Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Escape

Captain Aldigan chose to escape eastward after he escaped from prison, which was well thought out.On the opposite side, certainly beyond the western edge of Malegir, along the run through the Sahara, there was the usual path to Legult.From there, Biskra can be reached safely and easily.However, he did not know this area of ​​the salt marshes because he came to Zanfek from the east of Gulaia, and he was not familiar with the road going west through Xingiz, and it was possible to meet Adi there. Yar put the men there, and they were there to watch out for troops that might come from Biskra.Also, the itinerary is the same as from Zanfek to the canal terminal.Workers may have returned to the site in large numbers.Then, go to Gulea to gather, and maybe meet Lieutenant Vieter, who is probably looking for the last in this area of ​​​​Jered!As the Corporal thought about it, it made sense!Cut hearts to take across the oasis.Doesn't he agree to entrust matters to the heart-cutting spirituality?Therefore he said:

My captain, only follow the dog!It's right!Besides, it sees at night as it does during the day!I assure you, this is a dog with cat eyes! We follow it!said Captain Aldigon. This is more to be done.In the depth of the night, in the labyrinthine oasis, it was possible for the escapee to go awry not far from the village.Luckily, letting Cut Hearts guide them, they quickly reached the northern edge of Hingiz and followed the shore. It is more important not to stray from it at all, because, apart from there, Malegir is only a dangerous place, full of potholes and holes into which one cannot get out.Only Zanfek and the Tuaregs in the neighboring villages and towns know the paths that can be walked between the potholes. They work as guides, and they often provide such services for the purpose of robbing camel caravans.

The fugitives strode on without encountering any villains, and when the sun rose they rested in a palm grove.In view of the troubles of venturing in the dark, they should not think that the distance of the journey is more than seven or eight kilometers, and there are still twenty kilometers to reach the far end of Hingiz, and after that, it is almost necessary to pass through the salt water. Marsh, before arriving at the Gulea Oasis. Walking at night was too much work in this place, and Captain Aldigon thought an hour's rest would be appropriate.The woods are wild, and the nearest village is on the southern edge of the future central island.So it's easy to avoid these towns.Moreover, looking east, as far as the eye could see, Adiyar's men were not at all invisible.From Zangfeike, after walking for fifteen hours, I must have gone far.

Although fatigue compelled the escapees to rest for a while, such rest was not enough to recover them if they did not get some food.With nothing to eat in the last few hours in the cell, they could only count on gathering wild fruit as they crossed the Hingiz oasis, only dates, berries, and perhaps something Pistash knew well. some edible roots.No one is short of fire sickles and tinder. Burning the rhizomes on a dry wood fire is the main food. Yes, under such circumstances, there is reason to hope that Captain Aldigon and his companions will have enough to eat and drink, so there are many dry rivers in Hingiz, and they may even catch some game game fowl by means of cutting hearts .But there was no such chance as they hurried across the sandy plain of the salt marshes, where only clumps of thatch grew, which were not edible.

In short, since the prisoners walked from Gulea to Zanfiq for two days under the leadership of Soar, would it take them more time to walk from Zanfiq to Gulea?Yes, that's for sure, and there are two more reasons: the first is that they have no horses this time; In short, the captain said, it should only be fifty kilometers tonight, we can walk halfway and rest after a night, and even if necessary, we can double the time for the second halfway, and we can see the steep bank of the canal the night after tomorrow up. After an hour's rest, with nothing but dates to eat, the fugitives walked along the edge, taking as much cover as possible.The sky was overcast, with a few rays of sunlight barely peeking through the gaps in the clouds.The rain was coming, but luckily it didn't.

The first leg of the road was over by noon.No emergencies occurred.Did not meet a single native.As for the Adiyar gang, they must have been thirty to forty kilometers away to the east. The rest lasted an hour, there was no shortage of dates, and the corporal dug up some roots and roasted them in the ashes.Everyone ate some anyway, and the dog was probably happy to eat these. When it was dark, twenty-five kilometers from Zanfiq, Captain Aldigan stopped at the end of Hingiz. This is the edge of the last oasis.The desolate and vast depression extends out of the oasis.Walking without a guide is difficult and dangerous on the endless, flat, shiny, salty frost.But the prisoners eventually got away from their cells, and if Ahmet and the others started chasing them, at least there would be no trace of them.

Everyone desperately needs rest.They had some advantage in getting to Golea early, and they might be able to spend the night there.Besides, it would be too imprudent to venture in the dark in the land past these activities in Hingiz, and it would take them almost a whole day to get out of there!No fear of cold at this time of year and at this latitude, they huddled at the foot of a clump of palm trees. Doubtless it would be wise to have someone on guard near the campsite.The corporal even volunteered to serve as a sentry in the middle of the night, even if two North African cavalry were used to receive the sentry.While his companions were sound asleep, he held his post with the company of cutting hearts.But just a quarter of an hour later, Pistash fell asleep, almost unconsciously at first, and then lay on the ground with his eyes closing involuntarily.

Luckily, the loyal cut heart is an even better sentinel, as a muffled bark of a dog wakes a sleeping man shortly before midnight. The corporal who had just stood up suddenly called the alarm alarm. In a moment Captain Aldigon rose. listen!my captain!Pistash said. A loud sound sounded from the left of the bushes, like the snapping of branches or the tearing of bushes, about a hundred paces away from the bushes. Were the Tuaregs of Zanfik following our tracks? He might have suspected that the prisoners had escaped and the Tuaregs were in a hurry to chase them? Captain Altegan listened for a moment and said to the corporal:

No, it's not Aboriginal!They're trying to surprise us and they don't make that noise! so what?asked the engineer. This is the beast of prey turning around and walking through the oasis.The corporal said. In fact, the camp was not threatened by the Tuaregs, but by a lion or lions, whose presence was still a great danger.If they charged at the camp, would they be able to resist?Can one defend oneself without a weapon? The dog gave a very restless signal.The corporal took great effort to hold it down, to prevent it from screaming, and from jumping towards the place where it roared angrily.

