Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen "Tell"

It had been more than seven hours since Captain Aldigun and his comrades left the furthest point of Hingiz.The special nature of the salt marshes forced them to move forward cautiously.The salt and frost on the surface cannot make people know whether the land is firm enough, and whether every step will fall into a pit. The engineer had a good idea of ​​the composition of the soils that formed the bottom of the lagoons and salt marshes, based on Rudel's detections and his own.The upper layer is a salt crust, subject to certain distinct vibrations.The sand below is mixed with sometimes flowing marl, from where water enters, which makes them lose their solidity.Sometimes the probe hits the rock only at great depths.It is not surprising, therefore, that men and horses disappear in these semi-mobile formations, as if the earth swallowed them up and made it impossible to rescue them.

From Hingiz, the escapees hoped to find traces left by Adiyar and his squad of Tuaregs as they crossed the salt marshes.Now that no wind and rain have swept east of Malegir in recent days, there is still no time for these footprints to be wiped away.In this case, as long as you follow these footprints and do not deviate from the path familiar to these indigenous people, you can go directly to the Gulea oasis. It is likely that the Tuareg leader also took this path to the oasis.M. de Charley, however, searched in vain for these footprints, from which he must have concluded that the bandits did not follow the shores of Hingiz to its extreme extremities.

In the process of walking slowly, the captain and engineer insisted on walking ahead, and the dog ran further ahead as a scout.Before going in which direction, they tried to determine the structure of the soil, and it was cumbersome to experiment on the long salt layer, so they had to go slowly.Therefore, it was almost 11 o'clock when the first section of the road was finished, but only 4 or 5 kilometers had been traveled.Therefore, you should stop, both for rest and for eating.There was neither an oasis nor a forest, not even a clump of trees.Only a few hundred steps away, the sandy land slightly bulges, breaking the monotony of the plain.

"We didn't have a choice," Captain Altigon said. Everyone walked to this small dune and sat on the side where the sun didn't shine.Each took a piece of meat from his pocket.The corporal tried in vain to find a spring from which to draw some drinkable water.No river runs through this part of Malakil, and the thirst can only be quenched with dates gathered at the previous camp. Nearly 12:30, I started walking again, and continuing to walk was not without fatigue, nor was it without difficulty.Captain Aldigon managed to maintain an easterly orientation as close to the sun's position as possible.Almost all the time the sand did not pass the foot.The depression was low at that time, and it is certain that when it was flooded it would be between Hingiz and the edge of the canal, and the depth of the salt marshes was about 30 meters or so below sea level.

This is what the engineer pointed out, and he went on to say: "I am therefore not surprised that the soil is less stable on this side than elsewhere. During the rainy season, these depressions must hold all the water that flows from Malakir, and they can never become firm." "Although it's annoying, we can't avoid these depressions," the captain reminded. "As for going north or south, there is no guarantee that we will find a better way. This will delay time, and we can't waste a day. In short , our direction can lead us to the nearest place we can go, it is best not to change direction..."

"There is no doubt about it," Mr. Dessaray claimed. "If Adiyar and his gang go to 347 kilometers, they don't take this road, so it will be the same." In fact, we did not find any trace of their passing. How difficult and how slow it was to go!What troubles will be encountered on the road! "Cutting the Red Heart" kept moving forward, and when it felt that the white salt crust had sunk, it would return by itself.So you should stop, explore the road, dodge to the left and right, sometimes you have to avoid 50 meters, so you have to walk in a zigzag way. In this case, the second section of the road is less than 4 and a half kilometers.It was dark, and they stopped exhausted, and besides, they had no urgent needs, how could they risk a nocturnal journey!

