Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen Zanfik Oasis

On his measured plan, the Melegil Salt Lake (including the Farfaria swamp in the north and other depressions with the same nature as the Merouang Salt Lake Belt in the south) presents a right triangle.From north to east, its hypotenuse runs from Tahir-Nasu just below latitude 34° and the end of the second canal.Its long west side undulates along the aforementioned parallel to an east side consisting of a number of minor salt lakes.On the west side, its small side gradually rises towards the town of Tahir-Nasu, extending almost parallel to the straight line through the Sahara, extending as the Philip City-Konstantine-Batna-Bishkra line, In order to avoid branching when connecting it with the port of Xinhai on the opposite bank from the end of the second canal, the canal had to change course.

This large depression is 55 km wide (less than the surface area of ​​Djerid and Fejdi) and is located at the terminus of the last section of the canal and the port to be built (on the west side the Sine Ar and Ital rivers that will eventually be settled at Shega Between), - the draft reached Meleyer, located further south, seems to have been abandoned.However, only 6,000 square kilometers, or 60 hectares, of the depression were flooded, with the remaining area above sea level in the Mediterranean.In fact, the new ocean occupies 8,000 square kilometers of the two salt lake belts, and after flooding Larsa and Malegir, there are still 5,000 square kilometers above the water.

These unsubmerged places thus became islands, and they would form a kind of archipelago comprising two large islands in Malegir.The first, called Hingiz, forms a right-angled triangle bent within the salt-marsh, thus bisecting it; the other island occupies a large part, including the two right-angled sides near Straary.As for those small islands, they are mainly arranged in parallel lines to the southeast.When ships occasionally pass through the passages of this archipelago, they must rely on those dikes that have been built hydrographically to reduce the danger of navigation. The area of ​​the two salt marshes covered by water includes several oases with their date palm groves and fields.It goes without saying that these riches must be compensated to their owners.But, as Captain Rudel believed, the compensation was not to exceed 5 million francs and was borne by the French Overseas Company, which received an estimated 2.5 million hectares of land and forests transferred to it by the government.

The largest of the many oases in Malakir, it occupies 3 to 4 square kilometers north of Hingiz.Therefore, after the flood came, it was the water from the north of the salt marsh that surrounded it.This oasis is rich in the best quality date palms, the fruit of which is transported by the Kafira people and can be found in the Jared market.Its name is Zanfiq, and it maintains links with the main communes: Lajama, Nefta, Tozeur and Gabes, and is visited only by camel caravans during the harvest season. The tall trees of Zangfek shelter the three or four hundred native Tuaregs, one of the most disturbing tribes in the Sahara.There were a hundred or so houses in the town, all parts of the oasis that was to become a seaside oasis were furnished.In the middle, outside, and sides of the house, there were cultivated fields, pastures, sufficient to feed the tribe and their livestock.The dry valley, destined to become the bay of the new ocean, was enlarged into the island's creek, sufficient to satisfy the needs of its inhabitants.

It is said that the Zanfik Oasis has little connection with other oases in Constantine Province.Only the nomadic Tuareg who traveled across the desert got supplies from there.It's worrisome and scary.Camel caravans avoid passing nearby as much as possible.But how many raids have been made near Jared by bandits from Zanfek! It should be noted that approaching this oasis is more difficult and more dangerous.Along Hingiz, the soil in the salt marsh area is not firm at all.There's quicksand everywhere that a Kafila could sink whole.Through the ground made of Pliocene soil (sand soaked in gypsum and salt), there are almost all small paths that only local residents know and can walk. You must take these paths to go to the oasis, and you must be full of potholes suffering.Evidently, when the water was over these soft, footholdless grounds, Hingiz would become an easy landing for boats.However, this is certainly something the Tuaregs are unwilling to agree to.Therefore, there is the most active and troublesome source of the opposition.Zanfiq has continuously issued calls for "jihad" against foreigners.

