Flights

ANOTHER OF MENCHU’S TALES

A certain nomadic tribe lived for years in the desert between Christian and Muslim settlements, so they learned a lot. In times of famine, drought or threat they were obliged to seek refuge among their settled neighbours. First they would send a messenger who would observe the customs of the settlement from behind the brushwood and, based on the sounds, smells and costumes, determined whether the village was Muslim or Christian. The messenger would return with this information to his tribe, and then they would take out of their panniers the requisite props and head out into the oases, posing as fellow believers. They were never refused help.

Menchu swore that she was telling me the truth.