Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen: Imprisoned

The place where the captives were taken was the town's original fortress.It has long been dilapidated.A broken wall encloses a modest hillock to the north of the oasis.In the past, the Tuareg people of Zanfek used it as a simple fortress during the fierce struggle between the tribes in the Djarid area.However, after the struggle calmed down, everyone neither repaired it nor maintained it. A truncated building resembling a minaret of a mosque is the only protruding feature of the fort, from which it can be seen very openly in all directions. However, although it is dilapidated, people can still live inside this fort.Entering the inner courtyard, there are two or three houses without furniture and wall decorations, which are separated by thick walls to avoid the wind and cold in all seasons.

Since arriving in Zanfiq, the engineer, Captain Ardigon, Corporal Pistache, Monsieur François and two North African cavalry had been brought here. Adiyar said nothing to them, and Soar, who had brought them to the fort with 12 Tuaregs, did not answer any of their questions. It goes without saying that it was impossible for Captain Aldigon and his companions to reach for their weapons, knives, pistols, and carbines when the camp was attacked.Moreover, they were searched and the small amount of money they brought was also taken away.They were even rude to Monsieur François, and these wicked people took his razor away.

When Soal left them alone, the captain and engineer first took a close look at the fort. "When a person is in a prison, the first thing is to visit the prison..." the engineer reminded everyone. "The second thing is to get out of there," added Captain Aldigon. So, everyone looked around the inner courtyard, and in the middle of the courtyard stood the half tower.It must be clearly realized that the wall surrounding it, 20 feet high, is impassable.We didn't find any gaps there.Only one door opened towards the access to the central courtyard.This door was also closed by Soar, and its thick door leaf, reinforced with iron plates, could not be broken.However, people can only go out through this door, and it is true that the surroundings of the fort cannot be left unguarded.

Night fell, and the captives lived in darkness.They get no light, no more food.For the first few hours they waited in vain for food and water to be brought, because they were so thirsty and the door would not open. The captives surveyed the yard in the brief twilight light, and then gathered together in a room adjoining the yard where a dung bucket made of stipa was placed.Then they poured out their most sad thoughts and exchanged views, and the corporal said: "Are these bastards trying to starve us to death?" No, that's not what they're afraid of.At the last stop, 10 kilometers away from Zanfiq, the Tuareg gang had a rest, and the food on the dromedary came with a share of the captives.As night came, Captain Altigon and his companions were sure to be in the mood for something to eat.If they don't give them enough food the next morning, they will be so hungry!

"Let's try to sleep," said the engineer. "In the dream we were sitting at a sumptuous table with ribs, stuffed goose, salad..." added the corporal. "Don't stop, Corporal!" ordered Monsieur François, "a pot of delicious fat soup is enough!" Now, what were Adyar's intentions with his captives?He must have recognized Captain Altegan.Now that he's caught, doesn't he want to punish the captain?Wouldn't it put him and his companions to death? "I don't think so," Mr. Deschalay claimed. "Our lives could not possibly be threatened... Instead, the Tuaregs are interested in taking us hostage, considering later. However, in order to prevent the completion of the canal project, it must be thought that Adiyar and the Touareg 347 kilometers away, while the workers are returning. Adyar may fail in a new plot... He may fall into the hands of the authorities again, and this time, we will keep him in custody He will not be able to escape if he is fastened. Therefore, we can do him good... Until the day when Adiyar is about to return, he will say: 'My life and the lives of my companions, In exchange for the lives of my captives', he will surely listen...I don't think this day is far away, because it is probably time for Adiyar's next attack, and soon he will be sent to rescue us the attack of the Marcosan and Turkish troops.”

"Perhaps there is a point," replied Captain Aldigon. "But, don't forget, this Adiyar is a vengeful and cruel man... His reputation lies in that. We reason, as we reason, not from his nature. He needs revenge..." "And it's just for you, my captain," Corporal Pistash reminded the captain, "since you did catch him a few weeks ago." "In fact, Corporal, even I am surprised that, having recognized me and who I am, he was not the first to resort to violence! Besides, we walked and watched... sure enough, we fell into his hands, and We don't know the fate of Vieter and Puanta, just like they don't know our fate."

