Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Camel Caravan

As Mr. De Charais said at the club assembly, work would resume in an orderly and efficient manner upon his return from the expedition he envisages, and the water in Gabes Bay would eventually pass through the new tunnel dug on the Gabes Ridge. The canal is drawn out.Before that, however, all remaining old works must be verified on the spot, and for this purpose it is best to go through the whole of the Djerid district, following the remains of the original canal to its exit at the Larsa Salt Flats, Follow the remains of the second canal until its exit at the Larsa Salt Flats in the Malegir Salt Flats (this canal crosses some small salt flats that separate the above two), then , after meeting a column of workers recruited in Biskra, walk around the Maregir Salt Flats and locate the various ports on the Sahara Sea.

In order to develop the 250 hectares of land ceded to the French overseas company by the state, and to be able to redeem the works carried out by this company, as well as the important materials left next to the buildings under construction, a powerful company under the board of directors headquartered in Paris established under the leadership.It appears that the public has enthusiastically welcomed the new company's stock and bond offerings.The exchanges kept the market prices of these stocks and bonds on an upward trajectory, a sign of financial success for the company's leaders in major deals and most lucrative public works.

It follows that the future of this cause, one of the greatest of the twentieth century, is in every way secure. The engineer who was the head of the new company was just the presenter, who had just studied the progress of an earlier project that had been carried out before him.He must be the leader of any proposed expedition to understand the current state of these works. Mr. Descharais is a 40-year-old, of medium build, more judgmental than stubborn, plain-spoken, with brush-cut hair, an orange beard, thin lips, and intense, focused eyes. .Broad shoulders, thick feet, and lungs in the thick chest, running freely like a compressor installed in an air-circulating hall, indicate a strong physique.Mentally, the engineer was as tough as his physique.He came from a first-class power station, and his first projects attracted attention, which was a swift step on the road of his destiny.In addition, his thinking has always been practical.He is deliberate, methodical, exacting, and, if you will admit the qualifiers, he believes in no illusions.Some people talk about him like this: a situation or an event, no matter whether the opportunity is good or bad, he will make precise calculations, even "reckoning to the tenth decimal place".He digitized everything, put everything into the equation, and one day he will deny a person to have imagination.This is simply a number man, an algebra man. This kind of person is responsible for such an important project as the Sahara Sea, and it will surely have a happy ending.

Again, since M. de Charley, after his sober and careful study of Captain Rudale's plan, has declared that it is feasible because it has been carried out, he has no doubts that, in his Under the leadership, there are no miscalculations, either in the material part or in the financial part. "Now that Descharais is in and someone who knows the engineer is willing to get back to work, it's going to be easy!" And everything will ensure that they don't cheat each other. Mr. Descharais wanted to go along the perimeter of the Sea of ​​the Future, wanted to prove that nothing would stop the water from flowing through the first canal to Larsa and the second to Malegil, wanted to prove that the steep banks and beaches accommodate The status of the 2.8 billion tons of water.

Since the senior management of his future collaborators had to understand the data from the old company as well as the engineers or the new engineering contractors (many and important of whom could not have stayed at Gabes since then), In order to avoid conflicts of authority in the future, the chief engineer decided not to take away any members of the company that were still short. But there is a servant, a waiter, more precisely the "handyman," because he justifies the designation, and although this person is not domestic, or no better than the "regular man," he follows the engineer.Monsieur François, meticulous, methodical, "militarized" as it were - although he never served in the military, was indeed a good fit for his master.He is in good health, hard-working without complaint, exhaustion is inevitable for him in the ten years he has served the engineer.He seldom speaks, but the reason why he speaks sparingly is for the sake of thinking.Mr. de Charley thought that he was a man of perfect prudence, like a perfect and delicate instrument.He was simple, secretive, and decent, he had to shave every day, he wore neither whiskers nor beards, and even in the most difficult circumstances he did not neglect this daily activity.

It goes without saying that the expedition organized by the chief engineer of the French company Sahara Marine could not have been successful if precautions had not been taken.He and his servants had ventured across Jerred alone, and M. de Charley had indeed been imprudent.As we all know, in this area where nomads come and go, communication by camel caravans is not very reliable.Even so, the company still has some poorly guarded or unguarded, in short, scattered old facilities, as well as several security posts that have been built and have been evacuated for many years.How can one forget the violation of these facilities by Adiyar and his gang, and it was this fearsome chieftain who, after being captured and imprisoned and awaiting justice, slipped away and disappeared from the area.Does he want to keep robbing?This is completely predictable.

