"Mack Reynolds - North Africa 01 - Blackman's Burden" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reynolds Mack)

away.

"She must drop the veil," the man continued clearly, "and give up the
haik and wear the new clothes. But she will be well paid, and taught to
read and be kept in the best of comfort and health."

There was a low gasp from several of the younger women, but one of the
eldest looked up in distaste. "Wear the clothes of the Roumal" she said
indignantly. "Shameless ones!"

The man's voice was testy. He himself was dressed in the clothing worn
always by the Rouma, when the Rouma had controlled the Niger bend. He
said, "These are not the clothes of the Rouma, but the clothes of civilized
people everywhere."

The women's attention went back to their washing. Two or three of
them giggled.

The elderly woman said, "There are none here who will go with you, for
whatever shameless purpose you have in your mind."

But Izubahil, the strange girl come out of the desert from the north,
spoke suddenly. "I will," she said.

There was a gasp, and all looked at her in wide-eyed alarm. She began
making her way to the shore, her unfinished washing still in hand.

The stranger said clearly, "And drop the veil, discard the haik for the
new clothing, and attend the schools?"

There was another gasp as Izubahil said definitely, "Yes, all these
things." She looked back at the women. "So that I may learn all these new
ways."

The more elderly sniffed and turned their backs in scorn, but the
younger stared after her in some amazement and until she disappeared
with the two strangers into one of the buildings which had formerly
housed the French Administration officers back in the days when the area
was known as the French Sudan.

Inside, the boy strangers turned to her and the one who had spoken at
the river bank said in English, "How goes it?"

"Heavens to Betsy," Isobel Cunningham said with a grin, "get me a
drink. If I'd known majoring in anthropology was going to wind up with
my doing a strip tease with a bunch of natives in the Niger River, I would
have taken up Home Economics, like my dear old mother wanted!" They
laughed with her and Jacob Armstrong, the older of the two, went over to
a sideboard and mixed her a cognac and soda. "Ice?" he said.