"

"Crawford?"

"Homer Crawford, some kind of sociologist from the University of
Michigan, I understand. He's connected with the Reunited Nations African
Development Project, heads one of their cloak and dagger teams."

Jake grunted. "Sociologist? I also understand that he put in a hitch
with the Marines and spent kind of a shady period of two years fighting
with the FLN in Algeria."

"On what side?" Cliff said interestedly.

"Darn if I know."

Isobel said, "Well, we have nothing to do with the Reunited Nations."

Cliff shook his large head negatively. "Of course not, but Crawford
seems to think it'd be a good idea if some of us in the field would get
together and ... well, have sort of a bull session."

Jake growled, "We don't have much in the way of co-operation on the
higher levels. Everybody seems to head out in all directions on their
own. It can get chaotic. Maybe in the field we could give each other a
few pointers. For one, I'd like to find out if any of the rest of these
jokers know anything about that affair with the Cubans over in the
Sudan."

"I suppose it can't hurt," Isobel admitted. "In fact, it might be fun
swapping experiences with some of these characters. Frankly, though, the
stories I've heard about the African Development teams aren't any too
palatable. They seem to be a ruthless bunch."

Jake looked down into his glass. "It's a ruthless country," he murmured.

* * * * *

Dolo Anah, as he approached the ten Dogon villages of the Canton de
Sangha, was first thought to be a small bird in the sky. As he drew
nearer, it was decided, instead, that he was a larger creature of the
air, perhaps a vulture, though who had ever seen such a vulture? As he
drew nearer still, it was plain that in size he was more nearly an
ostrich than vulture, but who had ever heard of a flying ostrich, and
besides--

No! It was a man! But who in all the Dogon had ever witnessed such a
_juju_ man? One whose flailing limbs enabled him to fly!

The ten villages of the Dogon are perched on the rim of the Falaise de
Bandiagara. The cliffs are over three hundred feet high and the villages
are similar to Mesa Verde of Colorado, and as unaccessible, as
impregnable to attack.

But hardly impregnable to arrival by helio-hopper.

When Dolo Anah landed in the tiny square of the village of Ireli, the
first instinct of Amadijue the village witchman was to send post haste
to summon the Kanag