Atlantida

Tanit-Zerga was standing up. All about us, on our heads, the sun

blazed on the hamada, burning it white.

Suddenly the child stretched out her arms. She gave a terrible cry.

"Gâo! There is Gâo!"

I looked at her.

"Gâo," she repeated. "Oh, I know it well! There are the trees and the

fountains, the cupolas and the towers, the palm trees, the great red

and white flowers. Gâo...."

Indeed, along the shimmering horizon rose a fantastic city with mighty

buildings that towered, tier on tier, until they formed a rainbow.

Wide-eyed, we stood and watched the terrible mirage quiver feverishly

before us.

"Gâo!" I cried. "Gâo!"

And almost immediately I uttered another cry, of sorrow and of horror.

Tanit-Zerga's little hand relaxed in mine. I had just time to catch

the child in my arms and hear her murmur as in a whisper: "And then that will be the day of deliverance. The day of deliverance

and of royalty."

Several hours later I took the knife with which we had skinned the

desert gazelle and, in the sand at the foot of the rock where

Tanit-Zerga had given up her spirit, I made a little hollow where she

was to rest.

When everything was ready, I wanted to look once more at that dear

little face. Courage failed me for a moment.... Then I quickly drew

the haik over the brown face and laid the body of the child in the

hollow.

I had reckoned without Galé.

The eyes of the mongoose had not left me during the whole time that I

was about my sad duty. When she heard the first handfuls of sand fall

on the haik, she gave a sharp cry. I looked at her and saw her ready

to spring, her eyes daring fire.

"Galé!" I implored; and I tried to stroke her.

She bit my hand and then leapt into the grave and began to dig,

throwing the sand furiously aside.

I tried three times to chase her away. I felt that I should never

finish my task and that, even if I did, Galé would stay there and

disinter the body.

My carbine lay at my feet. A shot drew echoes from the immense empty

desert. A moment later, Galé also slept her last sleep, curled up, as

I so often had seen her, against the neck of her mistress.

When the surface showed nothing more than a little mound of trampled

sand, I rose staggering and started off aimlessly into the desert,

toward the south.