Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Tozeur and Nefta

That night, Sergeant Major Nicole said to Corporal Pistache and François: This is the famous hometown of date palms, which is what our captain called the date palm garden. Hearts are named the same, if they get the speaking gift Well, what did Pista say, dates are everywhere, you can pick them in Gabes or Tozeur, and if only they all came from one tree, isn't it right, Monsieur François? When people speak of this man, they always say Monsieur François.His master himself said so, and Monsieur François, out of his natural pride, insisted on the title. I can't take a stand, he replied in a serious voice, putting his hand on his shaved chin early the morning after departure.I confess that I do not have a strong liking for this fruit, good for Arabs, not for Normans like me

Oh, you are so awkward, Monsieur François, cried the sergeant major, good for the Arabs!You want to say it's too good for them because they can't value it for what it's worth!These dates!And pears, apples, grapes, citrus, I could trade all French fruits for dates! well!But they shouldn't take pistash claims lightly while slipping their tongues over their lips. So to speak, Nicole added, must have never tasted Jared's dates.Oh, tomorrow I'll give you a date straight off the tree, plump and translucent, and when ripe it makes a delicious sweet paste that you'll rave about!It's a fruit of paradise. Our gluttonous ancestors may have been tempted not by apples, but by dates.

It is possible!The corporal, willing to submit to the authority of the sergeant major, echoed. Don't you think, Monsieur François, continued the sergeant major, that I'm the only one who thinks so about Gerard's dates, and especially about those from the Oasis of Tozeur!Ask Captain Aldigan, Lieutenant Vieter, they also know about this kind of date, even ask about the first and cut hearts What, said Monsieur François, full of wonder, your dog and your horse? They are fond of dates, Monsieur François, and the noses of horses and dogs smell of date palms three kilometers before they arrive.Yes, from the next day, they come together and enjoy delicious food

Well, Monsieur Sergeant Major, replied Monsieur François, if you like, Corporal and I.We are more than happy to eat dozens of these worthy products of Jared with relish! To be sure, the Sgt is not exaggerating.Throughout the region, especially around Tozeur, dates are of the highest quality, and in the oasis, there are more than 200,000 palm trees producing more than 8 million kilograms of dates.This is a great asset to the region.This attracted caravans of camels, which brought wool, gum, barley and wheat, and untold sacks of the precious fruit. From then on, we understand that the residents of this oasis are really afraid of creating such an inland sea.In fact, according to them, the dampness caused by the flooding of the salt lakes would deprive the dates of their superior quality.It is due to the dry air of the Djerid region that these dates are the most important of all dates and the tribes use them as their main food.And it can be said that these dates can be stored indefinitely.When the climate changes, the dates are thought to have been picked in the Gulf of Gabes or near the Mediterranean Sea.

Have these fears been substantiated?It is well known that the opinions are not unanimous in this respect.What is certain is that the indigenous peoples of lower Algeria and lower Tunisia were outraged at the creation of a Sahara, and opposed it, as they thought of the irreparable damage that would inevitably be caused by the Inroudel plan. Therefore, from this age onwards, in order to protect the area from the gradual encroachment of the desert, the first forest department was organized, which soon developed, as did the increasing planting of pine and eucalyptus, and the building of firewood rafts. (similar to that demonstrated in the Landes Action Plan).But now that the measures against the gradual encroachment of the desert have been understood and implemented, the arduous struggle must be sustained, otherwise the desert will soon break through the barrier and return to destroy and engulf the good land.

At the time, the traveler was in the center of the Djerid region of Tunisia, whose principal cities and towns were Gafsa, Tamkeza, Midas, Chebika, Nafzawa, and Tozeur , several large oases such as Nefta, Udiyana and Rahama should also be attached to Tozeur, and in this center the expedition could get acquainted with the details of the works of the French overseas company which were suddenly interrupted due to financial difficulties that could not be quickly overcome. situation. Tozeur has approximately 10,000 inhabitants and nearly 1,000 hectares of arable land.Industry was limited to the manufacture of woolen cloaks, rugs and rugs.But, as already pointed out, camel caravans flood here and millions of kilos of palm nuts and dates are carried away.Perhaps surprisingly, education is held relatively high in this remote town of Jared.Indeed there were almost six hundred children, frequenting eighteen schools and eleven Zoyas.Translator's Note].As for religious orders, there are many in the oasis.

But if the forests and beautiful oases of Tozeur did not arouse the curiosity of M. de Charais, it must be the canal.Its waterway for several kilometers passed here and flowed towards Nefta, which aroused his curiosity more strongly.On the contrary, for Capt. Ardigan and Lieutenant Viette, it was their first visit to the city.They pass here to this day, satisfying the most curious travelers.Certain squares, with streets lined with reddish-brown houses, are arranged like stunning, stylized paintings, which are truly beautiful.It was there that attracted the eye of the artist, rather than Tozeur's few remains of Roman occupation.

