"I suppose you're right," the Swede said grudgingly. "See here, have you heard reports of a group of Cubans, in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan to help with the new sugar refining there, being attacked?" The eyes of both Crawford and Baker narrowed. There'd been talk about this at Timbuktu. "Only a few rumors," Crawford said. The Swede drummed his desk with his nervous fingers. "The rumors are correct. The whole group was either killed or wounded." He said suddenly, "You had nothing to do with this, I suppose?" Crawford held his palms up, in surprise, "My team has never been within a thousand miles of Khartoum." Zetterberg said, "See here, we suspect the Cubans might have supported Soviet Complex viewpoints." Crawford shrugged, "I know nothing about them at all." Zetterberg said, "Do you think this might be the work of El Hassan and his followers?" Abe started to chuckle something, but Homer shook his head slightly in warning and said, "I don't know." "How did that affair in Mopti turn out, these riots in favor of El Hassan?" Homer Crawford shrugged. "Routine. Must have been as many as ten thousand of them at one point. We used standard tactics in gaining control and then dispersing them. I'll have a complete written report to you before the day is out." Zetterberg said, "You've heard about this El Hassan before?" "Quite a bit." "From the rumors that have come into this office, he backs neither East nor West in international politics. He also seems to agree with your summation of the Islamic problem. He teaches separation of Church and State." "They're the same thing in Moslem countries," Abe muttered. Zetterberg tossed his bombshell out of a clear sky. "Dr. Crawford," he snapped, "in spite of the warnings we've had to issue to you repeatedly, you are admittedly our best man in the field. We're giving you a new assignment. Find this El Hassan and bring him here!" Zetterberg leaned forward, an expression of somewhat anxious sincerity in his whole demeanor. VIII Abe Baker choked, and then suddenly laughed. Sven Zetterberg stared at him. "What's so funny?" "Well, nothing," Abe admitted. He looked to Homer Crawford. Crawford said to the Swede carefully, "Why?" Zetterberg said impatiently, "Isn't it obvious, after the conversation we've had here? Possibly this El Hassan is the man we're looking for. Perhaps this is the force that will bind North Africa together. Thus far, all we've heard about him has been rumor. We don't seem to be able to find anyone who has seen him, nor is the exact strength of his following known. We'd like to confer with him, before he gets any larger." Crawford said carefully, "It's hard to track down a rumor." "That's why we give the assignment to our best team in the field," the Swede told him. "You've got a roving commission. Find El Hassan and bring him here to Dakar." Abe grinned and said, "Suppose he doesn't want to come?"