Chapter 21: The Robbers Who Occupy the Oasis
Song Xiaoshuang and the three of them quickly ran to the edge of the canyon, looked at the two children riding camels again, and drove the camel with only one hump under them to trot into the isthmus canyon, and the rainwater that had fallen in a few days had already dried up, and the camel's hoof prints splashed a lot of dust, but because of the twisting angle of the canyon, the people in the tent camp had not found anyone close to the canyon.
"Isabel, get up on my back and hold me tight, quick!"
Song Xiaoshuang shouted quickly, Isabel jumped on Song Xiaoshuang's back with a jump in seconds, wrapped her hands around Song Xiaoshuang's neck and crossed her legs in front of Song Xiaoshuang to fix her body, and before she closed her eyes, she saw that Song Xiaoshuang and Uncle Issam had jumped out of the cliff from the edge of the canyon in unison!
In front of you is an isthmus canyon with a vertical height of 300 meters! Isabel's eyes behind the frame of her glasses flashed with horror, and her whole body involuntarily leaned on Song Xiaoshuang's body, seeing that her body had left the canyon rock for more than three meters, Isabel was terrified in her mind, if she fell down, she could only fall into a patty, and she couldn't stop opening her mouth and screaming.
The woman's screams echoed over the canyon with Song Xiaoshuang's falling figure, and Song Xiaoshuang and Uncle Issam, who were carrying Isabel on their backs, were like apes, their feet in sandals quickly clicked on the cliff wall close to seventy degrees, and while unloading the gravity of the fall, they aimed at another foothold and jumped away.
Song Xiaoshuang scolded in his heart: Why did you forget to ask Isabel to close her eyes? I had already reminded her to close her eyes, and now that she was comfortable, the whole camp heard it, as if I was bullying her?
"Close your eyes and stop shouting!"
Song Xiaoshuang used the light body leaping technique to rappel down on the steep rock wall that seemed to be able to only be up and down with climbing tools, while shouting and reminding Isabel that in order to increase her sense of security, she had to hug Isabelle's legs with both hands, but Song Xiaoshuang did not do this when she went up the cliff.
Unexpectedly, when he did this, Isabel on his back was a little "tsundere".
Feeling that Song Xiaoshuang's strong arms were holding her legs, although she didn't scream and shout continuously, she still said loudly in Song Xiaoshuang's ears with some dissatisfaction: "I didn't remind you just now, who knew that you and Uncle are going up and down like apes, this is a compulsory course for you and Uncle to practice in the morning and evening, jumping up and down the cliff with your bare hands?" ”
Song Xiaoshuang was too lazy to sort out Isabel, who was starting to become bigger, did not speak and continued to land on the cliff wall with Uncle Issam to the bottom of the canyon, but in just two minutes, the three of them had already stood safely on the gravel floor of the canyon, at the back of the tent camp near the bend of the ruins cave, and there were still a few hundred meters away from the tent camp.
"Me, I can't walk, what should I do?"
Isabel was put down from Song Xiaoshuang's back and stood on the ground, only to find that her legs were trembling, her body was numb, and she couldn't move her steps at all, and her expression was a little embarrassed and she quickly spoke Chinese.
Song Xiaoshuang didn't look back, relying on the exploration of mental power alone, he knew that Isabel was forced to go down the canyon cliff, and knew that her legs were trembling now, and it was an emergency response after experiencing danger, and there was nothing to change.
Song Xiaoshuang's eyes showed a rare serious expression, and after gesturing at speed, he stood at the bottom of the canyon and did not move, his gestures Isabel and Uncle Issam both understood, and they paused to move forward and rest in place!
Isabel tried to move her legs and found that the symptoms of paralysis and trembling were reducing, so she helped her glasses that were a little crooked, and looked at Song Xiaoshuang standing next to her angrily, and found that his attention was on the gravel in front of the canyon, and Isabel had to chat with Uncle Issam in Arabic.
Song Xiaoshuang did not protest this time that Isabel said Arabic that she didn't understand, when women are always a little cautious, don't mess with her, it is estimated that the time is a few minutes, Song Xiaoshuang raised his feet and walked in the direction of the tent camp, Isabel was almost rested, and hurriedly trotted to follow.
But where is her foot strength comparable to Song Xiaoshuang and Uncle Issam, Song Xiaoshuang couldn't help but slow down the pace of the speed, waiting for Isabel to follow, fortunately, it was not far from the tent camp, and the three of them quickly rushed back to the camp.
At the bottom of the gravel valley of the canyon next to the tent camp, several Berber guides with robes and scarves to cover their faces stood in front of them, all of them had various swords hanging from their belts, although the swords were not unsheathed, but these guides who had always been masked with scarves stared at the two-peaked camels about twenty meters away with serious expressions, and several scientists in the off-white uniforms of the expedition stood by the tent on the slope with surprised expressions, their eyes also staring at the camels that broke into the canyon.
The two petite masked men on the camel covered their bodies in gray and white robes, their faces covered with scarves and did not speak, and on the camel's saddle belt hung two long knives similar to those on the waist of the guide, and the camel's nostrils kept exhaling white gas, and the lips squirmed and stretched out their long tongues to lick, and the neighing of the camel was occasionally remembered.
The atmosphere at the scene was a little depressing, the Berber guides were well-known desert guides, and would not despise the two camels and the two people who drove the camels into the canyon, and in their legends there were always some strange things in the desert, so that the camels were found to break into the canyon and ran directly to the tent of the expedition site, and these responsible guides were the first to stand up against the invasion of others, and if it was confirmed to be an invasion, the guide was obliged to protect the rights and interests of the employer.
