Chapter 8 battle in the desert

The three of them squatted on the roof of the small building where the dancers lived, and the angry shouts of the Arabs in the room came from below.From time to time, Abu Dar translated the scolding content to Taishan. "They blamed the guards on the street!" Abudar said, "They let us go easily. The people on the street said that we didn't jump down at all, so we must still be hiding in the building, but They were too timid to continue the search, and they lied to us that we had escaped. After a while, they themselves would be fighting very loudly." After a while, the people in the building stopped searching and went back to the cafe.There are still a few people on the street, smoking and chatting.

Taishan said to the girl that he was very grateful for the sacrifice she made for a stranger. "I like you," she said bluntly. "You're not like the other guys who come to the coffee shop. You don't speak foul words to me, and you don't give me money in a frivolous way." "But what will you do in the future?" he asked. "Not only will you not be able to go back to the coffee shop, but you may not even be able to stay in Seti Aisa safely." "Tomorrow people will forget all about it," she replied, "but it's the only thing I'd like to never go back to this café, or any other! I don't want to die here. I'm just a prisoner."

"Prisoner?" Tarzan asked in surprise. "A slave, more precisely," she replied. "I was taken from my father's tribe by a gang of bandits. They brought me here and sold me to the owner of this cafe, an Arab. I have been away from my family for almost two years. They are far, far south and I am afraid they will never reach Seti Aisa." "Do you want to go home?" Taishan asked, "I promise to send you. At least I can send you to Busada safely. Once there, the commander of the city defense can send someone to escort you for the rest of the journey."

"Oh, sir," she said cheerfully, "what shall I repay you! Can you really save a poor dancing girl? But my father can and will repay you. He is Cander Ben · Heaton Reed grows." "Kander ben Heaton?" said Tarzan in surprise, "Kander ben Heaton is at Seti Isa tonight, and dined with me a few hours ago!" "My father is in Seti Aisa?" the girl cried out in amazement. "Thank God, I am saved!" "Shh—" Abudar made a gesture to speak in a low voice, "Listen." There were voices from downstairs again.Because the night is quiet, I can hear clearly.

Taishan couldn't understand, so Abudar and the girl translated for him. "They're gone, sir," said the girl, "and it was you they wanted. One man said that the stranger who paid them to kill you lived at the house of the Schleifer in Archimedes. His wrists let you It’s broken. But this person has already offered a reward, and whoever can ambush you on the road to Jibshada will give more money.” "He's the one who followed you in the market today!" Abdal said. "I saw him again in the cafe at night, and there was another guy with him. The two guys sneaked into the small room after talking to the girl." It was the two rascals who jumped at us and shot us as we retreated from the cafe into the courtyard. Why did they kill you, sir?"

"I don't know either." Taishan replied.After a pause, he said again: "Unless..." But he didn't finish his sentence, and the idea that suddenly flashed through his mind seemed to be the only explanation for this matter, but it seemed absolutely impossible. After a while, everyone on the street left.The yard and cafe are also empty.Taishan cautiously jumped onto the window sill of the girl's hut, and seeing that the hut was also empty, he climbed up to the roof again and let Abu Dar go down first, and then asked him to take the girl into the hut through the window.

The window was not too high from the street, so Abudar jumped down.Tai Shan held the girl in his arms and leaped out of the window just like he carried things in the jungle before and jumped countless times.The girl screamed in fright, but when Mount Tai fell to the ground, there was no vibration at all, and her feet landed on the ground safely. She hugged him tightly. "Sir, how strong and how agile!" she said happily. "El Arduan, our black lion, is no match for you!" "I'd love to meet your El Ari," he said. "I've heard a lot about them."

"You will see them if you go to my father's land," said the girl. "The black lions haunt the mountains to the north of us, and their claws are so strong that they can crush the skull of a bull with one blow. If you encounter it, you will die." They found the hotel safely.The bleary-eyed shopkeeper sternly refused to find Kander ben Heaton for them at once, and asked them to come back the next morning. But a gold coin turned the tide.After a while, a servant asked the people who took care of the mules and horses in the hotel one by one for them.Because they may have some contacts with the chiefs from the desert and provide some clues.Taishan felt that it was necessary to find the girl's father that night. He was afraid that the chief would leave too early the next morning and miss the opportunity to meet him.

They waited for about half an hour before a servant brought Khand ben Heaton. There was a look of doubt on the old chief's always haughty face when he entered the room. "It's a great honor, Mr. Meng..." Before he finished speaking, his eyes fell on the girl. "My daughter!" he cried, reaching her with outstretched arms. "God is merciful!" The old warrior's heroic eyes filled with tears. After hearing the story of his daughter's abduction and eventual rescue, Khand Ben Heaton reached out to Tarzan. "Everything that Cander ben Heaton owns is yours, my friend, even his life." He was terse, but Tarzan knew that this was no politeness, much less a joke.

