by James A. Cox
hismouth. He said now, "We've got to come up with something. Sooner orlater one of them will spot us and this next time we won't have anyfantastic breaks like Homer being able to knock him off with aTommy-Noiseless. He'll drop a couple of neopalms and burn up a squaremile of desert including El Hassan and his whole crew."
Homer looked at him. "Any ideas, Bey?"
"No," the other growled.
Homer Crawford said, "Any of the rest of you?"
Isobel was frowning, bringing something back. "Why don't we travel atnight?"
"And rest during the day?" Homer said.
Kenny said, "Parking where? We just made it to this wadi. If we'recaught out in the dunes somewhere when one of those planes shows up,we've had it. You couldn't hide a jackrabbit out there."
But Bey and Homer Crawford were still looking at Isobel.
She said, "I remember a story the Tuaregs used to tell about a raidsome of them made back during the French occupation. They stole fourhundred camels near Timbuktu one night and headed north. The Frenchweren't worried. The next morning, they simply sent out a couple ofaircraft to spot the Tuareg raiders and the camels. Like Kenny said,you couldn't hide a jackrabbit in dune country. But there was nothingto be seen. The French couldn't believe it, but they still weren'treally worried. After all a camel herd can travel only thirty or somiles a day. So the next day the planes went out again, circling,circling, but they still didn't spot the thieves and their loot, northe next day. Well, to shorten it, the Tuareg got their four hundredcamels all the way up to Spanish Rio de Oro where they sold them."
She had their staring attention. "How?" Elmer blurted.
"It was simple. They traveled all night and then, at dawn, buried thecamels and themselves in the sand and stayed there all day."
Homer said, "I'm sold. Boys, I hope you're in physical trim becausethere's going to be quite a bit of digging for the next few days."
Cliff groaned. "Some Minister of the Treasury," he complained. "Theygive him a shovel instead of a bankbook."
Everyone laughed.
Bey said, "Well, I suppose we stay here until nightfall."
"Right," Homer said. "Whose turn is it to pull cook duty?"
Isobel said menacingly, "I don't know whose turn it is, but I know I'mgoing to do the cooking. After that slumgullion Kenny whipped upyesterday, I'm a perpetual volunteer for the job of chef--strictly inself-defense."
"That was a cruel cut," Kenny protested, "however, I hereby relinquishall my rights to cooking for this expedition."
"And me!"
"And me!"
"O.K.," Homer said, "so Isobel is Minister of the Royal Kitchen." Helooked at Elmer Allen. "Which reminds me. You're our juniortheoretician. Are we a monarchy?"
Elmer Allen scowled sourly and sat down, his back to the wadi wall. "Iwouldn't think so."
Isobel went off to make coffee in the portable galley in the rear ofthe second hovercraft. The others brought forth tobacco and squattedor sat near the dour Jamaican. Years in the desert had taught them thenomad's ability to relax completely given opportunity.
"So if it's not a monarchy, what'll we call El Hassan?" Kennydemanded.
Elmer said slowly, thoughtfully, "We'll call him simply _El Hassan_.Monarchies are of the past, and El Hassan is the voice of the future,something new. We won't admit he's just a latter-day tyrant, anopportunist seizing power because it's there crying to be seized.Actually, El Hassan is in the tradition of Genghis Khan, Tamerlane,or, more recently, Napoleon. But he's a modern version, and we're notgoing to hang the old labels on him."
Isobel had brought the coffee. "I think you're right," she said.
"Sold," Homer agreed. "So we aren't a monarchy. We're a tyranny." Hisface had begun by expressing amusement, but that fell off. He added,"As a young sociologist, I never expected to wind up a literaltyrant."
Elmer Allen said, "Wait a minute. See if I can remember this. Comesfrom Byron." He closed his eyes and recited:
"The tyrant of the Chersonese Was freedom's best and bravest friend. That tyrant was Miltiades, Oh that the present hour would lend Another despot of the kind. Such bonds as his were sure to bind."
