t terrific pressure. When the mob came, the French unlimbered
this vehicle and all the journalists could say was that the mob was
dispersed by squirting water on it, which doesn't sound too bad after
all."

Isobel said, "Well, certainly that's preferable to firing on them."

Homer looked at her oddly. "Possibly. However, I was standing next to
the Moorish boy who was cut entirely in half by the pressure spray of
water."

The expression on the girl's face sickened.

Homer said, "They had another interesting device for dispersing mobs. It
was a noise bomb. The French set off several."

"A noise bomb?" Cliff said. "I don't get it."

"They make a tremendous noise, but do nothing else. However, members of
the mob who aren't really too interested in the whole thing--just sort
of along for the fun--figure that things are getting earnest and that
the troops are shelling them. So they remember some business they had
elsewhere and take off."

Isobel said suddenly, "You like this sort of work, don't you?"

Elmer Allen grunted bitterly.

"No," Homer Crawford said flatly. "I don't. But I like the goal."

"And the end justifies the means?"

Homer Crawford said slowly, "I've never answered that to my own
satisfaction. But I'll say this. I've never met a person, no matter how
idealistic, no matter how much he played lip service to the contention
that the ends do not justify the means, who did not himself use the
means he found available to reach the ends he believed correct. It seems
to be a matter of each man feeling the teaching applies to everyone
else, but that he is free to utilize any means to achieve his own noble
ends."

"Man, all that jazz is too much for me," Abe said.

They were entering the outskirts of Mopti. Small groups of obviously
excited Africans of various tribal groups, were heading for the center
of town.

"Abe, Jake," Crawford said. "We'll drop you here. Mingle around. We'll
hold the big meeting in front of the Great Mosque in an hour or so."

"Crazy," Abe said, dropping off the back of the truck which Kenny
Ballalou, who was driving, brought almost to a complete stop. The older
Jake followed him.

The rest went on a quarter of a mile and dropped Bey and Cliff.

Homer said to Kenny, "Park the truck somewhere near the spice market.
Preferably inside some building, if you can. For all we know, they're
already turning over vehicles and burning them."

Crawford and Isobel dropped off near the po