Chapter 12 Chapter 12 What Happened

After Lieutenant Viet set out for the Kizep Oasis, the engineers set about making arrangements for a possible extended day. In fact, no one wanted to doubt Mezzachi. There was no doubt that that night, Puanta returned to the workshop with him, bringing some workers brought back by Vieter. Everyone has not forgotten him at all. At 347 kilometers, counting Mr. Dessaray and Captain Aldigan, there are only 10 people left in total: Corporal Pistache, Mr. François, 4 North African cavalrymen, and two drivers. hand.Everyone immediately prepared a campsite at the edge of the oasis, near the construction site.The wagon was drawn there, and the equipment was then unloaded and the tent pitched as usual.As for the horses, the drivers and the North African cavalry found a pasture for them, with plenty of fodder.As for the detachment, there was enough food for many days.On the other hand, Puanta, his foreman, and his workers may not come back without getting all the things they need, and the town of Zeriba can easily provide them.

In addition, everyone intends to go to the nearest towns such as Nefta, Tozeur, Lahama.Afterwards it was repeated that the natives had no objection to this great cause of Rudale's successors. Importantly, since the first day, the supply of the site at 347 kilometers was secured, the engineer and Captain Aldigan, agreed to send a messenger to Nefta or Tozeur.They selected two four-wheeled carriage drivers who were very familiar with the roads and often ran with the camel caravans.Here are two Tunisians in whom one can completely trust.The next day, we set off at dawn.The men mounted their horses and reached the town fairly quickly.The town can have the food delivered to Malegir in the next few days.They had two letters with them, one from the engineer addressed to a senior officer of the company, the other from Captain Aldigan to the military commander of Tozeur.

After breakfast, under the tent hidden among the first groves of the oasis, M. de Charley said to the captain: "Now, my dear Ardigan, let Pistache, Monsieur François, and our men make the final dispositions... I want to know more precisely the repairs to be made in the last section of the canal... " To estimate the amount of debris thrown into the canal, engineers surveyed the entire area of ​​the canal. For this he said to his companions: "Of course, there are a lot of these natives. I know that Puanta and his people can't resist them..." "But these Arabs, Tuaregs or others, don't need to come in large numbers. Once the workers are driven away, how are they going to destroy the site and throw so much building material back into the riverbed? ? This must have taken a considerable amount of time, contrary to what Mezach asserted to us."

"The only way I can explain it," retorted M. de Charley, "is not to dig, but to fill and let the steep banks collapse into the river bed. Because there is only sand and what was thrown away when Puanta and his men fled in panic. Building materials, and probably previous materials, I don't think it's that simple." "In this case," explained Captain Aldigon, "a few forty-eight hours would suffice..." "So do I," went on the engineer, "I think the remedy will take fifteen days at best..." "It's a stroke of luck," the captain reminded, "but there is a way to protect the canal until it completely submerges the two salt lakes, in the section of the Great Salt Lake of Malegir and in other sections. What happens here, happens elsewhere. It will happen. The inhabitants of Jared, especially the nomads, must have lost their minds, and the chiefs of the tribe have incited them against the creation of this inland sea, and an invasion from their side is always a concern... Therefore, the military authorities should have Prepared. With the garrisons of Biskra, Nefta, Tozeur, and Gabes, establish an effective surveillance to keep the project safe from new attacks."

In short, it is more urgent and important that the governor of Algeria and the general stationed in Tunisia should understand the situation as soon as possible, so that they can save the various interests invested in this great cause. However, as the engineer has repeatedly said, when the Sahara plays its part, it will certainly defend itself.However, don't forget that at the beginning of this undertaking, some people believed that it would still take ten years to fill the Larsa and Malegir depressions with flood water.Then, after a more in-depth study of the terrain, this period was cut in half.However, maintaining monitoring can only monitor the various conditions of the two canals, not the submerged part of the salt lake.Indeed, the first canal is 227 kilometers long, and the second canal is 80 kilometers long. On such a long route, it needs to be guarded for a long time.

In response to Captain Aldigon's observations on this point, the engineer can only repeat what he said about the filling of the salt lake: "I've always thought that soils like Jared, which range from the beach to Larsa and Melagir, leave us with unexpected gifts. It's really nothing more than a salt crust, and I myself found that As the water flows through it, it is subject to some great vibrations... Therefore, the canal can be widened and deepened, and Rudel's idea is based on this possibility, as a supplement to the project, which is not unreasonable. I really don't Believe it, it is a combination of nature and human ingenuity... As for these depressions, they are the sudden or gradual drying up of the old lake bed, which will be deepened by the water present at the expected altitude. .So I believe that the full flooding will take less time than people think. I repeat, Jared cannot avoid such an earthquake, and the changes that these campaigns make to Jared can only benefit our cause! All in all , my dear captain, we'll see... we'll see! I'm not the kind of person who doubts the future, but the kind of person who is self-reliant! Surfaces of Larsa and Melagil come and go, what would you say?"

