CHAPTER VIII
Off for the Sahara
"Hurrah!" burst out Joe, overwhelmed with delight. "We'll get ahead ofthose crooks after all."
"When did you find out?" asked Mr. Holton, as overjoyed as the youth.
"Late this afternoon," was the response. "We intended to make frequenttrips to the railroad station in order to know as soon as possible.The agent there informed us that the track had been cleared last nightand the locomotive repaired this morning. He didn't give theimpression that there are other trains on this route, but I supposethere are."
"That's fine!" exclaimed Mr. Lewis, as excited as a boy. "We'll get ameal at once and then complete preparations for the journey. Have youtwo eaten?"
"Yes," returned Fekmah. "It is getting late. Six, seven o'clock."
The naturalists and their sons made their way to the cafe and did fulljustice to a delicious meal. Then they went back to their room andfinished packing their possessions.
"Do you know," remarked Joe that night just before retiring, "we were,in a sense, responsible for that train wreck?"
Bob looked up in surprise.
"If it hadn't been for our proposed expedition, those two Arabs wouldhave had no cause to wreck the train," Joe explained.
"Oh. Indirectly, huh? Well, you're right."
Very early the next morning the explorers were up making last-minutepreparations. The train was to leave for Wargla at eight o'clock,giving them three hours or so to use to best advantage.
"When do we reach our destination?" asked Bob, as he snapped the catchon his handbag.
"At about noon day after tomorrow," answered Dr. Kirshner. "You see,it's a three-hundred-and-seventy-five-mile journey, and the trainwon't go any too fast through the mountains."
"Mountains? Do we go through mountains?" queried Joe, a littlesurprised.
"Yes, twice. Through these around here and then in the more loftyAures. And the scenery is said to be wonderful."
"What cities do we pass through?" Bob asked.
"Setif, Batna, Biskra, and Tuggourt are the principal ones," thearchaeologist replied. "But there are a number of smaller towns. Get amap. There's one in the pocket of that bag over there."
The boys took out the guide to Algeria and studied it closely. Theyfound that the railroad did not make a straight run but curvedconsiderably in order to pass through several important cities andtowns. The map was not strictly up to date and consequently did notshow the new stretch from Tuggourt to Wargla.
"It's been constructed only recently," explained Mr. Lewis. "Atpresent the French have proposed building a trans-Sahara route. Whenthey will begin it, if ever, we don't know."
"Perhaps not in our lifetimes," smiled Joe. "Large enterprises likethat come very slowly."
An hour before train time everything was in readiness, and it was Mr.Holton who suggested that they go down to the railroad station.
The others were in favor of doing so, and as it was but a shortdistance away they were content to walk and carry their belongings.There was a good-sized load, but it was distributed evenly withoutanyone being overtaxed.
At the station they checked the things securely and safely. Even thenthey had a leisure half-hour.
"You may be surprised at sight of the train," said Fekmah.
And they were. The Americans had expected to see rickety wood coachesattached to an incapable locomotive, but instead they saw a large,fine train of the French design.
"All due to the influence of France, I suppose," remarked Dr.Kirshner, as he followed the others up in the coach.
A few minutes later they felt a slight jerk and the train began movingslowly away from the station. Gradually it picked up speed, and beforelong Algiers disappeared on the horizon.
"We're off!" said Joe enthusiastically. "Before long we'll see thegreat Sahara Desert!"
It required but a few minutes to reach Maison Carree, and after ashort stop they began the journey in earnest. Rapidly they passedthrough cultivated fields, orange groves, and vineyards, heading forthe mountains. Small farmhouses were left behind, their ownerslaboring in the fields. Villages inhabited largely by whites werepassed, and occasionally a five-horse cart loaded with swarthy Arabscould be seen winding slowly along the shaded roads.
Finally they came to the Djurdjura Mountains, after having passedthrough the dense forest of La Reghaia. Through numerous tunnels andaround scenic gorges they went, and finally came to Palestro, a smalltown on the banks of the Isser River. Here the train stopped for a fewbrief minutes.
Again it took up the journey, speeding through the beautiful mountaingorges. In the narrow valleys farmers could be seen laboring withprimitive implements. The next stop was Beni-Mansour, where therailroad branched.
Still on they went, the mountainous country gradually growing wilderand more beautiful. Occasionally they found themselves in a narrowgulch between high walls of rock, and a curious sensation of beinghemmed in crept over them.
After passing through a long tunnel, the train sped out on a barrenplain, with little vegetation and few or no people. Another stop wasat Setif, a modern city populated by Americans and Europeans as wellas natives.
Resuming the journey, they passed over another great stretch of levelcountry, and then finally a mountain range could be seen in thedistance. But just when the explorers were anticipating the change ofscenery, the train pulled into El Guerrah and stopped.
"Here we must get off," announced Fekmah, getting his belongingstogether. "We must change trains for Biskra. This one goes on."
The explorers lugged their belongings out on the platform and into thestation.
Darkness was fast approaching, and as it would be necessary to remainin El Guerrah overnight, the adventurers stepped into the hotel, whichwas the only structure in sight.
"The town is some distance away," declared Fekmah. "We not have timeto see it."
At the hotel they engaged rooms and lost no time in getting to them.Sleepiness was rapidly overpowering them, and they went to bed atonce.
The next morning they awaited the train to take them on the remainderof the journey. At eight o'clock it was there, and the explorersclimbed aboard, eager to get started on the last stretch.
"What's the next stop?" asked Bob, as he stretched out on thecomfortable seat.
"Batna," his father returned. "Quite a prosperous place, I guess. Andit is the starting point for tourist excursions to several Romancities that are of considerable interest historically."
Inside of an hour that city was reached. A short stop and then theywere off for Biskra, at the very edge of the Sahara.
"We are now three thousand five hundred feet above the level of thesea," declared Fekmah, as the train sped over the last few miles oflevel country.
Soon they came to the Aures Mountains, and between high walls of rockthey sped. At last the short range of peaks was passed, and they foundthemselves once more on comparatively level ground.
Suddenly Fekmah pointed to a high ridge of rock:
"The Sahara Desert!" he exclaimed. "We have come to it at last."