Border, Breed Nor Birth
Page 20
at large. "Anybody got a drink around here?Good grief, have I been covering ground."
Isobel bustled off to a corner where she'd amassed most of theirremaining European type supplies, but she kept her attention on him.
Dave Moroka said, his voice unbelieving, "You mean you haven't broughtany assistance _at all_?"
Kenny grinned around at them. "I didn't say that. I said I didn'trecruit any of the Nemadi. I never even got as far as theirterritory."
Homer Crawford sank back onto the small crate he'd been using as achair before Kenny's precipitate entrance. "O.K.," he said, "stopdramatizing and let us know what happened."
Kenny spread his hands in a sweeping gesture. "The country's alivefrom here to Bidon Cinq and south to the Niger. Bourem and Gao havegone over to El Hassan and a column of followers was descending onNiamey. They should be there by now. I never got as far as Nemadicountry. I could have recruited ten thousand fighting men, but Ididn't know what we'd do with them in this country. So I weededthrough everybody who volunteered and took only veterans. Men who'dformerly been in the French forces, or British, or whatever. LouisWallington and his team were in Bourem when I got there and--"
"Who is Louis Wallington?" Jack Peters said.
Homer looked over at the Peters brothers and Dave Moroka. "Head of asix-man Sahara Development Project team like the one I used to head."His eyes went back to Kenny. "What about Louis?"
"He's come in with us. Didn't know how to get in touch, so he wasworking on his own. And Pierre Dupaine. Remember him, the fellow fromGuadeloupe in the French West Indies, used to be an operative of theAfrican Affairs sector of the French Community? Well, he and a halfdozen of his colleagues have come in and were leading an expedition onTimbuktu. But Timbuktu had already joined up too, before they gotthere--"
"Wow," Homer said. "It's really spreading."
Cliff said, "Why isn't all this on the radio?"
Isobel had brought Kenny a couple of ounces of cognac from theirmeager supply. He knocked it back thankfully.
Kenny said to Cliff, "Things are moving too fast, and communicationshave gone to pot." He looked at Homer. "Have any of these journalistsfound you yet?"
"What journalists?"
Kenny laughed. "You'll find out. Half the newspapers, magazines,newsreels and TV outfits in the world are sending every man they canrelease into this area. They're going batty trying to find El Hassan.Man, do you realize the extent of the country your followers nowdominate?"
Homer said blankly, "I hadn't thought of it. Besides, most of whatyou've been saying is news to us here. We've been keeping on theprod."
Kenny grinned widely. "Well, the nearest I can figure it, El Hassan isruler of an area about the size of Mexico. At least it was yesterday.By today, you can probably tack on Texas."
Jimmy Peters, serious faced as usual, said, "Things are moving sofast, we're going to have to run to keep ahead of El Hassan'sfollowers. One thing, Homer, we're going to have to have a presssecretary."
"Elmer Allen was going to handle that, but he's still up north,"Isobel said.
"I'll do it. Used to be a newspaperman, when I was younger," DaveMoroka said quickly.
Isobel frowned and began to say something, but Homer said, "Great, youhandle that, Dave." Then to Kenny, "Where're your men and how well arethey armed?"
"Well, that's one trouble," Kenny said unhappily. "We requisitionedmotor transport from some of the Sahara Afforestation Project oasesdown around Tessalit. In fact, Ralph Sandell, their chief mucky-muckin those parts, has come over to us. But we haven't got much in theway of shooting irons."
Homer Crawford closed his eyes wearily. "What it boils down to, still,is that a hundred of those Arab Legionnaires, with their armor, couldfinish us all off in ten minutes if it came to open battle."
* * * * *
El Hassan continued moving his headquarters, usually daily, but heeluded the journalists only another twelve hours. Then they were uponthe mobile camp like locusts.
