"The temperature is rising in the Reunited Nations--and everywhere
else, for that matter. Damascus and Cairo have been getting
increasingly belligerent. Homer, it looks as though the Arab Union is
getting ready to go out on a limb. Weeks have passed since Colonel
Ibrahim first took Tamanrasset and the Reunited Nations, the United
States, the Soviet Complex and all others interested in North Africa,
have failed to do anything. Everybody, evidently, afraid of
precipitating something that couldn't be ended."

All eyes went to Homer Crawford who ran a black hand back over his
hair in weariness. "I know," he said. "Something is about to blow.
Dave has sent some of his best men into Tamanrasset to pick up gossip
in the souks. Morale was dragging bottom among the legionnaires just a
couple of days ago. Now they seem to have a new lease."

"In spite of the sabotage our people have been committing?" Isobel
said.

"That's falling off somewhat," Cliff said. "At first our more
enthusiastic followers were able to pull everything from heaving
Molotov Cocktails into tanks, to pouring sugar in hover-jeep gas
tanks, but the legionnaires have both smartened up and gotten very
tough."

"Good," Dave Moroka said now.

They looked at him.

"Atrocities," he said. "In order to guard against sabotage, the
legionnaires will be taking measures that will antagonize the people
in Tamanrasset. They'll shoot a couple of teenage kids, or something,
then they'll have a city-wide mess on their hands."

Isobel said unhappily, "It seems a nasty way to win a war."

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