Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Ending

A fog hung over the sky around the little dunes, so thick that even the first light could not dispel it, people could not see each other four paces away, and the branches of trees were drowned in this thick vapor. It does look like a ghost!cried the corporal. I believe.Monsieur François replied. It should be hoped, however, that after a few hours, when the sun is hot, the fog will finally clear and one will be able to look in the direction of Malegir.Therefore, the only thing to do is to wait patiently and save food that cannot be regenerated more than ever. You should eat part of it, but in fact, it is only enough for two days.As for thirst, the salt water brought up from Tyre's feet can quench it anyway.

Three hours passed like this.The noise gradually died down.With a gust of wind blowing and rustling the branches, and a helping sun, there was no doubt that this thick cloud of fog would soon be lifted. At last the swirling mist began to thin out, and the tree showed the skeleton of its branches, and skeleton was the right word, for there was nothing but dead trees, without a single fruit or leaf.Later, the fog was blown completely to the west by a gust of wind. Thus, Malegir was exposed to a wide open space. Its surface, due to the subsidence of the bottom of this salt marsh, has partly been submerged in water, and a band of water some fifty meters wide surrounds Tyre.Over there, in more places, another layer of salt frost appeared.Then, in the lowlands, in the middle of the long, sandy plains whose raised parts remain dry, the water reflects the rays of the sun.

Captain Aldigon and the engineer turned their gazes to the horizon, and M. Descharais said: There must have been some big earthquake phenomenon the bottom of the salt marsh sank and the water layer in the subsoil poured into the salt marsh Then, when there is no way to go anywhere, you should start, start now!said the captain. Everyone got down from their positions, but at that time they were all stunned by this terrible scene. Two kilometers to the north, a group of animals from the northeast appeared, fleeing desperately.Nearly a hundred beasts of prey and ruminants, lions, antelopes, argali, and buffaloes, fled for their lives west of Jared, bound together by a common fear that would destroy both the strong and the weak, These panicked animals just wanted to escape the danger posed by Jared's quadruped rout.

So what's going on over there?the corporal asked repeatedly. The engineer was also speechless on this issue. A North African cavalryman shouted at that time: Are these beasts coming our way? How to escape?said another. At this time, the herd of beasts was less than a kilometer away, and they were approaching at a fast speed.However, they didn't seem to find the six people who took refuge on Tyre during their frantic escape. They ran to the left and finally disappeared in the whirlpool of dust. In addition, according to the orders of Captain Aldigan, his companions were all sleeping at the foot of the tree, so as not to be discovered.At that time, when they saw thousands of birds spread their wings and fled to the edge of Malegir, a large group of flamingos also fled to the distance.

What on earth happened?Corporal Pistash kept asking. At four o'clock in the afternoon, the cause of this rare phenomenon of mass exodus soon became clear. To the east, the fluid layer began to expand towards the surface of the salt marshes, and the sandy plain was immediately flooded, but only with a shallow layer of water.The salt and frost gradually disappeared until, as far as the eye could see, a large lake was formed, reflecting the sun's rays. Is it possible that the waters of the Gulf are pouring into Melagir?asked Captain Altegan. I no longer doubt, replied the engineer, that the noise we heard came from an earthquake that caused the ground to shake violently, which caused the subsidence of the Milegil foundations, possibly including the entire area of ​​Jared at the Gabes Ridge fracture. Finally, the sea will flood to Malakil!

Such an explanation must be correct.People are right in front of the earthquake phenomenon, and its importance has been revealed.From the effect of these earthquakes it was possible that the Sahara Sea would form itself, a vastness such as Captain Rudel had never dreamed of. In addition, a new noise resounded in the distance, spreading into space.Not only does it pass through the ground, but the expanding sound travels through the air. Suddenly, there was a cloud of dust in the northeast corner, and a group of horsemen flashed out of the dust, fleeing like wild animals fleeing for their lives.

Adiyar!cried Captain Aldigon. right!The leader of Tuareg, since his accomplices fled with him so swiftly, it was to escape the devilish vortex that sprang up behind him and spread out over the whole of the salt marshes. Two hours had passed since the Beast, and the sun had disappeared in a short while.Was not Tire, an island in this newly formed sea, the only refuge afforded to Adiyar in the face of rising waters? The Tuaregs and Adiyar were only a kilometer from Tell, and they must have seen it, and they ran towards it.Could they reach Tire before the swell?In this case, what will happen to the escapee who has been hiding in the bushes of the island since last night?

But the water rose faster and became a real torrent, continuous and irresistible, with such speed that not even the best horse could surpass it. At that time, the captain and his companions were witnesses to this terrible scene: nearly a hundred people were swept into the white foam by the swell.Then the hordes of riders and horses disappeared, and in the last gleam of dusk all that could be seen were some corpses being swept west of Malegir by the great waves. On this day, when the sun had completed its journey of the day and night, it was setting from the horizon! What a dreadful night it was for the fugitives!Though they had encountered beasts at first, and bandits of Tuareg later, they were afraid of being drowned by the flood in this sanctuary.