Among the tribes in Jared, the Zangfeike tribe is among the best, and its influence on the tribal alliance cannot be said to be insignificant.It can expand alliances when it is safe to do so without fear of their alliances being disrupted by almost inconceivable treachery.But its dominance will disappear completely only on the day when the waters of Little Sand Bay fill the salt marshes and turn Hingiz into the center island of Malegir. The pure-blooded Tuareg race is in the Zanfik Oasis.There, customs and customs have not changed in the slightest.Typical Tuareg, serious-looking, haughty, slow-moving, self-respecting, all wearing their trusty green snake bracelets on their stronger right arms.They are brave by nature and not afraid of death.They still wore the clothes of their ancestors, the sultan's cotton tunic, a white or blue shirt, trousers tied tightly at the ankle, leather loafers, and a cap tied on the head with a rolled turban. , a veil attached to a turban hangs over the mouth to keep dust from getting on the lips.

Typical beautiful woman, blue eyes, thin eyebrows, long eyelashes, bare face, if not out of respect in front of foreigners, they don't cover their faces.They are not found in the many Tuareg homes that reject the Koranic precepts, and such families disapprove of polygamy as much as they approve of divorce. The Tuaregs therefore form a distinct group of inhabitants in this area of ​​Malegir.They never mix with other tribes in the Jared area.If their chiefs led their followers out, it was historically only for some profitable raid, to rob a camel caravan, or to exact revenge on a hostile oasis.These Tuaregs of Zanfek were, in fact, formidable brigands, who made raids sometimes across the plains of lower Tunisia, even as far as Gabes.The military authorities organized several raids against these robbers.Soon, however, they hid in the far-off hideout of Malakir.

Besides, a Tuareg prefers abstinence, if he eats neither fish nor game, but only a small amount of meat, if dates, figs, berries, flour, dairy products, eggs are enough for him, he He was also served by servants, who did the rough work for him, for he hated all labor.As for the hermits, the amulet sellers, their influence on the Tuareg people is great, especially in the Djerid area.Moreover, the Tuareg people are superstitious, they believe in the soul, they are afraid of ghosts, so that they don't cry when the dead are dead, and they are afraid of the resurrection of the dead, and the names of the deceased disappear in their families.

Some of the characteristics of the Zanfek tribe are also characteristics of Adiyar.The tribe recognized him as leader until the day Captain Aldigon fell to him. It was also the cradle of his family, and his family was as influential to this particular group of inhabitants of Zanfik as it was to the other tribes of Malegil.There are many oases on the surface of the salt marshes at various points in the Hingiz and the vast area of ​​the Depression. Besides Adiyar, his mother Gemma is also well respected among the Tuareg tribe.Among the women of Zanfik, this sentiment even reaches the point of adoration.All women share Gemma's hatred of foreigners.She had made them blind, as her son had made men blind.It is not forgotten how much influence Gemma had on Adiyar—those influences that all Tuareg women have.Moreover, these women are more knowledgeable than their husbands and brothers.They could write while the men could barely read, and at school they taught the language and grammar.There was never a day in which their resistance abated in regard to Captain Rudale's cause.

This was the situation before the arrest of the Tuareg chief.The tribes of Malgil, like those of Zanfiq, will soon be destroyed by the floods of the salt marshes.They cannot go back to their old business of robbery.More Kafirahs to pass through Jared between Biskra and Gabes.Besides, when the boats can get close there, when they no longer have to beware that horse and rider are in danger of being swallowed into this moving land at every step, will they not easily reach their lairs! It is known under what circumstances Adial was taken prisoner by Captain Aldigan's North African cavalry, how he was imprisoned in Gabes' fortress, and how he was loved by his mother, brother, and several of his confidants. With the help of Hemet, Harik, and Olebe, he escaped on the eve of his transfer to Tunisia, where he was tried by a court-martial.Therefore, it is also known that Adiyar was lucky enough to pass through the lagoon area and the salt marsh area after escaping from prison, and returned to the Zanfik Oasis, where he was soon reunited with Gemma.

