Border, Breed Nor Birth
Page 13
could have ridden before it and today occupy a positionof honor and affluence in their former land."
They stared at him.
"And give up the old ways?" Guemama demanded. "Become no longernomads, no longer honorable warriors, but serfs, slaves, working withone's hands upon the land and with the oil-dirty machines of theRoumi?"
The chiefs muttered angrily.
Crawford said hurriedly, "No! Never! In our great conferences, myviziers and I decided that the Tuareg could never so change. TheTuareg must die, as did the Northern Cheyenne before he would become acity dweller, a worker of the land."
"Bismillah!" someone muttered.
"Too often," Crawford explained, "do the bringers of these things ofthe future, be they Roumi or others, fail to utilize the potentialservices of the people of the lands they over-sweep."
"I do not understand you, El Hassan," Melchizedek grumbled. "There isno room for the Tuareg in this new world of bringing trees to thedesert, of the great trucks which speed across the erg a score of timethe pace of a _hejin_ racing camel, of larger and ever larger oaseswith their great towns, their schools, their new industries. If theTuareg remains Tuareg, he cannot fit into this new world, it destroysthe old traditions, the old way which is the Tuareg way."
Homer Crawford now turned on the pressure. His voice took on overtonesof the positive, his personality seemed to reach out and seize them,and even his physical stature seemed to grow.
"Some indeed of the ways of the bedouin must go," he entoned, "but theTuareg will survive under my leadership. A people who have throve amillennium and more in the great wastes of the Sahara have strongsurvival characteristics and will blossom, not die, in my new world.Know, O Melchizedek, that it has been decided that the Ahaggar Tuaregwill be the heart of my Desert Legion. In times of conflict, armedwith the new arms, and riding the new vehicles, they will adapt theirold methods of warfare to this new age. In times of peace they willpatrol the new forests, watching for fire and other disaster, theywill become herdsmen of the new herds and be the police and rescueforces of this wide area. As the Cheyennes of the olden times of theland of my birth could have become herdsmen and forest rangers andhave performed similar tasks had they been shown the way."
Homer Crawford let his eyes go from one of them to the next, and hispersonality continued to dominate them.
The Amenokal ran his thin, aged hand through the length of his whitebeard beneath his teguelmoust and contemplated this stranger come outof the ergs to lead his people to still greater changes than thosethey had thus far rebelled against.
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Crawford realized that the Targui was divided in opinion and inwardlythe American was in a cold sweat. But his voice registered onlysupreme confidence. "Under my banner, all North Africa will be weldedinto one. And all the products of the land will be available inprofusion to my faithful followers. The finest wheat for cous cousfrom Algeria and Tunis, the finest dates and fruits from the oases tothe north, the manufactured products of the factories of Dakar andCasablanca. For Africa has always been a poor land but will become arich one with the new machines and techniques that I will bring."
The Amenokal raised a hand to stem the tide of oratory. "And what doyou ask of us now, El Hassan?"
Instead of to the older man, Crawford turned his eyes to the face ofGuemama, the leader of the young clansmen. "Now my people aregathering to establish the new rule. Teda from the east, Chaambra fromthe north, Sudanese from the south, Nemadi, Moors and Rifs from thewest. We rendezvous in ten days from now at Tamanrasset where the ArabLegion dogs have seized the city as they wish to seize all the landsof the Sahara and Sudan for the corrupt Arab Union politicians."
Crawford came to his feet. His voice took on an edge of command. "Youwill address your scouts and warriors and each will ride off on theswiftest camels at your command to raise the Tuareg tribes. And theclans of the Kel Rela will unite with the Taitoq and the Tegehe Melletin a great harka at this point and we will ride together to sweep theArab Legion from the lands of El Hassan."
Guemama was on his feet, too. "Bilhana!" he roared. "With joy."
The others were arising in excitement, all but Melchizedek, who stillstroked his gray streaked beard beneath his teguelmoust. The Amenokalhad seen much of desert war in his day and knew the horror of the newweapons possessed by the crack troops of the Arab Legion.
But his aged shoulders shrugged against the inevitable.
