176 | John W. Warner IV all of the SOE chaps are busy in Europe or Burma. Hello? Tillings? Get hold of French General Sylvie over at their headquarters. He waited a minute. Hello? Bonjour} Yes I… who? Alice mumbled: SOE? Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare chaps. I had a little training a while back with them yknow. Basic stuff. A rough go. Inter-Service Research Boardmembers in good standing, sniffed Bea. Bernie added: In America theyre called Winnies Secret Army. Or in our case, the Bureau of Unladylike Sand-Sappers, said Alice. An hour later, he arrived under guard, stiffly saluting McMaster; kepi was removed. Monsiuerle Brigadier, Sergeant-Chef Gwafa Jean-Pierre Modibo Mahamadou, reporting as ordered. Bea got up and kissed him on both cheeks. Im officially a civilian now, so good to see you. Now I know why you wanted me to call you just plain ol Gwafa. He smiled. And you, madame, une honneur. McMaster shook hands. Your Colonel Rouyre speaks highly of you. Sorry about the, uh, Panzer fuss, as it were, but we know its the truth now. All over town. Merci beaucoup, sir. No one believed it. Why would they? A woman, a black, and a Maori. McMaster looked through Gwafas file. All good. How much schooling have you had? Gwafa looked embarrassed. Sir, I ran away when I was fourteen. All of Africa and everything in it has been my school, but she has taught me much. I read many books on Moorish Science, speak many dialects. I feel with my heart, see with my soul, hear with my mind. McMaster smiled and put his hand on his shoulder. Good. Any…mystery school learning? Gwafa looked puzzled for a moment. By that, sir, do you mean…the Quran, prophets, and the teachings of wise men? This perhaps I can say I know well. Samis poetry, prophets Muhammad, Hud, and Salih, astrologer Ahmad ibn al-Buni, architecture and geometry, sundials, astrolabes. Les cartes anciennes, the maps of Al- Masudi and Admiral Piri Reis. Very little forbidden astrology, but I peeked at it long ago. I am Aries. Stubborn horns.