Rick and the Turkish Harem

The Adventures of Rick Mansworth
Private Detective

RICK AND THE TURKISH HAREM (II)

Read the second part of Rick's adventure.

Rick was woken up at 7:00a.m. by his mobile phone. It was the senator calling from Washington.

‘Mansworth, this is senator Bawls. Have you found my daughter?’

‘Well sir, Prince Yamanie blames the Tehran International Terrorist Sect. They know about your plans to bomb Iran.’

‘Find her Mansworth, I’m not going to negotiate with terrorists, especially the T.I.T.S. Find my baby, my lovely Ophelia. Her life is in your hands.’

‘Don’t worry senator, I’ll get Ophelia Bawls if it’s the last thing I do.’

Rick got dressed and left The Fez. He took a taxi to the kasbah. He wanted coffee and time to think. He was walking through the bazaar when he heard a girls voice behind him.

‘Don’t turn around Mr. Rick, keep walking.’

‘Who are you?’ asked Rick.

‘That doesn’t matter.’ said the girl, ‘Don’t look at me it’s too dangerous, we mustn’t be seen.’

‘But why are you so afraid?’ asked Rick.

‘It’s Prince Yamanie. His spies are everywhere. They’ll kill me if they see me speaking to you. I know where you can find the American girl. She’s in the palace, on the top floor where the prince keeps his harem.’

‘Why are you telling me this?’ asked Rick.

There was no answer, and when Rick turned around the girl had disappeared.

That evening Rick knocked on the front door of Prince Yamanie’s palace. The prince was eating, drinking and laughing as always.

‘Rick my good friend, how wonderful to see you again. Come and sit down next to me. Are you still looking for the American girl?’

‘Yes, I am.’ replied Rick, ‘Do you have any news for me?’

‘You are unlucky my friend. My contacts tell me that only a female French tourist and a Polish nun are being held by the T.I.T.S. There are no reports of any Americans. I’m sorry Rick.’

‘I’ll keep looking’ said Rick, ‘but tonight I was hoping for some female company.’

‘Of course my friend, my ladies are at your service.’ Said the prince with his biggest smile.

Rick took the hand of a beautiful dark-haired dancer and took her upstairs. He pushed her into the first empty room and locked the door from the outside.
Quickly he climbed the stairs to the top floor and started to check all the rooms. It was a big palace. He found her at last, sleeping and heavily drugged. Rick carried the beautiful Ophelia down to the first floor and unlocked the door where the dancer was.

‘There’s no time to explain,’ said Rick ‘take off your clothes.’

Together Rick and the dancer undressed Ophelia and put the dancers clothes on her. Rick then walked slowly down the stairs with his arm around Ophelia.

‘Ah Rick,’ said the prince, ‘I thought you had fallen asleep up there.’

Rick just smiled and walked past the prince’s table.

‘We both need some air Prince Yamanie. It’s the wine.’

‘Too much?’ asked the prince

‘Not enough’ said Rick, ‘open another bottle!’

‘The prince laughed as Rick left the palace with Ophelia in his arms, still half asleep. But Rick was laughing too as the senator’s private jet took off en route for the U.S. Rick was a national hero and Prince Yamanie became a target for N.A.T.O.’s bombs.

to blame = culpar
to negotiate = negociar
spy = espía (pl. spies)
harem = harén
to knock = llamar a la puerta
nun = monja
at your service = a su disposición / para servirle
to push = empujar
to lock = cerrar con llave

Exercise One

Now change the following conversation from direct speech to reported speech.

‘Mansworth, this is senator Bawls. Have you found my daughter?’

‘Well sir, Prince Yamanie blames the Tehran International Terrorist Sect. They know about your plans to bomb Iran.’

‘Find her Mansworth, I’m not going to negotiate with terrorists, especially the T.I.T.S. Find my baby, my lovely Ophelia. Her life is in your hands.’

‘Don’t worry senator, I’ll get Ophelia Bawls if it’s the last thing I do.’

The senator asked Rick if ...

Check with an example text

Exercise Two

Now change the following conversation from reported speech to direct speech.

Rick was told not to turn around and to keep walking.
Rick asked who the girl was.
She said that it didn’t matter, and told him not to look at her because it was too dangerous and that they mustn’t be seen.
Rick asked her why she was so afraid.
She said that it was Prince Yamanie, and that his spies were everywhere. She said that they would kill her if they saw her speaking to him. She said that she knew where he could find the American girl, and told him that she was in the palace on the top floor where the prince kept his harem.
Rick asked her why she was telling him that.

Don't turn around Mr. Rick and ...

Check with the original text.

Exercise Three

Write the following reporting verbs in the correct places.

Apologised / explained / offered / invited / inquired / joked / ordered

‘Rick my good friend, how wonderful to see you again. Come and sit down next to me,’ he

‘Yes, I am.’ replied Rick, ‘Do you have any news for me?’ he

‘You are unlucky my friend. My contacts tell me that only a female French tourist and a Polish nun are being held by the T.I.T.S. There are no reports of any Americans. I’m sorry Rick,’ he

‘Of course my friend, my ladies are at your service,’ he

‘There’s no time to explain,’ said Rick ‘take off your clothes,’ he

‘We both need some air Prince Yamanie. It’s the wine,’ he

‘Not enough,’ he ‘open another bottle!’

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