Besides, the current situation is presumably in his favour.In Algeria and southern Tunisia, there were very few Arabs, more settlers and nomads from the Djerid region, who accepted without resistance the implementation of Captain Roudel's plan.The implementation of the program has caused many oases in the Larsa and Malegir areas to disappear.Although the owners of these oases have been compensated, in short, in their opinion, it is not worthwhile.To be sure, some of their interests were injured, and the thought of their fertile land being lost under the sea from the bay of the little shoal engulfed the landowners with bitter hatred.And now, the new circumstances of the matter must have disturbed the habits of these tribes, and besides, the number of Tuaregs who were ready to resume their career of risky robbing camel caravans must be counted.When there are no roads between the lagoons and the salt lakes, when the Kafirahs who have traveled across the desert since ancient times to the cities of Biskra, Thugurt or Gabes do not trade, what will become of them?There may be a fleet of schooners, schooners, dhows, brigs, three-masted ships and other sailing ships or ships, accompanied by local Muslims and sailors. The southern part of the mountains is engaged in the transportation of goods.How did the Tuareg want to attack them?This would instantly destroy tribes that depended on plunder or robbery at sea.

In this way, it will be understood that a vague commotion has spread among this particular group of people.Their leader urged them to rebel.On many occasions Arab workers hired to dig canals were suddenly attacked by over-excited gangs and had to resort to the protection of the Algerian troops. The hermits of Islam said in their sermons: "On what basis do these foreigners turn our oases and plains into the sea?...Why do they try to destroy what nature has created?...The Mediterranean Sea is not big enough for them to Want to add our vast salt lake country to the Mediterranean!... Let these Christians sail here if they will, if that's their pleasure, we, we are the masters of the land, and Jared is the kaffirah For people to pass by, not for ships! . . . These foreigners should be wiped out before the sea invades and drowns the homeland that belongs to us, the homeland of our ancestors..."

These ever-growing disturbances could profit in the destruction of French companies abroad.Then, over time, the uproar seemed to subside after the project was abandoned.But the encroachment of the sea on the desert still haunts the minds of the inhabitants of Jared.Since the Tuaregs divided their lands south of Arad, they have earnestly maintained mutual relations, and like Muslims or pilgrims returning from Mecca, it is natural to attribute the loss of their independence to their Egyptian congregants For the construction of the Suez Canal, the loss of independence is still a kind of prejudice for everyone. This prejudice is incompatible with the fatalism of Muslims.Since there are stories and other works by numerous Arab, Persian and Turkish story writers, these discarded devices and their amazing implements, such as giant dredgers with strange joysticks, huge arms The excavators—they are, with every reason, likened to gigantic terrestrial octopuses—play a magical role in the tales that are readily made up locally and that posterity continues to love.

These stories make the invasion of the sea linger in the minds of the locals like a demon possessed, and revive the memories of the old people. It should come as no surprise, however, that before our arrival, and before Adyar's arrest, he and his associates committed various violations of these facilities on more than one occasion. Therefore, this expedition of the engineer was carried out under the protection of the North African cavalry escort.The expedition was under the command of Captain Ardigan and Lieutenant Viette, and it would be difficult to choose any better than these two commanders.They knew the South and had done a good job against Adiyar and his gang, and now they had to study the security measures to be taken in the future.

