condensed master

Will Bonner
where one might choose to venture. There was that acrid smell again, difficult to
describe. Not distinguishable as human or animal, but a cocktail of everything the
culture emanated, which seemed to be magnified by the heat. One just had to be
there to experience it.
Will walked on, increasing his stride to shrug off the persistent tugging of his
clothes by the native population to get attention. He was heading for a barber shop
in the vicinity to get a haircut. He knew he would be in the chair for about two
hours, and after some lunch would spend the rest of the day in the bazaars hoping
to pick something up to take back home to his mother.
Arriving back at the ship during the early evening, and finding that the diningroom
was still open, he helped himself to a meal from the galley and sat at an
empty table. It had been a good first day ashore and he felt relaxed, enjoying his
meal without the interruption of the ship's movement.
"There you are Will." It was Wes Brampton. "I haven't seen you for awhile,
but I thought I would catch up with you eventually. Have you been ashore yet?"
"Yes Wes, all day. I really enjoyed it."
"Take some advice from an old man, and don't go into the native quarter on
your own."
"No, I won't Dad," countered Will, jokingly.
"There's been someone asking for you." This last remark demanded Will's full
attention. "He waited for you, but before he left I told him that you usually spent
time at the Taj Mahal Hotel during the afternoon, stopping for a drink and
sometimes a meal. He said he would wait there tomorrow for you."
Will bombarded Wes for more information, but there was very little he could
give other than that he had asked for Will by name, and Wes giving him a sketchy
description of the man.
"I'm off now. Don't forget about the native quarters, we don't want another
episode like Aden do we?"
"I promise Wes. Take care, see you soon."
Here we go again! Will thought. Wes did not know this man, so he can't be
a crew member. The only positive information indicated that he was European.
It's no good trying to see into the future, he would have to see what tomorrow
would bring, but the meeting with the correspondent at Algiers kept surfacing in
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