"I accept your fiction, my dear friend," replied Captain Aldigon. "However, whether it is achieved in two years or one year, sufficient force must be used to defend the project and the workers..." "It's a deal," M. de Charley decided. "I agree with you. It is important to set up a security guard as soon as possible throughout the canal." Measures were ahead, in fact, from the next day, after the workers had returned to the construction site, Captain Altigaon set about contacting the military commander in Viskra, who sent him a courier.While waiting, the arrival of a few North African cavalry may be enough to defend this section. Under such circumstances, the new offensive of the indigenous people will certainly not be terrible.

After the inspection, the engineer and the captain returned to the bivouac, which was still under construction, and only had to wait for the lieutenant, who was sure to return before dark. In the case of the current expedition, the more important issue is that of supplies.Food for the expedition had hitherto been supplied either from the stores of the two wagons, or purchased at towns or villages in the district of Gered.No matter people or horses, there is no shortage of food. However, the rebuilt construction site at 347 kilometers still needs to store some food regularly for a stay of several weeks.Therefore, while Captain Aldigan informed the officers of the nearby garrison, he asked them to provide him with the necessities necessary for his stay in the oasis.

It will be remembered that since the sun came out that day, April 13th, heavy dark clouds had gathered on the horizon.All this foreshadowed that this morning was as suffocating as yesterday afternoon.There is no doubt that a violent thunderstorm is brewing in the northern skies. In response to Corporal Pistache's remarks on observing the weather, Mr. François stated: "Today there is going to be a thunderstorm, and I have been expecting since morning that there will be a struggle with nature in this part of the desert, and I am not surprised." "Then why?" Pistash asked him.

"Well, Corporal, when I shave in the morning, my beard stands up and gets so stiff I have to shave it two or three times. There's a little spark, so to speak, from the head of each beard... ..." "It's a wonder," continued the corporal, "that there is no need to doubt what a man like M. François says." Hopefully the candid man's hair system has the electrical properties of a cat's fur, or perhaps none at all.But Pistash is more than willing to admit there is. "So... this morning?" he asked, looking at his comrade's freshly shaved beard.