But it was impossible to get out of there, and they heard with horror the water slowly rising in the night full of crashing waves This night, everyone imagined that under the strong east wind, the sound of rolling waves could be heard endlessly.The sky was filled with the cries of countless seabirds who now soared over the seas of Malegir. It was daylight again.The rising water did not exceed the highest point of the refuge, and it seemed to have reached its highest point, filling the salt marshes to the brim. The surface of the sea is clean.The situation for the escapees seems disheartening.Their food was gone today, and it was unavailable on this deserted island.run away?What tool do you use?Build a raft out of the trees here and use it to escape?But how to cut down a tree?And then even with the raft, would they be able to propel it with the dreadful winds that are so common here?Will it not be pushed back to the broad shores of Malakil by currents that no man can resist?

It will be very difficult to get out from here, said Captain Aldigon, after looking over to the salt marshes. Hi!My captain and corporal agree, but is anyone here to save us?we do not know A day passed and still no change, like Larsa, Malegir became a lake, that's for sure.If the slopes of the canal break down here and there, where will the flood spread? Wouldn't Nefta and other towns be flooded during the earthquake phenomenon or the ensuing swells?In the end, will the disaster spread to the entire Jared area, and even Gabes Bay? However, evening drew near, and after breakfast Captain Altegan and his companions had nothing more to eat.As soon as they gained a firm foothold on Tyre, they discovered that there was no fruit on the branches, but only dead trees.There was not a single bird, not even a nest, that flew sideways and did not roost on this tiny island.Even if you can eat a starling to relieve the pain of heartbreak, there is no such thing.If there are a few fish in the new sea water, it is pistash talking.The second is thirst. Since this layer of water has now been mixed with sea water, how can it be quenched?