Early the next morning the adjutants and soldiers were given leave by Captain Aldigon to cross the oasis at will, provided they were present at the double roll call at noon and evening.Also, one should not venture outside, as the military outpost established in the town, under the command of a senior officer in command of the fortress, did not agree to do so.Consideration should always be given to possible over-stimulation of settled or nomadic tribes in the Jared area due to restoration projects and the imminent flooding of the Salt Lake area. It goes without saying that Sergeant Major Nicole and Corporal Pistash were walking together at dawn.Since Chi Chi hadn't left the barn (where the fodder was half a leg high), at least the red hearts were bouncing around them, and the dog must have felt that he was curious enough to ask around, as he thought his big friend Chi Chi had done the same.

The most frequent meeting of engineers, officers, and soldiers during the day happens to be in the marketplace.Mainly the former residents of Dar El Bey House gather there.The market looks like a barracks, and the merchants, under erected tents, use palm branches to support a mat or a piece of cloth, and in front of them place their wares, which are carried by camels from oasis to oasis. From time to time the sergeant major and the corporal seized the opportunity to drink a few glasses of palm wine, the famous local drink called laga honey, which was produced from the palm tree: one could get it by cutting off the top of the tree, and after the tree was beheaded, The tree must surely die; or only a few cuts are made, and the sap is not allowed to flow so profusely, that it dies afterwards.

Pistash, the sergeant major told his men, you know you shouldn't drink too much of the good stuff!This lager honey has a lot of stamina Oh, Sergeant Major, not as good as date wine, replied Xia Shang, who had an accurate idea of ​​wine. Of course not, I'm sure, Nicole continued, but one should be suspicious of this wine, because it makes the legs weak and the head dizzy! Take it easy, Sergeant Major, look, here are some Arabs who will set us a bad example! There were indeed two or three locals, drinking their drinks, staggering through the market, in a drunken way, especially for Arabs, which was not very respectable, which caused the corporal to say so correctly. Reflection: In my opinion, Islam forbids all believers to get drunk

