Chapter 10 Chapter 10 at km 347

The problem is to call the place where the second canal leading to Malegil arrives is the city of Rouvel.In conclusion, since the canal takes the west bank of the Salt Lake of Malegir as its actual terminus, it has been considered to replace his name with the name of the chairman of the French Overseas Company, and to leave Rudel's name for those to be built in Mulaiye or Seti The ports of Er - the ports that run through the Sahara region, or the ports where the railway line connects to it.In the end, because his name was criticized by Larsa, people used to call this place 347 kilometers.

There are no more remains of this last stretch of the canal.The river channel, which expanded to a width of more than 100 meters, was filled with sand and stones.In this area, the excavation work has not been completely completed, which is feasible.But in those days—and M. de Charley knew nothing about it—at best a not-so-thick rim could stop the canal at its terminus, and it would only take a few days to poke it open.Apparently an indoctrinated, fanatical band of nomads passed through there, and within a day or so, destroyed what had taken so much time to build. The engineer stood motionless on a narrow ledge overlooking the junction of the canal and the salt lake, without saying a word, with two officers standing beside him, while the detachment was stationed at the foot of the dune, the engineer could not believe his eyes, and the A catastrophe sinks into melancholy contemplation.

"There are quite a few nomads in this area who are likely to attack," said Captain Aldigan, "by some tribes, instigated by their chiefs, Tuaregs or others from the Oasis of Malegir! These Those who blocked the road and robbed the camel caravan were madly against the Sahara Sea, and they must gather crowds to attack the construction site at a distance of 347 kilometers... This area must be guarded day and night by the Makojans to prevent nomads from attacking." The Magoccans whom Captain Aldigon spoke of formed the reserve of the regular African army, and it was these North African cavalry and Zambas who were responsible for internal policing and immediate repression.These are chosen among those who are wise and good, who do not side with their tribe for any reason, and whose blue woolen cloaks are their distinguishing mark, while chiefs have brown cloaks, and red cloaks It belongs to the uniform of the North African cavalry and is also a symbol of an important chieftain's fiefdom.Makjan squad leaders can be seen in some of the larger towns in the Jared area.But this was all a force, which had to be formed for the purpose of moving the works from one section to another while the works continued, and to prevent possible disturbances by hostile natives.When the new seas were used, and ships sailed to and from the flooded salt lakes, these hostile powers were less formidable.But, until then, it is important that the local area remains under strict surveillance.If the military authorities do not rectify there, then the attack on the end of the canal that has just occurred may also occur elsewhere.

At this time, the engineer and the two officers were negotiating.What should they do?First of all, to find the members of the construction team from the north.how to do itIn which direction to look for them?This is very important.Mr. Descharais said that if possible, they should be approached as early as possible because, in this case, their non-appointment is increasingly disturbing, and other matters will be discussed later.Bring back the men, the workers, the foremen, and the damage will be repaired in time, or so he thought. "As to the conditions of their protection," said Captain Aldigon, "that is not a task which my few North African cavalry will be able to do. To look after them, let us suppose we have found them, and to defend them against a great mass of marauding brigands. !..."

"So, we absolutely need reinforcements so that we can take the closest place," Lieutenant Viet said. "The nearest place is Viskra," Captain Aldigan declared. In fact, the city is located northwest of Malakir, at the entrance of the Great Desert and the Ziban Plain.During the Algerian occupation, from 1845, the city belonged to the province of Constantine, long at the forefront of the French Sahara, it had several thousand inhabitants and a military office.Its garrison, therefore, could at least temporarily provide a contingent of Aldigon's men and a few North African cavalry, and might even effectively protect the workers if they could be brought back to the work site.

So, with a lot of effort, Biskra can be reached in a few days, much closer than Tozeur and at the same distance as Nefta.However, the two municipalities can only provide the same reinforcements to Biskra, and if they decide to do so, one has the opportunity to encounter Puanta. "Alas! If these works are resumed, what is the use without manpower to defend them? The important thing is to know under what circumstances the workers are dismissed, and where do they flee to Gulea?" reminded the engineer. "Undoubtedly," Lieutenant Vieter added, "but here, no one told us! There may be fighting, let us bring some more locals, if they like, they will tell us something..."

"In short," continued Captain Aldigon, "there should be no further reconnaissance of Malegil, and a decision should be made whether we should go to Biskra or return to Gabes." M. de Charley was bewildered.An unforeseen possibility arose, and all that had to be done in a short time was to repair the canal and take steps to save it from new blows.But how to think about the matter until he has found the workers whose sight he had reached the second canal so moved him? As to the cause of the destruction of the works by the natives of the region, there is no doubt the discontent caused by the salt lakes which were soon to be flooded in Algeria.Who knows if this will lead to widespread riots among the tribes in the Jared area, and never be safe in the 400 kilometers between the Melakil Depression and the Gabes Green Uplift?

