Isobel said quickly, "I'm game. I don't know what they'll say back at
AFAA headquarters, though. Our co-operating with a Sahara Development
Project team."
Cliff scowled. "I don't know. Frankly, I took this job purely for the
dough, and as outlined it didn't include getting roughed up in some riot
that doesn't actually concern the job."
"Oh, come along, Cliff," Isobel urged. "It'll give you some experience
you don't know when you'll be able to use."
He shrugged his acceptance, grudgingly.
Jake Armstrong looked back at Homer Crawford. "If you need us, we're
available."
"Thanks," Crawford said briefly, and turned off the unhappy stare he'd
been giving Cliff. "We can use all the manpower we can get. You people
ever worked with mobs before?"
Bey and Kenny climbed from the plane and made their way at a trot toward
the airport's administration buildings. Abe and Elmer climbed out, too,
and opened the baggage compartment in the rear of the aircraft.
"Well, no," Jake Armstrong said.
"It's quite a technique. Mostly you have to play it by ear, because
nothing is so changeable as the temper of a mob. Always keep in mind
that to begin with, at least, only a small fraction of the crowd is
really involved in what's going on. Possibly only one out of ten is
interested in the issue. The rest start off, at least, as idle
observers, watching the fun. That's one of the first things you've got
to control. Don't let the innocent bystanders become excited and get
into the spirit of it all. Once they do, then you've got a mess on your
hands."
Isobel, Jake and Cliff listened to him in fascination.
Cliff said uncomfortably, "Well, what do we do to get the whole thing
back to tranquillity? What I mean is, how do we end these
demonstrations?"
"We bore them to tears," Homer growled.
They looked at him blankly.
"We assume leadership of the whole thing and put up speakers."
Jake protested, "You sound as though you're sustaining not placating
it."
"We put up speakers and they speak and speak, and speak. It's almost
like a fillibuster. You don't say anything particularly interesting, and
certainly nothing exciting. You agree with the basic feeling of the
demonstrating mob, certainly you say nothing to antagonize them. In this
case we speak in favor of El Hassan and his great, and noble, and
inspiring, and so on and so forth, teachings. We speak in not too loud a
voice, so that those in the rear have a hard time hearing, if they can
hear at all."
Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this
and try to take over?"
Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take
care of them."
Jake twisted his mouth, in objection. "Might that not strike the spark
that would start up violence?"
Homer Crawford grinned and began climbing out of the plane. "Not with
the weapons we use."
"Weapons!" Isobel snapped. "Do you intend to use weapons on those poor
people? Why, it was you yourself, you and your team, who started this
whole El Hassan movement. I'm shocked. I've heard about your reputation,
you and the Sahara Development Project teams. Your ruthlessness--"
Crawford chuckled ruefully and held up a hand to stem the tide. "Hold
it, hold it," he said. "These are special weapons, and, after all, we've
got to keep those crowds together long enough to bore them to the point
where they go home."
Abe came up with an armful of what looked something like tent-poles.
"The quarterstaffs, eh, Homer?"
"Um-m-m," Crawford said. "Under the circumstances."
"Quarterstaffs?" Cliff Jackson ejaculated.
Abe grinned at him. "Man, just call them pilgrim's staffs. The least
obnoxious looking weapon in the world." He looked at Cliff and Jake.
"You two cats been checked out on quarterstaffs?"
Jake said, "The more I talk to you people, the less I seem to understand
what's going on. Aren't quarterstaffs what, well, Robin Hood and his
Merry Men used to fight with?"
"That's right," Homer said. He took one from Abe and grasping it
expertly with two hands whirled it about, getting its balance. Then
suddenly, he drooped, leaning on it as a staff. His face expressed
weariness. His youth and virility seemed to drop away and suddenly he
was an aged religious pilgrim as seen throughout the Moslem world.
"I'll be damned," Cliff blurted. "Oop, sorry Isobel."
"I'll be damned, too," Isobel said. "What in the world can you do with
that, Homer? I was thinking in terms of you mowing those people down
with machine guns or something."
Crawford stood erect again laughingly, and demonstrated. "It's probably
the most efficient handweapon ever devised. The weapon of the British
yeoman. With one of these you can disarm a swordsman in a matter of
seconds. A good man with a quarterstaff can unhorse a knight in armor
and batter him to death, in a minute or so. The only other handweapon
capable of countering it is another quarterstaff. Watch this, with the
favorable two-hand leverage the ends of the staff can be made to move at
invisibly high speeds."
Bey and Kenny drove up in an aged wheeled truck and Abe and Elmer began
loading equipment.
Crawford looked at Bey who said apologetically, "I had to liberate it.
Didn't have time for all the dickering the guy wanted to go through."
Crawford grunted and looked at Isobel. "Those European clothes won't do.
We've got some spare things along. You can improvise. Men and women's
clothes don't differ that much around here."
"I'll make out all right," Isobel said. "I can change in the plane."
"Hey, Isobel," Abe called out. "Why not dress up like one of these Dogon
babes?"
"Some chance," Isobel hissed menacingly at him. "A strip tease you want,
yet. You'll see me in a haik and like it, wise guy."
"Shucks," Abe grinned.
Crawford looked critically at the clothing of Jake and Cliff. "I suppose
you'll do in western stuff," he said. "After all, this El Hassan is
supposed to be the voice of the future. A lot of his potential followers
will already be wearing shirts and pants. Don't look _too_ civilized,
though."
When Isobel returned, Crawford briefed his seven followers. They were to
operate in teams of two. One of his men, complete with quarterstaff
would accompany each of the others. Abe with Jake, Bey with Cliff, and
he'd be with Isobel. Elmer and Kenny would be the other twosome, and,
both armed with quarterstaffs would be troubleshooters.
"We're playing it off the cuff," he said. "Do what comes naturally to
get this thing under control. If you run into each other, co-operate, of
course. If there's trouble, use your wrist radios." He looked at Abe and
Bey. "I know you two are packing guns underneath those _gandouras_. I
hope you know enough not to use them."
Abe and Bey looked innocent.