James H. Foster

“ Kirshner. “Almost anything would satisfy my appetite right now.”
The explorers dismounted and prepared the meal, which after the strenuous hours of constant traveling tasted delicious. Then they sat quietly in the semidarkness.
At last the moon came out, and the desert was again seen to take on a new appearance. The sand was even more beautiful than the night before, white as it was from the soft light.
Tishmak motioned for the adventurers to mount their dromedaries and get under way. If they expected to get over much more territory, it would be necessary to hurry. ”

“ And Joe well knew what that spring would mean.
The youth viewed the hideous scorpion with a terrible awe, fearing to move lest it become angered and charge. What was he to do? He knew he could not get up in time, for his terrible enemy would be upon him. Yet if he should remain sitting, he would surely feel the hairy mass upon him in a very few seconds.
Slowly Joe reached into his holster for his pistol. He was a poor shot with such a weapon, but the chance had to be taken. Still there was a possibility that he might kill the huge spider by throwing the gun at it. ”

“ There were many wonders that caused the explorers to gasp in astonishment.
“The Ahaggar range is of larger extent than the Alps,” said Dr. Kirshner, as they circled about among the rugged cliffs. “And although not of extremely high altitude, these Saharan mountains have many show points that cannot be found elsewhere.”
“And they are comparatively unknown to the outside world,” put in Bob. “Why, the average person doesn’t even dream of mountains being in the heart of the old Sahara.”
All along the way Bob and Joe took motion pictures of the many strange marvels of nature. ”

“ Kirshner’s jaw dropped in surprise.
“Footprints!” he cried. “Human footprints!”
He had hardly uttered the words when there came a chorus of yells from behind a large rock. A moment later ten or twelve rough-looking Arabs darted out and surrounded the Americans. The natives at once disarmed the whites by sheer [Pg 192] force and then displayed long knives threateningly.
The Arabs chattered ominous words, which caused Dr. Kirshner to start in alarm and fear.
“We are being captured!” he exclaimed excitedly. “These Arabs are hired by the two thieves who stole Fekmah’s map!” ”

“ They had barely reached the other side of the wall-like formation when Joe caught sight of a group of tents quite a distance to the east. He motioned for his friends to look in that direction.
“Probably Arabs,” pronounced Fekmah, after Tishmak had chattered rapidly for a moment. “They nomads, who wander about the desert taking their flock of goats with them.”
“Suppose we go over and see them,” suggested Mr. Holton. “Perhaps they can give us a description of the country ahead of us. There may be many more wells than we think, and it will do us no harm to know of them.” ”

“ Bob reminded his chum. “We’ll have to get our stuff together early.”
Notwithstanding this, the youths’ deep slumber made it necessary for their elders to awaken them. They felt rather sheepish as they arose and noticed that the sun was well up in the sky.
“Guess we haven’t developed our mental alarm clocks yet,” grinned Joe, slipping hurriedly into his clothes.
“Now, boys,” said Mr. Holton, opening the door of their room, “we’re going out to find a guide and camels. You had better come along, so you can practise riding. It isn’t easy to get used to a dromedary’s trot. ”

“ At last the lane stopped, and the adventurers found themselves face to face with a high hill.
“Guess we’ll have to climb it,” said Mr. Holton, looking about. “There is no other way out. The sand seems to be hard and safe enough. And it could be a great deal steeper.”
“Let dromedaries go slowly,” cautioned Fekmah. “Do not hurry them.”
They began the dangerous ascent, keeping their eyes glued to the ground. Slowly the camels trudged up, feeling their steps carefully.
They were almost to the top when suddenly the ground gave way from under Joe’s dromedary. ”

“ Scoundrels at Work “WHAT do you suppose they want?” asked Joe, as the youths followed the movements of the Arabs.
“They’re not there for any good,” returned Bob, a look of anger, and at the same time anxiety, on his face. “Probably want to find that map that tells of the hidden treasure. Oh, of course it could be a coincidence that they picked the same hotel that we did, but it isn’t likely.” ”