"This morning, it's obvious! . . . My cheeks, my chin are covered with flashes of brush discharges . . . " "I want to see!" Pistash replied. Moreover, without even contacting M. François' meteorological observations, he was sure that the thunderstorm was rising from the northeast, and that the atmosphere was becoming electrified. It was unbearably hot.So after lunch, the engineer and the captain agreed to take an extended break.Although they hid under their tents, and although they stood under the trees at the edge of the oasis, the heat crept into them, and not a breath of wind blew through the sky. This state of affairs did not worry M. de Charley and the captain.Thunderstorms have yet to come to the Salem Salt Lake region.However, thunderstorms must have been hitting the northeast at the time, just over the Kizep Oasis.Although the roar of thunder could not be heard yet, lightning had begun to cut across the sky.There was one reason or another for thinking that the lieutenant had not set out before the thunderstorm, and all this led to the idea that he was hiding under a tree until the storm was over, and that he might not return to his bivouac until the morrow. "Probably we won't see him tonight," Captain Aldigon warned. "If Viet left at around two o'clock in the afternoon, he might only see the oasis now..." "Even if one day later," replied M. de Charley, "our lieutenant has a reason not to venture in such dangerous weather! It may be more troublesome that his men and himself cannot find a shelter from the wind and rain on the great plain." Surprised by the place…” "That's my opinion, too," said Captain Aldigon at last. The afternoon passed without any sign of the squad approaching, not even the barking of dogs running ahead.Now, lightning kept flashing in the sky less than 4 kilometers away, and a large heavy cloud had rushed up to nine days, slowly turning to the direction of Malegir.A thunderstorm had descended on the camp half an hour earlier, then turned towards Salt Lake. However, the engineer, Captain Aldigon, the corporal, and two North African cavalry remained on the edge of the oasis.Before their eyes, there was a vast plain, and the salt and frost on the plain reflected the light of lightning from time to time. In vain they cast questioning glances on the horizon.No cavalry squad appeared over there. "The squad is definitely not on the way, so there is no need to wait for it today," said the captain. "I think so too, my captain," Pistash said accommodatingly, "it's just that the rainstorm has stopped and it's getting dark, so it's very difficult to walk to Gulea in the dark..." "Viette is an experienced officer whose prudence you can trust...Let's go back to camp because it's going to rain soon." After the four of them walked about ten steps, the corporal stopped: "Listen! My captain..." he said. Everyone turns back. "I think I hear a dog barking...is it the sergeant major's dog?" They pay attention.No!During the brief lull, there was no dog barking at all.Pistash must have been mistaken. Captain Aldigun and his comrades thus made their way back to camp, and after crossing the oasis where the wind had bent the trees, they returned to their tents. In a few minutes, they were surrounded by the storm. It was six o'clock.The captain made preparations for the night that would herald the expedition's worst night since leaving Gabes. Of course, it needs to be considered that Lieutenant Vieter's delay in returning must have been caused by this sudden and terrible storm, which kept him until the next day at the Kizep Oasis. Still, the captain and M. de Charley were concerned.Even if Mezaki had impersonated a worker in Puanta, if he had concocted some nefarious plot against the expedition to Malegil, they hadn't even been able to suspect him.But how could they forget the state of mind among the nomads and sedentary inhabitants of the Djerid region, and the impulse that prevailed among the various tribes against the creation of the Sahara?Isn't a new attack targeting the Gulea construction site?If the river works are resumed, will the attack repeat itself?There is no doubt that Mezach asserted that the raiders, after having dispersed the workers, withdrew south of Salt Lake.But the rest of the departed probably ran across the plains, and if they came across him, they would have outnumbered Lieutenant Vieter's squad. On reflection, however, these fears are probably overblown.But the idea kept haunting the minds of the engineer and the captain.How could they have foreseen that, if there was some danger, it would not be Lieutenant Viette and his men who were on the Kizep road, but M. de Charais and his companions in the oasis? It was almost half past six.The storm is tight.Many trees were struck by lightning, and the engineer's tent was almost hit by the electric current.The heavy rain poured into tens of thousands of small rivers to the salt lake, and the soil of the oasis became a kind of flocculent swamp.At the same time, there was a strong wind.Branches snapped like glass, palm trees snapped off at the root, and they were ruined. Can no longer go out. Very fortunately, the horses took shelter under a large hurricane-resistant tree in time, and despite the terrible storm, they held on. Not so with the mule left in the glade.Frightened by a thunderstorm, they escaped the oasis despite the pull of their charioteers. A North African cavalry reported to Captain Aldigon, who shouted: "We must do whatever it takes to bring them back..." "Two drivers have gone after them," replied the corporal. "Go and meet them with two people!" the officer ordered. "If the mules run out of the oasis, they're lost...they can't be caught on the plains!" In spite of the gale that hit the camp, two of the four North African cavalry rushed in the direction of the clearing, from which the two drivers heard occasional shouts. In addition, although the violent lightning and lightning strikes did not abate, the gale suddenly eased, and the wind and rain were both light.But the night was so dark that everyone could only see each other through lightning. The engineer and Captain Ardigan came out of the tent, followed by Monsieur François, the corporal, and the two North African cavalrymen who had remained with them in the camp. It was self-evident that Lieutenant Viette's return should never be expected, given the passage of time and the certainty of a violent storm overnight.His men and he could only be on the road the next day, when the road across Jared would be easy. How surprised and how happy the captain and his companions were when they heard the dogs barking in the north! This time there was no mistake, a dog ran towards the oasis, and soon came to the oasis. "'Cut the heart'! . . . it is . . . " cried the corporal. "I recognized its voice..." "So Viette is not far from here!" Captain Aldigan echoed. In fact, if the faithful dog had walked in front of the squad, it must have been only a few hundred paces. At this time, there was no sign of their presence, and 30 or so indigenous people climbed along the edge and jumped into the camp.Before they could recognize each other, the captain, engineer, corporal, Monsieur François, and two North African cavalrymen were surrounded and caught before they could resist.Besides, they are small in number, how can they deal with this sudden attack of gangsters? In an instant, everything was robbed, and the horses were pulled towards the Malakir area. Prisoners, isolated from each other and impossible to communicate with each other, were pushed toward the surface of the salt lake, dogs following in their tracks.When Lieutenant Viet reached the camp, they were gone, and the men he had left them in the morning were nowhere to be seen, and the horses must have run away when the hurricane hit.