Captain Altigaon is now only thirty-two years old, at the prime of his life. He is both intelligent and courageous. He is bold, but not reckless. He is very used to hard work in a climate like Africa. Get irrefutable proof.This is a perfect officer, a dynamic soldier, a soldier who is a soldier by profession.What's more, he is single now and doesn't even have close relatives. He regards the army as his family and his comrades as brothers.In the army, everyone not only respected him, people loved him, but as for his men, they showed both love and gratitude, and they did not hesitate to sacrifice their lives for him.He can completely rely on them, because he can ask of them anything. Suffice it to say of Lieutenant Viette that, like the captain, he was brave, energetic, determined, indefatigable, and an excellent cavalryman, as he had proved in previous expeditions.This was a very reliable officer, from a wealthy entrepreneurial family, with a promising future ahead of him.He graduated from Saumur's Junior Riding School and shortly thereafter received his advanced degree. When the expedition had been decided upon, Lieutenant Viette had to be recalled from France.When he learned that the expedition was to be completed under the command of Captain Aldigon, he came to him and said to him: "My Captain, I think it would be great to be part of your force..." "I think it would be great to be a part of your strength." The captain replied to the lieutenant with the same words, which were friendly and sincere among comrades. "I'll come back from France in two months, and it will happen anyway..." "Anyway, my dear Viette, it's even better, because you'll bring back the latest news about the Sahara from there!" "My lieutenant, in fact, we'll be looking at these salt lakes in Algeria for the last time before they're submerged..." "This kind of disappearance may be as long as Africa lasts, that is to say, as long as our earthly world lasts, it will disappear as long as it lasts." Captain Aldigan replied. "There is reason to believe it, my captain! Well, it's settled, then... I'll be glad to join you in this little battle... A casual walk for sure..." "A casual walk, as you say, my dear Viette, especially since we've been able to rid the area of ​​that lunatic Adiyar..." "This is a capture in your honor, my captain." "This honor belongs to you too, Viette!" It goes without saying that the conversation between Captain Aldigon and Lieutenant Viette took place before the Tuareg chief had successfully escaped from the fortress of Gabes.But since the leader escaped, he was probably worried about new attacks. For the leader, it was extremely easy for the leader to launch a rebellion among the tribes whose living environment was bound to be changed by the inland sea. Therefore, expeditions should take care to proceed slowly when crossing the Djerid region, and Aldigan is very careful about this. It seemed surprising that Sergeant Major Nicole hadn't expected him to be part of the escort.Wherever Aldigan was going, the Sergeant Major had to go.He had taken part in the battle to capture Adiyar, and the expedition he was about to join might even put his captain in a position of fire with the Tuareg bandits. The 35-year-old aide-de-camp, who has been serving with the same North African cavalry regiment, has been on multiple leave of absence.The double-barreled metal lines on the rank of sergeant major fulfilled his ambitions.He wanted nothing more than to do his military service well and try to live on his pension, but to retire as late as possible: he was an exceptionally hard soldier, a very clever man.Nicole knows nothing but discipline.To him this was the law of existence, and he wished to enforce discipline both among the common people and among the soldiers.However, since he admits that man was created only to serve under a banner, it also appears that he is incomplete if he has not found his natural complement in the horse. He used to say: "Glory and I, we are two in one... I am its mind, it is my legs... You will admit the fact that a horse's legs are better for walking than a man's! . . . And if we With 4 legs, we should have 6, but we only have 2!  …” Everyone watched the sergeant major envious of the multi-legged animal, and anyway, his horse and he got along very well with each other. Nicole, a little taller than average, with broad shoulders and a flat chest, tended to stay thin rather than gain fat, and he was willing to sacrifice for everyone.Since he had foreseen the slight symptoms of fatness, he considered himself the unluckiest of men.Besides, he fastened the buttons of his blue uniform, and slammed the ribbed buttons into the buttonholes, which did a good job of curbing the intrusion of obesity, since he was built so thin.This Nicole, with reddish-brown hair, a fiery reddish-brown, cut in a brush cut, a bushy goatee on his chin, a thick mustache on his lips, and gray eyes that rested in their sockets Turning around, eyesight was astonishingly good, as a swallow could tell a fly at fifty paces, much to the admiration of Corporal Pistash. Pistash is a happy person, always in high spirits. He is almost 60 years old and still looks like 25 years old. Even a few hours late for dinner, he never complains about his hunger. He crosses the boundless plain under the scorching sun of the Sahara, When it is rare to see a source of water, it does not complain of thirst.This is one of those southern French heroes from Provence who is not at all sentimental, and Sergeant Nicole "prefers" sentimentality.So they were often seen staying together, one following