Logistics simply doesn't allow a greater
number, not on such short notice. They've put a thousand or so of
their crack troops into the town. No more."

Cliff wailed, "What's the difference between a thousand and twenty
thousand, so far as five men and a girl are concerned?"

The rest were saying nothing, but following the debate.

Crawford explained, not to just Cliff but to all of them. "Actually,
the Arab Union is doing part of our job for us. They've openly
declared that El Hassan is attempting to take over North Africa, that
he's raising the tribes. Well, good. We didn't have the facilities to
make the announcement ourselves. But now the whole world knows it."

* * * * *

"That's right," Elmer said, his face characteristically sullen. "Every
news agency in the world is playing up the El Hassan story. In a
matter of days, the most remote nomad encampment in the Sahara will
know of it, one way or the other."

Homer Crawford was pacing, socking his right fist into the palm of the
left. "They've given us a rallying _raison d'etre_. These people might
be largely Moslem, especially in the north, but they have no love for
the Arab Union. For too long the slave raiders came down from the
northeast. Given time, Islam might have moved in on the whole of North
Africa. But not this way, not in military columns."

He swung to Bey. "You worked over in the Teda country, before joining
my team, and speak the Sudanic dialects. Head for there, Bey.
Proclaim El Hassan. Organize a column. We'll rendezvous at Tamanrasset
in exactly two weeks."

Bey growled, "How am I supposed to get to Faya?"

"You'll have to work that out yourself. Tonight we'll drop you near In
Guezzam, they have one of the big solar pump, afforestation
developments there. You should be able to, ah, requisition a truck, or
possibly even a 'copter or aircraft. You're on your own, Bey."

"Right."

Homer spun to Kenny Ballalou. "You're the only one of us who gets
along in the dialect of Hassania. Get over to Nemadi country and raise
a column. There are no better scouts in the world. Two weeks from
today at Tamanrasset."

"Got it. Drop me off tonight with Bey, we'll work together until we
liberate some transport."

Bey said, "It might be worth while scouting in In Guezzam for a day or
two. We might pick up a couple of El Hassan followers to help us along
the way."

"Use your judgment. Elmer!"

Elmer groaned sourly, "I kn