Dave grunted his contempt of her opinion. "There is no way of winning
a war other than a nasty one."
Bey came in, yawning hugely. His energy was inconceivable to the
others. So far as was known, he hadn't slept, other than sitting erect
in a moving vehicle, for the past four days. He said to Homer, "Fred
Ostrander has been bending my ear for the past hour or so. Do you want
to talk to him?"
"About what?" Homer said.
"I don't know. He has a lot of questions. I think he's beginning to
suspect--just _suspect_, understand--that possibly the whole bunch of
us aren't receiving our daily instructions from either Moscow or
Peking."
Dave and Cliff both laughed.
Homer sighed and said, "Show him in. He's the only thing we have in
the way of a contact with the United States of the Americas and sooner
or later we're going to have to make our peace with both them and the
Soviet Complex. In fact, what we're probably going to have to do is
play one against the other, getting grants, loans, economic
assistance--"
"Technicians, teachers, arms," Bey continued the list.
Kenny Ballalou looked at him and snorted. "Arms! If there's anything
this part of the world doesn't need it's more arms. In fact, that goes
for the rest of the world, too. In the old days when the great nations
were first beginning to attempt to line up the neutrals they sent aid
to such countries by the billions--and most of it in arms. How
ridiculous can you get? Putting arms in the hands of most of the
governments of that time was like handing a loaded pistol to an
idiot."
Bey hung his head in mock humility. "I bow before your wisdom," he
said. He left the room to get Ostrander.
* * * * *
The C.I.A. man had lost a fraction of his belligerence, but none of
his arrogance and natty appearance. Homer wondered vaguely how the
other managed to remain so spruce in the inadequate desert camp.
Jack Peters said, "What did you wish to ask El Hassan? I will
translate."
"Never mind that, Jack," Homer said. "We'll get tougher about using
our official language when we've gone a little further in building
our new government." He said to Ostrander, "What can I do for you?
Obviously, my time, is limited."
Fredric Ostrander said, "I've been gathering material for reports to
my superiors. I've been doing a good deal of questioning, and,
frankly, even prying around."
Cliff grunted.
Ostrander went on. "I've also read the various press releases,
manifestoes and so forth that your assistants have been compiling."
"We know," Homer said. "We haven't put any obstacles in your way. We
haven't any particular secrets, Mr. Ostrander."
"You disguise the fact that you are an American," the C.I.A. man said
accusingly.
Homer said slowly, "Only because El Hassan _is not_ an American, Mr.
Ostrander. He is an African with African solutions to African
problems. That is what he must be if he is to accomplish his task."
Ostrander seemed to switch subjects. "See here, Crawford, the State
Department is not completely opposed to the goal of uniting North
Africa. It would solve many problems, both African and international."