They immediately agreed that it was best to set off before dawn.In this way, Tarzan, Abu Dar and the chief's daughter had to get on their horses without sleeping for a few hours, because they had to arrive at Bushada that day.For three men, it was nothing, of course, but the girl had to suffer from the fatigue of the pommel horse. However, she can't wait to endure this hardship, and she can't wait to go back to her hometown where she has been away for two years, and reunite with her relatives and friends. Taishan felt that he was woken up before closing his eyes.An hour later, the four of them were heading south towards Bousada.At first the road was easy to go, and they galloped on horses.But after a few miles, there was a desert, and every time the horse took a step, the hooves would sink deeply into the sand.Along with Taishan, Abu Dar, the chief, and his daughter were four brave men from the chief's tribe.They had come to Setivenza with the chief.They have seven guns in total, so they are not afraid of being attacked when they travel during the day.If all goes well, you can reach Bousada before dark.

A gust of wind raised the yellow sand that covered the sun and swept them.Taishan felt his mouth was parched and his lips were cracked.The scenery he saw was by no means attractive. The vast expanse of sand sea has only undulating dunes and clusters of lifeless shrubs.To the south looms the outline of Mount Atlantis in the Sahara Desert. Taishan thought, what a world of difference between this place and the beautiful West Africa where he spent his childhood! Abu Dar's vigilance has always been high, looking back and forth from time to time.Every time he climbed a sand dune, he would turn his horse's head, look far away, and search the sand sea very carefully.Later, he finally found the target. "Look!" he cried, "behind us are six men on horseback." "Undoubtedly, it was those 'friends' of yours last night, sir." Cander ben Heaton said to Tarzan in a very stern tone. "Yes, without a doubt," said Tarzan. "I'm sorry that your safety was threatened on the way because of me. However, when I reached the next village, I stopped and asked them what happened. You can Continue on your way. Tonight, I don't have to rush to Bushada. You can go on your own, so you can be safe." "If you don't go, we won't go," said Cander ben Heaton, "and we'll go with you until you're safe with your friends, or these rascals don't run after you .There is no need to say anything else." Taishan could only nod his head.He was not very talkative, and perhaps for that reason—and others, of course—Kander ben Heaton liked him. What Arabs hate most is chatterboxes. After that, Abu Dar has been keeping an eye on the few riders following them.These few people always keep a constant distance from them.When they stopped to rest, it was the time when they took a longer break at noon, and the six people didn't take the opportunity to chase after them. "They're waiting for dark," said Candle, Ben Heaton. Before reaching Bousada, it was getting dark.Before the twilight completely enveloped the figures in white robes behind them, Abu Dar glanced back again, and found that they had obviously sped up their speed and were shortening the distance between them and their "prey".He quietly told Taishan about this discovery, because he didn't want to disturb the girl.The ape Tai Shan turned his horse's head and walked side by side with him. "Go forward with them, Abu Dar," Taishan said, "this fight is my own business, and I will wait for the next favorable place to meet them with swords and guns." "Abu Dar is waiting with you," replied the young Arab. And neither persuasion nor orders could change his decision. "Well, then," replied Tarzan, "this place is ideal. There are many rocks on the hill, we can hide there, and wait for the gentlemen to come and settle the account with them." They reined in and dismounted.The few people walking in front had disappeared in the night.In the distance, Bousada lights flickered.Tarzan undid the gun jacket, took out the rifle, and loosened the holster of the pistol.He told Abu Dar to retreat behind the rocks with the horses.In this way, if the enemy shoots, he will not be hit by stray bullets.The Arab boy pretended to follow his plan, but tied the two horses firmly behind the bushes, then crept back quietly, and took cover a few steps behind Tarzan. Tarzan the Ape stood erect in the middle of the road and waited.Not long after, there was the sound of galloping horses' hooves in the darkness, and after a while, a gray figure was seen swaying in the dark night. "Stop!" he yelled, "If you don't stop, you'll shoot!" Those gray-white figures stopped suddenly, and suddenly, there was a dead silence all around.Then there was a low voice discussing things.After the discussion, the six riders went their separate ways like ghosts and scattered in all directions.There was silence again in the desert.It was an ominous omen, and the silence would be followed by a fierce battle. Abu Dar knelt on the ground with one leg, straightened up and looked around.Taishan listened quietly, and after a while, his well-trained ears heard the horses coming back from east, west, south, and north, stepping on the soft sand.They are surrounded.A shot rang out head-on.A bullet whizzed through the air and flew over his head.He fired a shot into the place where the flames were lit. Immediately, intermittent gunshots sounded from all directions in the silent desert. Abudar and Fengshan couldn't see the enemy hidden in the darkness, so they could only shoot at the fire.After a while, the enemy narrowed the encirclement.They have found that there are very few opponents. One guy got too close.Tai Shan was used to watching Dong Si in the dark jungle, and suddenly found something shaking in the night here, he fired a shot, and with a scream, a saddle was empty. "We have equal opportunities with them, Abu