5 o'clock at night.Captain Aldigon knew very well that his comrades could not go further.However, this place is not very favorable as a night camp.It's just a flat plain, and there are not even any earth hills to rely on.There is no water source from which to draw some potable water.In the lowlands there wasn't even a clump of sea buckthorn.Some birds also flew swiftly across the barren land to return to the nearest oases, although these oases were only a few kilometers away from here, and the escapers were sure not to go. At this point the corporal approached the officer and said to him:

"My captain, with all due respect, I think it is better to camp in that position, Tuareg mongrels don't care about that place!" "What, Corporal?" "Look...unless I'm wrong! Isn't this like one of those sand dunes with a few trees growing on it?" Following his outstretched hand to the northeast, Pistash pointed to a spot in the salt marsh, at most three kilometers away. All eyes followed in this direction.The corporal was not wrong.Fortunately, there is a shady hillock, called "Tell" by the locals, on which 3 or 4 rare local trees grow.If Aldigon and his companions could go there, perhaps they could spend the night in less hostile conditions?

"That's where it should go...at all costs," the officer said. "Besides, we have not clearly departed from the path we have taken..." added M. de Charais. "Then who knows if the bottom of the salt marsh is any better for our poor paws!" said the corporal. "Let's go, friends, and make a last effort!" Captain Aldigon ordered. Everyone follows him. However, on the side of "Tell", whether the bottom of the salt marsh has risen again, as Pistash said just now, and whether the escapers may encounter relatively solid ground, in fact, at the last moment of this section of the road, things are not the same. in this way.

"I shall never arrive!" repeated M. François. "No... grab my arm!" was the helpful corporal's response. By the time the sun went down, they had barely covered two kilometers.The first quarter moon follows the sun closely, and soon disappears behind the horizon.After the short twilight in the lower latitudes, the dark night follows.Therefore, it is important to use the last hours of the day to reach "Tell". Captain Aldigan and his party of 6 people lined up in a column, watching step by step, the road was getting worse and worse.The salt shell breaks under the feet, and the sand recedes below, causing the water to rise upwards. Some people sink into the fluid layer up to their knees, and it is not easy to pull out.M. François was so far from the road that he was half sunken, and if he did not stretch out his arms, his whole body would be completely swallowed up by what we have called "sea eyes".

