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"And then a couple of years ago the Retriever did so rather extraordinary The trouble with Modonoland, as with most of these damned countries, is that les and lions and tigers and what-not And when they try doing so about it, why they only plant soet touchy if the US doesn’t buy it frouess what he grew"

"Opiuhtly He didn’t seem to have heardhis froain A first-class development, you know We couldn’t have been happier"

I studied the floor Stains made a pattern on the carpet, and I wondered if they could be augured, like birds’ entrails

"And then not too long ago there was an uprising," he went on "It was a long while in the wind, and for a ti to move in Group called the Movement for Moderation in Modonoland Batch of political a,like a leaf, and ere all a bit worried Unknowns are a danger, you know Better to stay with the old status quo At the same time, we determined that Ndoro had to fall There are ti up an unpopular region His eyes met mine for an instant, then withdrew

"But we did have a bit of luck, Tanner We thought about reinforcing Ndoro, and we rejected that, and then we found out that there were so Modonoland on their own hook Old line colonialists out of the saht call the of the sort-"

"Or fascists," I suggested

"-but there’s no denying that they weren’t the sort to rock the old boat Kept the opiu – and the MMM fanatics had intended to put a stop to it And kept things n policywise There’s soland, some question about the Commonwealth status, but all in all they’re the sort of people we can support We lad to see theets a little sticky, Tanner On the one hand, we gave these white supremacist fellows a little support Our Boy Scout chuht quieter than their usual sort of thing" He grinned nastily "They’ve been a little less boisterous since the Bay of Pigs, haven’t they? As I say, they handled that end But at the sa for this Retriever fellow, this Knanda Ndoro So I sent a man in to let Ndoro know as et out with his skin intact when the ti Ndoro wasn’t too keen on whiteto chuck hient"

"And that was Salar, heroin addict, and strong-arm man Became a Black Muslim in jail Broke with Elijah Muhaanized for the Black Panthers on the West Coast Shot a policeun battle, possibly in self-defense, possibly not Decided to get out of the country Went to a friend of his, who happened to be a lad of ot hiood ever since He went into Modonoland to help Ndoro pack up the royal treasury and get out Got to him in the nick of time, and the two of them left the back door of the palace while a white mob kicked in the front door It was about that close, according to the reports I’ve seen

"Then the two of them headed inland Two men with a fortune in jewels and hard currencies They disappeared into the bloody jungle, and they haven’t coood at all"

"There’s been no word?"

"No direct word Ruroup of bandits, guerrillas, what have you Operating deep in the Modonoland interior One never knohat’s to be believed, but they seeious fanatics led by a… this is slightly fantastic, Tanner"

I waited

"Led by a blond-haired white-skinned jungle goddess of some sort"

"Is that so," I said

"Nale," I said

"You’ve heard of her?"

"No"

"Then-"

"It’s nothing I’est that this Sheena person has captured Ndoro and Bowman And while of course she may have had theeneral rule So there’s a chance that they’re alive, and that they could be gotten to and brought out alive, and-"

"And I’ this speculative, Evan" He rarely calledvery paternal or when he was conning ood one to pull off The situation in Modonoland is troubled We may yet find a political use for the Retriever And as for Bowet down to cases, he’s our best black operative In fact-"

"Yes?"

"Well, he’s our only black operative"

"Oh"

"Not because of policy It’s just happened that way I had been wanting to take on soroes then In fact when I first wanted to hire one, they preferred to be called colored I wonder what the ill be after black? I shouldn’t be surprised if things co theers" He replenished his scotch, and mine as well "H ads, do we? So with one thing and another, well, we never did take one on Until Sa, and he couldn’t have been better, you know, and now it looks as though I’ve lost him There are tie"

"At night," I suggested

He didn’t appear to have heard me "In the Modonoland affair, for example And in other situations as well God alone knohere I would get another one" He sipped his drink "So I’o to an unholy haystack and search for a needle that very probably isn’t there I’d prefer to paint you a rosier picture, but in all conscience – well What do you say?"

"I’ll go"

"You will?"

I nodded