So, what happened?Is it a fight between wild beasts, fiercely competing for prey?Did they spot the escapees in the bushes?Are they going to pounce on them? A few minutes of anxiety ensues.If they are discovered, Aldigon and his companions will be together soon!It is best to wait in this position and climb up the tree first to avoid the attack. Such was the order given by the captain, which he carried out at once, and when the cut heart was released from the corporal's hand, it disappeared to the right of the camp. Cut hearts here!Here pistash calls. But the animal, either not hearing, or unwilling to listen, did not return.

At this moment, the noise and roar seemed to be far away, and gradually became smaller until they disappeared.The only sound that was still felt was the cry of hearts being cut, and it returned soon after. Gone, these beasts must be gone!Captain Altegan said they didn't smell us here!no need to be afraid But what happened to cutting hearts?Pistash cried out as he petted the dog, and he felt blood on his hands.Does it hurt?Is it scratched over there? Don't cut the red heart and don't complain about it jumping and running to the right, and came back soon.Some say it managed to drag the corporal back over there because the corporal was about to follow it. Hold still, Pistash!The captain ordered him.We wait till dawn and we'll see what to do The corporal obeyed.Everyone was back where the sleep had been abruptly interrupted when the beast first roared. Sleep was undisturbed, and the sun had just risen on the eastern horizon of Malegil when the Runaway awoke. But Cut Heart rushed to the woods, and this time when he came back, they found fresh blood on his fur. Surely there's some wounded or dead beast over there, a defeated lion It's a pity that it's not delicious, because a North African cavalry said that if he ate it. Let's go and see, said Captain Aldigon. Everyone followed the dog, which barked and led them away. About a hundred paces away, they found a bloody beast. It was not a lion, but a large gazelle which had been killed by wild beasts, for which the beasts must have fought, and some left the gazelle while some raged at the others. ah!Rare and rare!cried the corporal.This is wild game like we've never had before!It's on time and we'll have canned meat for the whole trip! What a stroke of luck here!Runners are no longer forced to eat tree roots and dates.The North African cavalry and pistache immediately cut off the best part of the antelope's body, and also gave a share of the red heart.They brought kilos of good meat to the camp.Everyone lit the fire and put a few slices on the hot coals. Since everyone shared the delicious barbecue, there was no need to say more. Indeed, after this meal of meat instead of fruit, everyone regained their strength, and everyone was happy. hit the road!said Captain Aldigon.Don't Delay Zanfiq The pursuit of the Tuaregs is always terrible. In fact, before leaving the camp, the escapees carefully observed the edge of Hingiz, which extended towards the village. The entire salt marsh area, whether facing east or west, was deserted and lifeless.Not only beasts and herbivores never ventured in this desolate region, but even birds never flapped their wings.Since the various oases of Hingiz offered them resources that the barren ground of the salt marshes could not, why would they do so? Again, to this remark made by Captain Aldigon, the engineer replied that when Melagil becomes a great lake, they will be its constant visitors: sea-birds, at least gulls, kingfishers, and in the water, fish and Mediterranean whales cruising!I think I have seen warships and merchant fleets sailing new seas with white sails or full steam ahead! Before the salt marshes were filled with water, Mr. Engineer, Corporal Pistash claimed, I advocated that it must be used to return to the canal when it was not yet a sea.Hoping for a boat to pick us up where we are, maybe something can't wait Of course, Monsieur Descharais replied, but I insist that the total flooding of Larsa and Malegil should not take longer than we expected! Not for more than a year, the captain argued with a smile, it was too long for us!Once our preparations are complete, I will give the order to depart. Let's go, Monsieur François, said the corporal, need to run away at once, I hope you will rest at once in a town with a barber shop, because we have a soldier's beard at last! In the case of an escape, preparations are neither long nor complicated.This morning, however, this delayed them for a while, as food had to be prepared for the two-day journey until Gulea.All that was available to them was chunks of antelope meat, some of which had already been eaten.But how to light a fire without woods on the road through Malakir?At least there is no shortage of firewood here, and there are branches that have been broken by Jared's violent winds. So the corporal and two North African cavalry came to do the job.In half an hour, these delicious slices of meat are grilled over charcoal fire.Then, when the slices had cooled, Pistash gathered the meat together, divided it into six equal portions, took one each, and wrapped them in fresh leaves. This is judged by the position of the sun on the horizon at seven o'clock in the morning.The sun rose in the red mist, which promised another hot day.This time on the road, Captain Aldigon and his companions would no longer be hiding from the heat of the sun under the trees of Hingiz. Besides this regrettable situation, they encountered another situation, the danger of which was greater.Since the fugitive could be seen walking along the shady edge, and since then, could be followed, the danger remained largely undiminished.Who knows if they will be spotted as they pass by as they traverse the long lagoons of the salt marshes in broad daylight?And if a few Tuaregs passed them by, where to hide to avoid running into them?Furthermore, did Adiyar and his men return to Zanfek on this day or the next day? Walking on the unstable ground like Malakil, neither the engineer nor the captain knows the way. Everyone knows that the 25-kilometer journey from the end of Hingiz to the Gulea construction site is full of dangers, which is already difficult. There are many, but these dangers are added! Captain Altegan and M. de Charley could not help thinking about it, and they were still thinking about it.But these dire difficulties or dangers must be risked at all costs.In short, all of them are persistent, strong, and able to do their best. hit the road!said the captain. right!On the road good troops!Pistash agreed, and he was right, he thought that the old saying should be changed in this way.