Just as the sun became hot, the Bedouin workers appeared. Ducharme called the team down from the tell to introduce the dark-skinned young men and assign them to different sections. Marya wiped the sweat from her eyes and surveyed the six Bedouin boys, no older than seventeen. They were wiry and thin, wearing loose shirts, pants, and plastic sandals, with headcloths on their heads. One of them, one of the smaller ones, appeared to be the leader; his name was Yusef and he communicated with Dr. Ducharme on behalf of the others. Luke nudged Marya forward. "I think your services might be needed." Marya stepped forward, and the Bedouin boys looked at her suspiciously. Yusef said in Arabic, "Now who's this?" Marya licked her lips. "My name is Marya," she managed in her pathetic Arabic. Yusef's eyebrows shot up and he grinned, revealing that he had most of his teeth. "She speaks Arabic! Brothers, they brought someone who speaks Arabic this year!