"It shows that I, my dear Dessaray, are neither worth the price of Adiyar's freedom nor the spoils of his life as a robber." "We must escape at all costs, and there is no way I can get out of here when I think the time is right. But, for me, when I appear before my comrades, I want to be a free man, not as a The prisoners exchanged, I also want to protect my life, and get back the pistol or sword in my hand, and fight face to face with those bandits who subdued us by surprise attack." Now that Captain Ardigan and Monsieur de Charais have planned their escape, Pistache and Monsieur François have decided to follow their superiors, further intending to rely on foreign aid, and possibly even on the wisdom of their friend, "Cutting Hearts" .

In fact, the situation is like this, and it must be correctly understood. The dog was not forgotten, and since their departure Cut the Heart had followed the captive all the way to Zanfiq, and the Tuaregs did not want to drive him away.But when Captain Aldigon and his companions were brought to the fort, they did not allow the faithful animal to follow the captive there.Is this intentional?It's hard to say.Sure, all regret not having it.However, if it is there, since it is so clever, Xiaozhong, what can it do for them? "We don't know...we don't know..." Pistache repeated while chatting with M. François. "Dogs, they have an instinctive mind that humans don't. Talk to Cut Hearts about his master Nicole and his friend Scramble, and maybe he'll run off to find them himself? Indeed, since we can't get out of this bad luck out of the yard, and 'Cut the Heart' can't go out!...that's all right, I want it here!...as long as these savages don't hurt it!"

Monsieur François nodded without answering, stroking his chin and cheeks, which had just grown a bristly beard. The captives, in the vain hope that some food would be brought to them, felt a great need for a rest.Lying on the piles of stipa grass, all fell asleep sooner or later, waking up from rather uncomfortable nights since the day. "From the fact that we did not have supper last night," M. François rightly objected, "it follows from this that we will not have lunch again this morning?" "It's annoying, I'd even say nasty!" pleaded Pistash, yawning, and taking off his handkerchief, this time he was not sleepy, but hungry.

The captives soon settled on this very interesting subject.An hour later, Ahmet and twelve Tuaregs crept into the courtyard, where they set down the same sticky pastries, cold meats, and dates as yesterday, enough to feed ten people for a day, in jugs filled with Filled with water drawn from the small river that runs through the Zanfiq Oasis. Once again Captain Aldigun wanted to know what fate the Tuareg chief had planned for them, and he asked Ahmet. This man was not Soar from yesterday, he would not answer.He must have taken orders in this regard, and he left the yard without a word.Three days passed without any change in the situation.It was impossible to try to escape from the castle, at least over the high walls, and it was impossible to do so without a ladder.Climbing over the wall in the dark, can Captain Altigon and his companions escape across the oasis?There seemed to be a guard outside, and no footsteps could be heard on the ring road, day or night.Besides, what good is a wall against an impenetrable barrier, and a door cannot be forced open.