However, at half past seven, when the sun was about to go down, Monsieur François, looking to the northeast, said in a tone of surprise: wisp of smoke wisp of smoke?Corporal Pistash asked aloud. It's a puff of smoke, M. François repeated. All eyes turned in the direction they were pointing. Yes, it was a plume of smoke, and the wind was blowing it toward Tyre, and it was seen quite distinctly. The fugitive was speechless, for fear that the plume of smoke would disappear, and that the ship would turn away from the place from which it had come, away from Tyre. In this way, the explanation made by the engineer is correct!His vision came true. During the twenty-sixth to twenty-seventh day, the water of Gabes Bay has spread all over the ground in the eastern part of Jared!Henceforth, since the ship can certainly navigate along the waterway that runs through the lagoon and the salt marsh, the small sandbar is connected with Malegir. Twenty-five minutes later, the boat was revealed, its chimneys were seen on the horizon, and then its hull was revealed again, the first boat to and from the new lake! Signal!Send a signal!said a cavalryman. How did Captain Altegan show the presence of escapees at the narrow apex of the island?Was the hill high enough for the fleet to see?Is the ship that came into view still more than two kilometers to the northeast? Besides, after the short twilight comes night, and soon the smoke will be gone. So, a North African cavalry couldn't help shouting in disappointment: We are lost! Help help!Captain Aldigan said that when it gets dark, our signal will no longer be seen, and we will see night! He added: set the tree on fire Yes, Captain!Pistash shouted affirmatively, set the tree on fire!They will glow like matches. In an instant, the scythe blazed, and the branches fell to the ground and piled up at the foot of the trunk. The flames arose and burned the branches above, emitting dazzling light, dispelling the darkness around the island. If they can't see our raging fire, everyone on this boat is blind!cried the corporal. However, the fire burning in this pile of branches could not last more than an hour.All the dry wood burned quickly, and when the last light went out they did not know whether the ship was near Tyre, for it had not signaled its approach by the sound of cannon. Now, dark night enveloped the island.The time was ticking, and the fugitives could not hear any sirens, roars of propellers, or splashes of oars. When Dongfang showed his fish-belly, and when Cut Red Heart roared vigorously, Pistash cried out: it's there it's there! The corporal was not mistaken. A two-thousand-ton boat with a French flag flying from its roof was parked there.When the unnamed isle caught fire, the commander changed direction and circled to the southwest.But out of prudence, when the fire on the island was extinguished, he dropped anchor overnight in deep water. Captain Altegan and his comrades called out, and soon heard the voices in response. They recognized the voices of Vieter and the sergeant major in an approaching skiff. This is the Tunisian small-tonnage frigate USS Bernahir.Arriving in Gabes just six days ago, it is the first ship to sail the new ocean with great audacity. A few minutes later, the boat was at the foot of the small island that had rescued the fugitives. The captain hurriedly hugged the lieutenant in his arms, the sergeant major was also hugged into the arms of Corporal Pistash, and the red heart jumped into the arms of its owner. neck.As for Mr. François, Nicole managed to recognize this bearded man. Of course, the first thing to do on board the Bernard Hill, for Mr. François, was to shave. This is what happened forty-eight hours ago, and it went like this: An earthquake has just shaken the entire area east of Jared between Gaines Bay and Milegil.After the ridge of Gabes broke, more than 200 kilometers of ground collapsed, and the water of the small sandbar bay flooded into the canal large enough to hold the water.Therefore, these waters not only flooded the entire area of ​​Larsa, but also submerged a large area of ​​low-lying land in Feijie Tris.Fortunately, some towns, such as Lajama, Nefta, Tozeur and others, were not flooded because they were located high enough to be marked on the map as seaports. As for Malegir and Hingiz, they have become the central island.But even if Zanfiq survived, at least leader Adiyar and his gang of marauders were suddenly hit by the swell until they were finally doomed. Lieutenant Viette had tried in vain to find Captain Aldigon and his companions the other day.He searched around Malakil, which is close to the construction site at 347 kilometers. There were no workers on the construction site. The survey team from Puanta was waiting for the escort sent by Biskra. He arrived at Nefta, In order to organize survey teams there through various Tuareg tribal areas. But there he meets the drivers and two North African cavalrymen who, thanks to an accident, have escaped the plot of the two chieftains. However, he was in the city when the earthquake occurred, and when the flood came and the Bernahir was able to sail from Gabes, and when the commander of the ship came here to find news about Larsa and Malegil, he was still there. over there. The commander of the frigate quickly accepted the lieutenant's visit and let him and the sergeant captain board the ship to understand the situation.The most urgent thing is to find Captain Aldigan, Engineer Dessalay and their companions.Therefore, the Bernahir proceeded at full speed, and after passing through Larsa, she sailed on the waters of Malegir, in order to find the oasis on its shore that was not flooded by the flood and the oasis of Farfaria. However, during the second night of sailing on the waters of Malegil they were awakened by the light of the fire, and the commander decided to sail in the direction of Tell, but in this new sea he was not well equipped, and despite the entreaties of Lieutenant Viet, It was still after dawn that contact with the island was made, but now, the escapee is safe and sound on board. Since the frigate had taken in new passengers, it had gone by way to Tozeur, where the admiral wanted to place them, and from there, to send someone on the fast track to report before they resumed their expedition to the border of Malegir. Give yourself sir. Thus, when M. de Charley and his companions disembarked at Tozeur, Captain Ardigan found the members of his detachment again.How happy they were to be reunited with his comrades! A dispatch from Tunisia warned that the detachment could not be found in Biskra.For this reason, Puanta and his personnel were forced to return to Biskra, requiring new training. It is impossible to express how many expressions of satisfaction the two friends exchanged, even in Biskra, when the old man who was fighting for the first place saw his heart cut. All this tended to happen among excited crowds, but they were always overstimulated by all the events which had been caused by the Flood, which was closely connected with the original survey of the New Ocean. Suddenly, the engineer found a stranger opposite him, using his own elbow to make a way for himself. He first bowed deeply to him, and quickly said to him with a strong foreign accent: Do I have the honor of speaking to M. de Charais, to himself? Mr. Descharais replied, I think it is right. Well then, sir, I have the honor to inform you that this is a genuine and official certificate of power of attorney handed over to the parties in person, which is confirmed by the signature of Mr. President of the First Instance Court of Appeal, where the French overseas company is located, signed: French Consulate in Tunisia Execution of Arbitration Decision of the Resident General of Nicaea.In the margins there are the following notes: 200 pages of records, 12 spaces on the back, 3 received.Seventy-five francs, including ten centimes, signed vaguely.I am a trustee of the aforementioned company liquidator with full powers, especially in the case of reputation damage, powers of conciliation.The above rights are indeed officially recognized.Don't be surprised, sir, since it works according to my position, I confess to you in their name: you have guaranteed the use of the works carried out by this company. In the fullness and gradual welling up of joy, since he saw his fellow man again, and saw his business accomplished in such a miraculous manner, this man so stern, so methodical, Difficult circumstances, for just a moment, turned back to the man who used to be named a delight, and at Center Court, the major he had been promoted to the same year, blamed his college freshmen for having an old man's fanaticism.He said to his interlocutor in a playful tone: Mr. Plenipotentiary Trustee, Adviser Friend: Rather you take the Sahara action. He continued on the road during the festivities, and began estimating the budget for the new works, which would presumably be included in the report he wanted to give to the company's administration that day. (End of the book)