"Farther than that," the one labeled Jack said without a smile changing the seriousness of his face. "We're originally from Trinidad."
Donaldson said, "And this is David Moroka, late of South Africa."
The wiry South African said easily, "Not so very late. In fact, I haven't seen Jo-burg since I was a boy."
He was shaking hands with Isobel now. "Jo-burg?" she said.
"Johannesburg," he translated. "I got out by the skin of my teeth during the troubles in the 1950s."
"You sound like an American," Cliff said when it was his turn to shake.
"Educated in the States," Moroka said. "Best thing that ever happened to me was to be kicked out of the land of my birth."
Homer made a sweeping gesture at the floor and the few articles of furniture the tent contained that could be improvised as chairs. "I'm surprised you're up here instead of in your own neck of the woods," he said to the South African.
Moroka shrugged. "I was considering heading south when I ran into Jimmy and Jack, here. They'd already got the word on the El Hassan movement from Rex. Their arguments made sense to me."
Eyes went to the brothers from Trinidad and Jack Peters took over the position of spokesman. He said, seriously, as though trying to convince the others, "North Africa is the starting point, the beginning. Given El Hassan's success in uniting North Africa, the central areas and later even the south will fall into line. Perhaps one day there will be a union of all Africa."