Furthermore, the corporals were able to understand the layout of the oasis from the first day of their incarceration.With much effort--and at the risk of breaking his neck a hundred times--he was able to get from the broken steps to the uncapped bonnet. From there, looking through the last doorway, it was possible to observe without being seen, and the vast panorama of the oasis was in full view. Below him, the town in the trees of the oasis of Zanfiq surrounds the fort.Looking far away, the territory of Xingiz is 3-4 kilometers long from east to west.To the north is a large group of houses, which look very white in the shade of green trees.One of the houses was completely surrounded by walls, and many flags were planted at the entrance, fluttering in the breeze.The corporal was right. This house must belong to Adiyar. It was unmistakable. On the afternoon of April 20th, the corporal went to the observation site of the vault and found that there was a big activity in the town, and the house was gradually empty. It seemed that many local people came from different places in Hingiz.They were not a caravan for business, for there were no camels, and no animals that came with them. Who knows, is there an important meeting held in Zangfeike under the call of Adiyar?In fact, the main square quickly fills up with people. Seeing all this happened, the corporal thought that the captain should be informed, and he called the captain. Captain Aldigon came to Pistash at once and climbed up the narrow vaulted tower, but it was not without difficulty. That's right, it must be a gathering of gifts for the chiefs. There are hundreds of Tuaregs gathered in Zanfek at this moment.Shouts could be heard, gesturing could be seen from the tower, and the simmering did not stop until a figure came, followed by a man and a woman, who came out of the house, and the corporal pointed Tuareg chief walking ahead of women. "This is Adiyar, that's him! I recognize him," cried Captain Aldigon. "You're right, my captain, I recognized him too," echoed the corporal. In fact, it was Adiyar, her mother Gemma and his brother Soar, who cheered as soon as they entered the square. Quiet for a while.Adhial spoke in front of the crowd, and for an hour, sometimes interrupted by loud cheers, he prattled on to the natives.But neither the captain nor the corporal could hear what he said.When the meeting ended, there was another cry, Adiyar returned to his residence, and the town returned to its usual calm. Captain Aldigun and Pistash quickly jumped out into the yard and told their companions what they had seen. The engineer said: "I think this rally is to protest the flooding of the salt lake, and there must be several new attacks..." "I think so too," declared Captain Aldigon, "and perhaps set up camp again on the Goleana road against Puanta." "Unless we are involved," said Corporal Pistash, "these scoundrels are gathering to kill captives!" There was a long silence after this discussion.The captain and the engineer exchanged glances that revealed the secret of their thoughts.Even if the Tuareg chief decides to rob, they want to make an example, and for this purpose he summons all the tribes of Hingiz to Zanfek, shouldn't he be worried?On the other hand, since Lieutenant Vieter may not know where the captives were taken or which tribe they fell into, how to keep the captives' desire to be rescued? Before descending from the top of the tower, however, Captain Aldigun and the corporal made a final survey of the whole district of Malegir that lay before their eyes.The south is as desolate as the north, and the part of Hingiz that stretches east and west is equally desolate, and this area will become an island after the flood.Not a caravan crossed this vast depression.As for Lieutenant Vieter's detachment, waiting for him to seek out in the direction of Zanfiq and have some of his men attack the town? So this is waiting to happen, how worrisome it is!Minute by minute, won't the gates of the fort open to let Adiyar and his men pass? If the Tuareg chiefs had them dragged to the square to be executed, would it be possible to rebel against them?If you didn't do something today, will you do it tomorrow? A day passed, but nothing changed.In the morning some food was put out in the yard again, enough for the prisoners to eat.It was getting dark, and they were lying on the straw in the house where they had spent the night a few days ago. But they had barely slept for half an hour when there was a sound outside.Were some Tuaregs on the ring road?Is the door about to open?Had Adiyar sent for the captives? The corporal got up immediately, curled up by the door and listened carefully. It was not footsteps that reached his ears, but low and mournful screams.A dog circled around the base of the wall. "'Cutting Hearts'...it's it! It's it!" cried Pistash. The dog was lying on the ground by the threshold. "'Cutting hearts'... 