The younger man gestured impatiently. "Figure it out. Somebody else
already has, the somebody who took a shot at you from that mosque. Look,
put it all together and it makes sense.
"These North Africans aren't going to make it, not in the short period
of time that we want them to, unless a leader appears on the scene.
These people are just beginning to emerge from tribal society. In the
tribes, people live by rituals and taboos, by traditions. But at the
next step in the evolution of society they follow a Hero--and the
traditions are thrown overboard. It's one step up the ladder of cultural
evolution. Just for the record, the Heroes almost invariably get
clobbered in the end, since a Hero must be perfect. Once he is found
wanting in any respect, he's a false prophet, a cheat, and a new,
perfect and faultless Hero must be found.
"O.K. At this stage we need a Hero to unite North Africa, but this time
we need a real super-Hero. In this modern age, the old style one won't
do. We need one with education, and altruism, one with the dream, as you
call it. We need a man who has no affiliations, no preferences for
Tuareg, Teda, Chaambra, Dogon, Moor or whatever. He's got to be truly
neutral. O.K., you're it. You're an American Negro, educated, competent,
widely experienced. You're a natural for the job. You speak Arabic,
French, Tamabeq, Songhai and even Swahili."
Abe stopped momentarily and twisted his face in a grimace. "But there's
one other thing that's possibly the most important of all. Homer, you're
a born leader."
"Who _me_?" Crawford snorted. "I hate to be put in a position where I
have to lead men, make decisions, that sort of thing.
"That's beside the point. There in Timbuktu you had them in the palm of
your hand. All except one or two, like Doc Smythe and that missionary.
And I have an idea even they'd come around. Everybody there felt it.
They were in favor of anything you suggested. Isobel?"
She nodded, very seriously. "Yes. You have a personality that goes over,
Homer. I think it would be a rare person who could conceive of you
cheating, or misleading. You're so obviously sincere, competent and
intelligent that it, well, _projects_ itself. I noticed it even more in
Mopti than Timbuktu. You had that city in your palm in a matter of a few
hours."
Homer Crawford shifted his shoulders, uncomfortably.