Crawford said, the ring of authority in his voice. "What does theAmenokal of all the Ahaggar say?" He had no intention of antagonizingthe Tuareg chief by going over his head and directly to the people.
"Thou art El Hassan," Melchizedek said, his voice low, "andundoubtedly it is fated that the Tuareg follow you, for verily thereis no way else to go, as each man knows."
"Wallahi!" Guemama crowed jubilantly.
V
Guemama, nephew of Melchizedek the Amenokal of the Ahaggar Tuaregconfederation and fighting chief of the Kel Rela clan of the Kel Relatribe, brought his Hejin racing camel to an abrupt halt with a smackof his mish'ab camel stick. He barked, "_Adar-ya-yan_," in command tobring it to its knees, and slid to the ground before his mount hadgroaned its rocking way to the sand.
The Tarqui was jubilant. His dark eyes sparked above his teguelmoustveil and he presented himself before Homer Crawford with the elan of aNapoleonic cavalryman before his emperor. Were red leather fil filboots capable of producing a clicking of heels, that sound would haverung.
Crawford said with dignity, "Aselamu, Aleikum, Guemama. Greeting toyou."
"Salaam Aleikum," the tribesman got out breathlessly. "Your messagespreads, O El Hassan. My men ride to eastward and westward and never atent from here to Silet, from In Guezzam to Timissao but knows that ElHassan calls. The Taitoq and the Tegehe Mellet ride!"
Homer Crawford was standing before the hovercraft. The Amenokal'stribesmen had set up two large goat leather tents for his use and thethree Americans had largely withdrawn to their shelter. Crawford wasaware of the dangers of familiarity.
Cliff Jackson, who as usual had been monitoring the radio, came fromthe hover-lorry and growled, "What's he saying?"
"The tribesmen are gathering as per instructions," Homer said inEnglish.
Jackson grunted, somewhat self-conscious of the Targui's admiringgaze. The Tuareg is the handsomest physical specimen of North Africa,often going to six foot of wiry manhood, but there was nothing in allthe Sahara to rival the build of Homer Crawford, not to speak of thegiant Cliff Jackson.
Crawford turned back to the Tuareg chieftain. "You please me well, OGuemama. Know that I have been in conference with my viziers on theRoumi device which enables one to speak great distances and that wehave decided that you are to head all the fighting clans of theAhaggar, and that you will ride at the left hand of El Hassan, asshield on shoulder rides."
The Targui, overwhelmed, made adequate pledges of fidelity, floweringwords of thanks, and then hurried off to inform his fellow tribesmenof his appointment.
Isobel emerged from her tent. She looked at Homer obliquely, the sidesof her mouth turning down. "As shield on shoulder rides," shetranslated from the Tamaheq Berber tongue into English. "Hm-m-m." Shecast her eyes upward in memory. "You aren't plagiarizing Kipling, areyou?"
Crawford grinned at her. "These people like a well turned phrase."
"And who could turn them better than Rudyard?" she said. Her voicedropped the bantering tone. "What's this bit about making Guemamawar-chief of the Tuareg? Isn't he on the young and enthusiasticside?"
Cliff scowled. "You mean that youngster? Why he can't be more than inhis early twenties."
Crawford was looking after the young Targui who was disappearing intohis uncle's tent on the far side of the rapidly growing encampment.
"You mean the age of Napoleon in the Italian campaign, or Alexander atIssus?" he asked. Isobel began to respond to that, but he shook hishead. "He's the Amenokal's nephew, and traditionally would probablyget
the position anyway. He's the most popular of the young tribesmen,and it's going to be they who do the fighting. Having the appointmentcome from El Hassan, and at this early point, will just bind himcloser. Besides that, he's a natural born warrior. Typical.Enthusiastic, bold, brave and with the military mind."
"What's a military mind?" Cliff said.
"He can take off his shirt without unbuttoning his collar," Homer toldhim.
"Very funny," Cliff grumbled.
Isobel turned to the big Californian. "What's on the radio, Cliff?"
"Let's go get a cup of coffee," he said. "All hellzapoppin."
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