However, when news of Adiyar's arrest reached Zanfiq, it caused extraordinary unease there.Has the chief (whose supporters swore their allegiance to him) fallen into the hands of his intolerant enemies?Is there any hope for him to escape the enemy?Isn't it preconviction? ... So how enthusiastically everyone greeted his return!Running away is considered a victory.The sounds of joy sounded from all directions, and the drums blared together.To take advantage of this incredible delusion, Adiyar sent a signal, and all his followers flocked to the various towns of Jared. However, Adiyar knows how to restrain the Tuareg's frenzied passion.Facing the threat of engineering restoration.The most urgent thing is to ensure the safety of the oasis in the southwest corner of the salt marshes.He would not allow foreigners to turn Malegir into a navigable pool for ships to come and go in all directions.Therefore, the first thing to do is to destroy the canal project. At the same time, however, Adiyar learned that the expedition under the orders of Captain Aldigon was to rest two days before at the end of the canal, where it was certain to meet with another oncoming expedition from the province of Constantine. confluence. It was from there that Adiyar himself led the attack on the last stretch of the canal, where he had just dispersed the company's first workers.There hundreds of Tuaregs rushed to fill the canal before returning on their way to the oasis of Zanfek. If Mezaki was there, it was his chief who left him, if this man claimed that Adiyar did not take part in the attack on the construction site in order to deceive the captain, and if he concluded that the workers were fleeing in the direction of Kizep , in order to call out part of the detachment, in short, now the engineer, captain and 4 of their companions were captured by Adiyar, due to more than 30 Tuaregs ambushing near Gulea, by Soar ordered a surprise attack, and they fled towards the oasis of Zanfik before Lieutenant Vieter could catch them. When the Tuaregs seized these six men, they also took away the horses that had been left in the camp—the horses of the engineer, the officer, the corporal, and the two North African cavalrymen, and M. François, until that At that time, he still occupied the position of the four-wheeled carriage, and he had not ridden a horse since he set off from Gabes.But the horses and dromedaries waiting two hundred paces from the work site drew the Tuareg bandits. There, the six captives were forced to mount their mounts, leaving Monsieur François with one camel, who had to sit high on the beast.Then, the team disappeared into the night of torrential rain and lightning. It should be noted that Sergeant Nicole's dog, which had arrived at the time of the attack, did not know that it was ahead of the detachment, and Soal let it go to track his man. Adiyar had organized the attack in advance, and the Tuaregs had prepared a few days' worth of food, and on two dromedary camels they carried these necessities, enough for the robbers to eat until their return. But the road is extremely difficult, because it is 50 kilometers from the eastern end of the salt marsh to Zangfeike Oasis. The first station took the captives to the place where Soal rested before attacking the Golea camp.There the Tuareg stopped, taking precautions to prevent the escape of their captives, and they had to spend the night there in extreme discomfort, for the gale did not subside until towards dawn.Everything is tucked away in a small palm grove.The captives huddled together, one by one, and the Tuaregs circled around them, and if they could not escape, at least they could say something, and they would not have become victim.Now that it has fallen into the hands of Adiyar, it is useless to think so.But the spirit of rebellion that circulated among the tribes in the Jared area, and especially in the Malakir area, does not tell much.Some of the Tuareg chiefs must have known that a detachment of North African cavalry arrived at the site soon... The nomads let them know that one of the company's engineers, before finally digging out the ridge of Gabes, Come explore the surroundings of Malakil... And while Captain Aldigon was seriously considering this time whether he had been deceived by the native he had met there in Gulea the previous night, he did not conceal his feelings from his companions. "You're probably right... I don't trust the beast at all..." the corporal declared. "So, what happened to Lieutenant Viette?" the engineer reminded. "He found neither Puanta nor one of his workers in Kisep..." "Let's assume he went there," the captain continued. "If we suspect that Mezach is a spy, he has only one purpose, and that is to get Vieter and his men far away, to get them out of the way in silence." to the road..." "Who knows if he'll overtake our band of robbers in a moment?" cried a North African cavalryman. "It doesn't surprise me," Pistash admitted, "when I think about it, our lieutenant would be on time to storm these Arab rascals and free us in about a quarter of an hour!" "Actually," added Monsieur François, "the detachment will not be far away, since we heard the dogs barking, almost at the moment when the Tuaregs suddenly attacked us." "Ah! 