"At any rate," said Captain Aldigon, "we'll have an idea. We'll stay here for the time being, and we'll be on our way tomorrow." There is nothing better to do.After walking for a while under the scorching sun, everyone was quite tired and had to rest until morning.Tents were therefore ordered to be pitched, the caravans were arranged, the horses were put to pasture in the oasis, and self-defense was practiced as usual.Furthermore, the detachment does not appear to be in any danger.The attack on the construction site was, after all, a few days ago.All in all, the Gulea Oasis and its environ- ments looked pretty desolate.

While the engineer and the two officers were discussing the subject just mentioned, the sergeant major and the two North African cavalrymen walked towards the oasis. "Cutting the Red Heart" follows its owner.It was walking, searching around under the grass with its nose, and its attention did not seem to be awake. Suddenly, it stopped and raised its head again, with a frightened and stopped posture. Is Hearts Cutting smelling some prey running through the woods?Is some beast, lion or leopard about to jump out? The sergeant major was not mistaken.By the barking of the clever animal, he understood what the dog was going to say.

"There's a bad guy out there," he declared, "if we can catch one!" "Cutting Red Heart" rushed over, but its owner stopped it.If the native comes from this side, he should not be driven away.Besides, he must have heard the dog barking, maybe he didn't want to hide... Nicole quickly identified the location.An Arab man walked forward from among the trees, looking around, not worried about being seen.As soon as he saw the three men, he walked towards them with calm steps. This is an indigenous man, aged 30-35, dressed like a laborer recruited all over Lower Algeria as a result of construction or harvest.Nicole thought his captain might benefit from meeting this man.Whether the native liked it or not, he decided to take him to the captain, when the man came up to him and asked:

