Isobel came with the coffee and handed it around, silently. Then she, too, settled to the rug which covered the sand of the floor.
Rex Donaldson turned to Cliff and there was a wrinkle of amusement in the older man's eyes. "I took so long, because I needed the time to recruit a few other chaps I knew would stand with us."
Crawford rapped, "That's who you just radioed?"
"Of course, old boy. I'd hardly bring the opposition down on us, would I?"
"Where are they?"
"In a couple of hovercraft, similar to your own, possibly twenty kilometers to the southwest."
"You still haven't told us how you found us?"
The little man shrugged. "After tendering my resignation to Sir Winton, I considered the possibilities, which narrowed down very quickly when I heard the Arab Legion had taken Tamanrasset."
"Why?" Isobel said.
Donaldson shot a glance at her. "Because, my dear, unless El Hassan is able to retake Tamanrasset, his movement has come a cropper." He turned his eyes back to Crawford, who was nervously running his hand through his hair. "I knew you had done considerable work in this area, so your whereabouts became obvious seeing that Tamanrasset is in Tuareg country. It was simply a matter of finding what Tuareg encampment was your base, and since your quickest manner of gathering support would be to swing the Amenokal to your banner, I headed for his usual encampment this time of year."