as soon as the
vehicle had come to a standstill he jumped out, pushing his way
through the indignant boys who clutched at his luggage in vain,
and walked quickly into the Grand Hotel Saharien. Out of its eight
rooms there were two available- one facing the market and the other,
a smaller and cheaper one, giving onto a tiny yard full of refuse and
barrels, where two gazelles wandered about. He took the smaller