'Cutting hearts'...Is that you? My dog," he repeated. The animal knew the corporal's voice as well as its master's, and responded with a half-restrained cry. "Yes, it's us...'cutting hearts'...it's us!" Pistash repeated. "Ah! If you can find the sergeant-major and his brother, your friend 'Scrambler'...'Scrambler'...Did you hear, tell them we're locked up in this cabin!" Captain Aldigon and the others approached the gate.If only they could use dogs to bond with their comrades!Wrap a piece of paper around its neck... who knows, will the faithful animal find the lieutenant, using only its instincts?And Vieter knows where his comrades are, and will take steps to rescue them! ... Under no circumstances should "Cut Hearts" be caught on the ring road in front of the gates of the fort.So the corporal repeatedly told it: "Go...my dog, go..." "Cutting the Red Heart" understood, because, after giving it a final good-bye caress, he left. The next day was the same as the day before, and the food was delivered early in the morning. It should be expected that the situation of the prisoners has not changed today. The dog didn't come back the next night.At least, Pistash, who was waiting for its return, heard nothing.He wondered if the poor dog had been plotted to never see him again... Two days in a row passed without any incident, and no one noticed any activity in the town. On April 24, near 11 o'clock, when Aldigan went to the top to observe, he found that Zangfeike was active.Like the clamor of horses, there was an unusual gunshot.At the same time, residents gathered in the main square, and many people on horseback were approaching the square. On this day, is it Aldigan and his comrades who are going to be brought here to meet Adiyar? No, not this time, nothing.On the contrary, everything indicated that the Tuareg chief was about to start.He was on horseback, in the middle of the square, watching over a hundred or so Tuaregs on horseback like himself. Half an hour later, Adiyar walked up to the team and walked out of town, heading east of Hingiz. The captain jumped quickly from above to the yard, and announced to his companions the departure of those men. "This is the conquest of Gulea, where work is about to resume, without a doubt," said the engineer. "Who knows if Adiyar will encounter Vieter and his detachment?" the captain reminded. "Yes, everything is possible, but it's not certain," replied the corporal. "However, it is certain that now that Adiyar and his rascals have left town, there is an opportunity for escape..." "What?..." asked a North African cavalryman. Yes...how?How to take advantage of this new opportunity?Aren't the walls of the fort forever impenetrable?The gate is locked outside, can it be broken?On the other hand, who are you waiting for? However, when it comes to this rescue, it depends. On the second night the dog barked dully as he had done the first time, while he approached the gate and scratched the ground with his paws. Under the guidance of instinct, "Cut Heart" found a hole at the foot of the wall, almost filled with soil, from which the dog could enter from the outside. Suddenly, the corporal who was waiting there saw it appear in the yard. right! "Cutting Heart" approached him, jumping and screaming, and it took some effort for him to stop it. Captain Altegan, M. de Charley, and the others rushed out of the house at once, and the dog returned to the hole through which he had just come, and they followed him. There is a narrow exit there, as long as some stones and dirt are pushed aside, a person can slip through. Yes, it never occurred to me that this hole should be used tonight before Adiyar returned to Zanfiq. However, cross the town and then the oasis without running into big trouble!How will the escapee go in this dark night?Is there no danger of being caught by people, even Adiyar's men?And it's 50 kilometers to Gulea. There is no food, only the fruits and grass roots in the oasis, can you make it through? No one wants to see these dangers.They can't wait to escape.They followed the dog out of the cave, and the dog was the first to disappear after passing through the cave. "Yes!" said the officer to Pistash. "You go first, my captain," replied the corporal. They were careful not to collapse the wall.The prisoners came to the hole, and in about ten minutes they all crossed the ring road. The night was very dark, with thick clouds and no stars.Captain Aldea and his companions would not know which direction to go if the dogs were not there to guide them.They are all proud of the dog's intelligence.In addition, near the fort and on the slope, they didn't bump into anyone, and they slipped from the slope to the edge of the front row of trees. It was 11 o'clock at night.The cage of silence shone on the town, and the windows of the residents were indeed closed, so that no light could penetrate. The fugitive walked silently through the woods to the edge of the oasis without meeting anyone. It was there that a man with a lantern appeared before them. They recognized him, and he recognized them. The man was Mezach, and he was coming home from this side of town. Before Mezachi could yell, the dog threw itself at his throat and he fell dead. "Good! Good! 'Cutting hearts'." said the corporal. The captain and his comrades, no longer caring about the wretch lying dead there, quickened their pace and walked along the edge of Hingiz to the east of Malegir.