the other throughout the entire expedition. When it is said that the detachment consisted of a certain number of North African cavalry, and that two wagons were drawn by mules to carry the camping and subsistence equipment of the detachment, it was known to be the convoy of the engineer de Charais. But even if nothing is said in particular about the horses that the officers and their men rode, it should be said in particular about Nicole's horse and his inseparable dog. This horse received the meaningful name of "Glory" from its owner, which is an expression of the horse itself.The animal proved to be a well-deserved title, always ready to go, always trying to keep ahead of the other horses, and only a knight as good as Nicole could have ridden him in a team.In addition, everyone knows that the tacit cooperation between humans and animals is really enviable. However, since it is acceptable for a horse to be called "Scramble for the First", how can a dog be called "Cutting the Heart" afterwards?Does this dog have the skills of a Munito or other reputable purebred?Did it make an appearance in the fairgrounds?Has it ever played cards in public? No, Nicole's sidekick and "Smear" don't possess any of these diplomatic skills.It was nothing but a brave and faithful animal, which honored the regiment, and was loved, cherished, and petted by officers and soldiers alike.But its real owner is the Sergeant Major, just as its closest friend is "Scrambler". However, Nicole had a special fondness for playing cards. To be honest, this was his only obsession. In the leisure time of the station, playing cards was his only pastime. It seemed difficult for him to have anything. There are more attractive things for the simple man, and he gave it his all, and his numerous victories earned him the nickname "The Poker Marshal"--a nickname he was very proud of. Why, two years ago, Nicole had played the lucky, last good card of all, and he liked to recall the good hand.That day, he and two comrades sat at a table in a cafe in Tunisia, showing a deck of 32 cards on the rug. After a long time, when his friend was proud, his usual fate and The skill was completely reversed, his three opponents had each won three rounds, and he had to hurry back to the barracks, the last round should decide the final victory. The "Marshal of Poker" felt that victory had passed him by; he had a bad day.Each has only one card left in his hand: his two opponents have a showdown, their best hopes, the Queen of Hearts in one and the King of Spades in the other.They may think that the ace of hearts or the final trump card is still in the deal. "'Cut Hearts'!" Nicole yelled loudly, pounding the table with his fist, and his trump card flew into the middle of the hall. The dog ran over to pick up the card gently, and ran back with it between its teeth. Until this unforgettable day, the dog still called Misto. "Thank you, thank you, my comrade," cried the sergeant major, as proud of his double victory as he was of pulling both enemy flags. "Cut the heart, did you hear that? I cut the heart..." The dog let out a long, triumphant bark. "Yes . . . cut hearts," repeated Nicole, "and it's not Misto anymore, and now you call it 'cut hearts'! What do you think? . . . " The new name must have been well suited to him, to the lovely animal, for, with one leap, the dog landed on his master's lap, which almost caused him to fall. However, Misto soon forgot its old name because of the new name "Cutting the Red Heart". Since then, this respectable name has been known throughout the regiment. There was no doubt that Sergeant Major Nicole and Corporal Pistash would happily accept this new expedition.However, they believe that this incident will definitely bring a lot of joy to "Rivalry" and "Cutting Hearts". On the eve of departure, the sergeant had a timely conversation on this matter with his two inseparable companions in front of the corporal. "Hey! My old Scrambler," said Nicole, patting the horse's neck, "so we're going to fight again? . . . " Presumably Scramble understood his master, for the horse neighed happily. Hearing the neighing, Heart Cut responded with a short, pleasant bark, which meant that they couldn't possibly be mistaken! "Yes, good dog, yes...you get it too!" the sergeant major added as Heart Cut hopped as if to jump on Scrambler's back.Indeed, the dog has been mounted several times on the back of the horse, and it seems that the horse is happy whether the dog is carried or the dog is carried by it! "Tomorrow we're leaving Gabes," the sergeant major continued, "and we're taking the road to the salt lakes... I want you both to be ready and not to be left behind! . . . " In answer to this command, the horse neighed again, and the dog also barked a few times. "That's right," Nicole continued, "you know that big devil Adiyar slipped away without a sound... that damned Tuareg we caught together..." If Scramble and Hearts didn't know about it in the past, now they do!what!This Tuareg scoundrel has escaped! ... "Why, my comrades," remarked the sergeant major, "we're likely to meet this rascal over there, this Adiyar, and we'll have to form a half circle to capture him." "Cutting Heart" was ready to pounce outside, but "First" just waited for his master to mount on his back and chase the rascal. "See you tomorrow...see you tomorrow..." the sergeant major repeated as he backed out. What is certain is that when animals speak, they are definitely not stupider than humans. "Rushing to be the first" and "cutting hearts" may answer like this: "See you tomorrow... Sergeant Major... see you tomorrow!"