An intelligent enemy,' he would say, stroking his beard....

“ An intelligent enemy,' he would say, stroking his beard as if it were a bristly pet, 'rather than a foolish friend.' Or, 'He learnt the language of pigeons, and forgot his own.' Or, the favourite of Jan Fishan Khan: 'Nothing is what it seems. ”

Tahir Shah

From : Sorcerer's Apprentice