"Help me...help me..." he shouted as he struggled with all his strength. "Hold on... Hold on!" Pistash also shouted. Since Pistash was ahead, he stopped and went back to save him.Everyone also stopped.But he was overtaken by the dog, which leaped a few steps to the side of poor Monsieur François, whose head and arms were visible, and who clasped the dog's strong neck tightly. At last the solemn man came out of the hole, soaked and covered with plaster. Although it was not time for jokes, Pistash told him: "Nothing to fear, Monsieur François, I would have grabbed your beard and dragged you out of there if 'Cutting the Heart' hadn't gotten ahead of me!" Such slow progress, or rather, slipperiness on the surface of such a salt marsh, is beyond comprehension.The escaper cannot go any further without risking being half-entangled.One by one, they climb the sand so that they can support each other in times of need.In this section of the depression, the bottom of the salt marsh continues to descend, because a large basin is bound to gather the flowing water of the salt marsh's hydrological system. Not one more chance to save: reach the "Tel" that Pistash says.There, there must be reappearance of solid ground, and even the top of a hill surrounded by trees, and in this case security at night is assured. But at night, it was difficult to get there.I saw this "Tell" just now, and everyone didn't know whether to go from the left or the right. For the moment, Captain Aldigon and his comrades are walking blindly, and only coincidence can keep them on the right track. In the end, it was actually "Cut Heart" who was their real guide, and he let the people hear the barking... It seemed that the dog should take 100 steps to the left and a few steps higher. "There's Knoll..." said the corporal. "Yes, we deviated," added Descharay. It is no longer in question to let the dog seek out "Tell" and let him climb the tree, and his repeated barking is sure to invite everyone to catch up with him. That's what it's supposed to do, but with some effort and some dangers!As it gradually rises from the ground, it becomes stronger at the same time.On it, now felt a little rough moss, fingers could be hooked, so that, thanks to Pistache borrowing M. François's help, the whole crew came to "Tell". "We're here at last!" cried the corporal, stroking Heart Cut, which lay quietly beside him. It was already past 8 o'clock.Night makes one blind to one's surroundings, lies down under a tree, and rests there for the night, having nothing else to do.But since the corporal, Monsieur François, and the two cavalrymen soon fell asleep, M. de Charley and Captain Ardigan looked forward to sleep in vain.Too many worries and worries keep them awake.Aren't they like shipwrecked crew cast on a deserted island, not knowing if they can get off the island?Did they find a way to go at the foot of this "Tell"? ...it's daytime again, should they still be adventuring on the floating lands?And who knows, has the bottom of the salt marsh sank even further in the direction of Gulea? "How far do you think it is from Golea?" the captain asked the engineer. "Twelve to fifteen kilometers," replied M. de Charais. "So are we halfway there?" "I think so!" How slowly the night of April 26-27 passed!Engineers and officers should envy their comrades-in-arms, who fall asleep from fatigue, and are not awakened by the sound of thunder.Although there were lightning and thunder in the sky, and the breeze was blowing and making noise, there was no storm. It was nearly midnight when the cacophony soon became louder. "What's the matter?" asked Captain Aldigon, rising from the foot of the tree against which he leaned. "I don't know either," replied the engineer. "Is it a storm in the distance? ... No! It's more like the rolling sound coming through the earth!" Nothing amazing happened.It is not forgotten that, while the leveling work was being carried out, Mr. Rudale found that the ground in Gerard was vibrating with considerable amplitude, which more than once hampered his operation.These tremors must have been caused by some deep earthquake.It is therefore necessary to consider whether such disturbances would disturb the extremely unstable foundations of this salt marsh—Malegil being one of the most typical foundations. The corporal, Monsieur François, and the two cavalrymen had just been awakened by these progressively increasing vibrations underground. At this time, "Cut Red Heart" sent out a particularly disturbing signal. It went down to "Tell"'s feet many times, and when it came up for the last time, it was wet like coming out of deep water. "Yes! Water, water!" repeated the corporal, as he said the water of the sea! "No, it's not blood this time!..." This dissent was directed against another night spent in Hingiz's fringe camp, when, when the dog returned, its fur was soaked in the blood of an antelope killed by the beast. "Cutting Heart" shook himself up, and the water splashed on Pistash. There was now a fairly deep body of water near the knoll, and the dog jumped into it.However, when Captain Altegan and his companions got there, they did not wade through a patch of water but crawled over deliquescent marl. So, is this a newly formed subsidence ground?Does it bring water from the soil below to the surface? Has "Tell" become an island? How impatiently, how anxiously, the fugitive waited for day!They want to go back to sleep, but can't.Moreover, the intensity of the interference below the ground is still increasing.It should be believed that deep-generated and water-generated forces are competing with each other under the salt marsh, and they are slowly changing.Sometimes there was even such a violent vibration that the tree bowed, as if a strong wind would uproot the tree by its roots. Sometimes the corporals who had just come under the "Tell" found the earliest strata submerged to a thickness of two or three feet. Where did the water come from?The movement of the ground squeezes water from the marl layer below to the surface of the rock marsh. Under the action of this special phenomenon, the surface of the salt marsh can only sink, and it is indeed lower than the sea level of the Mediterranean sea. That's the question Mr. Descharais asks, will he be able to answer it when the sun reappears on the horizon? Until the dawn came, it seemed that the noisy sound coming from the far east constantly disturbed the space, and produced quite strong vibrations from time to time and regularly, the foundation of "Tyre" trembled accordingly, and the surrounding "Tyre" The water gushes out with a sound similar to waves hitting the rocks on the shore at high tide. Sometimes, people try to use their ears to understand phenomena that the eyes can't see, which leads to Aldigan's topic: "So Malegil can be filled with water that's been squeezed to its surface from the ground?" "It's not really credible," replied M. de Charley. "However, I think there is an acceptable explanation." "What kind of explanation?" "That's the water in the gulf, going over Gabes, and flooding Melagil, all the way from Gabes to Jared." "Then..." cried the corporal, "we'll have a way too... we'll have to swim for our lives!" Day finally came.Some of the bright lights that appeared on the east side of the salt marsh were so white that they hung like a thick curtain of fog on the horizon. Everyone stood up from under the tree, staring in this direction, just waiting for the dawn to come, so as to understand the situation.But a terrible misfortune awaited them, and they were disappointed.