I was at that perfect moment when only one thin thread still held me
to the civilized world when an official cable arrived at Wargla.
"Lieutenant de Saint-Avit," it said briefly, "will delay his departure
until the arrival of Captain Morhange, who will accompany him on his
expedition of exploration."
I was more than disappointed. I alone had had the idea of this
expedition. I had had all the difficulty that you can imagine to make
the authorities agree to it. And now when I was rejoicing at the idea
of the long hours I would spend alone with myself in the heart of the
desert, they sent me a stranger, and, to make matters worse, a
superior.
The condolences of my comrades aggravated my bad humor.
The Yearly Report, consulted on the spot, had given them the following
information: "Morhange (Jean-Marie-François), class of 1881. Breveted. Captain,
unassigned. (Topographical Service of the Army.)"
"There is the explanation for you," said one. "They are sending one of
their creatures to pull the chestnuts out of the fire, after you have
had all the trouble of making it. Breveted! That's a great way. The
theories of Ardant du Picq or else nothing about here."
"I don't altogether agree with you," said the Major. "They knew in
Parliament, for some one is always indiscreet, the real aim of
Saint-Avit's mission: to force their hand for the occupation of Touat.
And this Morhange must be a man serving the interests of the Army
Commission. All these people, secretaries, members of Parliament,
governors, keep a close watch on each other. Some one will write an
amusing paradoxical history some day, of the French Colonial
Expansion, which is made without the knowledge of the powers in
office, when it is not actually in spite of them."
"Whatever the reason, the result will be the same," I said bitterly;
"we will be two Frenchmen to spy on each other night and day, along
the roads to the south. An amiable prospect when one has none too much
time to foil all the tricks of the natives. When does he arrive?"
"Day after tomorrow, probably. I have news of a convoy coming from
Ghardaia. It is likely that he will avail himself of it. The
indications are that he doesn't know very much about traveling alone."
Captain Morhange did arrive in fact two days later by means of the
convoy from Ghardaia. I was the first person for whom he asked.
When he came to my room, whither I had withdrawn in dignity as soon as
the convoy was sighted, I was disagreeably surprised to foresee that I
would have great difficulty in preserving my prejudice against him.