And David Moroka took over with a calm efficiency that impressed all.In the first place, he explained, El Hassan was much too busy tohandle the press except for one conference a week. In the secondplace, he spoke only Esperanto to foreigners. Meanwhile, he, DaveMoroka, would handle all their questions, make arrangements forsuitable photographs, and for the TV and newsreel boys to trundletheir equipment as near the front lines as possible. And, meanwhile,James and John Peters of El Hassan's staff had prepared press releasescovering the El Hassan movement and its program.
Homer, to the extent possible, was isolated from the new elementsdescending upon his encampment. Attempting anything else would havebeen out of the question. At this point, he was getting approximatelyfour hours of sleep a night.
Kenny Ballalou was continually coming and going in a mad attempt tohandle the logistics of supplying several thousand men in a desertarea all but devoid of either water or graze, not to speak of food,petroleum products and ammunition.
Isobel and Cliff were thrown into the positions of combinationsecretaries, ministers of finance, assistant bodyguards, and all elsethat nobody else seemed to handle, _including_ making coffee.
It was Isobel who approached a subject which had long worried her, asthey drove across country, the only occupants of one of the originalhover-lorries, during a camp move.
She said, hesitantly, "Homer, is it a good idea to give Dave such afree hand with the press? You know, there are some fifty or so of themaround now and they must be influencing the TV, radio, magazines andnewspapers of the world."
"He seems to know more about it than any of the rest of us," Homersaid, his eyes on the all but sand-obliterated way. "We're going tohave to move more of the men south. We simply haven't got water enoughfor them. There'd be enough in Tamanrasset, but not out here. Make anote to cover this with Kenny. I wonder where Bey is, and Elmer."
Isobel made a note. She said, "Yes, but the trouble is, he's acomparative newcomer. Are you _sure_ he's in complete accord with theoriginal plan, Homer? Does the El Hassan dream mean the same to him asit does to you, and ... well, me?"
He shot her an impatient glance, even as he hit the lift lever toraise them over a small dune. "You and Dave don't hit it off verywell. He's a good man, so far as I can see."
Her delicate forehead wrinkled and her pixie face showed puzzlement."I don't know why. I get along with most people, Homer."
He patted her hand. "You can't please everybody, Isobel. Listen,something's got to be done about this king-size mob of camp followerswe've got. Did you know Common Europe sent in a delegation thismorning?"
"Delegation? Common Europe--?"
"Yeah. Haven't had time to discuss it with you. They found us justbefore we raised camp. Evidently, the British Commonwealth andpossibly the Soviet Complex--some Chinese, I think--are also trying tolocate us. Half of these people are without their own equipment andsupplies, but that's not what worries me right now. We used to be ableto camouflage our headquarters camp. Dig into the desert and avoid theaircraft. But if a group of bungling Common Market diplomats canlocate us, what's to keep the Arab Legion from doing it and blessingus with a stick of neopalm bombs?"
Isobel said, "Look, before we leave Dave. Did you know he wasconfiscating all radio equipment brought into our camp by the newsmenand whoever else?"
Homer frowned. "Well, why?"
"Espionage, Dave says. He's afraid some of these characters might bein with the Arab Union and inform on us."
"Well, that makes some sense," Homer nodded.
"Does it?" Isobel grumbled.
He shot an irritated glance at her again and said impatiently, "Can'tthe poor guy do anything right?"
"My woman's intuition is working," Isobel grumbled.
* * * * *
Dave Moroka came into headquarters tent without introduction. He wasone of the half dozen who had permission for this. He had a sheaf ofpapers in his left hand and was frowning unhappily.
"W
hat's the crisis?" Homer said.
"Scouts coming up say your pal Bey-ag-Akhamouk is on the way.Evidently, with a big harka of Teda from the Sudan."
"Great." Homer crowed. "Now we'll get going."
"Ha!" Dave said. "From what we hear, a good many are camel mounted.How are we going to feed them? Already some of the Songhai Kennybrought up from the south have drifted away, unhappy about supplies."
"Bey's a top man," Homer told him. "The best. He'll have some ideas onour tactics.