'd have brought them along
to cover him. You've got to give him credit for bravery, taking on the
whole bunch of us by himself."

"Um-m-m," Homer said. "I wish he was with us instead of against us."

Jake Armstrong said, "Well, this solves one problem."

They looked at him.

He said, "Just as sure as sure, he's got a car parked somewhere. A car
with some sort of United States or Reunited Nations emblem on it."

"So what?" Kenny said.

"So you've got to get out of town before the search for you _really_
gets under way. With such a car, you can get past any roadblock that
might already be up between here and the Yoff airport."

Elmer Allen had sunk to his knees and was searching the fallen C.I.A.
man. He came up with car keys and a wallet.

Homer said to Jake Armstrong, "Why the Yoff airport?"

"Our plane is there," Jake told him. "The one assigned Isobel, Cliff
and me by the AFAA. You're going to have to make time. Get somewhere
out in the ah, boondocks, where you can begin operations."

Bey said thoughtfully, "He's right, Homer. Anybody against us, like
our friend here"--he nodded at Ostrander--"is going to try to get us
quick, before we can get the El Hassan movement under way. We've got
to get out of Dakar and into some area where they'll have their work
cut out trying to locate us."

Homer Crawford accepted their council. "O.K., let's get going. Jake,
you'll stay in Dakar, and at first play innocent. As soon as possible,
take plane for Geneva. As soon as you're there, send out press
releases to all the news associations and the larger papers. Announce
yourself as Foreign Minister of El Hassan and demand that he be
recognized as the legal head of state of all North Africa."

"Wow," Cliff Jackson said.

"Then play it by ear," Homer finished.

He turned to the others. "Bey, where'd you leave our two hover-lorries
when you came here to Dakar?"

"Stashed away in the ruins of a former mansion in Timbuktu. Hired two
Songhai to watch them."

"O.K. Cliff, you're the only one in European dress. Take this wallet
of Ostrander's. You'll drive the car. If we run into any roadblocks
between here and the Yoff airport, slow down a little and hold the
wallet out to show your supposed identification. They won't take the
time to check the photo. Bluff your way past, don't completely stop
the car."

"What happens if they do stop us?" Cliff said worriedly.

Kenny Ballalou said, "That'll be just too bad for them."