Part 9 (2/2)

The espionage chief shook his head. ”You do not need a step by step blueprint, Anton, that is why you have been chosen for this a.s.signment. You are strongly based in Party doctrine. You know what is needed, we can trust you to carry on the Party's aims.” After a pause, the Russian added, ”Without being diverted by personal feelings.”

Anton looked him in the face. ”Of course,” he said.

Fredric Ostrander was on the carpet.

His chief said, ”You seem to have conducted yourself rather precipitately, Fred.”

Ostrander shrugged in irritation. ”I didn't have time to consult anyone. By pure luck, I spotted the Cunningham girl and since I knew she had affiliated herself with Crawford, I followed her.”

The chief said dryly, ”And tried to arrest the seven of them, all by yourself.”

”I couldn't see anything else to do.”

The C.I.A. official said, ”In the first place, we have no legal jurisdiction here and you could have caused an international stink.

The Russkies would just love to bring something like this onto the Reunited Nations floor. In the second place, you failed. How in the world did you expect to take on that number of men, especially Crawford and his team?”

Ostrander flushed his irritation. ”Next time ...” he began.

His chief waved a hand negatively. ”Let's hope there isn't going to be next time, of this type.” He took up a paper from his desk. ”Here's your new job, Fred. You're to locate this El Ha.s.san and keep in continual contact with him. If he meets with any sort of success at all, and frankly our agency doubts that he will, you will attempt to bring home to Crawford and his followers the fact that they are Americans, and orientate them in the direction of the West. Above all, you are to keep in touch with us and keep us informed on all developments. Especially notify us if there is any sign that our El Ha.s.san is in communication with the Russkies or any other foreign element.”

”Right,” Ostrander said.

His chief looked at him. ”We're giving you this job, Fred, because you're more up on it than anyone else. You're in at the beginning, so to speak. Now, do you want me to a.s.sign you a couple of a.s.sistants?”

”White men?” Ostrander said.

His higher-up scowled. ”You know you're the only Negro in our agency, Fred.”

Fredric Ostrander, his voice still even, said, ”That's too bad, because anyone you a.s.signed me who wasn't a Negro would be a hindrance rather than an a.s.sistant.”

The other drummed his fingers on the table in irritation. He said suddenly, ”Fred, do you think I ought to do a report to Greater Was.h.i.+ngton suggesting they take more Negro operatives into the agency?”

Ostrander said dryly, ”You'd better if this department is going to get much work done in Africa.” He stood up. ”I suppose that the sooner I get onto the job, the better. Do you have any idea at all where Crawford and his gang headed after they left me unconscious in that filthy hut?”

”No, we haven't the slightest idea of where they might be, other than that they left your car abandoned at the Yoff airport.”

”Oh, great,” Fredric Ostrander complained. ”They've gone into hiding in an area somewhat twice the size of the original fifty United States.”

”Good luck,” his chief said.

Rex Donaldson, formerly of Na.s.sau in the British Bahamas, formerly of the College of Anthropology, Oxford, now field man for the African Department of the British Commonwealth working at expediting native development, was taking time out for needed and unwonted relaxation.

In fact, he stretched out on his back in the most comfortable bed, in the most comfortable hotel, in the Niger town of Mopti. His hands were behind his head, and his scowling eyes were on the ceiling.

He was a small, bent man, inordinately black even for the Sudan and the loincloth costume he wore was ludicrous in the Westernized comfort of the hotel room. He was attired for the bush and knew that it was sheer laziness now that kept him from taking off for the Dogon country of the Canton de Sangha where he was currently working to bring down tribal prejudices against the coming of the schools. He had his work cut out for him in the Dogon, the old men, the tribal elders they called Hogons, instinctively knew that the coming of education meant subversion of their inst.i.tutions and the eventual loss of Hogon power.

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