Dar." Tarzan said with a soft smile. They are still surrounded by enemies.The remaining five guys gave an order, galloped their horses, and pressed them over. The fierceness seemed to be that the battle would end soon. Taishan and Abu Dar hid behind Yanzhao, ready to fight and rushed from the opposite side The enemy, galloping horses, whirled with crazy hooves, and the two warring sides shot at each other, weaving a net of fire.The Arabs withdrew and tried another trick.But at this time it was already four to two. For a while, there was silence in the darkness, not even a sound.Taishan couldn't figure out whether they didn't want to fight anymore because they lost two people, or they set up an ambush on the road ahead.Wait for another surprise attack on their way to Bousada.But before he had time to think about it, the four people counterattacked from the same direction.However, as soon as they fired the first shot, there was intensive gunfire behind them.On the road leading to Bousada, there was the savage shouting and chaotic hooves of a troop of cavalry coming to join the battle. The Arabs dared not fight, and before they could figure out who was coming, they fired a few shots indiscriminately, galloped across the highlands held by Mount Tai and Abu Dar, and went straight to the road leading to Seti Aisa.In a short while Khand ben Heaton led his men up the hill. The old chief was relieved when he saw that Taishan and Abu Dar hadn't even scratched their skins.Their horses were also unhurt.Everyone found the two people who had been shot by Taishan and found that they were both dead, so they threw them there and ignored them. "Why didn't you tell me when you planned to ambush these fellows?" said the chief angrily. "If the seven of us do it together, we will kill them all." "In that case, there would be no need to stop and lay an ambush," replied Tarzan, "if we keep advancing towards Bushada, they will soon overtake us. At that time, everyone can naturally participate in the battle.The problem is, I don't want to transfer the responsibility that should be borne by me to others, so I decided to let Abu Dar and I settle the score with them.Besides, there is your daughter. I can't let her be needlessly exposed to six bad guys for me. Kander ben Heaton shrugged.He couldn't be willing to be tricked out of the fight like this. The skirmish, which took place so close to Bousada, drew a company of cavalry out of the city.Taishan's group met them outside the city.The officer in charge of the unit stopped them all and explained why the shots were fired. "A handful of bandits," replied Khand ben Heaton, "assaulted two of my stragglers. When we returned, they were scattered. Two of them died, and mine suffered no injuries. " The officer seemed content with the question and answer.After asking their names, he took his own soldiers to the place where the small-scale battle had just happened, and carried the two dead bodies, with the purpose of confirming their identities later if possible. Two days later, Khand Ben Hidon rode with his daughter and entourage through the pass below the city of Bhushada and headed south to a more desolate and distant hometown.The chief urged Tarzan to go with him, and the girl begged her father to help him.But Taishan could not agree.A series of incidents in the past few days made him feel that his responsibility was extremely heavy, and he could not leave his post for a moment.Of course he couldn't explain this to the chief and his daughter. But I made an agreement with them that I would visit them whenever possible in the future.The chief and his daughter had to reluctantly agree. For the past two days, Tarzan has actually been staying with Kander ben Heaton and his daughter.He was very interested in this unsmiling, almost rigid people and noble warriors, and especially cherished their friendship and this opportunity to know their life and habits.He even learned their language a little bit with the help of this lovely brown-eyed girl.Riding on his horse, he sent them to the pass outside the city, and with an infinite sense of farewell in his heart, he watched the small team disappear behind the sand dunes. These are people who can communicate with him!Their rough and savage. A life full of danger and hardship strongly attracted this half-civilized person.Never had he experienced such a calling and attraction among the delicate civilized people of the great cities he had visited.He found life with the old chief even more interesting than life in the jungle, because they had people to associate with—real people worthy of his respect and admiration; and they were not far from nature, which he liked.An idea kept haunting his mind: when his errand was over, he would go to the tribe of Khand ben Heaton and spend the rest of his days with them. He reined in his horse and walked slowly towards Bushada. Mount Tarzan collapsed at the Sahara Hotel.There is a bar in the lobby of the hotel.Two dining rooms and a kitchen.Both restaurants communicated with bars, one of which was reserved for officers of the local garrison.Standing in the bar, you can "take care" of the restaurants on both sides at the same time. After sending Cander ben Heaton and his party on their way, Tarzan went into the bar to rest a bit.It was still early in the day, and Khand ben Heaton set off early, as he was on his way.After Taishan sent them back, some people were having breakfast. Taishan glanced inadvertently at the restaurant where the officers were dining, but what he saw aroused his interest.It turned out that Lieutenant Gnoes was sitting there, and when Tarzan saw him, an Arab man in a white robe came up, bent down, whispered something to him, and then walked out of the dining room through another door. This incident itself is actually nothing to make a fuss about.But as the man stooped to speak, the turbaned coat parted open, revealing his left arm in a bandage.