The Panther [antikvár]

CHAPTER ONEA man wearing the white robes of a Bedouin, Bulus ibn al-Darwish by name, known also by his Al Qaeda nom de guerre as al-NumairThe Pantherstood to the side of the Belgian tour group.The Belgians had arrived in a minibus from Sanaa, four men and five women, with their Yemeni driver, and their Yemeni tour guide, a man named Wasim al-Rahib. The driver had stayed in the air-conditioned minibus, out of the hot August sun.The tour guide, Wasim, spoke no French, but his English was good, and one of the Belgians, Annette, a girl of about sixteen, also spoke English and was able to translate into French for her compatriots.Wasim said to his group, "This is the famous Bar'an Temple, also known as Arsh Bilqisthe throne of the Queen of Sheba."Annette translated, and the tour group nodded and began taking pictures.Al-Numair, The Panther, scanned the ruins of the temple complexover an acre of brown sandstone walls, towering square columns, and open courtyards, baking in the desert sun. American and European archaeologists had spent many years and much money uncovering and restoring these pagan ruinsand then they had left because of tribal suspicion, and more recently Al Qaeda activity. Such a waste of time and money, thought The Panther. He looked forward to the day when the Western tourists stopped coming and this