Part 2 (1/2)

Crawford said, ”It won't be necessary to go looking for El Ha.s.san.”

The Swede scowled his irritation at the other. ”See here....”

Crawford said, ”I'm El Ha.s.san.”

Sven Zetterberg stared at him, uncomprehending.

Homer Crawford said, ”I suppose it's your turn to listen and for me to do the talking.” He s.h.i.+fted in his chair, uncomfortably. ”Dr.

Zetterberg, even before the Reunited Nations evolved the idea of the African Development Project, it became obvious that the field work was going to have to be in the hands of Negroes. The reason is doublefold.

First, the African doesn't trust the white man, for good reason.

Second, the white man is a citizen of his own country, first of all, and finds it difficult not to have motives connected with his own race and nation. But the African Negro, too, has his tribal and sometimes national affiliations and cannot be trusted not to be prejudiced in their favor. The answer? The educated American Negro, such as myself.”

”I haven't the slightest idea from whence came my ancestors, from what part of Africa, what tribe, what nation. But I am a Negro and ...

well, have the dream of bettering my race. I have no irons in the fire, beyond altruistic ones. Of course, when I say American Negroes I don't exclude Canadian ones, or those of Latin America or the Caribbean. It is simply that there are greater numbers of educated American Negroes than you find elsewhere.”

Zetterberg said impatiently, ”Please, Dr. Crawford. Come to the point.

That ridiculous statement you made about El Ha.s.san.”

”Of course, I am merely giving background. Most of we field workers, not only the African Development teams, but such organizations as the Africa for Africans a.s.sociation and the representatives of the African Department of the British Commonwealth, and of the French Community's African Affairs sector, are composed of Negroes.”

Zetterberg was nodding. ”All right, I know.”

Homer Crawford said, ”The teams of all these organizations do their best to spur African progress, in our case, in North Africa, especially the area between the Niger and the Mediterranean. Often we disguise ourselves as natives since in that manner we are more quickly trusted. We wear the clothes, speak the local language or lingua franca.”

The American hesitated a moment, then plunged in. ”Dr. Zetterberg, the African is still a primitive but newly beginning to move out of a tradition-ritual-taboo tribal society. He seeks a hero to follow, a man of towering prestige who knows the answers to all questions. We may not _like_ this fact, we with our traditions of democracy, but it is so. The African is simply not yet at that stage of society where political democracy is applicable.”

”My team does most of its work posing as Enaden--low caste itinerant smiths of the Sahara. As such we can go any place and are everywhere accepted, a necessary sector of the Saharan economy. As such, we continually spread the ... ah, propaganda of the Reunited Nations--the need for education, the need for taking jobs on the new projects, the need for casting aside old inst.i.tutions and embracing the new. Early in the game we found our words had little weight coming from simple Enaden smiths so we ... well, _invented_ this mysterious El Ha.s.san, and everything we said we attributed to him.”

”News spreads fast in the desert, astonis.h.i.+ngly fast. El Ha.s.san started with us but soon other teams, hearing about him and realizing that his message was the same as that they were trying to propagate, did the same thing. That is, attributed the messages they had to spread to El Ha.s.san. It was amusing when a group of us got together last week in Timbuktu, to find that we'd all taken to kowtowing to this mythical desert hero who planned to unite all North Africa.”

The Swede was staring at him unbelievingly. ”But, a bit earlier you said you were El Ha.s.san.”

Homer Crawford looked into his chief's face and nodded seriously.

”I've been conferring with various other field workers, both Reunited Nations and otherwise. The situation calls for a real El Ha.s.san. If we don't provide him, someone else will. I propose to take over the position.”

Sven Zetterberg's face was suddenly cold. ”And why, Dr. Crawford, do you think you are more qualified than others?”

The American Negro could hardly fail to note the other's disapproval.

He said evenly, but definitely, ”Through experience. Through education. Through ... through having the dream, Dr. Zetterberg.”

”The Reunited Nations cannot support such a project, Dr. Crawford. I absolutely forbid you to consider it.”

”Forbid me?”

It was as though a strange something entered the atmosphere of the room, almost as though a new _presence_ was there. And almost, it seemed to Sven Zetterberg, that the already tall, solidly built man across from him grew physically as his voice seemed to swell, to reach out, to dominate. There was a new, and all but unbelievable Homer Crawford here.