"Are there any Frenchmen here?" "There is... a detachment of North African cavalry," replied the sergeant major. "Take me to the commander!" was all the Arab said. Nicole made her way to the head of Heart-Cutting, which was uttering a muffled cry, and returned to the edge of the oasis.Two North African cavalry walked behind.But the native showed no sign of running away. As soon as he passed the last line of trees, he was spotted by Lieutenant Vieter, who called out: "Finally... caught one!" "Look! this lucky Nicole has met a good man..." said the captain. "Actually, perhaps this person will tell us ..." added M. de Charley. After a while the Arabs were brought before the engineers, while the North African cavalry surrounded their officers. Nicole described the circumstances under which he found this man... The Arab was walking through the woods, and as soon as he saw the sergeant major and his comrades he came up to them.Nicole, however, felt that it should be embellished, saying that he thought the visitor was suspicious and that he thought he should share his impressions with his superiors.The captain directly questioned the uninvited guest who came voluntarily: "Who are you?" the captain asked him in French. And the native replied in quite correct French: "A native of Tozeur." "What's your name?" "Mezachi." "Where are you from?" "From El Zeliba." The name is that of an oasis in Algeria located 45 kilometers from a salt lake with a river of the same name. "So, what are you doing here?" "Look what's going on here." "Why? Are you a worker in the company?" asked M. de Charley hastily. "Yes, it used to be, and I have been here to guard the project for a long time. Therefore, since the arrival of Foreman Puanta, I have been chosen to guard the project with him." In fact, the leader of the Bridge and Highway Engineering Bureau affiliated to the French company is called Puanta. He once led the expected Biskra construction team whose absence made the engineers deeply disturbed.The engineer finally got word of the construction team! Then the native added: "I know you well, Mr. Engineer, because I have seen you more than once when you came to this district." There is nothing to doubt about what Mezachi said, he was among the many Arabs employed by the company in the past and carefully recruited by the agents of the new company in the Sahara Sea when the canal between Larsa and Malgil was excavated. one of.He was a strong man, with a gentle countenance, which was peculiar to his race, but his eyes were piercing, with a fiery look from his black eyes. "So where are your fellow workers who are supposed to be on the site?" asked M. de Charley. "Over there, in the direction of Zeliba," the local replied pointing north with his finger. "There are about 100 people in the Kizep Oasis..." "Why are they leaving? Has their camp been attacked?" "Yes, attacked by a group of Berber bandits..." These natives, Berbers or people of Berber descent, occupy Isham, an area that includes Tuvat in the north, Timbuktu in the south, Niger in the west, and Fezzan in the east.They have many tribes, including Alce, Ahaja, Maingatakima and other tribes. They almost always fight with the Arabs, especially the Shambas in Algeria, and regard them as their main enemies. Mezachi then told what happened at the construction site eight days ago. Hundreds of nomads, agitated by their leaders, rushed towards the workers who had arrived at the site at that time.The nomad who made it his profession to lead camel caravans could no longer practice this profession when merchant ships passed through the Sahara for all their internal trade in Algeria and Tunisia.Therefore, these various tribes agreed to destroy the canal that would bring water from Xiaoshazhou Bay before the work resumed.Puanta's construction team could not resist this sudden attack on a large scale.The workers were dispersed almost quickly, and they had to go north to Jared to avoid being killed.They believed that returning to Larsa and then Nefta or the Tozeur oasis was dangerous and that these attackers might cut off their way, so they sought refuge in the direction of Zeriba.After they were gone, the looters and their accomplices destroyed the construction site, set fire to the oasis, and destroyed the project with the nomads who were allied with them in the destruction.As soon as the canal was blocked, as soon as it ceased to slope, as soon as the exit of the canal towards Malegir was completely blocked, the nomads vanished as suddenly as they had come.Certainly, if the second canal between Larsa and Malegir is not guarded with sufficient strength, it is in danger of suffering similar violations. When the Arab had finished his story, the engineer said: "Yeah, while the work resumes, the military authorities must take steps to protect the site... Sahara will be able to defend itself alone!" Captain Aldigon then asked Mezach a different question: "How many people does this gang consist of?" "About 400 to 500 people," replied the Arab. "Anyone know in which direction they retreated?" "Facing south." Mezaki said decisively. "Didn't someone say that the Tuaregs were involved in this incident?" "No, only Berbers." "Has Chief Adiyar not reappeared in his hometown?" "How could he?" Mezachi replied, "Since he was arrested and locked up in Gabes' fortress three months ago." It would appear that the native knew nothing about Adiyar's escape, and from him we would not know whether the escapee had been seen in the area.But, presumably, all he could say was about the workers at Puanta, so the engineer asked about it, and Mezzachi replied: "I repeat, they fled north, in the direction of Zeriba..." "Is Puanta with them?" asked M. de Charley. "He didn't leave them," replied the native, "the foremen were there too." "where are you now?" "At Kitsap Oasis..." "Is it far?" "It's about 20 kilometers away from Malakil." "Can you go and inform them that we have arrived at the Gulea site with some North African cavalry?" asked Captain Aldigon. "If you want, I can go, but if I go alone, Captain Puanta will probably be hesitant..." Mezachi replied. "We'll discuss it right away," said the captain at last. He gave the native something to eat, and the native seemed in desperate need of food and rest. The engineer and the two officers were discussing matters aside. It seems that since the Arab certainly knew Puanta and also M. de Charais, there was no need to doubt his honesty.He must have been one of the workers recruited on the canal section. In the present case, however, the most urgent thing, as everyone says, is to find Puanta and combine the two expeditions.In addition, the military authorities in Biskra were asked to send reinforcements in advance, so that the construction team could presumably be sent back to work. "I repeat, after the flooding of the salt lake area, there is nothing to fear. But first the canal must be restored, and for this the missing workers must be brought back," said the engineer. In short, that was what the engineer and Captain Aldigon had come up with for the situation. Even according to Mezachi's words, there is no need to fear the Berber bandits any more, they have already retreated to the southwest of Malegil.Therefore, it is no longer dangerous for people to go to 347 kilometers, and it is better to establish a camp there and wait for the workers to return.Lieutenant Vieter, Sergeant Major Nicole and everyone else available will follow Mezach to Kisep, where he said the current construction captain, Puanta, and his construction team are located.In this part of the area, there are camel caravans passing by, so you can even be attacked by robbers, so you can only proceed with caution.They set out at dawn the next day.Lieutenant Viette planned to arrive at the oasis in the morning, set off again in the afternoon, and arrive at the construction site before dark.Perhaps Puanta would return to the site with one of the officers who prepared his horse.As for the workers, they walk on foot and will be reunited at the section within 48 hours. If they can start tomorrow, work can resume immediately. In this way, the reconnaissance trip around Malegil was put on hold for the time being. These were the arrangements agreed upon between the engineer and Captain Altigon.Mezach had no objection to this and strongly endorsed the dispatch of Lieutenant Vieter and some cavalry to the Kizep oasis.He assured that once the workers learned that the engineer and the captain were coming, they would return to the site without hesitation.Besides, it will be seen whether a detachment of the mighty Marcocans from Biskra should be called up there to guard the site until the day when the first waters of the Gulf of Gabes will cover Malegir.