Yeah, Pistash, the sergeant major chimed in, banning any alcohol except this laga honey as if the Qur'an says that Jared's product is an exception I see the Arabs taking advantage of this!The corporal retorted. It appears that laga honey was not included in the list of fermented beverages that were forbidden for the children and grandchildren of Muhammad. Thanks to palm trees, the best trees in the area, the soil of the oasis is exceptionally fertile, the gardens are beautiful and rich in a variety of plant products.The vibrant waters of the Belcook River flow gently through the surrounding fields, either through its main bed or through the many creeks that originate from it.Tall palms shade the olive trees of medium height, the olive shades the figs, the figs shade the pomegranates, and beneath the pomegranates the vines stretch in zigzags, their vines burrowing among the wheat, vegetables, and vegetable plants, Seeing all this, doesn't it arouse people's admiration? In the evening, at the invitation of the Commander of the City Defense, Mr. Dessaray, Captain Ardigan and Lieutenant Viet came to the Kasbah Hall. They talked about the benefits brought by the salt lake area.On the subject, the commander said: The Aboriginal people really did not recognize that the Djerid region benefited to a great extent from the Sahara.I had an opportunity of chatting with the chiefs of the Arabs.Oh, with few exceptions, I have failed to bring them to reason when they have expressed their opposition to the plan!They worry about climate change and the loss of oasis products, especially palm forests.However, everything points to the contrary, and the most authoritative scholars leave no doubts about it.This will be the wealth that the canal will bring to the region through the sea.But these natives were stubborn and unwilling to give in at all. Then Captain Altegan asked: This objection does not come from nomadic tribes, but from settled tribes? Indeed, replied the commander, for the nomads are no longer there.All Tuaregs have a reputation for violence, as one might imagine.The camel caravans are dwindling in number and influence, more Kafirahs are on the road to Jared, and there is still looting happening!All trade will be done by the sea ships of Xinhai, unless the Tuareg people change the business of stealing into a business of robbery at sea!However, in such a case, we will quickly cripple them.It is not surprising, therefore, that they took every opportunity to try to instill in the settled tribes the idea that abandoning their ancestral way of life would expose them to the prospect of ruin.We thus encounter not only opposition, but an unreasonable frenzy.All of this is almost dormant, and sooner or later, through Muslim fatalism, it will explode in the form of violent upheaval.Apparently, those people understood neither the consequences of the Sahara Sea nor the measures to divert the water.They see only the power of wizards to wreak dire mischief. The Commander gets no news from his guest.Captain Aldigon had no idea that the expedition would be unpopular among the Jared tribes.But the problem is that if the mental stimulation is too great, people will inevitably fear that there will soon be some riots among the residents of the Larsa and Malgil districts. All I can answer to this question, the commander declares, is that the Tuaregs and other nomads have so far not seriously threatened the canal, except for a few isolated raids.Many of them, as far as we can tell, attributed these works to the diabolical inspiration of Islam, and thought that a power stronger than that would come here to rectify them.Besides, how to know exactly what these hypocritical people think?Probably they were waiting, the work was resumed, and the workers recruited by the new company went back to try to carry out more effective looting or powerful strikes! What kind of powerful blow?asked M. Descharais. Can't they gather thousands of men, Mr. Engineer, and try to throw the sand from the steep slopes of the riverbed back into the canal, blocking a section of it, and at a certain point, by hand, stopping the passage of the bay's waters? And M. de Charais reacts by saying that they have a lot of difficulty filling in the canals that our predecessors did not need to dig, in short, they will not succeed in filling the canals in a very open area. They have time!The commander reminded, didn't someone say that it would take about ten years to fill the salt lake? No, Commander, no, the engineer affirms, I have expressed my opinion on this, and my opinion is not based on erroneous data, but on precise calculations.It would not take ten years, or even five years, for the water to fill Larsa and Malegir, by man's vital labor, and especially with the great machinery we have today, that the water would widen and deepen the river-bed open to it.Although Tozeur is a few kilometers from the salt lake, who knows if it will one day become a seaport and be reconnected to Lajama via Larsa?And this shows the necessity of certain protective works which I had to consider, namely the drafts of the ports which I had in mind, which, in the north and south, were one of the important objects of this journey. In view of M. de Charley's methodical and rigorous thinking, there is reason to believe that he has not abandoned those fanciful hopes. Captain Aldigun then asked a few questions about the Tuareg chief who had escaped from Gabes fortress.Has anyone reported on his presence at the oasis?Any news about his tribe?Do locals in Jared now know that Adiyar is free again?Shouldn't it be considered whether he will do everything possible to incite Arab riots against the Sahara Sea project? Regarding these questions, the commander of the fortress replied, I cannot tell you with certainty that the news of Adiyar's escape must have spread in the oasis, and the news of his capture with your participation has also caused a sensation.But if no one reported to me the appearance of the chief near Tozeur, at least I knew that the Tuareg gang was fleeing in the direction of the canal linking Larsa to Malegir. Do you have reason to believe this message is reliable?asked Captain Altegan. There's reason, Captain, because I got word from one of those who stayed there to work, and they called themselves and thought they were the Watchers and Guardians of the Works, so they certainly wanted the administration to promise certain titles. All in all, there are projects done, Mr De Charet added, but they must be effectively supervised.If the Tuaregs attempted to trespass on the canal, it would be a sign that the site was particularly distressing to them. why?the commander asked. Because submerging Larsa is no more irritating to them than submerging Malegir.The former does not include any oases of value, but not the latter, where some very important oases must be submerged under the waters of the New Sea.It must therefore be expected that it was the second canal which was to be attacked, and preventive measures had to be taken against possible encroachments. In any case, Lieutenant Vieter said our squad should remain vigilant after the river reaches Larsa They must be able to do it, Captain Aldigon claimed.We caught Adiyar once, we're sure to get him a second time, and while we wait for the court martial to remove him from the area for good, it's best not to see what happened to us in Gabes again. This is exactly what I wish, and as soon as possible, added the Commander, since this Adiyar has a great influence on the nomadic tribes and has the potential to incite rebellion throughout the Jared