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

and then he would not be present to mitigate their interest. In spite of
himself, now he growled, "What beliefs? What truths? I know not of this El
Hassan of whom you speak."

Omar said slowly, "Among them, the teachings of a great wise man
from a far land. That all men should be considered equal in the eyes of
society and should have equal right to life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness."

"Equal!" one of the warriors ejaculated. "This is not wisdom, but
nonsense. No two men are equal."

Omar waggled a finger negatively. "Like so many, you fail to explore the
teaching. Obviously, no man of wisdom would contend that all men are
equally tall, or strong, or wise, or cunning, nor even fortunate. No two men
are equal in such regards. But all men should have equal right to life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness, whatever that might mean to him as
an individual."

One of the Tuareg said slyly, "And the murderer of one of your kinsmen,
should he, too, have life and liberty, in the belief of El Hassan?"

"Obviously, the community must protect itself against those who would
destroy the life or liberty of others. The murderer of a kinsman of mine, as
well as any other man, myself included, should be subject equally to the
same law."

It was a new conception to members of a tribal society such as that of
the Ahaggar Tuareg. They stirred under both its appeal and its negation of
all they knew. A man owed alliance to his immediate family, to his clan,
his tribe, then to the Tuareg confederation—in decreasing degree. Beyond
that, all were enemies, as all men knew.

One protested slowly, seeking out his words, "Your El Hassan preaches
this equality, but surely the wiser man and the stronger man will soon find
his way to the top in any land, in any tribe, even in the nations of the
Rouma."

Omar shrugged. "Who could contend otherwise? But each man should
be free to develop his own possibilities, be they strength of arm or of
brain. Let no man exploit another, nor suppress another's abilities. If a
Bela slave has more ability than a Surgu Tuareg noble, let him profit to
the full by his gifts."

There was a cold silence.

Omar finished gently by saying, "Or so El Hassan teaches, and so they
teach in the new schools in Tamanrasset and Gao, in Timbuktu and
Reggan, in the big universities at Kano, Dakar, Bamako, Accra and
Abidian. And throughout North Africa the wave of the future flows over