"Don't do it, my brother and I are Tuareg people in the northern desert, do we have drinking water? The camels are dying of thirst! ”
A petite man on the camel tore off the veil that covered his face, revealing the face of a little Arab girl who was at most ten years old, and his dark and brown eyes looked at several Berber guides, and his small and dark face looked unusually calm, and he introduced his origin in a somewhat strange Arabic language.
The guides did not let their guard down when they heard the little girl speak in Arabic, and one of the Berber guides spoke a few words of similar intonation to Arabic, and when the little girl replied correctly in the same language, the guide waved his companion to lift the guard, and he and the little girl were talking in Tuareg, the tribal language of the Tuaregs, confirming the origin of the two children.
One beckoned to the two Tuareg children, signaling that they could take a break from the tent camp and provide them with the necessary food and water, both for people and camels.
Several scientists from all over the world in the tent camp were very interested in the two Tuareg children who suddenly appeared, but none of them could be proficient in Tuareg, Udai and Emina were able to understand Tuareg for the first time, and the two women who were also of Arab descent were very loving, and took out their treasured canned fruits and biscuits to greet the two children, and let the children into the tent.
Camels have their own Berber guides to eat and drink, there are no camel thorns and all kinds of wild grasses in the canyon that can be eaten by camels, but it is difficult for Berber guides, the expedition team brought a lot of food that can be eaten by camels, in addition to these, several guides have to prepare food for dinner.
When Song Xiaoshuang and the three of them rushed back to the tent camp, Gordon, a Yankee dressed in a blue and gray denim suit, was standing at the door of a tent with a box of canned biscuits and Daisy in his hand, talking to a Berber guide guarding the door of the tent in jerky Arabic.
How did I know that the guide was instructed by Udai that the leader Isabel could not let him enter the tent until he returned.
"I'm rubbing, Isabel is my eldest sister, you know? I've got canned biscuits in my hand, and it's the first time I've seen a Tuareg kid, let me in or I'll be done with you! ”
Gordon spoke English in a stupid tone, feeling completely defeated by the guide in front of the tent, and was not allowed to enter at all.
"Canned biscuits for me, who told you to say that I am your eldest sister, just go and talk to those scientists, that female geologist doesn't appreciate you, let her contribute two boxes of canned chicken at dinner, and leave this matter to you!"
Gordon suddenly heard Isabel's English voice, turned his head and saw Isabel, Uncle Issam and Song Xiaoshuang standing next to him, and then felt that his shoulder was slapped heavily by the uncle, and he saw the canned biscuits in his hand in his hand.
Gordon could only shrug his shoulders with a sneering look on his face, and handed a look to Daisy, and the two quickly left the tent, Gordon knew that he had committed Isabel's taboo again, and said that he was related to her without her consent, and he didn't leave to wait for him to be cleaned up.
Song Xiaoshuang watched Gordon leave with a cold eye, and took the lead in the tent, and the Berber guide turned to leave after Uncle Issam gestured.
It was already evening when the sun was setting, the light in the tent was a little dim, Song Xiaoshuang who walked into the tent saw two Arab children, a ten-year-old sister and a seven- or eight-year-old brother, wearing gray and white robes, with a gauze towel covering their heads and faces behind their heads, sitting on a chair made of composite materials, drinking water with a flat kettle for drinking water, while stuffing biscuits and canned fruits into their mouths. There was a look of pity in his eyes.
Seeing Isabel and the three of them walking in, Udai was stunned for a moment and then spoke quickly in Arabic: "The guide and we have repeatedly confirmed that the two sisters and brothers are indeed children of the Tuareg tribe in the northern desert oasis, and they haven't had time to ask how the two of them left the tribe and ran to the isthmus canyon here, you must know that this neighborhood is a forbidden area for life, there are no camel thorns, the water source and water well have long been exhausted, the two camels almost died of thirst, Isabel, the uncle's Tuareg language is the best, It's better for the uncle to ask! ”
Isabel nodded slightly, and several people waited for the two sisters and brothers to stuff food and water into their stomachs, and after a satisfied smile appeared on her little face, Isabel motioned for her to ask the child in person, as an outstanding anthropologist, Isabel is a scientist who does not know much Tuareg in the camp, much stronger than the first language of Ude and Emina.
After some questioning by Isabel, everyone basically understood the origin of the two children: a group of desert robbers of unknown origin had occupied the oasis of the Tuareg tribe in the north a few days earlier, and the siblings, who were descendants of the tribal leader, were the only ones to escape from the oasis!
In order to allow the two siblings to escape, many people died in the tribe, and the siblings hurriedly drove the two-peaked camels, guided by the sun and stars, and trekked hard in the desert to see that the food and drinking water were exhausted, and the siblings, who had already walked outside the canyon, decided to try their luck in the isthmus canyon.
Because the isthmus canyon is the lowest-lying part of the nearby desert depression, there may be a source of drinking water, and where there is a water source, there are small patches of oasis plants and small animals.
The two sisters and brothers who had this idea didn't expect that there were still people in the depths of the canyon, and there were quite a few of them, so they appeared to be confronting the guide at the beginning, and they seemed to be calm and very calm in front of the guide, but in fact, they were pretending, because the two sisters and brothers were also afraid of meeting bad people again.
After figuring out the situation, Song Xiaoshuang stood outside the tent and saw Isabel with a cynical look, simply narrating the origin of the two siblings in Chinese, Song Xiaoshuang did not agree that things were so simple, he always felt that something was wrong.