'Cutting Hearts'... 'Cutting Hearts'!" Corporal Pistash repeated. "Where is it? . . . followed us here? Didn't it return to its owner and tell him . . . " "That's it...that's it..." Then a North African cavalryman said. It is not difficult to imagine how everyone welcomes "cutting hearts"!How many strokes it would give it!What a kiss a pistash would have given its head! "Yes...'Cutting Hearts', yes...it's us!...and others! Our sergeant major...your master, is he here?" "Cut the Red Heart" wanted to answer with a meaningful cry.But the corporal wouldn't let it make a sound.Besides, it must have occurred to the Tuareg that the dog and the captain were camped in Gulea, and naturally he wanted to track them down. Where are they going to be taken?Where in Jared? ...probably towards some remote oasis in the Salar Gir of Margir...possibly all the way to the depths of the Sahara Desert? In the morning the captives were given food, couscous and date-palm cakes, and water from a river that ran by the edge of the grove. From where they stood they looked out across the salt marshes as far as the eye could see.Crystals of salt glistened in the rising sun.Looking east, the eyes are suddenly blocked by the circular sand dunes, so the Gulea oasis cannot be seen. It was therefore in vain for M. de Charley, Captain Ardigan, and their companions to look eastward, presumably in the hope of catching a glimpse of the lieutenant approaching this part of the salt marshes. "Because, anyway," the officer repeated, "Viotte undoubtedly reached Goulea last night... How can it be supposed that he didn't immediately look for us, since he didn't meet us there, but found our abandoned bivouac? ?..." "Assuming he wasn't attacked when he went to Kizep Oasis..." reminded the engineer. "Yes! . . . yes! Everything is possible," replied Pistash, "it's all about Mezach! . . . If he falls into my hands one day, I hope he will make me grow up." Get out your claws and peel the skin of this villain!" At this time, Soal gave the order to go.Captain Aldigon came up to him and said: "What do you want to do to us?" Soar didn't answer. "Where are you taking us?" he asked again. Soal just suddenly ordered: "Get on the horse!" Obedience is necessary, and this is especially uncomfortable, since Monsieur François could not even shave this morning. At this moment, the corporal couldn't help but yelled angrily: "It's him! ... It's him!" he repeated. All eyes were on him, and Pistash gestured to his companion. This is exactly Mezaki.After taking the detachment as far as Kizep, he disappeared, and in the night he overtook Soar's gang. "There's nothing to say about the scumbag!" Captain Aldigon added, turning his back on Mezach as he looked at him with impudence. Then M. Francois said: "This Tuareg certainly doesn't look like a commendable person..." "I'll take your word for it!" said Pistache, using the proverb, which, for the first time, addressed Monsieur François to you, and it must have done him no harm. The weather is sunny after yesterday's storm.There was not a cloud in the sky, and there was no wind on the salt marshes, so the journey was difficult.There was no oasis on the way to this depression, and the people and horses could only find trees at the top of Hingiz to avoid the heat. Soal hurried on.He hurried back to Zanfiq, where his brother was waiting for him.In addition, the captives were not allowed to think that they had fallen into the hands of Adiyar.Captain Aldigon and M. de Charley had some reason in their thinking, since the purpose of this latest attack was not to plunder the Gulea camp, which was not worth the effort.Precisely this attack must have been the revenge of some tribe in Malegir, and the attacker wanted to know if the Captain and his colleagues would pay the price of their freedom and perhaps their lives for this Sahara project! This first day consisted of two legs totaling 25 kilometers.Since there was no storm, it was not unbearably hot, but it was still hot.The one who felt the most pain on the road must be M. François, sitting high on the back of a dromedary.Not at all used to the shaking of the animal, he was no longer polite and had to hold on to keep from falling, especially when it was galloping. Nothing happened all night except for the loud roar of wild animals roaming the salt marshes. For the first few stops, Soal had to take some of the smaller paths he knew to avoid getting bogged down.But by the second day, it was quite solid Hingiz land. On April 15th, people were walking under better conditions than yesterday. Nearly late in the day, Soar stopped at the Zanfik Oasis with his prisoners. How they surprised everyone when they came before Adiyar!How restless!