“ Kirshner. “Dying of thirst is a rare occurrence in this part of the Sahara. But it does happen sometimes, and it is a tragic death indeed.”
“Worst thing is,” explained Mr. Holton, “there is a time when the victim of thirst would die should he touch water. In that case, water is virtually a poison.”
The sand hills that they were passing over were much lower than those in the country below Wargla. The desert stretched away to the horizon in endless waves, which, as far as the travelers could see, were unbroken. ”

“ A fierce tiger cat was crouched ready to spring. It had evidently come to the pool for water when it had discovered the youths.
There was no time to take aim with their rifles, for the beast would be upon them.
Slowly Bob reached for his pistol, and Joe followed suit. At last the boys were ready for action.
With a quick motion Bob whirled about and took hasty aim; then fired. A second later the report of Joe’s gun rang out.
“Missed!” cried Joe in horror. “Both shots missed!”
“Well, we won’t miss again,” said Bob, gritting his teeth. “We’ve got to stop him.” ”

“ The boys and Mr. Holton rode on up to the front of the caravan, where Tishmak and Fekmah were visibly moved with fear.
The darkness was becoming more intense with every minute. Soon the explorers could not see one another.
“It might be well to get off our dromedaries,” suggested Mr. Lewis. “If this is to continue long, it won’t pay to remain mounted.”
“This is likely to mean a loss of several hours,” said Fekmah gravely. “Then again, the fog of dust might pass away in but few minutes.”
“Worst thing about it is the difficulty to breathe,” pointed out Dr. Kirshner. ”

“ Kirshner, commanding his dromedary to lower.
By the aid of flashlights a limited but satisfying meal was prepared on paper, and the adventurers all ate heartily.
“Too bad there’s nothing for the camels,” said Mr. Lewis.
“No need of worrying about them,” returned Fekmah. “They can have no food or drink for good many days. Soon we come to region of thin vegetation. Then they eat.”
After the meal the explorers stretched out on the now cool sand, glad of a chance to rest their tired limbs. The constant jolting of the dromedaries had contributed much toward fatiguing them. ”

“ After breakfast the explorers continued on the dromedaries. They were to reach another stretch of sand dunes late that afternoon, Tishmak told them.
“Sand hills will seem good after these endless miles in the Tudemait Plateau,” remarked Joe. “But there won’t be any shade, and there is a little here from the rocks.”
“Wait till we get to the Ahaggars, if you want shade,” smiled Mr. Lewis. “Some of that region resembles the mountainous part of Arizona. There are deep ravines, narrow valleys, high peaks, unknown caves, and many other remarkable phenomena of nature.” ”

“ Late that afternoon the adventurers came to the well that Tishmak had told about, and found the water very cool. It reached the surface in a shady spot among the many high rocks.
All drank with a thirst that came from long traveling in a dry, hot region. Bob and Joe especially welcomed it, the latter declaring it better than flavored beverages.
“That’s right,” agreed Mr. Holton. “One can [Pg 137] drink many things, but water is, after all, the old stand-by.”
When the containers were filled, the explorers rested in the shade of the rocks. ”

“ It gave a convulsive twitch and rolled over, dead.
“Finally stopped him,” muttered Joe, his face wet with perspiration. “And a powerful fellow, too.”
“One can do a lot of things if he has to,” remarked Bob, putting his gun back in its holster.
The youths lost no time in getting out of the cave. They would have liked to remain in its cool retreat much longer, but they realized that it was necessary to get back to camp.
“Won’t our dads and the others be tickled beyond words when we tell them we’ve found water!” smiled Joe, as they crawled through the narrow passageway. ”

“ Mr. Lewis shook his head in bewilderment.
“Sure is strange,” he muttered. “Why should the horses and the riders be so clearly defined? I can easily understand the mirage of a lake, but this sure gets my goat.”
They stood for some time staring at the distant spectacle, Bob and Joe taking motion pictures. [Pg 153] Finally they rode on up the hill to catch a glimpse of the Ahaggars.
“I rather think that peak not Illiman but Oudane,” said Fekmah to the youths, in answer to their question asking the name of the distant high mountain. “Mount Oudane very high, and much nearer than Mount Illiman.” ”

“ Countless stars shone down from the clear sky, appearing so close that they could seemingly be touched.
“Like we’re in another world,” breathed Bob, as he and his chum rode rapidly at the rear of the pack camels.
“Does seem strange, doesn’t it? I wonder if we’ll live to find the hidden riches?” ”