area.In short, one of the advantages of Xinhai is that it can eliminate several criminal lairs in Malegil But not all, because, according to Captain Rudel's leveling, there are different areas like Hingiz and its main town Zangfik which are not necessarily flooded. The distance between Tozeur and Nefta is about twenty-five kilometers. The engineer estimates that it will take two days to complete this section, and the next night will be camped on one side of the canal.In this section, the course of the canal does not correspond to Rudel's sketches, and in order to greatly satisfy the inhabitants of the area, this course turns the Tozeur and Nefta districts into a border between Djerid and Larsa. The peninsula, the work is all done, it's still there, everything is intact. From the early morning of April 1st, the squad left Tozeur to take advantage of the changing weather.At lower latitudes, such weather has caused downpours.However, in this part of Tunisia, such rain is not terrible, and the clouds are high above, which must reduce the heat of the sun. We first walked along the steep banks of the Berkuk River and passed the handrails of many bridges, the ruins of these ancient buildings, which provided information for these bridges. The boundless, sallow plain spread out to the west, where it was a vain effort to find a place of shade where the sun, and fortunately, was reduced.In the two sections of the first day's journey, in the center of this sandy land, we encountered only long-leaved, thin grasses with long leaves, which the locals called driss, and which camels love to eat. It is a great wealth for the Kafila people in the Jared area. From sunrise to sunset, nothing disturbed the march, and the tranquility of the camp was not broken at all until dawn.Several bands of Arabs had appeared away from the north bank of the canal, heading up towards the Aures Mountains.But they did not worry Captain Altegan, and he made no attempt to deal with them. The next day, the 2nd of April, the march to Nefta was, as on the previous day, overcast and not too hot.Closer to the oasis, however, a gradual change occurs and the soil is no longer impoverished.The green plains were covered with stipa, and among the stalks ran the meandering streams, and artemisias appeared, and hedges of prickly pears appeared on the plateaus.On the plateau, the orchid-white flowers of limonium and petunia are a feast for the eyes and intoxicating.Then clumps of trees rose and stretched along the river bank, olive groves and fig trees, and finally groves of gum-flowing acacias, growing in clusters against the horizon. The only wild animals in this area are the antelope, and they flee in groups so fast that they disappear in a blink of an eye.The scramble itself, whatever its owner may think about it, cannot wear out the antelope.As for Cutting Hearts, it barked as a large group of tailless macaques hopped among the trees in the Salt Lake region.We also saw some buffalo and blue sheep, which need not be pursued since they will surely be supplied at Nefta. The most common beasts in this part of Djerid are the lions, and their attacks are most dire.But since the start of the canal work, they have gradually been driven to the Algerian border, and also in the area around Malegir. Still, while wild beast attacks are not a cause for concern, people as well as dogs and horses must also watch out for scorpions and rattlesnakes, the naturalist's favorite cobra, which proliferates near Larsa.In addition, the reptiles were so numerous that some areas were uninhabitable, among them, Tierga in the Jared area, which had to be abandoned by the Arabs.During the night camp, near the Holy Willows, M. de Charais and his companions could not rest if they were not careful.It is admitted that the sergeant major sleeps with one eye open and one eye closed, while the first one sleeps with both eyes closed.The red heart is indeed on the alert at night, always creeping forward suspiciously, signaling when it sees a threat to the horse and its master. In short, there was no accident that night, and the tent was put away just after dawn.The direction followed by Captain Aldigon has always been southwest, and the canal has been heading southwest since Tozeur.At 207 kilometers, the canal went northward. From this turning point, the team left Nefta, which had only arrived this afternoon, and walked slowly in the meridian area.If Larsa could be brought together somewhere on its eastern border towards Tozeur, the length of the canal might be shortened by about fifteen kilometers.But implementing this plan is fraught with difficulties.Before reaching this side of the salt lake, extremely hard rock must be excavated, at least longer than the Gabes Ridge, which is more expensive, and thirty to thirty-five meters above sea level requires huge engineering.For this reason, the engineers of the French Orient Company conducted in-depth research on this area, abandoned the original direction, and adopted a new direction, that is, from 207 kilometers to the west of Nafta.From this point, the canal flows north.The third and final section of this first canal has been splendidly completed.The finish is wide and the project takes advantage of many depressions, reaching Larsa deep in a small bay located at the lowest altitude of this salt lake, almost in the middle of the southern shore. Monsieur Dessaray shared Aldigan's thoughts and did not stop at Nefta until the third day.There they had only to spend the last hours of the afternoon and the next night to rest and resupply the detachment.Moreover, from Gabes, that is, between March 17 and April 3, during the straight-line distance of 190 kilometers, neither man nor horse should be too tired.They could even easily cover the distance left by the engineer to reach Larsa Salt Lake on time the next day. From the point of view of the area and the nature of the soil, the products of the plants are clearly different from those of the Tozeur oasis.The residences are all gathered in the surround of trees, they are all Casbah-style layouts, and all have military deployments.However, there were not many people in the oasis, no more than 8,000 residents at that time. The French and natives gave Captain Aldigon's squad a warm welcome, and busied themselves to house the squad in the best possible house.In this regard, there are some reasons for self-interest, and it is impossible for everyone to be surprised by the new direction.Nefta's trade will greatly benefit from the fact that the canal flows near the oasis.If the canal flows out of Nefta towards the salt lake, the trade that the oasis would have lost would be restored.It seemed that Nefta was on the eve of becoming a city on the new shore.So the residents couldn't help but congratulate the engineers of the French company that built the Sahara. However, despite the earnest efforts of the residents to retain the expedition, it was only twenty-four hours, and they set off again after sunrise the next day.Captain Aldigun, always troubled by the news that the second canal to Malegir would be too irritating to the inhabitants of the vicinity, wished to put an end to this expedition. When the people assembled, the chariots and horses were ready, and the signal for departure was given, the sun had not yet appeared on the horizon.From Nefta to the bend, and from the bend to Larsa, the canal has traversed twelve kilometers. There was no incident on the way, and it was about six o'clock in the evening when Captain Aldigon stopped at the little bay of the canal which completely reaches the salt lake.