Patches of thorny bush began to appear, and after a time a small herd of gazelle were flushed and high tailed their way over the horizon.
Isobel said, "Who is this Amenokal you mentioned?"
"These are the real Tuareg, the comparatively untouched. They've got three tribes, the Kel Rela, the Tégéhé Mellet and the Taitoq, each headed by a warrior clan which gives its name to the tribe as a whole. The chief of the Kel Rela clan is also chief of the Kel Rela tribe and automatically paramount chief, or Amenokal, of the whole confederation. His name is Melchizedek."
"Do you think you can win him over?" Isobel said.
"He's a smart old boy. I had some dealings with him over a year ago. Gave him a TV set in the way of a present, hoping he'd tune in on some of our Reunited Nations propaganda. He's probably the most conservative of the Tuareg leaders."
Her eyebrows went up. "And you expect to bring him around to the most liberal scheme to hit North Africa since Hannibal?"
He looked at her from the side of his eyes and grinned. "Remember Roosevelt, the American president?"
"Hardly."
"Well, you've read about him. He came into office at a time when the country was going to economic pot by the minute. Some of the measures he and his so-called brain trust took were immediately hailed by his enemies as socialistic. In answer, Roosevelt told them that in times of social stress the true conservative is a liberal, since to preserve, you have to reform. If Roosevelt hadn't done the things he did, back in the 1930s, you probably would have seen some real changes in the American socio-economic system. Roosevelt didn't undermine the social system of the time, he preserved it."
"Then, according to you, Roosevelt was a conservative," she said mockingly.