“ Dr. Kirshner, a noted archæologist, looked up from the book he was reading. His bronzed face took on a wide smile as he scrutinized the two young men.
“Got the old spirit, all right,” he said with twinkling eyes. “I suppose it came from that expedition in Brazil. Every explorer gets it sooner or later.”
“That’s right,” agreed Mr. Lewis, Joe’s father. “They say the main characteristic of a true explorer [Pg 2] is his ability to sense the thrill of adventure.”
“Then we’re real explorers. Isn’t that right, Dad?” grinned Bob.
“‘We’?” asked Mr. Holton, trying to appear serious. ”

“ Holton shook his head repulsively.
“Ignorance is the root of evil,” he said. “These people are even worse off than the Negroes of the Congo. They so infrequently come into contact with civilization that they have degenerated into a state of almost nothingness.”
“With even more respect for Fekmah and Tishmak, the Arabs in many remote sections of the Sahara are a bloodthirsty, treacherous, and immoral [Pg 129] people,” put in Dr. Kirshner. “They do not at all compare with their brothers in Algiers and other places nearer the coast.” ”

“ The guide finally became his natural self, although still a bit panicky.
“You’d think after all the expeditions he’s led into the Sahara he would be calm in the face of danger,” remarked Bob.
“Danger, yes. But not in the face of tragedy!” [Pg 174] thought Dr. Kirshner, although he said nothing. He feared all too much that this might be the end.
“Where is the next well?” asked Mr. Lewis calmly.
Fekmah put the question before the guide, who replied that there was no water within a distance of fifty miles. And mountains lay directly before them, hindering travel. ”

“ For answer the Arabs only laughed.
“What do you think of it?” asked Joe, after his friend had translated the natives’ words.
Dr. Kirshner shook his head.
“Looks like we’re not going to get back to camp today,” he said gravely. “Worst thing is, these rascals [Pg 194] may hunt out our friends and capture them also. If we could just leave some word that would give them a hint to be on the lookout——”
The two Americans were forced along the narrow edge of a deep canyon, and more than once they felt that they were but an inch from death. ”

“ All morning they trudged on without coming to the well that Tishmak knew was somewhere in the first range of mountains. Although it seemed impossible, their thirst rapidly increased still more.
“Say,” cried Bob, as a sudden thought struck him, “if those two thieves could cover up the first mountain well, they might do the same to others. Wouldn’t it be possible?”
“Not the next one,” returned Fekmah. “It too large. Take many, many men to stop it. ”

“ The sheik invited the explorers to stay for dinner, but Fekmah politely refused, saying that they must hurry on.
“We have many miles to go yet,” he told them in the native tongue. “If we are to get far today we must be going now.”
The explorers left the village for their camels, the Arabs shouting warm farewells.
“Professor Bigelow ought to be here,” smiled Joe, referring to a famous anthropologist who had accompanied them on their expedition in Brazil.
“Wouldn’t he be tickled,” laughed Mr. Lewis. “But then—maybe he’s already been here. ”

“ Fekmah told the Americans.
“We are,” returned Mr. Holton. “But here is a very good place to camp, and I think we’d better take advantage of the opportunity.”
The tent and provisions were unpacked from the camels, which seemed more than glad of the chance to relax.
“Funny,” remarked Mr. Lewis, “that camels don’t care to lie in the shade when there is an opportunity. You would think the terrible sun would be avoided as much as possible, but that is not the case.”
“Either they like the heat or they are too lazy to move,” said Joe.
For some time the two youths sat with their elders. ”

“ Kirshner, “that is hard to say at present. I suppose, though, that the logical thing to do is wait and take a train to Wargla as soon as possible. When the track will be cleared is hard to say. It might be a day, or it might be several. I can see no other way of getting to Wargla, can you, Fekmah?”
[Pg 43]
“No,” replied the Arab. “Of course there are good roads part of way, and might ride automobile some of way, but train could get there sooner, even if we wait.”
“I guess you’re right,” agreed Joe, thoughtfully. “There’s no use wasting time trying to do a thing that can’t be done. ”