Isobel, pouring coffee, laughed and said, "Why Elmer, who'd ever dreamyou read verse, not to speak of memorizing it, you old sourpuss."
Elmer Allen's complexion was too dark to register a flush.
Homer Crawford said, "Yeah, Miltiades. Seized power, whipped theAthenians into shape to the point where they were able to take thePersians at Marathon, which should have been impossible." He lookedaround at the others, winding up with Elmer. "What happened toMiltiades after Marathon and after the emergency was over?"
Elmer looked down into his coffee. "I don't remember," he lied.
* * * * *
There was a clicking from the first hover-lorry, and Cliff Jackson putdown his coffee, groaned his resentment at fate, and made his way tothe vehicle and the radio there.
Bey motioned with his head. "That's handy, our still being able totune in on the broadcasts the African Development Project makes to itsteams."
Kenny said, "Not that what they've been saying is much in the way offlattery."
Bey said, "They seem to think we're somewhere in the vicinity of BidonCinq."
"That's what worries me," Homer growled. He raked his right hand backthrough his short hair. "If they think we're in Southern Algeria, whatare these planes doing around here? We're hundreds of miles from BidonCinq."
Bey shot him an oblique glance. "That's easy. That plane that tried toclobber us, and these others that have been trying to search us out,aren't really Reunited Nations craft. They're someone else."
They all looked at him. "Who?" Isobel said.
"How should I know? It could be almost anybody with an iron in theNorth African fire. The Soviet Complex? Very likely. The BritishCommonwealth or the French Community? Why not? There're elements inboth that haven't really accepted giving up the old colonies and wouldlike to regain them in one way or the other. The Arab Union? Whycomment? Common Europe? Oh, Common Europe would love to have a freehand exploiting North Africa."
"You haven't mentioned the United States of the Americas," Elmer saiddryly. "I hope you haven't any prejudices in favor of the land of youradoption, Mr. Minister of War."
Bey shrugged. "I just hadn't got around to her. Admittedly with thecontinued growth of the Soviet Complex and Common Europe, the Stateshave slipped from the supreme position they occupied immediatelyfollowing the Second War. The more power-happy elements are consciousof the ultimate value of control of Africa and doubly conscious of thedanger of it falling into the hands of someone else. Oh, never fear,those planes that have been pestering us might belong to anybody atall."
Cliff Jackson hurried back from his radio, his face anxious. "Listen,"he said. "That was a high priority flash, to all Reunited Nationsteams. The Arab Union has just taken Tamanrasset. They pushed twocolumns out of Libya, evidently one from Ghat and one from furthernorth near Ghademes."
Homer Crawford was on his feet, alert. "Well ... why?"
Cliff had what amounted to accusation on his face. "Evidently, the ElHassan rumors are spreading like wildfire. There've been more riots inMopti, and the Reunited Nations buildings in Adrar have been stormedby mobs demonstrating for him. The Arab Union is moving in on theexcuse of protecting the country against El Hassan."
Kenny Ballalou groaned, "They'll have half their Arab Legion in herebefore the week's out."
Cliff finished with, "The Reunited Nations is throwing a wingding.Everybody running around accusing and threatening, and, as per usual,getting nowhere."
Homer Crawford's face was working in thought. He shook his head atKenny. "I think you're wrong. They won't send the whole Arab Legionin. They'll be afraid to. They'll want to see first what everybodyelse does. They know they can't stand up to a slugging match with anyof the really big powers. They'll stick it out for a while and watchdevelopments. We have, perhaps, tw
o weeks in which to operate."
"Operate?" Cliff demanded. "What do you mean, operate?"
Homer's eyes snapped to him. "I mean to recapture Tamanrasset from theArab Union, seize the radio and television station there, and proclaimEl Hassan's regime."
The big Californian's eyes bugged at him. "You mean the six of us?There'll be ten thousand of
